Minority Health Matters www.minorityhealthmatters.com

Please come out and meet our special guest and pick up some invaluable information.  компютри втора употреба12 January 2008, Saturday, Special Training Session, American Cancer Society, Florida Division Representative Ms Chelsea Hall.  Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church 10 to 12pm.  Also, discussion of the American Cancer Society’s position on “Access to Care” and AARP’s “Divided We fail “Program.  Refreshments will be served.

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Praise God, my father recently had a colonscopy and his results were negative.  At 70 years old there are many medical worries that come you’re way, but that’s one concern we don’t have to deal with anymore.  Get your loved ones tested after age 50!

Back in October, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a seminar put on by the 100 Black Men of Pensacola at Isaiah Chapel in Milton, FL.  Mr. Tice was the host and the Pastor and his wonderful family as well as other members of the community were in attendance.  The event was successful of course and I only wish Isaiah Chapel was a little closer to where I live because I really got a positive feeling from the church members and their leader. 

I haven’t seen too many articles in the news about nutrition or diabetes recently.  Not that it they aren’t popular and important topics.  Perhaps its just the sources i’ve been reading.  I try take in a variety of health related news from across the country.  Most recently i’ve noticed that many of the newspaper health sites are very detailed, but their news often amounts to speculation and poor science.  Take in two grains of salt from whatever you read including what you see here and ask your doctor and other healthcare professionals to learn the truth and remember that even if it works for everyone else, your body is unique.  These articles may prove of interest.   

 

Nutritionists, FDA say children can learn how to read food labels   Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — When 10-year-old Marie Grandguillotte goes grocery shopping with her mother, she reads the food labels. She looks for calories and ingredients and knows to avoid fat and cholesterol.

Reading the food labels was “a little bit confusing, but after a while I got used to it,” said the fifth-grader from suburban Doral.  Nutrition experts and the Food and Drug Administration think there should be more kids like Marie. They advocate teaching children to read food labels themselves instead of relying on mom and dad.  “Since I find parents are not doing a bang-up job (teaching nutrition), I think it’s important to empower the children with their own information,” said Miami registered dietitian Ronni Litz Julien.  The FDA partnered with the Cartoon Network earlier this year to launch a public education campaign encouraging children ages 9 to 13 - or tweens - to read the nutrition facts on food labels.

An interactive Web page on the Cartoon Network’s Web site teaches kids to avoid foods high in fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar and consume more foods with potassium, fiber, iron and calcium. It offers information on serving sizes and calories (40 calories is low, 100 is moderate and 400 is high).  “We learned that tweens are able to cognitively understand food labels, they’re making food choices on their own, they want independence, yet they’re still influenced by their parents,” said Carrie Ainsworth, education outreach specialist for the FDA.  The agency will launch a campaign for parents next year reinforcing the same message, she said.  Another shopper, Sofia Rachi, 10, said she always reads foods labels and likes to look at the colored boxes, but when pressed, the youngster admitted she didn’t “really know what to look for.”  Though the labels can be tricky even for adults, some nutrition experts say it is reasonable for children to grasp the concept by focusing on a few components.  Elisa Zied, a registered dietitian in New York and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, taught her 9-year-old son to read the nutrition labels on cereal boxes.  “I don’t think it’s unrealistic,” said Zied. “He knows when you’re looking at cereal label that we’re looking for high fiber, low sugar.”  Lillian Tabacinic sent her son Eli to a nutritionist to learn about portion control and food labels when he put on weight after breaking a leg. But it took two years before he really grasped it, the Bal Harbour resident said.  “It takes awhile until they can mature to a point where they can understand it’s not healthy,” Tabacinic said.  Now 11, Eli is eating healthier, not using his allowance for junk food and exercising three times a week.

