African-American mothers urged to breastfeed P10

HealthyStartApril 2013 Healthy Start is the publication of the Milwaukee Community Journal dedicated to Health and Wellness Free

Wisconsin’s Largest Black Newspaper

Spring

TTop Health andWellbeing tips to get you refreshedfor

Caution! That saltmay be killing you.Link between salt and Hypertension confirmedP7

Memorial:A Champion

of OrganDonation

Ray Harmon

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April is National Donate Life Month

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HealthyStart 2013 April 2013

Potential WINNERS of MCJ MISSION MAKEOVER

Should begin to SUBMIT PHOTOS Now! Y APRIL 30, 2013, we hope to introduce some ofthe participants in the MCJ newspaper and theHealthyStart edition and web-site.

Since there are only five winners....we want to keepthe group small enough so each participant in-

spires the other participants; and at the same time, thegroup is small enough that the prospects of winning areenhanced. Now, that's a big incentive. So let's getstarted!

Send us your BEFORE SHOT...signed with date, whenthe photo was taken, with your name, address, email andcontact phone number to the MCJ offices, listed below.

Include a brief story ( 500 words maxi-mum) about why you want to participatein the MCJ MISSION MAKEOVER for"HEALTHY START: YOU HAVE THEPOWER, 2013."

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR Before Shotsand the stories of why you want to partici-pate beginning NOW.

UPDATE SHOTS are encouraged, theyshow your progress. NOTE ( photos,journals, recipes, exercise tips, etc....willnot be returned...they MAY be used in fu-ture articles as the year-long focus contin-

ues in the MCJ, and its relatedHealth Start products.**)

FINAL DEADLINE: Final sub-mission of ALL : BEFORE ANDAFTER SHOTS ARE DUE BY: MONDAY, JULY1. 2013, WITH...your journals of recipes, exer-cise, special training, if applicable.

REMEMBER: FINAL SUBMISSIONS FOR ALLPARTICIPANTS MUST ARRIVE AT THE MCJOFFICE BY JULY 1, 2013. NO EXCEPTIONS: JULY 1, 2013...IS THE

FINAL DEADLINE FOR ALL PARTICIPANTSTO SUBMIT : ( 1). BEFORE, SHOTS, ( 2.) UPDATE PHOTOS AND ( 3.) JOURNALS,AND ( 4.) THEIR AFTER SHOT....

MISSION MAKEOVER Winners will be identi-fied by July 20, 2013... ***THE COMMITTEE,including MCJ Staff, Event supporters, and theEvent Planner, will select on the basis of: (1)best physical change from Before and After pho-tos, (2) the best story about why the loss andmakeover is important , (3) the best journal ofrecipes, exercise tips and progress reports thatled to successful completion of their journey tobetter health and improved quality of life.

Winners will be applauded and celebrated at theMCJ Anniversary Gala Brunch on Sunday, Au-gust 4, 2013. The five winners will have their

families and friends present to cheer them and acknowl-edge their successes. We applaud each entrant andthank those who called..... WE DO HAVE THEPOWER....

note: " Each participant must consult their doctor orhealth professional about dieting and weight loss. TheMilwaukee Community Journal assumes no responsibil-ity or any liability for personal decisions made aboutoneshealth or personal choices".

This date affords time to work on apparelselection...hair...and on the final day, make-up...for thewinners. Remember five (5) will be selected...with $ 500 isolated

for each winner for clothes and accessories. The joy is in the journey and the finished product is theincentive to KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. Your storyinspires the rest of us to continue to work on HEALTHYSTARTS: WE HAVE THE POWER.

Patricia O'Flynn PattilloPublisherThe Milwaukee Community Journal3612 No. Martin Luther King, Jr. DriveMilwaukee, WI 53212

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Milwaukee Community Journal3612 North Martin Luther King Drive

Milwaukee WI. 53212

Patricia O'Flynn Pattillo

Publisher

Mikel Holt, Editor and Co-ordinator and Marketing Sales

www.communityjournal.net

Administration Telephone

(414)-265-5300

Advertising Telephone

414-265-5300

Advertising Email:

advertising@communityjournal.net

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Editorial Email: editorial@communityjournal.net

Bright Boateng Designer / Producer

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n the time it takes you to readthis magazine, an African Ameri-can will die from a hypertension-related illness.

Hypertension, or high bloodpressure, is a leading contributor

to Black health disparities, and is directlylinked to various aliments from kidney dis-ease to heart attacks and strokes.

American Heart Association data revealsthat one in three Americans have highblood pressure; 81% are aware of it; but47.5% don’t have it controlled.

Forty two percent of Black men and 47% ofBlack women have high blood pressure.

Alarmingly, those latter figures are ex-pected to increase by seven percent by2030. Which means by that time, there willalso be an increase in the percentage ofAfrican Americans who die from the mal-ady.

In 2009, 61,762 deaths were directly re-lated to high blood pressure. And that fig-ure is dwarfed by deaths indirectly linked tohypertension, including heart attacks,strokes and kidney failure. According tovarious research, 69% of heart attack vic-tims and 77% of stroke deaths can be linkedto high blood pressure.Despite medical advances and extensive re-search, the debate continues over the rea-sons for the disproportionate impact of

hypertension in African Americans(Africans and Black Caribbeans are lesslikely to have high blood pressure). Genet-ics, obesity, diet, environment and stressare factors, but do not offer a clearly de-fined path to predictions.

There is, however, consensus about onecontributing factor that seemingly sepa-rates African Americans from all other eth-nic groups: most Black Americans aresensitive to salt intake, and sodium putsthem at risk of high blood pressure.

Medical College of Wisconsin hypertensionexpert Dr. Theodore Kotchen recently

authored an article for the New EnglandJournal of Medicine that removes all doubtabout the correlation between salt intakeand hypertension.

Dr. Kotchen, who is considered an experton hypertension in African Americans, haswritten more than 200 scholarly medicalarticles. His latest, on salt as an undeniablecontributing factor in high blood pressure,supports the causation between loweringsalt intake and decreasing blood pressure.An associate dean for clinical research andprofessor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Kotchen said in arecent interview that African Americans are

particularly sensitive to salt. The source ofsalt intake is generally evenly weighed between diets consisting of variousprocessed goods (canned vegetables, TVdinners and other foods rich in sodium)/traditional African American soul fooddiets, which are also generally high in saltcontent, and ‘extra’ salt oftentimes gener-ously added to meals from the salt shaker.

Salt intake alone doesn’t fully explain whyAfrican Americans are more likely to havehigh blood pressure, Dr. Kotchen said. Ge-netics, obesity and stress are also factors, although their respective weights may bedifferent based on the individual and his orher environment.

And exactly why African Americans, unlikepeople of African descent living elsewhere,are so sensitive to salt is also not fully ex-plained.

“We’re not sure why (African Americans aresensitive to salt),” he admitted. “There aremany theories. But we do know how tolower the risk associated with (the disease),and lowering salt intake is a major compo-nent.”

Changing our diets, exercise and medica-tion are important factors in lowering bloodpressure, Kotchen said. “Pay attention toyour weight, stay physically active. Andtake prescribed medicines.”

ICaution, that salt may be killing you

Link between salt and hypertension confirmed

(continued on page 6)

A Second Chance at Lifehen his daily activ-ities as the pastorof Living WatersChurch of God inChrist became too

exhausting to perform, RichardRogers knew something was wrong.Doctors soon diagnosed him with con-

gestive heart failure and told him heneeded a new heart. Pastor Rogerswas devastated to learn he would havejust eight months to live without atransplant.

“I believed God was going to make italright,” he said. “Maybe because I amin the ministry, I just believed. And Iprayed, my wife prayed, the congrega-tion prayed — we just believed Godwas going to find a way to get me aheart.”

In June 2011, Pastor Rogers’ prayerswere answered when he learned aheart was available. He says it was one

of the happiest moments of his life.

"You get to a place where you don'tknow which way to turn," he said."And then the phone rang. It was oneof the nurses from St. Luke's and shesaid 'Richard, Richard, we got you aheart!'"Today Pastor Rogers says he is com-

mitted to educating people about theimportance of organ donation.

"According to my doctor, I probablywould have been gone, but somebodygave me that gift of life," he said. "It isso important to become an organdonor."

"If someone is willing to say 'here ismy loved one; I am going to donatetheir organs, or their eyes, or tissue’ ithas to be the love of God exemplifiedthrough others." He added, "I thinkabout those people that are waitingand I pray that they get that gift of lifeas well."

