Balance - Winter, 2013

Balance Volume 5 – Issue 4 – Winter 2014

SPORTS DRINK HYPE Experts say there’s no improving on H2O

The health magazine for Body, Mind & Motivation Published quarterly by the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News

HIDDEN TRAUMA

Brain injury survivors need support, services, therapy

DO THE MATH

Bicycle geometry fits riders with the right ride

HEALTHY APPS

Smartphones change the way people work out Winter 2014

1

  Balance

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Contents

Balance – volume 5, issue 4 – Winter 2014

16

COVER STORY

HIDDEN TRAUMA Brain injury survivors have need

SPORTS DRINK HYPE Stick with water, bananas,

for local support, services, therapies

raisins and a balanced diet

12

FITNESS

DO THE MATH Bicycle geometry fits 4

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NUTRITION

HEALTHY APPS How smartphones and computers

riders with the right ride

ALSO | SHAVING 6

HEALTH & WELLNESS

are changing the way people work out

|

8

ALZHEIMER’S 10

|

MULTIVITAMINS 18

14

LOCAL CONTRIBUTORS

Tom Hager

Daily News staff writer

Tom is the WSU football and basketball beat reporter for the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Ben Handel

Daily News staff writer

Ben covers University of Idaho/Idaho prep sports. His favorite activities are playing with his puppy, eating pizza and watching the Packers.

Anthony Kuipers Daily News staff writer

Anthony, Idaho education reporter for the Daily News, says he is truly, honestly trying to eat more vegetables: “Really Mom, I am.”

Bill McKee

Daily News staff writer

Bill McKee is the Whitman County reporter for the MoscowPullman Daily News. Originally from southern Louisiana, he lives in Pullman now, and is the self-proclaimed greatest-ever skier raised in the Deep South.

Meredith Metsker Daily News staff writer

Meredith Metsker is the Business Editor for the MoscowPullman Daily News. She enjoys yoga, long walks in good weather and finding new recipes to fit her gluten-free and dairy-free diet.

Lindsey Treffry Inland 360 staff writer

Lindsey Treffry is an arts and entertainment reporter for Inland 360, and works on the production staff of The MoscowPullman Daily News. She is a graduate of The University of Idaho, and enjoys Pinterest and veganism.

nATHANAEL tUCKER

ADVERTISER INDEX

Allen, Dr. Richard.................................................................... 29 Alm, Dr. Ronald...................................................................... 13 Alternative Nursing Services.................................................... 30 Bishop Place............................................................................ 11 Clarkston Denturist Clinic...................................................... 19 Clearwater Medical................................................................. 31 Comp. Care, Inc....................................................................... 27 Electrolysis--Permanent Hair Removal..................................... 9 Elm View Chiropractic............................................................ 13 Garges, Lawrence M., M.D...................................................... 31 Henderson DDS, Robin........................................................... 25 Huckleberrys at Rosauers........................................................ 23 Leavitt DMD, Erin................................................................... 17 Maplewood Dental.................................................................. 29 Moscow Food Co-Op............................................................... 21 Moscow Yoga Center................................................................ 23 Pathologists’ Regional Laboratory........................................... 15 Peak Performance Physical Therapy........................................ 30 Russfit.com................................................................................ 7 St. Joseph Regional Medical Center......................................... 32 Tri-State Memorial Hospital...................................................... 2 Valley Medical Center................................................................ 3 Whitman Hospital & Medical Center...................................... 19

Tribune staff writer

Nathanael grew up in the valley and has lived and worked here for the past nine years, most recently at the Tribune as news clerk. As a downtown Lewiston resident, walking is his preferred mode of transportation. Hiking, backpacking and fishing help keep him fit.

More. Better. Brighter.

sHANON qUINN

Daily News staff writer

Shanon Quinn is the News Clerk at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. She lives in Moscow with her husband, two daughters and a rabbit named Clover. She enjoys yoga and wandering aimlessly in the wilderness.