 

Get the Dish on Diabetes

Age, excess weight, lack of physical activity.  We’ve all heard the risk factors for delevoping diabetes. In Florida alone, they put 4 million people in the danger zone, according to the state’s Diabetes Prevention and Control Program.  Developing it, however, is not inevitable.  Study after study suggests that weight loss and physical activity delay diabetes or stop it in its tracks.  But if you have diabetes or are at risk, here are facts you should be aware of.  Get those beans into your diet. The American Diabetes Association includes beans and lentils in a healthy diet plan.  The USDA recommends three cups per week, said Lauren Corder, a clinical dietitian at Baptist Hospital. Beans can be a great source of fiber, protein and other nutrients.  “However, beans contain carbohydrates, and diabetics should note the portion size and the amount of carbohydrates per serving,” she cautioned.  Cinnamon has had a lot of attention lately, with studies and reports touting its ability to lower blood glucose. But that research is not conclusive, Corder said. In fact, some contradict this claim.  The research may be skewed because the studies were small and the amount of cinnamon used (2 1/2 tsp) was much more than most people would eat, she explained.  “For now, I would suggest to enjoy cinnamon in your oatmeal or on your toast, but I would not start taking any cinnamon supplements,” she added.  Nuts are full of protein, heart-healthy fats and vitamins and minerals. Though they are high in fat, it’s mostly unsaturated. ADA recommends integrating such good fats into your diet, since they improve blood cholesterol levels. Sprinkle a few on your salad, but don’t go overboard.  “Nuts contain a lot of calories in a small portion, so if you are watching your weight make sure you do not have portion distortion,” Corder said. “One serving of nuts is one ounce. Think 1/4 measuring cup or about the size of a lime.”

Okay, I have to confess that i’ve bought into the energy drink fad.  If they had Red Bull around when I was going to college or in the military during those late watches i’d probably be really addicted by now.  As it is, back then the only beverage (drug) I had access to that kept me awake was the occasional cola or coffee which i’m still currently addicted to.  Now, I have the option of getting an ice cold Red Bull when I need an energy rush.  I even told a friend i’d stopped drinking coffee for a time, but the truth is I was replacing one vice for another.  I can’t say i’ve bought into the bottled water craze . . . i’m just as likely to buy a gallon and sip it at my leisure and I prefer distilled water that has fewer problems with pollutants and minerals. 

The Downsides of Bottled Water and Energy Drinks

Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D.   Sep 13, 2007

 

In an earlier entry, I railed against the bogus health benefits of bottled waters such as Aquafina®, a Pepsi product that TV advertisements are now admitting is simply tap water that has been “filtered, filtered, and filtered” again, to remove the (harmless) impurities present in much cheaper tap water.  Next to appear on the supermarket shelves were additional unneeded bottled waters fortified with unneeded herbs and vitamins. In addition, the non-degradable plastic bottles containing these unneeded products add to the litter on streets and the problems associated with waste disposal.  The wisdom of using bottled waters may be questionable, but at least they don’t pose the possible health risks of so-called “energy drinks.” You’ve surely heard about these malevolent products, but probably haven’t given them much thought.  “Energy drinks” were popularized in the U.S. with the 1997 introduction of Red Bull®, a carbonated beverage from Austria that contains 80 mg of caffeine in every bottle—about the same amount as is found in a cup of coffee. For comparison, classic Coca Cola® contains 23 mg caffeine and Mountain Dew® contains 37 mg caffeine.  Additional ingredients in Red Bull include two caloric sweeteners (glucose and sucrose), three non-caloric sweeteners, some B vitamins, and the same amount of the amino acid taurine as is found in a glass of red wine.  Other brands of “energy drinks” may contain twice as much or more caffeine as Red Bull, plus other questionable ingredients such as guarana — a South American caffeine-containing herb. (In 2005, the sales of “energy drinks” amounted to an estimated $3.5 billion.)  The calories in these drinks do provide some energy, but mostly their content of caffeine and taurine “soup up” one’s feelings of alertness and may produce troublesome side effects such as anxiety, irritability, heart palpitations, difficulty sleeping, and indigestion.  These manifestations are more likely to occur with “energy drinks” than with coffee, which is usually drunk more slowly than the cooled “energy drinks.” “Energy drinks” can also lead to dehydration because caffeine stimulates urination and thus increases water loss.  Yet another downside to “energy drinks”: Because of their high caffeine content, they are frequently used by young people during nightlong parties as a mixer for vodka drinks.  And, quite predictably, many brewing companies have taken notice of this trend and are now selling “energy drinks” already laced with alcohol - carbonated malt beverages (beers) containing somewhat more alcohol than average beers, along with the caffeine, taurine, and other constituents of the non-alcoholic “energy drinks.” The Marin Institute, self-described as a watchdog group for the alcohol industry, claims that 20 brands of alcoholic “energy drinks” have been marketed in the last 10 years.  Attorneys general from 28 states and the

District of Columbia have issued harsh criticism of beverage companies that sell alcoholic “energy drinks.” They ask that federal officials investigate the ingredients in these products because of their alcohol content and because of the advertising accompanying them, which targets underage customers with misleading claims of benefits, such as increases in energy and stamina.  One take-home message here is the need for greater awareness on the part of parents, teenagers, and young adults about the possible negative health effects of these popular beverages.

