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Most Recent Entries
- Aquatic Exercise
- Help for Caregivers
- Spine Implant
- Prescription Assistance Program
- Partnership For Prescription Assistance To Visit Tampa
- Arthritis Foundation Walk
- New Drug
- For Now, Bypass The Meat Counter
- Feedback on Saturday's 4You Column
- Organ Donation Awareness Phone Bank
- Sister Study Seeks Volunteers
- Care at the End of Life: A Public Discussion
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| Video: Health Reports | Health Coverage |
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. –During National Women’s Health Week, May 11 to 17, 2008, the Sister Study is reminding diverse women to sign up to help learn more about women’s health. The Sister Study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health, is committed to enrolling 50,000 diverse women, from all walks of life.
Dr. Paula Juras, project officer with the Sister Study, says participation will help researchers learn the causes of breast cancer and how we can prevent the disease. “It’s often said that we are better at taking care of our family’s health needs than our own, so National Women’s Health Week is a good time for women to do both—schedule that much needed medical appointment and participate in the research studies like the Sister Study, that can help us learn more about women’s health.”
Fewer than 20% of women with breast cancer have any family history of the disease, and less than half of all women diagnosed with breast cancer have any of the known risk factors. Sister Study researchers believe there is much more to be learned about how environment and genes are related to breast cancer risk.
Women ages 35 to 74 may be eligible to join the study if their sister (living or deceased) related to them by blood, had breast cancer; they have never had breast cancer themselves; and they live in the United States or Puerto Rico. To ensure the study results benefit all women, researchers are asking African Americans, Latinas, Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans to enroll immediately. Caucasian women with high school degree or less, or who are between the ages of 65-74 are also still needed.
The study is no longer enrolling new volunteers who are Caucasians 35-64 years old with more than a high school degree — these women are already well represented in the study group. During the remaining months of enrollment, the Sister Study is making special outreach to women who have ever held blue collar or non-traditional jobs, because of the wide-range of environmental and chemical exposures that might be found at work.
The study team makes every effort to ensure that participants feel safe and comfortable and that participation is as convenient as possible. At the beginning, women will answer some over-the-phone and written surveys, and provide blood, urine, household dust and toenail samples. After that for about 10 years, the Sister Study will touch base once a year to learn about changes to a participant’s address, health or environment. The Sister Study does not require participants to take any medicine, undergo any medical treatments, or make any changes to their habits, diet or daily life.
Sister Study partners include the American Cancer Society, NIH’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Sisters Network Inc., Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, and Intercultural Cancer Council. In addition to working with its national partners, the Sister Study works with local, regional, and national organizations to inform diverse women about the study.
To volunteer or learn more about the Sister Study, visit http://www.sisterstudy.org, (for Spanish http://www.estudiodehermanas.org), or call toll free 1-877-4SISTER (877-474-7837). Deaf/Hard of Hearing call 1-866-TTY-4SIS (866-889-4747). All activities are available in English and Spanish.
We give more thought to planning a Super Bowl party than we do to our end of life care. It’s a topic most of us avoid but one that can cause terrible stress, family friction and legal battles if our survivors are left to guess about our final wishes. That’s why it’s important to formally record the care you want at the end of life.
Free documents are available on the internet. http://www.projectgrace.org and http://www.agingwithdignity.org are just two sources.
You can make your wishes as simple or as detailed as necessary. But it’s not enough to just tell your spouse or life partner what you want. You need to write down your instructions and share them with your family members, close friends and physicians.
To help begin a discussion of end of life planning, Hyde Park United Methodist Church is sponsoring a free program fasciliated by the Duke University Institute on Care at the End of Life. A brief program of dramatized role playing will set the stage for a presentation followed by questions and answers led by the Institute’s Director, Dr. Richard Payne. Find out how to ask the tough questions, how to seek alternatives and how to ensure that your wishes are carried out if you are not able to speak for yourself in the face of a terminal illness.
The Institute on Care at the End of Life at Duke University, LifePath Hospice and Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, and Hyde Park United Methodist Church invite you to attend this community-centered discussion about our end-of-life decisions.
Thursday, May 8, 2008, 6:30pm until 8:30pm, The Magnolia Building, Hyde Park United Methodist Church, 500 West Platt Street, Tampa, FL 33606.
For more information contact Karen Mess Frashier, LifePath Hospice, 813-871-8235, .
Check out this news release from the Arthritis Foundation. I salute them for holding the Tampa walk in the evening. Volunteers suggested it because they are Arthritis sufferers and have to get up extra early to work out the pain and stiffness when there’s a morning event. Zoo admission is free Thursday evening, May 1, 2008, but I hope you’ll make a donation. It’s a great chance to see the zoo, get some exercise and support a worthy cause.