As an advocate for organ donation,Pastor Rogers has partnered withBloodCenter of Wisconsin to raiseawareness in his congregation and inthe Milwaukee community. As hometo the Wisconsin Donor Network andWisconsin Tissue Bank, BloodCenterof Wisconsin is recognizing April asNational Donate Life Month, a time tospread the message about the ongoingneed for organ, tissue, eye, marrowand blood donation. The need is great,particularly in the African-Americancommunity.According to BloodCenter’s JayCampbell, vice president, organ and

tissue donation, “More than 2,200people in Wisconsin are awaitingorgan transplants, including nearly500 African-Americans. The African-American community is the largestgroup of minorities in need of anorgan transplant. This is related tohigh rates of diabetes and high bloodpressure, which increase the risk oforgan failure and the need for trans-plants.”

African-Americans are encouraged tobecome donors to help other African-Americans in need of transplants.Successful transplantation is often en-hanced by the matching of organs be-tween members of the same racial andethnic group. According to Campbell“This is why BloodCenter of Wiscon-sin asks the community to remember,‘When African-Americans donate,African-Americans live.’”

Pastor Rogers shares this messagewhenever he can. He says, “I'm just sograteful to be a spokesman. I'd tell itaround the world if I could. It's aboutgiving somebody a second chance atlife. That's what happened to me.”

For more information, please visitwww.bcw.edu/sharinglife

April is National Donate Life Month

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et your head in thegame and start chang-ing your lifestyle intime for summer...

After spending the win-ter stuck inside, stocking up on comfortfood and severely neglecting the gym,spring is the perfect time to reinvigorateyour national health.

To set us on the path to success we askedexpert nutritionist and Centrum multi-vitamin brand ambassador, FionaHunter, to give us her top tips on eatingwell, skin care and exercise.

Spring clean your kitchen cup-boards

Spring is always a good time to have aclear out, so why not start in thekitchen? Get of rid of anything high infat, salt or sugar and restock your cup-boards, fridge and freezer with fresh,healthy and in-season produce. Havingthe following top five products always inyour fridge, freezer and kitchen cup-boards can help towards fulfilling someof your nutritional needs...

Top 5 foods for women

1. Vegetables: Vitamin C is important forhelping to support the immune system.Studies have shown frozen vegetablesoften contain higher levels of Vitamin Cthan fresh vegetables. Frozen sweetcorn

and peas are a great freezer standby.

2. Canned beans: All varieties of cannedbeans are a fantastic source of iron, im-portant during a woman's monthlycycle. Beans also provide good amounts

time to honor donors and donorfamilies who have made the choiceto give life-saving gifts – as well asto raise awareness for the ongoingneed for organ, tissue and eye do-nation.

As home to the Wisconsin Donor Network andWisconsin Tissue Bank, BloodCenter of Wiscon-sin is asking community residents to make a life-saving difference by:4Registering to become an organ, tissue and eye

donor4Joining the marrow donation registry4Donating blood4Honoring donors and donor families who have

saved lives and improved the quality of life for patients

To join the registry, or for more information,visit www.bcw.edu/sharinglife.

When African-Americans Donate, African-Amer-icans Live Pastor Richard Rogers was diagnosedwith congestive heart failure in 2008 and placedon the organ transplant list. He received the giftof life in 2011 – a new heart.

“I am here because of organ donation,” said Pas-tor Rogers. “I’m a living testament, and otherstell me that they now give blood and have signedthe registry because of my experience.”

African-Americans are the largest group of mi-norities in need of an organ transplant. African-Americans have high rates of diabetes and highblood pressure, increasing the risk of organ fail-ure and the need for transplants.

African-Americans are encouraged to becomedonors to help other African-Americans in needof transplants. Successful transplantation isoften enhanced by matching of organs betweenmembers of the same racial and ethnic group.

More than 2,200 people in Wisconsin and morethan 117,000 people in the U.S. are awaitingorgan transplants, including nearly 35,000African-Americans. Every year, at least 10,000patients who need marrow transplants and bloodcell transplants search the registry, hoping tofind a match. And BloodCenter of Wisconsinneeds 800 blood donors each day to maintainthe supply to the hospitals we serve.

Becoming a donor allows individuals to give thehighly personal and unique gifts of organ, tissue,eye, marrow and blood. For many people, yourdonation will give them their only chance for re-covery or survival.

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Pastor Richard Rogers, received a heart transplant

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by Mikel Holt

Top health and wellbeing tips to get you refreshed for5 Spring

National NewsHealth care providers want faster

changes in paymentsealth care providers arepushing the federal gov-ernment to scrap thepayment plan for med-ical services, preferringinstead one payment fora patient's entire care

instead of separate fees for each item.

Instead of fee-for-service medicine, in whicha provider receives a payment for every test,procedure and visit, providers want the gov-ernment — or states or private payers — topay for treatment as a whole. In theory,physicians would provide treatments thathave been proven to work but are also cost-effective.

"We need a national voluntary bundled pay-ment system today," said Susan DeVore,president of Premier healthcare alliance at arecent health policy breakfast. "I think weneed global payment."

"I think we all recognize that fee-for-serviceis not going to be successful for us in the longterm," said Dennis Weaver, executive vicepresident for Southwinds, the AdvisoryBoard's consulting arm. "The system for thelast 40 years has been that way, and changeis hard." The Advisory Board announcedThursday it would work with Rhode Islandon a Centers for Medicare Services innova-tion grant to build new quality care and pay-

ment models.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kath-leen Sebelius said the government is leadinghealth care reform in those areas, including

with new Medicare payment plans aimed atrewarding cost-effective care. She called thecurrent system "ineffective" and highlightedparts of the 2010 health care law that testnew payment models that private industryhas adopted.

"Medicare was always a kind of drag on thesystem," she told reporters recently."Medicare has now become sort of the face ofinnovation."

Nevertheless, industry officials at a meetingof the Partnership for Sustainable HealthCare last week said change can happen morequickly.

Instead of waiting for Congress to act, thegroup hopes the forces involved can work onthe state level to change payment plans, saidRon Pollack, executive director of FamiliesUSA, a health care advocacy group.

"Our focus is not merely on the federal gov-ernment," Pollack said. "Our recommenda-tions apply to the private sector, as well asthe public sector."

Some programs, in both the private and pub-lic sectors, are already in place:

• Bundled payments: Providers are paid a flatfee per episode, so if a person has heart sur-gery, the provider earns more money by pro-viding only necessary services, but providers

must prevent other problems, such as infec-tions, and minimize further treatments aftera patient leaves the hospital.

• Accountable Care Organizations: A group ofproviders receives payment for the wholehealth of a consumer. This encourages pre-ventive and wellness care to avoid chronicdisease costs in the future, evidence-basedmedicine proven to work, and catching du-plicate services, errors and unnecessary re-ferrals. There are about 250 suchorganizations working with Medicare.

• Medical homes: A doctor, usually primarycare, leads a team of providers. Again, theteam uses preventive, evidence-based tech-niques to keep costs down. The doctor coor-dinates every aspect of the patient's care.

All of the payment systems involve usingdata to avoid errors, watch for trends andprovide uniform care.

Pollack's group has suggested that Medicarealso consider paying more for cost-effective,evidence-based services than it does forthose that data shows cost more for the sameresults or for weaker outcomes.

While Sebelius has said pilot programs thatwork can be implemented immediately, somein the private sector have asked for fasterchange, such as payment systems that betterincorporate preventive care and wellnessprograms that include diabetes prevention.Others have asked for better documentationof what works.

"There are hundreds of ACOs and we're sur-veying them for information, but it's not asystematic effort supported by the govern-ment to learn as rapidly as we can whatworks and what doesn't," said Elliott Fisher,director of the Dartmouth Institute forHealth Policy & Clinical Practice. "We needreal support from the government."

Other experts say parts of the country can'tsupport big changes to the system.

"It takes a while, and people need to get usedto new product design and new ideas,"Michael McCallister said at the NationalPress Club recently. McCallister is the chair-man of Humana health insurance. "There aremany parts of this country that are not readyfor integrated health care."

DeVore said she worries that providers couldmove to slowly to solve the burgeoninghealth care cost problem. She said about 80health systems, or 400 hospitals, are workingon ACO programs. --USAToday

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies about the

fiscal 2014 budget Friday on Capitol Hill. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)

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No one can predict howmany employers will drophealth-care coverage in2014, when the bulk of theAffordable Care Act takes ef-fect. If workers can get af-fordable health plans ontheir own next year, though,many more companies mayfeel it’s safe to stop offeringcompany health benefits inthe years that follow.