I thought these six articles on cancer research would be interesting.  It seems like everyday there’s a new development in the news concerning some study or breakthrough from somewhere around the world showing me that this is certainly an international crisis that makes no distinction between age, race or gender.  The five articles below concern: (1) the post-traumatic stress symptoms suffered by children whose parents have cancer, (2) news of an experimental drug that seems to slow the spread of skin cancer, (3) a study that shows all types of alcohol add equally to the risk of developing breast cancer in women, (4) the disparities in end of life hospice care recived by blacks (5) new developments allowing virtual colonoscopies in Pensacola and (6) the spotlight on a Gulf Breeze facility which treats prostate cancer.  Please read, enjoy and learn.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Children whose parents have cancer often suffer post-traumatic stress symptoms that adults underestimate, Dutch researchers said on Wednesday.  The study, which the researchers said was the first to track post traumatic stress symptoms in adolescents over an extended period of time, found many children of cancer patients suffered telltale signs of the disorder.  These symptoms included recurring nightmares, an inability to stop thinking about the disease as well as conscious efforts to avoid hearing or knowing anything about their parent’s condition, they told the European Cancer Conference.  “We thought the symptoms would decline after time but even after one to five years after the diagnosis, the children still had symptoms,” said Gea Huizinga, a health scientist at the University Medical Centre in Groningen, who led the study.   Experts say post traumatic stress disorder symptoms include irritability or outbursts of anger, sleep difficulties, trouble concentrating, extreme vigilance and an exaggerated startle response. A person may initially respond to the trauma with horror or helplessness, then may persistently relive the event.  The recently completed study did not actually test whether children had the disorder but rather looked for symptoms of PTSD in 49 youths aged 11 to 18 years old starting during the first year after a parent’s cancer diagnosis.  After first learning a parent had cancer, 29 percent of the children showed post traumatic stress symptoms serious enough to justify psychological help, the researchers said.  This number dropped by the end of the first year as kids seemed to adjust to the fact a parent had cancer, especially if the parent’s health improved, Huizinga said.  But surprisingly, as time wore on, another group of children started showing an increase of symptoms, perhaps due to the cancer returning or having the time to think more — and fret — about the disease, she added.  “We thought the symptoms would decline over time,” Huizinga said.  The study also found that girls seemed to have the most problems, perhaps because these children may feel responsible for taking on more duties at home with a sick parent, Huizinga said.  The team also suggested that the effect on children whose parents have cancer was bigger than many serious, chronic diseases because dying from cancer was so possible.  “We think cancer may have more impact because a parent might die of the disease,” Huizinga said. “With a lot of chronic diseases that is often not the case.”

 

BARCELONA, Spain - A very early test of an experimental drug seemed to slow the spread of advanced deadly skin cancer in a small study, the drug’s U.S. developer reported in preliminary findings Wednesday.  Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. of Lexington, Mass., reported that patients with advanced melanoma who got the drug survived an average of 3.7 months without new cancer lesions, compared to 1.8 months for those who got the standard treatment.  The treatment, given as a pill, is so early in development it doesn’t have a name. It must pass muster in much more rigorous testing before the company seeks U.S. approval.  Synta’s drug is one of several in development by other companies trying a new strategy against cancer — killing tumor cells by overloading them with oxygen.  “We are taking advantage of the Achilles heel of cancer cells,” said Dr. Anthony Williams, vice president of clinical research at Synta Pharmaceuticals.  The drug has no effect on normal cells, which can adjust to higher levels of oxygen that cause cancer cells to self-destruct.  Doctors who heard the results at the European Cancer Organization meeting were heartened but said further study is needed.  “This could have a profound effect on patients,” said Dr. Alex Eggermont, president-elect of the European Cancer Organization and a surgical oncology professor at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Eggermont was not connected with the study.  The study followed 81 patients with advanced melanoma for about two years. Twenty-eight received the standard chemotherapy drug paclitaxel and lived an average of 1.8 months with no new lesions, while 53 got paclitaxel plus the new drug and survived an average of 3.7 months with no new lesions.  Less than 5 percent of patients taking the new pill suffered serious side effects, such as a temporary drop in white blood cells, back pain and fatigue.  There are very few drugs available for people with advanced melanoma, which kills 70 percent of patients within one year. Globally, about 160,000 people have it.  The company plans a bigger study with more than 600 patients at 150 cancer centers worldwide.

