Sample Articles: June-August 2003

Lifelong Learning - You’re Never Too Old To Learn

Last year Scottsdale resident Laney Darnell, age 74, obtained an Associate’s Degree from Rio Salado Community College. Laney started taking classes at Rio Salado in 1979, but was forced to stop because of complications with arthritis. Three years ago, her children bought her a computer and she discovered she could take courses over the Internet, using a voice-activated device to complete her homework. Laney had never used a computer before, but was motivated by the goal of obtaining her degree. She achieved the honor of receiving an Associate Degree but also went down in history as Rio Salado’s oldest graduate! Although she wasn’t able to attend the graduation ceremony, her Internet instructor delivered her diploma personally to her home.
Laney is planning on continuing her education, with the goal of placing a bachelor’s degree on the wall next to her Associate Degree. She is proof that you’re never too old to learn and that there are countless opportunities available to continue educational pursuits. If you have been thinking about taking a class, learning another language, working with computers, or writing a book, stop thinking and start doing…opportunities are waiting for you!

For more information contact Rio Salado Community College at (480)-517-8000, or go to www.rio.maricopa.edu.

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Simple Things To Do To Maintain Health

By Dr. Gladys McGarey

The world is in crisis and we are being threatened from many sources. The threat is as great from outside of our country as it is from within our country itself. The threat is from outside of ourselves and correspondingly within ourselves. We are afraid of attacks from outside but in the process of responding to our fears, the fear from within our own being can be as dangerous and as immobilizing as anything from outside. In response to this it is important for us to do all we can to maintain our own health, our own center of calm, and our own awareness that God who is the God of all the earth is still in charge. We have to find our way of bringing peace first within ourselves which then extends outside of ourselves to the whole world. In order to do this there are some simple things which each one of us can do.

1. Eat well. Keep our diet low in sugar, low in processed foods, and high in simple natural products as possible. Our diet needs to be high in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and good proteins. Good proteins include beans, eggs, nuts, and meat. Have adequate amounts of unsaturated fatty acids in the form of oils, such as olive oil and flax seed oil. We need to be moderate in our intake of dairy products.

2. Water intake: A minimum of six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. The cells of our bodies are mostly made up of water and if we do not replenish the water in our cells, our cells get sick, our immune system is compromised and we become susceptible to illness.

3. Some basic vitamins, such as, vitamin C 2000mg, vitamin E 800 international units, a good B complex 100mg, and a good multiple vitamin.

4. Minerals: zinc 60 mg, calcium 1000mg, magnesium 500mg.

5. Gastro-intestinal enhancers: Large quantities of acidolphilus which can be either in capsule form or powdered, fresh garlic or garlic in capsules. The acidolphilus is helpful in creating a normal bacteria flora in the intestinal tract. Rule of thumb – antibiotics should never be taken without acidolphilus. Garlic is a natural antibiotic helps to kill hostile elements within the intestinal tract. Keeping the bowels active is essential to good health and for some people the use of digestive enzymes and/or hydrochloric acid are important to maintain the digestive process.

6. Exercise: It is essential to keep the body moving, whether it’s bicycle riding, walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi – whatever is right for you. Exercise needs to be appropriate for each person.

7. Conscious breathing: Breathing in life, breathing out fear; breathing in joy, breathing out anger. In other words, giving ourselves the breath of life. “God breathed and became a living spirit.” We cannot live without breath. Most of us never think about breathing, and yet, each cell of our body needs that breath and when we do it consciously we help heal and maintain health.

8. The use of a castor oil pack or some similar modality which allows the body to cleanse itself of toxin. A castor oil pack placed over the liver and used for an hour to an hour and half three consecutive days a week is a simple and affective way of detoxifying the body.

9. Keep the body alkaline using 10 drops of Glycothymoline three times a day in water or a fourth of a teaspoonful of baking soda in water or an Alka Seltzer in water once a day. During times of stress the body tends to get more acid and keeping it on the alkaline side is helpful in prevention.

10. Various herbs, such as goldenseal and eucanasia used with conscious awareness can be helpful in counteracting disease process. Oregano oil used under the tongue also is helpful.

