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4 - The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, October 13, 2010
HEALTH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Breast Self-Exams and Mammograms
are Key to Fighting Breast Cancer
October is National
Breast Cancer Awareness
Month and the Georgia
Department of Community
Health (DCH) is continuing to
encourage Georgians to be
proactive about their breast
health.
Performing monthly
breast-self exams and getting
mammograms regularly can
help improve life expectancy
from breast cancer for women
and men. In recognition of
this health observance, DCH
employees are participating in
the American Cancer
Society’s Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer walk.
“As breast cancer rates
decline, Georgians should
continue to get regular mam
mograms and conduct month
ly self-exams,” said Dr.
Kimberly Redding, Director
of DCH’s Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention
Programs. “Early detection,
through regular screenings, is
the key to increasing the life
expectancy of individuals
diagnosed with breast cancer
in our state and throughout the
country.”
Breast cancer is the sec
ond most common cancer in
women in the United States.
It can cause changes in how
the breast looks or feels.
During breast self-exams
and/or mammograms,
changes in the breast and/or
symptoms of breast cancer can
be detected early. According
to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC), breast cancer symp
toms can include:
New lump in the breast
or underarm (armpit)
Thickening or swelling
of part of the breast
Irritation or dimpling of
breast skin
Redness or flaky skin in
the nipple area or the breast
Pulling in of the nipple
or pain in the nipple area.
Nipple discharge other
than breast milk, including
blood
Any change in the size or
the shape of the breast
Pain in any area of the
breast
For more information
about the state’s Breast and
Cervical Cancer program log
onto
www.health. state, ga.us/pro-
grams/bccp.
For additional informa
tion on breast cancer, log onto
www. georgiahealthinfo .gov.
SSU Homecoming Parade Applications
Available
Savannah State
University’s (SSU) 2010
Homecoming Parade will take
place on Saturday, Nov. 20,
beginning at 9 a.m. This year’s
Homecoming theme is
"Committed to a Rising
Tradition of Progress."
Parade applications are
available on the university
website
(www.savannahstate.edu.) or
at the Department of Student
Fife office in the King-Frazier
Student Center on the SSU
campus. The application —
along with a $75 application
fee for each non-campus entry
— should be returned to the
parade committee by
Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Parade units will begin
lining up at 7 a.m. on East
Broad Street near Taylor
Street. The parade will travel
north on East Broad to
Broughton Street; west on
Broughton to Martin Futher
King Jr. Boulevard (MLK);
south on MLK to Anderson
Street; and west on Anderson
to Ogeechee Road, where
parade units will disband near
the Economic Opportunity
Authority (EOA) building.
After the parade, the
Homecoming celebration will
move to Memorial Stadium,
where the SSU Tigers will play
the Norfolk State University
Spartans at 2 p.m. The
Homecoming game will cul
minate the 2010 football sea
son for the Tigers. The game
venue was moved to Memorial
Stadium because T. A. Wright
Stadium on the SSU campus is
undergoing an extensive reno
vation that will be completed
in 2011.
For more information
about participation in the
annual parade, contact Gary
Oliver at (912) 358-3117or
oliverg@savannahstate.edu.
Health Restoration
Could The Problem Be Gluten?
Do you have chronic
health problems that just won’t
go away, no matter what you
do? You are drinking more
water, off the sugar and artifi
cial sweeteners, exercising
more and still having consider
able problems? You could have
gluten intolerance, as millions
do, and not know.
Gluten in foods can attack
the villi of the small intestines
leading to the formation of tiny
holes in the intestines. This
results in food particles that
leak through these holes into
the bloodstream, causing the
body’s natural defense system
to see these food particles as
“foreign objects.”
This creates two major
problems: The body cannot
absorb nutrients from the food,
which is needed for good
health. And, the body’s
immune system is continuous
ly attacking the body, seeking
to destroy (what it sees as an
invader.)
Gluten is a protein sub
stance found in grains, includ
ing barley, wheat and rye.
However, most times the
offending gluten is from wheat
flour, and products made of
wheat.
Wheat gluten is in thou
sands of foods, and if you are
sensitive to gluten, then you’re
being attacked nearly every
time you eat a meal or snack!