 

BARCELONA, Spain - All types of alcohol — wine, beer or liquor — add equally to the risk of developing breast cancer in women, American researchers said Thursday.  “This is a hugely underestimated risk factor,” said Dr. Patrick Maisonneuve, head of epidemiology at the European Institute of Oncology in Italy, who was not connected to the study.  “Women drinking wine because they think it is healthier than beer are wrong,” he said. “It’s about the amount of alcohol consumed, not the type.  “Previous studies have shown a link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, but there have been conflicting messages about whether different kinds of alcohol were more dangerous than others.  The researchers, led by Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, Calif., revealed their findings at a meeting of the European Cancer Organization in Barcelona.  Researchers analyzed the drinking habits of 70,033 women of various races and asked them questions during health exams between 1978 and 1985.  By 2004, 2,829 of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Klatsky and his colleagues looked at which types of alcohol the women drank, as well as their total alcohol intake.  They compared that to women who had less than one drink a day.  Researchers found no difference in the risk of developing breast cancer among women who drank wine, beer, or liquor.  Compared with light drinkers — those who had less than one drink a day —women who had one or two drinks a day increased their risk of developing breast cancer by 10 percent.  Women who had more than three drinks a day raised their risk by 30 percent.  “A 30 percent increased risk is not trivial,” Klatsky said.  “It provides more evidence for why heavy drinkers should quit or cut down.”  Some experts said that people might be confused by suggestions that drinking red wine is healthy, since some studies have suggested that it protects against heart disease.  “None of these mechanisms have anything to do with breast cancer,” Klatsky said.  Though it is not entirely clear how alcohol contributes to breast cancer, some experts think it raises hormone levels in the blood to levels that could potentially cause cancer.  Still, doctors said that other factors, such as genetics, obesity, and age, were more important in raising the breast cancer risk than was alcohol consumption.  More public education may be needed.  “Alcohol has had a lot of good publicity.  People may not realize the risk they’re taking when they have a few drinks,” said Tim Key, of the Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit at Oxford.  Key was not involved in the study.  According to data published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002, 4 percent of all breast cancers — about 44,000 cases a year — in the United Kingdom are due to alcohol consumption.  Only a small proportion of women are thought to be heavy drinkers. But experts now say there is enough evidence to blame alcohol for breast cancer — and to start educating the public.  “Any alcohol consumption will raise your breast cancer risk,” Key said.  “Women don’t have to abstain from alcohol entirely, but they need to be aware of the risks they’re taking when they have a few too many drinks.”

 

Fewer blacks receive end-of-life hospice care- NEW YORK

African-Americans are less likely than whites to receive end-of-life care from a hospice program, particularly for diseases other than cancer, a new study suggests.  The goal of hospice care is to make terminally ill patients comfortable at the end of life, offering treatment for pain and other physical and psychological symptoms. Historically, black Americans have been less likely than whites to enter hospice care.  In the new study, researchers found that the racial gap is particularly obvious among patients dying of diseases other than cancer.  Among more than 166,000 patients at the largest U.S. hospice provider, researchers found that African-American patients were one-third less likely than whites to have an illness other than cancer.  The findings suggest that closing this “noncancer gap” would go far in reducing racial disparities in overall hospice use, according to Dr. Kimberly S. Johnson and colleagues at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.  They report the findings in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.  Hospice programs were originally developed for the care of terminally ill cancer patients. That has changed since the 1990s, and in the U.S., patients with other life-limiting diseases now make up the majority of hospice enrollees.  Still, many people may remain unaware of the full scope of hospice care, according to Johnson and her colleagues.  In addition, some people see hospice care as “giving up,” and studies suggest that African Americans, in particular, have a greater preference for more-aggressive treatments, the researchers note.  This may be particularly true when it comes to diseases other than cancer, they explain. It’s harder to predict the life expectancy of someone with advanced heart or lung disease, for example, compared with someone with terminal cancer.  There were “positive changes” seen in the study, according to Johnson’s team. Between 1999 and 2003, the percentage of hospice enrollees with non-cancer diagnoses climbed, regardless of race.  However, the racial gap remained steady over time, the researchers found.  More studies, they conclude, are needed to figure out why African Americans have a particularly lower rate of hospice use for diseases other than cancer.  “Targeted efforts to increase hospice use among African Americans with noncancer diagnoses may be important in reducing racial disparities in overall hospice use and improving the quality of care for dying African Americans,” they write.