11. Prayer and meditation: To keep our bodies centered and aware of what we are living for, helps us to maintain our ideal and our focus on love and healing and all of this tied together with laughter and joy. It’s an interesting thing as you look at the face of terrorists you never see laughter or joy.

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Alternative Medicine and Arthritis

Many people with chronic diseases, such as arthritis, turn to alternative medicine. Some alternative treatments and remedies can help people live a healthier life.
What alternative medicine can do:

• Help you take an active role in your health care.
• Ease some symptoms, especially pain, stiffness, stress, anxiety and depression.
• Improve your outlook, your attitude and your quality of life.
• Work with conventional medicine to enhance the effects of both kinds of treatments, and promote wellness.

What alternative medicine can’t do:
• Treat most acute illnesses.
• Replace proven medical treatments.
• “Cure” chronic diseases such as arthritis.

How can people choose between the good, the bad and the useless treatments?

1. Talk to your doctor before beginning any alternative treatment. Any therapy that is strong enough to help is also strong enough to harm. Always tell your doctor everything you are taking or doing, including over-the-counter drugs, herbs, vitamins, special diets or exercises.

2. Use common sense. Weigh the risks and benefits as well as the costs in time and money of any new therapy, and know when to quit a treatment that isn’t working for you.

3. Make informed decisions. Read as much information as possible about any therapy before trying it.

4. Don’t expect a “cure” from alternative therapies. There are no miracle cures for arthritis. New health frauds pop up all the time, but the promoters usually fall back on the same old clichés and tricks to gain the trust – and the money – of the consumer.

Red flags for fraud:

• The vendor or practitioner claims the treatment or product works by a secret formula. Legitimate scientists share their knowledge so their peers can review the data.

• There are claims that the treatment is a miraculous breakthrough or a “cure.” Real medical breakthroughs are few and far between.

• The treatment is publicized only in the back pages of magazines, over the phone, by direct mail, in newspaper ads that pretend to be news stories, or infomercials.

•“Proof” for the treatment relies solely on testimonials from satisfied customers. These people may never have had the disease the product is supposed to cure, may be paid representatives or may simply be fictitious.

Some alternative therapies can help people gain control over their health care. When used in combination with conventional medicines, they may help people feel better and live a fuller life.

For more information about alternative remedies for arthritis, call the Arthritis Foundation at 602-264-7679 or visit www.arthritis.org.

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American Cancer Society Stresses Importance of Informed Prostate Cancer Decision Making

For men and their loved ones, two of the many issues surrounding prostate cancer are fear and confusion. An estimated 220,900 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. According to the American Cancer Society, the nation’s leading voluntary health organization, uncertainty over testing and treatment can cause some men to ignore the realities of the cancer. In some cases, men will make rash decisions about their health care without fully understanding all available options.

“ Facing these decisions can be difficult, and it’s even harder for men who try to make them alone,” said Missy Pizzo, program director of the American Cancer Society. “The American Cancer Society encourages men to discuss their options with their doctors and families. In some cases, a physician may recommend a period of ‘watchful waiting,’ using regular checkups to safely monitor the status of the cancer. When treatment is recommended, a patient armed with factual information is much more comfortable with his decision.”

The Society’s messages on prostate cancer are:

• Get as much information about prostate health as you can.
• Talk with your doctor to determine your personal risk for prostate cancer.
• Understand all available testing and treatment options, so you can make an informed decision.
• Contact the American Cancer Society for information about all aspects of prostate cancer 24 hours a day.

Many African American men don’t realize they are at higher risk for prostate cancer and two times more likely to die from the disease than other American men. For all men, age and family history are risk factors. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 28,900 men in the United States will die from this disease this year, accounting for approximately 11 percent of all male cancer-related deaths.

The American Cancer Society guidelines are recommendations, not rules. Written for both doctors and the public, the guidelines are flexible in order to accommodate individual medical and personal needs, and are subject to revision based on new research evidence. They are:

• Men 50 and older should be offered early detection tests (PSA and DRE) annually.

• Men at high risk (family history, African Americans) should begin early detection testing (PSA and DRE) at age 45.

For questions or more information on Cancer call the American Cancer Society’s information Center at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit
www.cancer.org