Companies see 2014 as anexperiment to watch. “Whatwe’re hearing is larger busi-nesses are going to standback,” says Robert Hurley,senior vice president for sales and opera-tions at online health insurance marketplaceeHealth (EHTH). “Even the small businesseswill wait and see.”

Fear of backlash from workers keeps manyemployers from dropping coverage, asBloomberg reported in December. Tax de-ductions for health spending also encouragebusinesses to keep offering benefits. Still,while few admit it publicly, many Americancompanies would love get out of the healthinsurance business. For employers, provid-ing health insurance is expensive and thecost increases are unpredictable. Their com-petitors in most other wealthy nations don’thave to bear the same costs: That’s usuallythe government’s job.

Prognosticators have long predicted thatObamacare would drive companies from thegroup health-care market en masse. The ar-gument never made sense on its face. Com-panies aren’t required to offer health carenow. Many do anyway to attract workers.Why would they drop it precisely as penal-ties for not offering coverage kick in?

One reason is that even companies that pro-vide health benefits can face fines under thelaw if their plans cost workers too much ordon’t provide sufficient coverage. Employersin that situation might drop out rather thanbuy more expensive policies that meet thelaw’s standards.

A Deloitte study last year suggested 10 per-

cent of employers would stop offering grouphealth plans. A widely criticized McKinseyreport from 2011 put the number as high asone-third. The Congressional Budget Of-fice’s latest projections suggest 8 millionfewer people will be covered by employerplans five years from now under the ACAthan without it. Many of them will get poli-cies through health insurance exchanges in-stead. (On balance, CBO projects that thelaw will expand coverage to 27 million of the58 million people who don’t have health in-surance today.)

Companies that drop coverage and let work-ers fend for themselves risk alienating staff.Small businesses in particular, eHealth’sHurley says, often feel a moral obligation toprovide health care. That equation mightshift, though, if the ACA’s reforms help indi-viduals find affordable policies on their own.(That’s a big if.) Employers could turn whatthey pay for health premiums now into cashcompensation instead—a predictable costthey would be able to control. (Companiesthat pair high-deductible health plans withcontributions to workers’ health savings ac-counts have already taken a step in this di-rection.)

Don’t expect too many businesses to makethat move in 2014. But if the ones that doaren’t seen as sending workers into thewilderness, more will surely follow.

--By Tozz, Bloomberg Businessweek in New York.

Why Your Employer MayDrop Your Health-Care Plan

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Wisconsin lags in sharing mental healthrecords for gun background checks

isconsin has made sub-stantial gains in thenumber of mentalhealth records it sub-mits to a national data-base used for

background checks on gun purchases.

But the Badger State still lags far behindthe top-performing states in sharing thoserecords with the National Instant CriminalBackground Check System (NICS), accord-ing to a study by Mayors Against IllegalGuns. The push to prevent mentally illpeople from buying handguns followed the2007 mass shooting at Virginia Polytech-nic Institute.

Wisconsin is hardly alone in being short onits record submissions.

Through December 2012, Wisconsin hadsubmitted 10,871 mental health records tothe NICS, according to the Wisconsin De-partment of Justice. To be on par with thebest-performing states, the mayors grouphas determined Wisconsin would have tosubmit more than three times as manymore records.

As the U.S. Senate considers gun controllegislation in the aftermath of the New-town, Conn., elementary school massacre,a major focus centers on that gap betweenthe number of people who have been adju-dicated as mentally ill and the corroborat-ing records that have been reported to thenational database.

Federal law prohibits gun possessionamong people who have been involuntarilycommitted to a mental institution, foundto be a danger to themselves or others orare mentally unable to manage their ownaffairs. But the federal government can’trequire states to submit mental healthrecords to the NICS.

There is wide variation among states insubmitting mental health records to thenational database, highlighted in a Novem-ber 2011 report by Mayors Against IllegalGuns, a gun-control advocacy groupfounded by New York City Mayor MichaelBloomberg.

The records gap came into sharp focuswhen it was learned a Virginia judge haddeclared Seung Hui Cho mentally ill twoyears before he walked onto the Virginia

Tech campus in April 2007 and fatally shot32 people and wounded 17 others.The court record on Cho had never beenentered into the national database, en-abling him to pass background checks tobuy the guns he used in the deadliestshooting incident by a lone gunman in U.S.history.

The case sparked Virginia to close loop-holes in its law, and it led to the passage ofa federal law to strengthen the mentalhealth record reporting system. Also, 18states, including Wisconsin, amended theirlaws to require the submission of mentalhealth records to the NCIS.

By October 2011, Virginia ranked highestamong states in submissions per 100,000population with 2,016. The state rankedthird in total number of submissions with161,334.

Wisconsin ranked 15th in total submis-sions with 5,943 as of Oct. 31, 2011, and17th in submissions per 100,000 residentswith 104.

Still, four years after the Virginia Techshooting, four states had submitted norecords, 17 had submitted fewer than 10and 24 had submitted fewer than 100records to the NICS, according to the May-ors Against Illegal Guns report. A 2012 up-date found there has been someimprovement.

“It’s clear that some states are doing betterbecause they’re doing things that matter,”said Mark Glaze, executive director ofMayors Against Illegal Guns. “Delawarepassed laws, and its performance improvedovernight. The state of Pennsylvania clari-fied what their obligations are. As statesfocus on problems, you’ll see some of thestates that have done an exceptionally poorjob at this” start to improve.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, one of thelead sponsors, called it a “common-sense”approach that would “help keep our com-munities safe while protecting our SecondAmendment rights.”

But Mayors Against Illegal Guns, whichhas more than 900 members, including 20Wisconsin mayors, opposes the legislation.Glaze said the bill would weaken currentlaw on record submission and lead to theNCIS containing fewer records.

The bill would “achieve precisely the oppo-site of what it claims,” Glaze said. “In fact,it would put more guns in the hands ofpeople who are mentally ill.”

The emphasis on the mentally ill popula-tion in connection with gun violence raisesconcern among mental health experts, civilrights advocates and anti-violence ac-tivists. They contend there has been a“misguided” focus that further stigmatizespeople who are mentally unstable.

While the NRA has vigorously opposed vir-tually all forms of gun control, its chief ex-ecutive director Wayne LaPierre has calledfor entering mental health records into thenational database.

Marshfield Mayor Chris Meyer, a memberof Mayors Against Illegal Guns, supportsthat argument.

Meyer said as a military veteran and gunowner, he is a strong supporter of the Sec-ond Amendment. But he said he also be-lieves universal background checks areoverdue.

“Background checks have to be expandedto gun shows and even to private transac-tions,” Meyer said. “I think there can be anexception for Dads giving a gun to a son.”

—lbivins@pressgazettemedia.com.greenbaypressgazette

invest in new cookery book or buy a foodiemagazine to inspire you?

Look after your skin

Central heating, comfort eating and winterweather can take its toll on your skin. Pre-pare it for the summer months by feeding itfrom within. Studies show that eating highlycoloured fruit and vegetables like carrot,plum, apricots butternut squash, can im-prove the colour and tone of your skin3. In-cluding a multivitamin such as CentrumWomen which contains biotin and zinc tosupport the healthy appearance of your hairand skin as well as selenium which is neededfor healthy nails, can also help towards mak-ing sure you look your best for summer.

Swap coffee with regular milk for skimmed

Making small changes can make a real differ-ence. If you like to start the day with a shotof caffeine, swap a regular grande latte for askinny version using skimmed milk which is

lower in saturated fat. Skimmed milk alsocontains just as much calcium as whole milk,which is good for healthy bones.

Keep a bottle of water on your desk at work

When the weather starts to warm up youneed to drink more water so keep a bottle ofwater on your desk to remind you to drink.

Check out the credentials of your lunch

Shop bought sandwiches and salads can behigh in salt so if you buy a sandwich or saladfor lunch look at the nutrition information onpack or see if they provide nutritional infor-mation online to see how much salt it con-tains.

Make breakfast count

Starting the day with a cereal rich in solublefibre like porridge or muesli can help controlblood cholesterol levels – adding a handfulof summer berries will add extra vitaminsand help you reach your 5 a day target.

Top health and wellbeing tipsto get you refreshed for Spring

(continued from page 3)

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hile many medical re-searchers and social theo-rists have most oftenfocused on the plight of un-

derclass black women, three notable re-searchers have turned their attention to theimpact of racial and gender stressors onAfrican-American expectant mothers who pres-ent the image of the "American dream" by virtueof their educational, professional and economicattainment.

