Meredith Cummings: Not suprisingly, Exubera production halted. 2D
HealthToday
T H U R S D A Y , J A N U A R Y 17 , 2008
SECTION D
WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
DISEASE
Turning illness into statement
An arm sling covered with colorful flames. A T-shirt with “Cancer picked the wrong Diva!” splashed across the chest. A medical ID bracelet adorned with Swarovski crystals. Call this turning a disease into a fashion and political statement. Today’s patients are openly selfdeprecating, with T-shirts proclaiming, “I have ADD” and bald heads painted with a favorite sports team logo. They are making their disabilities cool with hot pink walkers and canes with plastic daisies. Experts aren’t sure what to call this
ness for diseases. People who broadcast their illnesses are not looking for pity and are not in denial about the seriousness of their disease, says breast oncologist Dr. Alejandra Perez, who sees patients wearing everything from sloganed T-shirts to pink wigs to no wig at all. “Medical fashion accessories” can actually look good, too. Lorry Gregory wasn’t too thrilled with the canes she found when a fall a decade PHOTOS | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ago triggered a case of arthritis. So the former tennis pro and part-time Naples, In 2006, cancer patient Taylor Fla., resident began making and selling Dettore poses with her head canes. painted in a Pittsburgh hospital. “It picks their spirits up like it picked up new open attitude about illness. But they mine,” says Gregory, who is known as the credit television, the Internet, celebrities, Cane Lady. “ ‘Oh thank goodness, I don’t and the need to raise money and aware- have to use that ugly cane.’ ”
SCALE BACK ALABAMA
TREATMENTS
Music therapy treats all ages MIAMI | When Joe Goelz tickles the ivories at the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital, playing “Fly Me to the Moon” or “Return to Me” it isn’t just entertainment. It’s what the doctor ordered. Goelz, 38, is a board-certified music therapist who plays the keyboard, guitar and percussion instruments. Because the brain’s musical muscles reside deep in the brain, patients who suffer from dementia, stroke or other brain injury are still able to respond to music. Music as therapy can actually help some patients communicate, while for others it can ease depression or help with feelings of isolation or loss of control. “It’s like concurrent therapy to complement what the psychiatrists and psychologists are doing,” he said. Goelz, who graduated from Miramar High in Florida and trained classically on the piano, began studying music therapy at the University of Miami. Initially, he wanted to be a doctor but had a falling out with organic chemistry, among other things. When a piano professor suggested he combine the two fields, Goelz found a calling. Goelz completed his internship at Miami Children’s Hospital, then worked at several clinics and in the Miami-Dade County school system before coming to the Miami Jewish Home eight years ago. Music therapy, he said, can be used to treat all ages. In children, it can ease crying, increase weight and develop the brain. At Miami Children’s, Goelz had one patient, a young girl with AIDS, whose parents were reluctant to treat her because they considered her illness shameful. “Her parents felt she did something wrong and was being punished,” he said. So Goelz learned a song wellknown in her homeland in Haiti and played it for the girl and her father. “I learned it in Creole. He talked to me and talked to her and when push came to shove, he ultimately let the medical staff start treating her,” Goelz said. “I didn’t heal her, but I made a way for traditional medicine to do what needed to be done.” — McClatchy-Tribune News Service
TIP DANCE FOR FUN, HEALTH
Susu Prout, owner of Academy Ballet and Jazz in Northport, said dancing is a great alternative for people who are tired of running on a treadmill or bored with the monotony of going to the gym. She said there are multiple health benefits including: ■ Being accountable for attendance because you have registered and are part of a class. ■ Motivation because you will dance in front of your peers. ■ It doesn’t just tone muscles but also works your mind, flexibility and coordination. ■ There is always something new to learn. “There is no beginning and no end. I’m 53 and I’m still learning new dance things,” she said. Plus, she added, “If you are really wanting to lose weight, stand in front of a mirror for an hour in a leotard and tights. You aren’t hiding. And that does motivate you.”
Gregory has bedecked canes with butterflies, cows, pigs, footballs and feathers. She has holiday-themed canes, such as red, white and blue with stars and flags for the Fourth of July and red, green and gold with Santa Claus figures for Christmas. Stylish bracelets, necklaces and a watch from CreativeMedicalID.com changed Renee Rhoades attitude about having to wear a medical ID bracelet. “I feel like a diva when I wear them,” says Rhoades, who lives in Richmond and has diabetes. “I went from feeling self-conscious about being tagged with something for the rest of my life to ‘So, what bracelet do I get to wear today?’ ” — The Associated Press
CHRONIC AILMENTS
1st rule of Fat Club is: There is no fat club.