 

Virtual Colonoscopies Gaining Appeal   Associated Press

Undergoing an X-ray to look for signs of colon cancer may soon be an option for those who dread the traditional scope exam.  Two of the largest studies yet of “virtual colonoscopy” show the experimental technique works just as well at spotting potentially cancerous growths as the more invasive method.  It’s also quicker and cheaper.  Some local doctors say that although the virtual version can be an effective diagnostic tool, it is not typically covered by some insurance carriers. And they say the traditional exam will not be replaced by the virtual scan.  The X-rays can help sort out who really needs the full exam and removal of suspicious growths, called polyps.  In one study, only 8 percent of patients had to have followup traditional colonoscopies, which are done under sedation and carry a small risk of puncturing the bowel.  But what some people consider the most unpleasant part can’t be avoided: drinking laxatives to purge the bowel so growths can be seen.  Still, proponents hope that the newer test will lure those who have balked at getting conventional screening.  “This is ready for prime time,” said Dr. Perry Pickhardt, one of the researchers at the University of Wisconsin Medical School who reported the results of their study last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.  A second, federally funded study at 15 sites around the country is meant to be the definitive test of virtual colonoscopy. Results have not been published, but they show the test to be promising.  Dr. Christopher Dorvault, chairman of the radiology department at West Florida Hospital in Pensacola, said the virtual colonoscopy is appealing because although it still requires a pretest bowel cleansing, it does not require sedation, can be completed in less than 15 minutes and has a much lower risk of perforation than conventional colonoscopy.  West Florida Hospital has offered the virtual scan for about four years, Dorvault said.  Colonoscopies are recommended for everyone older than 50, but just about half get tested.  Colon cancer is the nation’s second leading cause of cancer deaths, and an estimated 52,000 people will die from it this year. Screening can save lives by finding growths before they become cancerous. Colonoscopies, considered the gold standard test, are recommended every 10 years and more frequently after polyps are found.  The Wisconsin study compared the two methods in more than 3,000 patients and found that conventional colonoscopy detected 121 polyps while virtual colonoscopy detected 123, Dorvault said.  Regardless of which method is used, there are many who are not having their colon screened for polyps, which if not removed can become cancerous, Dorvault said.  “If patients prefer this test and that leads to a larger number of patients undergoing some form of colon screening, then there clearly is a public health benefit,” he said.  In the study, the virtual colonoscopies didn’t report tiny polyps, which are unlikely to be cancer. Not picking up the smaller lesions does not mean the test is a “bad thing” said Dr. Wayne Adkisson, a gastroenterologist at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.  In the virtual scan, Adkisson said, the doctor looks at a computer-generated image of the colon, not a true picture of the colon. “For that reason it won’t pick up small lesions.  A traditional colonoscopy is a true photograph, a motion picture of the colon.”  Adkisson said he expects the virtual scan to be more commonly accepted by insurance carriers in the next three to five years.  Sacred Heart does not perform the virtual scans.  “The traditional colonoscopy will never fully go away,” Adkisson said. “It is the most direct, safest route to remove a polyp or pathology.  “People who would have been totally reluctant to get screened at all, (if this encourages them to get screened) it is good because it has been clearly proven that screening for colon cancer does, in fact, save lives.”