The results of this pioneering, three-year study,"Contextualized Stress, Global Stress, and De-pression in Well-Educated, Pregnant, African-American Women," published by Fleda MaskJackson, Ph.D., Diane L. Rowley, M.D., M.P.H.,and Tracy Curry Owens, Ph.D., reveal that theshroud of blackness and the mantle of genderare no less impactful on the psyche of middle-and upper-class African-American women, de-spite the prestige and security associated withuniversity degrees, corner offices and money inthe bank. The findings suggest that well-educated, pregnant,African-American women are as disproportionately at riskfor adverse birth outcomes as their less fortunate "sisters,"and that the depression linked to their stress has been estab-lished as a significant contributor to poor birth outcomes. Theresearch was supported by generous funding from the FordFoundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The 101 women who collaborated in the study were recruitedfrom private practice ob-gyn offices and categorized on thebasis of the demographic variables of relationship status, thepresence of other children and annual household income. Agewas divided into two categories: 20 to 29 and 30 years andolder. Education categories included non-college educated(having no college degree) and college-educated (havinggraduated from a 4-year college). Relationship variables wereseparated by partner status: married, partnered and non-partnered. Participants also indicated if they had other chil-dren under 18 years of age, or no children. Employmentvariables were divided into currently employed (full- or part-time job), or unemployed. Lastly, annual household incomewas divided into three categories: $10,000 to $30,000,$31,000 to $50,000, and above $51,000.

The majority of the subjects were college educated, employed,and married or partnered. A cross-sectional study was thenconducted utilizing the Jackson, Hogue, Phillips Contextual-ized Stress Measure (JHP), a measurement of racial and gen-dered stress, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), anassessment of global stress, to detect their associations andpredictions for depression as measured by the Beck Depres-sion Inventory II (BDI-II). The results indicated that 35% ofthe women had high levels of contextualized stress, 40% re-ported high levels of global stress, and 23% were deemed tobe depressed.

Race and gender matter in the lives of African-Americanwomen. Their significance provides the context for how these

women experience stress in the places where they live, work,and go about their daily lives. This study further demon-strates the level to which these experiences are inextricablylinked to race, gender, and class inequities. While expectantmothers of all persuasions are driven to contemplate the roleof parenting, pregnant African-American women also bearthe additional and horrendous burden of considering theworld into which their children will be born - a world that of-fers little black and brown babies fewer opportunities forgrowth and development and greater opportunities to con-front the evils of prejudice, bigotry, discrimination and racialprofiling.

The evidence appears to be indisputable – that African-American women from all socioeconomic backgrounds expe-rience higher rates of poor pregnancy outcomes, pretermbirths, small-for-gestational- age babies, and infant mortalitythan women from other racial and ethnic groups who are lesseducated, unemployed, and uninsured. The link between thestress experienced by African American women and depres-sion has implications for postpartum depression anddepression across the life course.

What is most important about this newest research isthat its findings issue a clarion call to health care pro-fessionals and local communities about the importanceof being responsive to the unique individual and envi-ronmental-level stressors that jeopardize the health ofan entire community - the expectant mothers, unbornbabies, and families of all African-American women,regardless of their educational, professional, social oreconomic standing.

About FLEDA MASK JACKSON, Ph. D., Principal In-vestigator Scholar, educator and activist, Fleda MaskJackson, Ph.D., is president and CEO of the nationalresearch firm and think tank MAJAICA, LLC, and theleader and creator of Save 100 Babies, a cross-sector

network devoted to a social determinants ap-proach to eliminate racial disparities in birthoutcomes. Dr. Jackson currently serves as asenior fellow at the National Center for HealthBehavioral Change, Urban Medial Institute,Morgan State University. Her most recent affil-iations also include professorships at theRollins School of Public Health and theWomen's Studies Program, Emory University.

A highly regarded lecturer and guest speaker,Dr. Jackson is an alumna of Spelman Collegewith an M.S. in human development and familyecology from the University of Illinois, whereshe published her thesis on "Socialization Prac-tices Related to Racial Identity Among BlackMiddle-Class Mothers," and her doctoral dis-sertation, "The Role of The Black Church in theSocialization and Education of Black Children."With academic preparation in education, psy-chology, and anthropology, Dr. Jackson hasbeen working with public health departments,private physicians and social agencies across

the country to bring attention to the importance of address-ing stress and depression in the ways they are experienced byAfrican-American women and toward developing remediesfor closing the racial gap in birth outcomes.

Dr. Jackson has served as a consultant and advisor for a widerange of organizations that include the Joint Center for Po-litical and Economic Studies; Center for Excellence inWomen's Health, Harvard University Medical School; FordFoundation (SisterSong); Rhea and Lawton Chiles Center forHealthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida;and Children's Defense Fund. Dr. Jackson currently servesas a member of the National Advisory Committee on HealthDisparities for the director of the Centers for Disease Control,and recently has been approved by the White House and theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve onthe Secretary's Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality.

--BlackNews, Atlanta, GA

W

Two E. coliCases Linked inWisconsin; NoKnown Source

Health officials have detectedtwo cases of the same strain ofE. coli O157:H7 in ManitowocCounty, Wisconsin, and areconducting aninvestigationto determinethe source ofthe bacteria.

“We have twocases of E. colithat have thesame finger-print,” AmyWergin, pub-lic healthnurse manager for the Mani-towoc County Health Depart-ment, told the Herald TimesReporter. “We are trying todiscern what the link is be-tween the two,” Wergin said.“Right now, these are the onlytwo in the nation with this fin-gerprint.”

The two illnesses occurred inMarch, and there have been noother reported infections withthis strain of E. coli in thecountry since then, accordingto Wergin.

The same strain cropped up infour cases about a year ago inMay of 2012. Two cases were

in Manitowoc, one was inBrown County, WI and onewas in Colorado.

The county health departmentis conducting the investigationin cooperation with the Wis-consin Department of HealthServices, according to the Her-ald Times Reporter.

Symptoms of E. coli infectionusually appear 3 to 4 hoursafter exposure to the bacteria,and include nausea, abdomi-nal cramps, vomiting and diar-rhea, which can turn bloodywithin about 24 hours ofsymptoms appearing. If youthink you may have contractedan E. coli infection, contactyour healthcare provider.© Food Safety News

Hypertension, or High Blood Pressureleading cause of Black health disparities

That latter point is extremely important, says noted cardi-ologist Elijah Saunders, who is advocating for a more ag-gressive medical standard for controlling hypertension inAfrican Americans.

(Healthy Start didn’t get an opportunity to question Dr.Kotchen about Dr. Saunders’ position, but the two notedexperts did agree in their support for the DASH diet as afactor in lowering high blood pressure.

DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hy-pertension. Dr. Kotchen explained that the diet is high infruits, vegetables, and fiber.

The hypertension expert said he didn’t want to misleadanyone into thinking human beings should not consumeany salt. Some salt is essential for life.’ But for African Americans, salt intake should be limited.

“And they should get their blood pressure checked on aregular basis.”

If the reading is over 140/90 mm Hg., consult a doctor im-mediately. For individuals without health insurance, thereare numerous opportunities to obtain a free blood pres-sure reading from certified nurses and medical facilities,including walk-ins. People can also find free blood pres-sure machines at Walgreen’s and Hayat Pharmacies.

Dr. Kotchen said it would not hurt to ask the pharmacistof clerk at either or those businesses when the machinehad been most recently calibrated to insure they providean accurate reading.

Doctors Kotchen and Saunders also agree that diureticscan play an important role in lowering blood pressure inAfrican Americans.

“Diuretics (water pills) are inexpensive but effective,” Dr.Kotchen acknowledged, and “could play a significant rolein lowering blood pressure in African Americans with sensitivities to salt. “

The noted physicians would not recommend diuretics as astand alone medication as some physicians have suggestedfor individuals without insurance or the means to pur-chase other high blood pressure medication. But he didsay it could play a role in combination with other drugs.

“Blood pressure medication as prescribed by physicians isextremely important; the diuretic is generally added onbecause it helps wash out salt from the system. But byitself it isn’t a cure-all. Just like any medication, it has po-tential consequences. That’s why it’s important to see adoctor. They will develop a comprehensive program.

“You can control blood pressure. Maybe we don’t know allthe reasons why African Americans are (more predis-posed) to have it, but we do know how to keep it under control.”