Balance is published quarterly by the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News and printed at the Tribune Publishing Co. Inc.’s printing facility at 505 Capital St. in Lewiston. To advertise in Balance, contact the Lewiston Tribune advertising department at (208)848.2216 or Advertising Director Kim Burner at kburner@lmtribune.com, or the Moscow-Pullman Daily News advertising department at (208)882.5561 or Advertising Manager Craig Staszkow at cstaszkow@dnews.com. Editorial suggestions and ideas can be sent to Tribune City Editor Craig Clohessy at cclohessy@ lmtribune.com or Daily News City Editor Murf Raquet at murf@dnews.com.

Jesse Hughes Graphic designer

Jesse has worked for the Daily News and Lewiston Tribune since 2008 in the advertising department. He and his wife try to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and stay active by walking, hiking, and being kept on their toes by two boys.

Winter 2014

Learning how to shave Both men and women have bad habits that lead to poor results

By Tom Hager

L

ogan Trott, owner of Fades N Blades in Pullman, says he has learned not only how to shave, but also how not to shave.

That knowledge has come from barber school and running his store since 2010.

“Most of us men we tend to jump up, do a quick shave and be on our way, and then we wonder why we have irritated necks and in-grown hairs – razor bumps is what they call them – but they’re actually in-grown hairs,” Trott said.

He said, “The biggest misunderstanding I had is I thought it would be easy to shave yourself with a straight razor.”

Trott had to give up on the single-edge straight razor and switch to a doubleedged safety razor.

Like most men, Trott didn’t have the 30 minutes required to care for his skin when using the straight razor.

But skin protection is important with any device. To avoid skin irritation, Trott recommends warming the face with a hot towel before applying gel. That opens the pores to any moisturizer or gel.

“When you use gel,” he said, “... you want to make sure the hair is soft, because when you shave you actually take two to three layers of your dermis off. So along with the hair you’re taking the dead skin.”

“As soon as you get out of the shower, then shave,” he said, “because that’s when your face is soft, your skin is soft – it’s clean, you’ve washed the hair on your face.”

Some people use a foam shave cream, but Trott said that is not always the best

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Daily News/Geoff Crimmins

Some of the supplies needed for a clean, irritation-free shave are seen at Fades N Blades barbershop in Pullman.

Clay-based shaving soap, a single edge blade, and a post-shave moisturizer are important parts of a good shave.

idea. He was critical of both the alcohol and the fragrance in most foam shave creams.

“It gets into your pores and plugs it,” he said.

Fades N Blades makes its own preshave products, including a clay-based soap, that Trott puts on before the hot

towel and preshave oil. After that, Trott relathers the skin with an original cream that he makes. Then comes the magic.

Unlike convention, which abhors shaving against the grain, Trott uses a two-step method. First he shaves with the grain, and then against the grain.

“When you go against the grain, it

is going to cut it closer to the skin,” Trott said. “The reason (most people) don’t want to go against grain if you use multiple blades is because that blade is actually cutting it at an angle.”

However, for people who do use multiple blades safety razors at home, Jennifer Nicholas, a nurse practitioner at the Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in Clarkston, has some simple advice.

“People don’t change out their razors often enough,” she said. “They use the same razor continuously, and they end up with some pimples related to the shaving.”

Nicholas said the condition is called folliculitis.

“They use the same razor for months and really that’s when people have a problem getting irritation with shaving.”

Jennifer Nicholas

a nurse practitioner at the Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in Clarkston

Daily News/Geoff Crimmins

Logan Trott, top, and Jared Wolfe demonstrate the proper application of clay-based shaving soap, which is one of the steps required for a good shave, at Fades N Blades barbershop in Pullman.

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“That could be men shaving their face or women shaving their legs,” she said.

“They use the same razor for months and really that’s when people have a problem getting irritation with shaving. It’s going to sound excessive, but we really recommend changing out the razor every second time or so.”