2nd rule: Sweat. 3rd rule: Commitment. 4th rule: Don’t cheat. 5th rule: Share what works. 6th rule: Weigh each week.
And the 8th, and final rule: Keep it off.
CHILDREN
STAFF ILLUSTRATION ANTHONY BRATINA
Losing is our goal News staffers join Scale Back Alabama to publicly track the quest of their team, ‘Fat Club’
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Things to know about fatigue
1. Finally, validation: Not long ago, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was dismissed as “yuppie flu.” Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have labeled it a disabling disease, as debilitating as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The syndrome affects more than 1 million Americans, with only 20 percent of victims diagnosed. People with the disorder experience profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest. The cause of CFS remains unknown. 2. What it is: An international panel of experts ruled that victims must have at least four of these symptoms: substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration; sore throat; tender lymph nodes; muscle pain; multijoint pain without swelling or redness; headaches of a new type, pattern or severity; unrefreshing sleep; and post-exertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours. 3. Who’s at risk: It occurs more in women and people between the ages of 40 and 59. It’s as common among blacks and Hispanics as it is among Caucasians. It can run in families. 4. Diagnosis: CFS has no physical signs and there are no diagnostic lab tests for it. Victims must be evaluated by a physician. 5. Treatment: Lifestyle changes, including prevention of overexertion, reduced stress, dietar y restrictions, gentle stretching and nutritional supplementation, are frequently recommended in addition to drugs used to treat sleep, pain and other specific symptoms. — McClatchy-Tribune News Service
7th rule: Lose 10 lbs.
never even thought I could get a team of four people willing to participate in the Scale Back Alabama program. When City Editor Katherine Lee approached me about participating in the statewide weight loss program, I responded that I would be happy to do it, but I didn’t have anybody to participate with me. She sent out an e-mail that started a fire storm. First, Photo Editor Robert Sutton called me into an empty office to tell me he wanted to participate. Then Executive Sports Editor DaMARLIN vid Wasson told me he was CADDELL in. Once I recruited Graphics Editor Anthony Bratina to our group, the soon tobe-famous Fat Club was born. But it didn’t stop there. At the story meeting, I mentioned that so far, only guys were talking about participating in the program
Below: Lauren’s Hope engraveable dog tag necklaces are stylish and contain medical info.
because “girls aren’t willing to publicly talk about their weight.” That spurred the women to action. In a couple of days, we had four groups with 16 people from The News participating in the program. Two of those groups include women. For the next 10 weeks, I’m going to be the spokesman for our group, talking about the trials and tribulations, along with our successes and failures, to encourage those of you who are also on the long trek to better health. Losing weight is something that many of us want to do, try to do and ultimately fail to do, for one reason or another. We’ve tried this diet or that diet or some other kind of diet where you can’t eat bread. We do it for a little while, lose some weight and feel good. But then life happens. Something comes up, and we don’t have time to eat healthy or just don’t feel like it. We want that piece of cake or that extra SEE CLUB | 6D
Interested in reading about The Tuscaloosa News staffers participation in Scale Back Alabama? Read their blog at www. tuscaloosanews. com, where you can also track their progress weekly. Have advice, tips, questions or comments? Join our readers’ forum and tell us how you’re trying to lose weight this year.
Fetal heart rate won’t predict sex
The Claim: Fetal heart rate can predict the baby’s sex. The Facts: The medical literature is rife with all sorts of claims about unusual ways to predict the sex of an unborn baby. One that has been around for decades, and has even gained some acceptance, is the idea that fetal heartbeat is faster among girls. Rates above 140 beats per minute, it is said, are typical for girls; below that, look for a boy. How this belief came about is not entirely clear, but studies that have looked into it over the years have traced it to folklore. They have also found that the belief holds little water. Typically, the embryonic heart rate starts out at about 85 beats per minute and then accelerates roughly three beats per minute each day during the first month. After the rate reaches an average of about 175 beats per minute, studies show, the acceleration reverses; by the middle of pregnancy, the rate averages 120 to 160 beats per minute. Researchers studied fetal heartrate variations in 79 women, looking for differences between male and female fetuses. They could not find any. There does seem to be a difference during labor, when the female rate is faster. The reasons are unknown. The Bottom Line: Studies suggest there is little relationship between sex and fetal heart rate. — New York Times News Service