(continued on page 2)

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Last Words for Ray Harmon

A Big Two-Hearted Manay called me from the hospital afew months ago. "I'm here at thehospital with my son Dominique,"he said, "He's just been trans-planted, Jay. He has a new heart,just like me." But I already knew.And I thought back to 2006, to an-other phone call from Ray, fromanother hospital. "I'm here at the

hospital," he said. "I've just been transplanted, Jay- I have my new heart." Back then, I already knewthat, too, because heart transplant is what I do.Hearts, and other organs. So you see, I know some-thing about hearts.

In 2006, when I first came to Milwaukee, I met RayHarmon at Saint Luke's hospital. He was hookedto an artificial heart as big as a Volkswagen. It waslouder than one, too. And for six months Raypushed his big Volkswagen heart around that hos-pital floor. Day after day, week after week, andmonth after month, Ray Harmon pushed that bigmechanical heart around the hospital floor whilewe waited for his new heart.

For more than half a year Ray lived at the hospital,hooked to that big mechanical heart by surgical tubes andwires, listening to the engine pump his blood out of hisbody and back in, while we waited for a donor. And I won-dered why God was taking so long to find Ray a new heart.But after I got to know him, I understood. Because to find aheart big enough, and strong enough, and good enough, tokeep up with Ray Harmon took quite some time. Even forGod.

But God always comes through. Ray finally got his big newheart, a real heart, and he walked out of that hospital witha new purpose in life. Ray promised to do good with hissecond chance at life, and he did. He loved his children,and his mother Mary, and his family and his new wife Pameven more, and even harder. And he thanked the Lord for

the new life he had been given.

But Ray wanted to do one more thing. Ray wanted to helpother people give and receive the gift of life - organ dona-tion - just as he had. So he called me again, and said "putme to work." And I did, and he went at it with a stubborn,single-minded determination. Ray traveled, and spoke, andwrote, and created videos and even school programs herein Milwaukee at MPS, always talking about what his newheart meant to him, and why he decided to use his big newheart to work for the gift of life - organ donation.

Back then, I had been brought to Milwaukee to makethings better for folks waiting for an organ transplant. Andthings did get better, and many new lives were saved. But

in truth, it was Ray's work that made thathappen, because with Ray's help, Milwau-kee went from one of the hardest places inthe United States to wait for a transplant toone of the best, and in a very short time.And that was Ray, using his big new heartto its fullest.

In the middle of that work Rays mother,Mary, passed. And Ray called me that nightand said he knew Mary wanted to savelives, and he wanted her to be an organdonor. Ray asked us to help make that hap-pen, and we did, and three lives were saved.And again, that was Ray, using his big newheart to its fullest.

Just before he passed, six years after hisown transplant, Ray was able to see his sonDominique receive a second chance at life -because Dominique, like Ray, needed aheart transplant to live. Just a few weeksago, Ray's son Dominique got his own bignew heart, a gift of life from the hard workof his father to make organ donation a newreality here in Milwaukee. When Ray calledme from Dominique's hospital room, hewas proud, and happy, and satisfied. Insome ways, I think he felt his work wasdone. So we should not be sad at Ray Har-mon's passing from this world. Ray got asecond chance, and a second life. He got hisbig new heart, and just as he promised, herolled up his sleeves and he used that heart

hard. Over the last six years, Ray Harmon worked so hard,and loved so much, that he used every bit of goodness andlove there was in that big new heart, until it just wore out.And last week, having used every beat that big new hearthad to give. Ray Harmon finally went home to rest.

Tonight, I am here to announce that the organ donor pro-gram at Blood Center of Wisconsin is creating a scholar-ship at MATC to honor Ray Harmon. This scholarship willbe another gift from Ray Harmon to the community, an en-during testament to the power of a good man. This schol-arship will be a reminder that Ray Harmon was a man wholived a life so full, and had so much to do, that he neededtwo hearts to get it done.

R

The Late Ray Harmon

by Jay Campbell, JDBloodCenter of Wisconsin

VP, Organ Donor Program

(Remarks delivered March 4, 2013

Ray Harmon’s Memorial)

frican Americans who believe their church isresponsible for promoting health in theirmembers and the community are also morewilling to attend church-based health fairs,according to a new study in Health Promo-tion Practice. Medical and faith communi-ties can collaborate with health ministryprograms as a way to get health messages

out to the broader community and reduce health disparities,say the researchers.

"We were sur-prised at theoverwhelmingmajority of studyparticipants whofelt specificallythat the churchhas a responsibil-ity for healthpromotion—that's a strongstatement," saidlead study authorAdebowale A.Odulana, M.D.,an internist andpediatrician atthe University ofNorth Carolina atChapel Hill.

"Many of uswho've grown upin the church un-derstand its his-torical context,and know that churches function beyond spiritual guidanceand social support," he said.

Odulana acknowledged that many churches conduct healthmissions on their own via health ministry, without the pres-ence of an institution or researchers as partners. Health min-

istry was defined as "the group within the church that focuseson the promotion of health and healing as part of the missionand ministry of the larger faith group and the wider commu-nity."

The researchers surveyed more than 1,200members of 11 African American churchesin North Carolina about their church at-tendance, diet, physical activity, beliefs re-garding the church's role in healthpromotion and interest in Bible-basedhealth living. Of the 1,204 congregantswho responded to the survey, 72 percentwere female, 57 percent were 50 years orolder, 84 percent had a high school educa-tion or more, and 77 percent had a chronichealth condition. The majority of peoplesurveyed said they were more interested inlearning about healthy living through in-teractive workshops led by health ministryprograms than from sermons.

"I have often been critical of health promo-tion efforts which seek to reach the blackcommunity through churches becausewhile churches are important part of blackculture, public health researchers oftenoverestimate the role of the pastor as themechanism for crafting and presentinghealth information," said Thomas A.LaVeist, Ph.D., director of the HopkinsCenter for Health Disparities Solutions atthe Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School ofPublic Health.

The study by Odulana and colleaguesmakes a valuable contribution because it shows that churchmembers view the health ministry as the more desirablesource of health information, LaVeist added.

"Presumably health ministry members are more knowledge-able than most pastors when it comes to health messages. Iimagine this would vary from one church to the next. How-

ever, if appropriate technical support can be developed forchurch health ministries, this could be a valuable new re-source for reaching African Americans with accurate and au-thoritative health information," said LaVeist.

Calling the findings a "potentially powerful motivator," thestudy authors suggest that a stronger partnership betweenchurch leadership and health researchers could potentiallyreduce the impact of health disparities for African Americans.

--SOURCE Health Promotion Practice

Church members view health ministry as more desirable source of health information

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Dr. Ola Akinboboye, Associate

Professor of Cardiology at Cornell

Weill Medical Center and head of

the Association of Black Cardiolo-

gists, in his Rosedale, Queens of-

fice.

of protein and minerals such as Zinc whichcontributes towards healthy, radiant hairand skin.

3. Salsa: Spread a couple of tablespoonsover a wholemeal pitta and top with gratedcheese before grilling to create a quick,healthy pizza.

4. Vacuum packed smoked mackerel: Richin healthy omega-3 fats, great in a salad orremove the skin and whizz in a blenderwith a little fromage frais for a quick,healthy pate.

5. Pots of ready-made fruit compote: Stirinto plain yoghurt for a quick dessert,blend with some fruit juice to make asmoothie or use as a sauce for frozen yo-ghurt.

Stay active

No matter what your gender, make themost of the better weather to get out andabout. Weight bearing exercising likewalking or tennis will help to keep yourbones healthy, which is extremely impor-tant for women.

Refresh your recipe repertoire

It's easy to get stuck in a food rut cookingthe same few recipes week in week out.Make the most of seasonal produce like as-paragus, kale, rhubarb, broccoli, summerberries and soft fruits. Why not invest innew cookery book or buy a foodie maga-zine to inspire you?

Look after your skin

Central heating, comfort eating and winterweather can take its toll on your skin. Pre-pare it for the summer months by feedingit from within. Studies show that eating

highly coloured fruit and vegetables likecarrot, plum, apricots butternut squash,can improve the colour and tone of yourskin3. Including a multivitamin such asCentrum Women which contains biotinand zinc to support the healthy appearanceof your hair and skin as well as seleniumwhich is needed for healthy nails, can alsohelp towards making sure you look yourbest for summer.