Trott sterilizes his blade after every use, as should everyone. Without the sterilized blade, or any overused blade, Nicholas said the hair follicles become inflamed, leading to what looks like razor bumps.

After the shave, Trott applies a cold towel to the client to close the pores, applies another moisturizer, and then applies a post-shave lotion like bay rum.

Trott’s service costs only $17, but the real value is in his willingness to teach young men how to shave. He also sells shaving kits at the store, to help guide men through the process. If you would like to learn more about the process from Trott, Fades N Blades is at 745 N. Grand Ave. in Pullman.

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The hidden trauma Brain injury survivors have need for local support, services, therapies

By Lindsey Treffry

A

traumatic brain injury can result in outcomes of many shapes and sizes.

Some people can’t balance when they walk. Others have behavioral issues. One side of a face can droop. Others have a hard time forming words. Some lose feeling in their feet, while others’ hands curl up toward their face.

But for most, brain injuries are hidden.

“No two injuries are the same,” said Deby Smith, the Quad Cities’ Brain Injury Association of Washington support group facilitator.

Every year, 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and for U.S. veterans, the statistics are significantly higher.

The Defense and Veterans’ Brain Injury Center estimates 22 percent of all combat casualties result in brain injuries, while 60 to 80 percent of soldiers who survive blast injuries may have TBIs. University of Idaho Veterans Adviser Dan Button said soldiers in combat are well supported, and a teammate can generally help if there’s a weakness or injury.

“In an unstructured environment, a college, which is just the opposite, which requires excessive amounts of self-discipline … that’s when some of these injuries and the symptoms really, really start to manifest,” Button said.

He said the UI Veterans Assistance works closely with the UI Disabilities Support Services to assist veterans with TBIs. “If anything’s been documented for TBI … there are a number of accommodations,” Button said. “Anything from increased test times to special accommodation tools, something called a light scribe pen, which has a recorder in it, and a special notebook.”

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(Above and Above Right) A mirror box can be used to get more movement in patients’ arms.

Smith of the BIAW said that fortunately TBIs have been brought to the forefront in the last few years because of military injuries.

More screenings are being done, and more people are surviving TBIs, she said.

But veterans aren’t the only ones affected.

Anita Evans, Gritman Medical Center occupational therapist, said most of the brain injuries she sees are the result of motor vehicle accidents and bar fights.

Smith said males, 15-24, are most affected

by TBI. According to the CDC, the leading cause of TBI is falls, followed by motor vehicle accidents, events involving being struck by or against something, and assaults.

Smith’s son, Patrick, is a 32-year-old TBI survivor of a motor-vehicle accident. He carries a planner and has to be accompanied to doctor appointments. Despite living in

Clarkston for almost 15 years, he is unfamiliar with the area.

“Someone with TBI, their memory is like a file cabinet, and someone took the files and threw them,” Smith said. “Some end up faceside up, and some face-side down.”

Patrick knows the library at which he volunteers, the home he shares with his mother, the fire station and the restaurant Smith coowns with her brother: Jollymore’s Station 3 Family Restaurant.

“Most families struggle to care for a TBI survivor,” said Smith, adding survivors need assistance with housing, paying bills and transportation. Many need a social worker, too. “They truly need 24-hour supervision.

No matter what socio-economic strata they were in, they are forced into destitution.”

The Quad Cities BIAW support group

meets monthly from March through October at Tri-State Memorial Hospital. About eight years ago, Smith said, the group grew to 35 members, and had the largest teen group in Washington. “A lot of folks have moved on,� she said. “We struggle with the support group here.

The survivors are a transient group. They go where there is care or family.�

Evans, Gritman OT, said she was unaware of support groups closer to the Moscow-Pullman area, but said that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Evans deals with ergonomics and hand therapies as well as stroke and brain injury rehabilitation. “They might receive physical therapy to address balance and walking. OT would deal with upper extremity function, activities of daily living, like ‌ dressing and showering and clothing,â€? Evans said.