If you are intolerant of
gluten, you may experience
symptoms such as: malnutri
tion, iron deficiency, abdominal
problems like bloating,
swelling, pain, and gastric trou
ble, constipation and diarrhea,
joint pain, nervousness, inflam
mation, rash, itching and sores
on skin, headache, unexplained
fatigue, anger, loss of temper,
[ £
Carolyn Guilford, CNC
brain fog, impotency, irregular
periods, miscarriage, cramps
and numbness, slow growth of
infant / child, dental problems
including mouth sores, leaky
gut, celiac disease, unexplained
weight gain or loss.
If you have any of these
issues, there may be a link to
gluten intolerance. Many times
people have had gluten prob
lems their whole life but never
were able to connected their
symptoms with foods. As we
age the intolerance gets worse
and may even manifest as dif
ferent symptoms or diseases.
You may have had bowel prob
lems at one time but today the
problem manifests as joint
pains, or something else.
If you suspect that you
may have an intolerance to
gluten, you will need to avoid
gluten totally. To do a test, to
see if you are affected by
gluten, spend two weeks on a
gluten free diet. At the end of
the test time, if you are free of
any of the symptoms that have
baffled you and your physician,
you’11 know that you are affect
ed by gluten.
At that point, you will
need to go on a gluten free diet
permanently, to regain your
health, and rebuild the intestin
al villi.
Becoming gluten free is
much easier today, there are so
many gluten-free products.
You will want to carefully read
every label, as you are shop
ping. Look for breads, cereals
and pasta that is 100% gluten
free. Products made from com,
rice or potatoes, or some of the
non-gluten flours. Know that
malt, and beers contain wheat.
When eating out, ask lots
of questions at restaurants,
about the food you are order
ing, and letting the server know
that you need gluten free. If
you are not sure, just don’t eat
it. Many foods such as gravies,
sauces, condiments and
desserts contain gluten, so it is
important for you to know for
sure.
Next, you have to realize
that it takes at least six months
for your body to heal from
gluten damage. Becoming
gluten free for less time, and
feeling better, thinking you are
cured, and going back to the
former dietary style, is not the
answer. This is not enough
time for the small intestines to
heal.
You will need to be vigilant and
remain gluten free, to protect
your health.
Remember, Health is a Choice.
If you have any com
ments or questions about health
issues covered in this column,
or an issue you’d like
addressed, please call or write
to:
Carolyn Guilford
www.HealthRestorationlOl.c
om
P.O. Box 2814, Savannah,
GA 31402
912) 236-8987
Chatham County Health Department
Ready to Give Flu Vaccine
The flu. It's just a fever
and cough, right? Wrong.
Hundreds of thousands of
people are hospitalized
because of the flu every year
and an average of 36,000
people die from it. Is it really
worth the gamble? Chatham
County Health Department
officials don't think so.
The Health
Department is now offering
the flu vaccine and everyone
six months and older is
encouraged to get it.
The flu vaccine is
available in both the
injectable (shot) and nasal
spray form and the cost is
$25. Neither the flu shot nor
the nasal spray can cause the
flu. The shot is approved for
use in people 6 months of
age and older, including
healthy people, people with
chronic medical conditions
and pregnant women. The
nasal spray is approved for
use in healthy people 2-49
years of age who are not
pregnant.
“Getting a seasonal flu
shot every year is the best
way to protect yourself from
getting and spreading the
flu,” said Chatham County
Health Department Nurse
Manager, Cathy Schmid,
R.N. The 2010-2011 flu vac
cine will protect against
three strains of flu: influenza
A H3N2 virus, influenza B
virus, and the 2009 H1N1
virus that caused so much ill
ness last season. Since the
2009 H1N1 strain is included
in this year's seasonal vac
cine, there is no need to get a
separate 2009 H1N1 vacci
nation this year.
Flu vaccinations will be
available at the Chatham
County Health Department
on Monday through Friday.
For more information please
call the Chatham County
Health Department at 356-
2441.
For more information
on the 2010 flu vaccine
please go to www.cdc.gov.
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