 

Center Offers Radiation Therapy to Help Fight Prostate Cancer     Baptist HealthCare

Today begins a week focused on preventing the deaths of an estimated 27,000 American men each year. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men living in the United States. The Ciano Cancer Center at Gulf Breeze Hospital is part of the effort to change that.  With early detection and treatment, prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent survivable, according to the Prostate Cancer Education Council, sponsor of Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, Sept. 16-22.  Even after the disease has moved to other parts of the body, treatment can curb its spread and prolong life.  Gulf Breeze Hospital is committed to improving quality of life in the community it serves.  In March 2004, the hospital opened the Ciano Cancer Center to provide radiation therapy for patients living in the area extending from Gulf Breeze to Navarre.  For men who choose to fight prostate cancer with radiation and surgery, this means no longer having to endure repeated energy-sapping commutes while undergoing treatment.  The Ciano Cancer Center is the only provider of radiation therapy in the Gulf Breeze area.  The Center’s $2.1 million Varian Linear Accelerator and its million-dollar software are cutting-edge technologies that can target tumors while sparing nearby tissues.  The result is more effective treatment with fewer side effects.  As an entity of Baptist Health Care, Gulf Breeze Hospital connects prostate cancer patients to a complete menu of treatment options, including radioactive seed implants and the da Vinci S HD Surgical System, the most advanced robotic surgical system available in the United States.  The da Vinci system provides surgeons with an unprecedented degree of precision, allowing them to remove diseased prostates without damaging surrounding structures.  Not only are pain and blood loss reduced, but so is the risk for long-term complications.

If you haven’t been to one, the Baptist Health Expo is a great place to bring the family while learning about health and receiving a number of valuable free or reduced cost health screenings.  The 2007 Expo is gone, but look for it again at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds in September of 2008.  I’ll keep the link on our website http://www.ebaptisthealthcare.org/FamilyExpo/ and have included an article about it below.

 

Expo Teaches About Healthy Lifestyles

Summerdale, Ala., resident Melinda Burke is a mother of two small children and is concerned about having a high cholesterol level. “I want to live long enough to be around to see my kids grow up,” Burke said, as she sat for a stroke-screening test Saturday at the 15th annual Baptist Health Care Family Expo.

Burke was among the more than 10,000 people expected to attend the all-day event on Saturday at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds on Mobile Highway.  This year’s theme was “Creating Healthy Families.”  Activities included free health screenings such as glucose testing, osteoporosis heel scans, middle ear screenings and heart-risk profiles.  “Cholesterol plays a major role in a person’s heart health,” said nurse Tammie Stefanko, a stroke coordinator at Baptist Hospital.  “High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke,” she said.  “That’s why it’s important for people to know what their cholesterol level is, and they also should learn about other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.”  At an adjacent booth, hospital audiologist Heather Morris talked to a group of parents about speech delays and articulation problems facing kids between the ages of 5 and 6.  Across the hall, Lyndsey Odom, a Gulf Breeze Hospital surgical technician, was surrounded by an excited group of children who wanted to become junior surgeons for the day.  “The kids learn how to wash their hands properly and about the importance of having to wear hats and masks while you’re in an operating room,” Odom said.  In a separate fairgrounds building were 60 vendors showcasing family-oriented programs and services. Among them were TLC Caregivers, Children’s Services Center, Escambia County Fire and Rescue, Mary Kay, P’cola Moms, Southern Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, and Camp Fire USA.

Returning for the fourth year as an expo vendor was Capstone Academy, an affiliate of the United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida Charter Schools Inc.  “This event provides us the opportunity to bring public awareness to the many wonderful programs that we offer,” said Principal Charles Thomas, whose school is located at 4901 W. Fairfield Drive.

I personally know quite a few people suffering from mental illness and receiving both medication and treatment for their conditions.  Unfortunately getting help is not always so easy.  The military is finally starting to recognize the need for mental health treatment for soldiers returning home from battle and normal troops just experiencing the everyday anxieties of daily operations.

 

Ordinary Americans in many ways are not nearly as fortunate.  I’m sure many of you have heard the saying that black folk can’t afford therapy, so we have X.  X could be a number of things depending when and where you grew up and i’ve heard everything from laughter, Jesus, our diaries/journals, drugs, alcohol or television to name a few.  Needless to say, it finding a healthcare professional that is sensitive and aware of the unique perspectives of minority patients can be challenging for anyone not living in one of America’s bigger cities.  Nevertheless, taking that first step toward treatment no matter what your circumstance is the hard part.

 

I think by far the most frequent mental health issue that i’ve heard of and seemingly the most receiving the most attention by the pharmaceutical companies ($$$) is depression.  Everyone gets depressed to some degree and I always try and tell a good friend about the benefits of exercise when combating that, but i do realize that there’s a level of depression that can only be treated by medical professionals.  Below i’ve included video links with a two part report concerning mental illness in children.  I’ve also included the web link to the National Alliance on Mental Illness http://www.nami.org/ which should provide a rich resource for mental health information.  I’ll include another half dozen internet links to the main Minority Health Matters website http://www.minorityhealthmatters.com that I discovered while researching an article included below concerning a local mental health event.