46 Million Reasons to Walk
46 Million Reasons to Hope
46 Million Reasons to Join Us
For more information and to register your team visit http://www.arthritis.org/walk-locations.php?state=Florida
Or call 800-850 -9455
Tampa Arthritis Walk
Thursday May 1st; Check in 6pm, Walk Begins 7pm
Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa
Polk County Arthritis Walk
Saturday, May 10th; Check in 7:30am, Walk Begins 8:30am
Lake Hollingsworth, Lakeland Dogs Welcome
Pinellas County Arthritis Walk
Saturday, May 10th; Check in 7:30am, Walk Begins 8:30am
Coachman Park, Clearwater Dogs Welcome
Volunteer opportunities still available at all locations—call today
“Let’s Talk RA” Town Hall Meeting
Speakers: MC- Irene Maher - News Channel 8, Managing Editor- Medical News,
Rheumatologist—Dr. Robert Levin & Dr Joel Silverfield
Patient Advocates - Teena Reece & Carole Klinger
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Time: 7pm—8:30pm Light Refreshments will be Served
Location: Tampa Westshore Marriott, 1001 N. Westshore Blvd, Tampa
Speakers will discuss the importance of improved physician-patient communication, disease management and making healthier lifestyle choices. The Town Hall format will be interactive, extensive Q&A.
For more information or to RSVP call 800-850-9455 or 813-968-7000, or online at http://www.arthritis.org/LetsTalkRA
It’s not a pretty subject, but it’s a big problem for people who take strong pain killers, particularly those who are in end stage disease. A new medication, Relistor, helps with the often debilitating problem of constipation in these patients. Here’s a quote from today’s news release: “RELISTOR significantly decreased the constipating effects of opioids without interfering with pain relief. Wyeth expects to make RELISTOR available in the United States in early June.”
My column in Saturday, April 19th’s edition of 4You in the Tampa Tribune triggered some interesting responses. One reader sent an email telling me she and her husband also purchased beef at unbelievably low prices through military commissaries. She remembers buying 3 pounds of ground beef for $1.
Another reader, a nurse, made this observation: “The problem with all this healthy stuff is that it adds years to the wrong end of your life. If it let you relive your 20s, it would be worth it.”
Thanks to everyone who took time to write.
Diets certainly are different now. In my childhood home, I’m talking the early to late ‘60s, chicken was served on Sundays, roasted whole or cut up and fried. Today, at my grownup house, the freezer is packed with chicken, and you’re likely to find just a couple of small steaks individually wrapped so my husband and I can share one for dinner. Even if I could get a gorgeously marbled Delmonico for a buck and a quarter, steak would still be a treat. The truth is, we know too much now about saturated fat, cholesterol and cancer.
But are we healthier?
I posed the question to Nagi Kumar, the director of Nutrition Research at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa. Her answer, without hesitation, was, “No I don’t think so.”
She cited television’s Food Network, where Emeril Legasse gets a round of applause for cooking anything in bacon fat. And Paula Deen’s liberal use of butter is rivaled only by my beloved Ina Garten’s use of heavy cream. We know it’s bad for us, but, somehow, we can’t resist.
So sorry about the computer glitch on Monday, April 7, 2008, during our Eight On Your Side/LifeLink Organ Donation Awareness Phone Bank. Unfortunately, if you signed up on-line to receive a free information packet, you will have to resubmit your request. The link is available on www.tbo.com keyword: LifeLink.
Tonight’s report focuses on the benefits of exercising in warm water. It’s easy on the joints, helps build muscle strength and can improve balance and range of motion. The classes featured in my report are held at Physiotherapy Associates, 35111 US Hway 19 North, Suite 100, Palm Harbor, FL. They are certified by the Arthritis Foundation. For more information call 727-210-0760.
I received this news release today and thought some of you might benefit from the information.
The West Central Florida Area Agency on Aging’s
Elder Helpline offers support for caregivers and their aging parents.
The Elder Helpline provides information for older adults and their caregivers by helping callers make informed decisions about available assistance. It is the starting point in getting connected with programs or services that can meet the needs of the older adult or caregiver. For more information, please contact:
(800) 96Elder or (800) 963-5337
www.AgingFlorida.com
Additional Information:
The West Central Florida Area Agency on Aging, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation, which administers public funds from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, as well as private grants and donations for senior services in Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Highlands and Hardee Counties.
The Agency, mandated by the Federal Older Americans Act, exists to promote the independence, dignity, health and well-being of our elder citizens; to plan, fund, and administer a coordinated continuum of services; to facilitate and enhance service delivery; and to advocate for the needs of older Americans.
Tonight’s medical story on a new, experimental spine implant, covers potential pain relief for a lot of people. There are several study sites for this implant but only one in Florida.
Updated From Community Calendar Events:
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a national program to help patients access prescription medicines, will be visiting the greater Tampa area with the “Help is Here Express,” a traveling education center making its way across the country to provide eligible patients the opportunity to qualify for free or low-cost prescription medications. Trained specialists will be on-site to explain the program and meet with low-income, underinsured or uninsured residents that need help getting their prescriptions. Tampa area residents have five opportunities to visit the bus with stops in Sarasota, Brooksville, Largo, New Port Richey and Winter Haven.
When: March 19, 2008
WHERE: 10 a.m.—noon
North County Healthcare Center
2400 Colson Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34234
March 20, 2008
10 a.m.—noon
Indian Rocks Medical Center
12629 Ulmerton Rd
Largo, FL 33774
March 21, 2008
10 a.m.—noon
Good Samaritan Health Clinic of Pasco, Inc.
5334 Aspen St.
New Port Richey, FL 34652
March 24, 2008
10 a.m.—noon
Bond Clinic
500 East Central Ave.
Winter Haven, FL 33880
March 25, 2008
10 a.m.—noon
Nature Coast Community Health Center
300 South Main Street
Brooksville, FL 34601
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