Swap coffee with regular milk forskimmed

Making small changes can make a real dif-ference. If you like to start the day with ashot of caffeine, swap a regular grandelatte for a skinny version using skimmedmilk which is lower in saturated fat.Skimmed milk also contains just as muchcalcium as whole milk, which is good forhealthy bones.

Keep a bottle of water on your desk at work

When the weather starts to warm up youneed to drink more water so keep a bottleof water on your desk to remind you todrink.

Check out the credentials of your lunch

Shop bought sandwiches and salads can behigh in salt so if you buy a sandwich orsalad for lunch look at the nutrition infor-mation on pack or see if they provide nu-tritional information online to see howmuch salt it contains.

Make breakfast count

Starting the day with a cereal rich in solu-ble fibre like porridge or muesli can helpcontrol blood cholesterol levels – adding ahandful of summer berries will add extravitamins and help you reach your 5 a daytarget.

Top health and wellbeingtips to get you refreshed for

(continued from page 3)

HealthyStartAdvertising Telephone

414-265-5300

A Healthy Life For a Healthy Community

Spring

Skin Skin && BeautyBeauty

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Anti-aging skin treatments:Skin Care Myths

and Truthseauty may lie in the eye of the be-holder, but every woman needsthe perfect skin care to radiateher beauty and youth.

The cosmetic industry hasflourished in recent times,with several advertisementsand commercials, in a varietyof media, constantly focusingon the importance of havingbeautiful and younger-look-ing skin. If you're among theones who desire attractivelooks and wish to appearyounger than your real age,you must ensure that you areusing the right products andfollowing the right regimen.Here, we will discuss some ofthe most common myths andthe truth behind them.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #1: Sunscreen isn't necessary during win-ters or cloudy days

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: This isamong the most popular myths and a largenumber of women actually fall for it. Regard-less of whether it is sunny or cloudy outside, itis essential to remember that the UV rays emit-ted by the sun reach the surface of the eartheven through thick clouds. Your skin is con-stantly exposed to risks when you are outdoorsduring the day, and even on cloudy days, theUV rays still have the potential to inflict unnec-essary consequences such as wrinkles and agespots. Constant exposure to the sun's harmfulrays can also cause skin cancer, so put on thesunblock every time you leave home and headoutdoors.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #2: Expensive products are excellent anti-aging and skin care treatments

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: Most peo-ple are of the belief that the price of a productdetermines its quality. While that is probablytrue when it comes to some of the latest tech-nological gadgets, it may not really apply tocosmetics. The price is not a factor to considerwhen purchasing beauty products. Instead, youmust check the ingredients used in making aparticular product along with their quality, inorder to ensure that it's compatible with yourskin. Many products are priced slightly lowerthan others are, and yet deliver good results,even if they are not as expensive as the high-end items.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #3: Washing your face with water and soapwill keep your skin healthy

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: As it isoften said, "Too much of a thing is nevergood!" The statement is especially true in thecase of skin care treatments. Constantly cleans-ing the skin on your face, particularly withwater and soap, will damage the skin morethan nourishing it. The skin requires oils, andwashing your face ever so often will simply re-duce the level of elasticity and make the skinappear old over time.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #4:Rich eye creams are the solution forwrinkles

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: Eye creamshave been made to minimise and prevent wrin-kles from appearing around your eyes. How-ever, you shouldn't just choose an eye creambecause it is stuffed with expensive ingredi-ents. Several products use harsh chemicals,and expose you to the risk of potentially clog-ging your pores, irritating the skin, and damag-ing it.o

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #5: Skin dryness can be eliminated usingmoisturising soaps

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: Soap, re-gardless of its manufacturer or ingredients, isstill soap. Although some types of soap containplenty of moisturisers, they still have compo-nents that lead to dryness of the skin, after afew hours of use. So, soaps must be used care-fully and less frequently.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #6: Irrita-tion is the stepping-stone to healthy skin

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: Manywomen who use skin care and anti-aging prod-ucts believe that the initial irritation experi-enced by the skin when using a product,ensures positive results in the long run. How-ever, they must remember that there are sev-eral effective products with ingredients, whichwork well on your skin without causing any ir-ritation, peeling or dryness. In fact, effectiveanti-aging ingredients such as glycolic acid canbe used to minimise irritation and maximiseresults.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Myth #7:A product for one, is a product for all

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments Truth: Skin typesvary between all individuals. A product thatmay work well for one could prove less effec-tive for another. Consulting a dermatologistensures that a proper regimen is developed,the progress is monitored, and that somechanges are made depending on the results youexperience. According to a survey carried outby the University of California, around 64 percent of the female respondents said that theywould opt for an anti-aging regimen that fol-lowed the guidelines of a physician.

Common myths exist in all walks of life, butthose without scientific backing must be disre-garded, especially when it comes to skin careand anti-aging treatments. Consulting with askin care specialist is the best option, as it willhelp you get that perfect, younger-looking skinthat every woman desires.

Sandy Lee Ronalds is practice manager forEnvisage Clinic, a cosmetic clinic located onthe Queensland Gold Coast. Sandy is a quali-fied Paramedical Aesthetician.

B

A New Solution That StopsSnoring and Lets You SleepIf you’re like most Americans you proba-bly don’t get eight hours sleep each night.

But, if you also constantly feel exhausted,experience headaches for no obvious rea-son or have high blood pressure, youcould have a more serious problem.

That’s because these can all be the resultof snoring—which is, in turn, the mostcommon symptom of a potentially serioushealth problem—obstructive sleep apnea(OSA).

While most people think of snoring as aminor annoyance, research shows it canbe hazardous to your health. That’s be-cause for over 18 million Amer-icans it’s related to obstructivesleep apnea (OSA). People whosuffer from OSA repeatedlyand unknowingly stop breath-ing during the night due to acomplete or partial obstructionof their airway. It occurs whenthe jaw, throat, and tonguemuscles relax, blocking the air-way used to breathe. The re-sulting lack of oxygen can lastfor a minute or longer, andoccur hundreds of times eachnight.

Thankfully, most people wake when acomplete or partial obstruction occurs,but it can leave you feeling completely ex-hausted. OSA has also been linked to ahost of health problems including:

4Acid reflux

4Frequent nighttime urination

4Memory loss

4Stroke

4Depression

4Diabetes

4Heart attack

People over 35 are at higher risk.

OSA can be expensive to diagnosis andtreat, and is not always covered by insur-ance. A sleep clinic will require anovernight visit (up to $5,000). Doctorsthen analyze the data and prescribe oneof several treatments. These may requireyou to wear uncomfortable CPAP devicesthat force air through your nose andmouth while you sleep to keep your air-ways open, and may even include painfulsurgery.

Fortunately, there is now a far less costly,uncomfortable, and invasive treatmentoption available. A recent case studypublished by Eastern Virginia MedicalSchool's Division of Sleep Medicine in the

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine con-cludes that wearing a simple chinstrapwhile you sleep can be an effective treat-ment for OSA.

The chin strap, which is now availablefrom a company called MySnoringSolu-tion, works by supporting the lower jawand tongue, preventing obstruction of theairway. It’s a made from a high-tech,lightweight, and super-comfortable mate-rial. Thousands of people have used theMySnoringSolution chinstrap to help re-lieve their snoring symptoms, and theyreport better sleeping, and better healthoverall because of it.

--How Life Works

f you think even a couplesleepless nights won’t hurtyou, think again. Re-searchers have found as lit-tle as two consecutivenights of sleep deprivation

can put unhealthy stress on your heart.

The findings, reported by medical scien-tists from the University of Birminghamin the United Kingdom, are based on astudy of partial sleep deprivation on eighthealthy individuals. The results, pre-sented at an Experimental Biology scien-tific meeting in Boston this week, showedthat just two back-to-back nights of sleepdeprivation lead to less healthy functionof blood vessels and impaired breathingcontrol.

The findings may help explain why sleepdeprivation is associated with cardiovas-cular disease, metabolic disorders, andobesity.

"If acute sleep loss occurs repetitivelyover a long period of time, then vascularhealth could be compromised further andeventually mediate the development ofcardiovascular disease," noted lead re-searcher Keith Pugh.

For the study, the researchers trackedeight healthy adult volunteers, aged 20 to35 years, whose sleep was restricted toonly four hours on each of three consecu-tive nights. The volunteers underwenttests to see how well their blood vesselsaccommodated an increase in blood flow— a test of healthy vascular function. Fol-lowing the first two nights of restrictedsleep, the researchers found a significantreduction in vascular function comparedto nights of normal sleep.