   

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=FEEDROOM163806

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=FEEDROOM163808

 

Mental Illness Candlelight Vigil Planned

 

To shed some light on the plight of mental illness, the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Pensacola is planning a candlelight vigil for area residents.

As part of a week-long national observance, the group will conduct a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of Sacred Heart, 1212 E. Moreno St.  Dr. Louis Perillo of West Florida Hospital and Clint Rayner of Consumer and Family Affairs Department of Children and Families will address the group. The event is designed to help attendees understand the struggles of people living with mental illness and the problems they and their families may encounter in accessing care or services. Individuals and families are invited to attend. Mental illness is a variety of medical conditions that can disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood and ability to relate to others. It can also adversely impact a person’s daily living functions. Most people can attain recovery if they’re given proper treatment.  The NAMI group meets each second and fourth Thursday of each month at the Lakeview Center Building I. Also, NAMI Pensacola offers support to families with mentally ill loved ones. Dinner will be served.  Details: Norma Haynes, 456-8054 or for more information on mental illness: www.nami.org

Just when I was brooding over what seems to be very insignificant problems right now, a good friend of mine made me remember what’s important right now by revealing he had a colonscopy and they found a pollup and another cancerous region in his body.  Further test are pending, but its just ironic how when you become aware of something so serious as cancer, it appears right in front of you suddenly.  He’d never been to our website, but after I told him what we were doing, he said he’d check it out and perhaps i can bring him in as a live testimonial to something happening right here in Pensacola.  I don’t want to invade his privacy, but perhaps i’ll see if he’d like to share some of his story very soon.  His legacy in life may be to pass his story to someone else and if we can do that and save a few lives, that would definitely be worthwhile.   

I listened to a very interesting interview from a woman yesterday and I have to go out and find her book soon, but basically she states that African American parents enthusiasm with beating their children is likely part of the legacy of slavery.  If a mother didn’t beat her child well to show their behavior was unacceptable, the Overseer or Master could beat the child even worse.  With the Overseers mental mastery over parents keeping the children in line in this manner, they had little else to do in the way of disciple.  Where we could have undoubtedly benefitted from decades of mental therapy to supress these tendencies, after slavery, we were instead treated to Jim Crow and other challenges to the black family leading to the civil rights movement.  She points to the fact that black comedians and most of us laugh an joke about how we were beaten to extremes with cords, branches we picked from the tree and other devices . . . this type of punishment past the point where a child can understand you speaking to them may lead to reduction in curiosity particularly when it comes to education and asking questions.  Now she also says she was severly abused in the foster care system and retains scars today, she’s always confronted with the fact that she has no children as well as the “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child” and a dozen other sayings contradict her, but this is just her theory.  We really haven’t done enough research in some many aspects of our community psychology and I for one am not convinced simply because my parents and grandparents did something that its totally correct.  Anyway, this should prove to be a great read.

“That Mean Old Yesterday: A Memoir” by Stacey Patton 

http://www.staceypatton.com/

The article below probably shows the government response to a recent report that service members are killing themselves at an alarming rate something like 26% if my memory is right.  That’s the highest rate in history for a combat zone including WWII.  I understand that you have to maintain a certain edge when in a war zone . . . its also necessary to demonize the enemy and make them appear less than human in order to kill them.  My brother in law visited recently on his way to Iraq and remembering my military days, you had to maintain a certain type of demeanor and he had it and more.  I think we need to look back at the type of social and mental devices the military used in previous conflicts to alleviate stress to see if we can bring those things to being today.  Having a defined enemy, clear goals, a time table for return and great leadership in front of you also help and I feel many of these things are missing, but that’s just my opinion, what do you think? 

VA opens nationwide suicide-prevention line

The Department of Veterans Affairs has started a national suicide-prevention hotline for veterans.

“Veterans need to know these VA professionals are literally a phone call away,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson said in a news release. “All service members who experience the stresses of combat can have wounds on their minds as well as their bodies. Veterans should see mental-health services as another benefit they have earned, which the men and women of VA are honored to provide.”

The toll-free hot line number is (800) 273-TALK (8255).