In other tests, the researchers exposedsubjects to moderate levels of carbondioxide, which normally increases thedepth and rate of breathing. The resultsshowed breathing control was substan-tially reduced after the volunteers lostsleep.

The researchers later had the study par-ticipants sleep 10 hours a night for fivenights and found their vascular functionand breathing control had improved.

Pugh said the findings suggest some peo-ple who tend to report sleeping shorterperiods, , such as seniors, could be at ahigher risk of these negative health ef-fects.

ITwo Bad Nights of Sleep

Can Hurt Your Heart: Study

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esearchers at Mayo Clinic inFlorida participated in a na-tionwide study that foundminor differences betweengenes that contribute to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease in

African-Americans and in Caucasians.

The study, published April 10 in The Jour-nal of the American Medical Association,was the first to look at the genetics of alarge number of African-Americans diag-nosed with this common form ofAlzheimer’s disease (1,968 patients) com-pared to 3,928 normal elderly African-American control participants.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consor-tium conducted the study, which includedMayo Clinic in Florida investigators NeillR. Graff-Radford, M.D., and NiluferErtekin-Taner, M.D., Ph.D. They providedgenetic samples and data from theirAlzheimer’s disease databank.

The study found that the most commonrisk factor in these African-American pa-tients was the APOE gene, which is alsotrue for Caucasians with the disorder. Inaddition, another gene, ABCA7, which wasdiscovered to be a risk locus for Cau-casians, was also a significant risk factor inAfrican-American patients.

The study concluded that association withvariants at the ABCA7 gene increased therisk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease ap-proximately 1.8-fold in these African-American patients compared to 1.1-fold to1.2-fold in individuals of European ances-try, although the biologic implications ofthis difference remains to be established.

Still, these differences may not fully ex-plain the genetic basis for development ofAlzheimer’s disease, the researchers say.

The disorder is believed to arise from anumber of different genes along with envi-ronmental influences.

“While they require replication in an inde-pendent African-American cohort, thesefindings imply that at least some of the ge-netic factors that lead to late-onsetAlzheimer’s disease are shared between thetwo ethnic groups,” says Dr. Ertekin-Taner.

But the researchers also acknowledge thatthe seemingly greater influence of ABCA7gene in African-Americans might con-tribute in some important, and as yet un-known, way to the disease, and it may haveimplications for developing targets for ge-netic testing, prevention, and treatment.

“These are early days in our understandingof Alzheimer’s disease in this group, and inothers,” says Dr. Neill Graff-Radford. Dr.Ertekin-Taner adds: “It should be notedthat these genetic association studies can-not identify the actual variant within theABCA7 gene that causes the actual biologicchange which ultimately confers risk forAlzheimer’s disease. Thus, further studiesare needed to determine whether the samefunctional variants or different ones areoperating in these two ethnic groups. Thisknowledge may be critical in drug and bio-marker development efforts.”

“The importance of this study is that it isproof-of-principle study in this under-studied population and may pave the wavefor future larger studies in African-Ameri-cans, as well as encourage similar studiesin other non-Caucasian ethnic groups,”says Dr. Ertekin-Taner.

--Mayo Clinic, The Journal of the American Medical Association

Gene May Help IdentifyRisk of Alzheimer’s

In African Americans

R

African-American mothersurged to breastfeed

eAndra Taylor had to missbreastfeeding classes and thelast of Lamaze instruction;little Jourdyn beat his duedate by a week and a half.

Now, breastfeeding is hands-on training asTaylor continues a family tradition that hermother practiced with seven daughters andher sisters have done, too. Even with thatbackground, she had been a bit iffy on thetopic.

Her own research and her doctor’s insight“made me say, well, it’s the best for my babyso that’s what I should do,” Taylor said asJourdyn snoozed bedside in her room at Uni-versity of Mississippi Medical Center’s(UMC) Weiser Hospital for Women and In-fants. She reported progress so far and somesoreness. “I’m used to it kind of now. I’vedone it a couple of times. And he’s better atit.”

“It takes a little bit of time. It’s a process,”high-risk neonatal registered nurse and lac-tation specialist Cheryl Lloyd reassured her.“Breastfeeding doesn’t always just happenovernight,” with habits to learn, growth spurtchanges and other things expected down theline.

A cultural background in breastfeeding is a

key ingredient for comfort in new moms,Lloyd noted. Not all new moms come armedwith that; some even face family barriers tobreastfeeding.

A new national public education campaignaims to provide more backup and boostawareness among African American womenof breastfeeding’s importance and associatedbenefits. The U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services (HHS) launched “It’s OnlyNatural” this week.

While breastfeeding rates amongAfrican American women haveimproved in recent decades — upto almost 55 percent from 35 per-cent in the 1970s, HHS says —they remain lower than ratesamong other ethnicities in theU.S., particularly in the South.

Tips, practical information, emo-tional support from peers and ed-ucation on breastfeeding’s’benefits and how it fits into dailylife are all part of the campaign,relayed in video testimonials,myth-busting education, radiospots, fact sheets and more.

Support from all sectors — healthcare providers and hospitals, fam-ily and friends, workplace andcommunity — is needed, and ben-efits are a huge return on that in-vestment with healthier babies

and ultimately healthier adults,supporters say.

“You’re not just giving the infant agood start. You are giving thisbaby benefits for a lifetime,” said

Lloyd, who is also president of the Missis-sippi Breastfeeding Coalition. It’s not a guar-antee, but research shows in comparisonwith formula-fed babies, breastfed babieshave fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations,less upper respiratory problems and more,she added.

For Carolyn Cox of Bude, it’s the one thingshe can do at this point for her prematuretwin girls in intensive care. Lloyd showed herhow the breast pump worked, so she can pro-vide milk that can be fed to the babies, evenas little as a fraction of a teaspoon at a timefor babies that tiny — not even 2 pounds atbirth.

The new mother hadn’t planned on breast-

National initiative boosts awareness of many benefits

DeAndra Taylor of Jackson strokes her new-

born, Jourdyn, 1 day, at the University of Mis-

sissippi Medical Center in Jackson. / Rick

Guy/The Clarion-Ledger

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PHEN’s Annual FATHERS DAY RALLYTo reach One Million Persons

his year the Prostate Health EducationNetwork (PHEN) has an ambitious goalto reach one million people for its annualFather's Day Rally. PHEN is strategically partnering withBlackchurches na-

tionwide to increase partici-pation. Milwaukee is one ofour target cities.

Now – June 16, 2013Prostate Cancer Rally toReach One Million Personson Father’s Day

The Largest Effort Ever toFocus on Black AmericaNationwide –

The Prostate Health Educa-tion Network (PHEN) islaunching its "Fifth AnnualFather's Day Rally AgainstProstate Cancer" with anambitious goal of reachingone million persons. Mil-waukee is one of he city’sbeing targeted for this historic event.This will be the largest and most visible prostate cancereducation and awareness effort ever undertaken with afocus on Black America. The Rally will be held on Sunday,June 16, in partnership with churches nationwide duringtheir regular church services. Prostate cancer survivors within each congregation alongwith family members of those who have lost loved ones tothe disease will be recognized and join hands in prayer forhealing. In 2012, the Rally reached approximately 200,000 per-sons based on the total membership of the churches thatparticipated. This year, PHEN will augment the Rally withprostate cancer educational symposiums in selected citieson the Saturday before Father's Day (June 15th). The symposiums will be hosted by a church partnerwithin each city serving as a magnet site. PHEN industrypartners, members of its national survivor network, andlocal health providers will play integral roles in these edu-cational activities. "PHEN’s Annual Father’s Day Rally has proven to be aneffective education and awareness outreach initiative forAfrican American families who are the ones most im-pacted by prostate cancer. Because of these urgent needs,it is imperative that we build on our success and increaseoutreach efforts this year," said PHEN founder and Presi-dent Thomas A. Farrington. Church partnerships which have been developed and nur-tured across all denominations are the key to PHEN’s Fa-ther’s Day Rally success. “Congregations within theAfrican Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church have activelyparticipated in the Father’s Day Rally since its inception,

and we look forward to participating in the Rally’s expan-sion in size and scope this year,” states Rev. NatalieMitchem, Executive Director of the AME ConnectionalHealth Commission.

The AME Church has a mem-bership of approximatelythree million persons withinthe United States and aroundthe world. Black men die ata rate 2.5 times higher thanmen of all other ethnic andracial groups in the UnitedStates. This disparity led theUS Senate, in July 2012, topass a resolution recognizingprostate cancer to be of epi-demic proportions amongAfrican American men.

However, there has been sig-nificant confusion among thepublic caused by the ongoingdebate about PSA screeningand over-treatment. Simulta-neously, a number of newprostate cancer treatmentshave been approved andthere is a flurry of clinical

trial activity that will undoubtedly lead to more treatmentbreakthroughs along with new procedures for detectingand managing prostate cancer.

“We recognize the enormous challenge in achieving ourRally’s goal this year, however, Black America must be-come knowledgeable about new developments and fullyengaged in order to eliminate the current epidemic, andnot be overlooked and risk a worsening condition.

The Rally’s success is a significant opportunity for forwardprogress.” states Farrington.

All churches nationwide are invited to partner with PHENby participating in the “Fifth Annual Father’s Day RallyAgainst Prostate Cancer.” Church registration is nowopen. To register and for additional information visit:http://www.prostatehealthed.org/churchregister2013.php. Prostate cancer survivors play a crucial role in the successof the Rally by mobilizing their churches and communi-ties around this effort. PHEN is appealing to all prostatecancer survivors, and their family members, to join in tosupport and help lead the Rally in meeting its one millionperson goal. All are invited to join the PHEN SurvivorNetwork.

PHEN was founded in 2003 by Thomas A. Farrington, aprostate cancer survivor and author, with a mission toeliminate the African American prostate cancer disparity.

PHEN’s ongoing initiatives include: Monthly support

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare to Host thefirst Milwaukee Area Health Care Systems

Diversity and Health Equity Conference

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Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare is hosting the first Milwau-kee Area Health Care Systems Diversity and Health EquityConference on April 18 at the hopsital’s Wauwatosa Cam-pus.

The conference is a collaboration of area organizationscoming together to strategize to meet the diverse needs ofpatients and communities in greater Milwaukee. Partici-pants include Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, AuroraHealth Care, Columbia St. Mary’s Health System, Chil-dren’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Health, and theMedical College of Wisconsin.

Fred Hobby, Jr., president and CEO of the Institute for Di-versity in Health Management, will serve as conferencemoderator. Hobby is a nationally-known expert on develop-ing tools and resources to enhance diversity in our nation'shospitals, and helping health care organizations with diver-sity activities. Panel discussions with a variety of represen-tatives from participating health care organizations willshare their strategies and best practices in the patient expe-

rience, strategic diversity management, diversity recruit-ment, diversity and cultural competence education, lan-guage access, and addressing health equity.

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare is a Catholic, not-for-profitorganization with more than 100 health and shelter organi-zations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, and Illinois. Startedby the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters more than 130 years agoand formally incorporated in 1983, the system has corpo-rate services offices in Wheaton, Illinois and Glendale, Wis-consin.

The fifth annual GYT: Get Yourself

Tested campaign

MADISON — The fifth annualGYT: Get Yourself Tested cam-paign kicks off in April (NationalSTD Awareness Month) with on-line and on-the-ground initiativesin Wisconsin and across the coun-try. GYT is a national campaigndesigned to promote sexual healthand address the high rates of

STDs among those under 25.

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention (CDC) shows that sexually transmitted infectionsare on the rise in the United States, especially amongyoung people. There are now about 20 million new infec-tions in the United States each year, half among the under25 age group — even though they represent only 25 per-cent of the sexually experienced population.

“Getting tested is simply a basic part of staying healthy andtaking control of your health. Many STIs cause no symp-toms, so the only way to know your status for sure is to gettested,” said Meg Robertson, Director of Clinical Servicesand Nurse Practitioner. “We know that when not treated,STDs can increase the risk of infertility and cervical cancer— but that virtually all STDs, including HIV, are treatableand many are curable. The sooner you know your status,the sooner you can get treated.”

During the month of April, Planned Parenthood of Wis-consin will offer free STD testing at all family planningclinics statewide. In addition, Planned Parenthood of Wis-consin will mark the month by many outreach activitiesthat serve to raise awareness about being safe, healthy andresponsible to avoid STD’s and unintended pregnancy.Planned Parenthood health centers offer low-cost STDtesting throughout the year, and their doors are open toeveryone.

“Getting tested is easier than ever before. For example,rapid HIV tests can provide results in as fast as 20 min-utes,” said Meg Robertson. “Once you know your status,you can take action to stay healthy and protect yourselfagainst future STDs. We want everyone — men, women,and young people — to lead the healthiest lives possible.”

During last year’s GYT campaign, Planned Parenthoodhealth centers nationwide tested over 332,000 men andwomen and Planned Parenthood affiliates held nearly 300events reaching over 14,000 people. In Wisconsin alone,Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin performed 1,419 Gonor-rhea tests, 2,540 Chlamydia tests, and 1,092 HIV tests inApril during GYT.

In addition to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s GYTcampaign, Planned Parenthood’s Community Educationteam will be providing answers to sexual health questionsvia text line. Individuals can text “safersex” to 69866, andreceive a prompt to send their questions.

“STD testing, education, and prevention together will helpWisconsin be a safer, healthier and stronger state,” saidRobertson. “Planned Parenthood works hard every day toensure women and families have access to the vital healthcare they need and this just another example of our work.”

As part of the effort to create the healthiest generationever, Planned Parenthood works every day to reduce thehigh rates of sexually transmitted disease through educa-tion, testing, and treatment. Every year, Planned Parent-hood of Wisconsin provides health care to 70,000 patients.

The award-winning GYT campaign focuses on getting sex-ually active Americans under age 25 to embrace STD test-ing as part of a healthy, productive life. Launched in 2009by a partnership between MTV, the Kaiser Family Founda-tion, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and theCDC, it is supported by a broad range of organizations,state and local health departments, colleges and universi-ties, and other community groups and non-profits. GYTpublic service messages air throughout the year on MTVchannels with cross promotions with health centers andcommunity organizations. Extensive information re-sources, including a dedicated website(www.GYTnow.org), provide information about commonSTDs, talking tips, and a zip code locator to find local test-ing locations.

UPCOMINGHealth Events

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African-American mothers urged to breastfeedfeeding, but made that decision “after my ba-bies were born premature, and I realized thatwas the best option for them because of theirweight,” Cox said, with “more nutrients inthe milk for the baby.”

Antibodies from the mother’s system inbreast milk provide added protection thatformula or a bag of antibiotics can’t, Lloydsaid. “For the premature baby, it makes ahuge difference,” with less necrotizing ente-rocolitis (in which the gut tissue becomes in-fected and starts dying off) and, if mom isvisiting frequently in ICU, protection againstthe same germs the baby is exposed to.

Arrangements with the WIC program will

allow the new mom to borrow a breast pumpfor milk that she can freeze and bring toUMC for her babies.

UMC’s lactation program recently receivedan award in a global recognition program.UMC is also among 90 hospitals nationwideparticipating in the National Initiative forChildren’s Healthcare Quality and Centersfor Disease Control’s Best Fed Beginnings, toimprove breastfeeding rates, said KimRowzee, manager for the lactation depart-ment. “We’ve had some success, with just thefew things we’ve done in just in the last sixmonths.” The hospital is pursing a “Baby-Friendly” designation, an effort that can takeyears as a cultural change takes place.

Among the steps to successful breastfeedingare such things as having the baby “room-in"

and putting babies bare skin-to-skin withmothers right after birth. “We’re talking birthto chest basically,” Rowzee said. “When youdo that, the baby’s natural instinct is to rootand try to latch on. So they start doing thatand then the women are like, ‘maybe I canbreastfeed’ and they’ll try.”

“It’s very nurturing,” Taylor said of that ex-perience with her baby. “I think it comfortshim more ... I guess because he’s so used tobeing in the womb. He relaxes more and getsa better feed like that.”

A couple of upcoming benefits — a FlapjackFundraiser at Applebee’s in Madison May 4and A Night with the Braves May 18 — willraise money in an ongoing campaign to de-velop the medically-supported and profes-sionally-staffed Mother’s Milk Bank of

Mississippi that will enable mothers to do-nate breast milk and have it available for pre-mature babies. For more information, visitmsmilkbank.org.

While breastfeeding is an individual choice,there are many facets that can make that aneasier decision for moms to start and con-tinue.

“It’s a nationwide issue. When moms don’tget the support they need so that they evensee breastfeeding as an option for them,much less continuing to breastfeed after theyreturn to work, we all pay a price for that,”said Kendall Cox (no relation to CarolynCox), co-director of the Mississippi-basednonprofit Every Mother Inc. and a lactationconsultant.

--The Clarionledger

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