Everyday tasks are not simple for TBI sur-

vivors, Evans said. “Everything is manual,� she said. “If you try to go around with one hand for a day, it’s pretty frustrating and inefficient.�

Putting on a shirt, for example, can be exhausting, if possible at all. “They have to have the visualperceptual skills to know is the shirt backwards, is it upside-down, is it inside-out? What are the steps to put on my shirt?� Evans said.

She assisted a patient just last week, who had a difficult time making a peanut butter sandwich. “He went to reach for the peanut butter, but when he looked away, his hand didn’t realize he was holding the peanut butter anymore,� she said. “His brain wasn’t giving him that information.�

To accommodate patients such as this, Evans adopted a new therapy technique that has been used in the military to relieve chronic pain in amputated limbs. “They put a mirror box over the affected limb, so people can’t see where their amputation is,� Evans said. “They put the other hand in the mirror, and it’s pain free. They see a reflection of their hand and it tricks their brain into thinking their injured side is moving without pain.�

Evans started using a mirror box to get more movement in patients’ arms. “There’s not a lot of (mirror box) research coming out with brain injuries, but they’re starting to research on it to see if it can help force those pathways open,� Evans said.

She employed mirror box therapy with the man who dropped the peanut butter.

He said, “This is freaky. I really feel like my hand is moving,� even though his hand remained still.

Evans sticks with traditional therapy techniques, too, by bombarding patients with sensory information. She rubs different fabrics on patients’ arms, switches from hot to cold temperatures, and has them reach into a bucket of dried beans followed by a bucket of rice.

She equates occupational therapy to opening a new freeway in the brain. “If the freeway’s closed and you want to get to the same place, you can take a different freeway. You can take a different route,� but it may take longer, she said.

For Evans, she said her work is rewarding.

She has seen people improve. “It is a fascinating field,� she said. “Think of it, like 20 years ago, people would not survive the things that they’re surviving today.�

But Evans said her work is challenging, too. “The best medicine is prevention,� she said, but for some TBI survivors of assault, accidents, tumors, strokes or the like, prevention isn’t an option. “A brain injury is a devastating lifelong sentence,� she said. “Very few people recover 100 percent.�

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Healthy lifestyle keeps the brain vibrant Preventative measures against Alzheimer’s for all ages

By Shanon Quinn

A

bout a year after his wife of 59 years died suddenly of heart failure, Bob’s family members began to notice changes in his behavior and personality. Once a genius with mathematics and mechanics, he began to forget how to accomplish the simplest tasks.

At first, the changes seemed harmless.

His family members put his mood down to grief and forgetfulness down to living alone. But when he drove

10 Balance

12 miles on the highway with a flat tire, shearing the rim half off of his Mercury Cougar, they knew they must take action.

Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which prevented him from living alone any longer.

Now the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.

About half the families in North America will find themselves affected by it at one time or another.

The American Academy of Neurology projects that, without better preventative measures, the incidence of Alzheimer’s will triple within the next 40 years, affecting 100 million people worldwide.

However, recent research suggests that simple preventative measures can decrease the likelihood of developing the disease.

Carrol Ellis, a nurse practitioner at Valley Medical Center in Lewiston, said keeping the brain active is the most valuable step people can take.

“Being a lifelong learner is the best,” she said.

Susan Gilder, a social worker at Moscow’s Good Samaritan Society, agrees.

Both suggested intellectual activities like taking classes at a local college or learning center as well as playing strategic games, like chess, bridge or Scrabble or puzzles like crosswords or sudoku to keep the mind sharp.

Maintaining social connections also plays a part in keeping the brain in top condition.

Gilder added that eating a healthy diet can assist in avoiding vascular dementia.

Researchers believe that certain cells in the brain called glial cells may assist in removing toxins from the brain that can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and eating certain food can help to keep them functioning properly. Foods like ginger, green tea, fish, soy and dark colored berries may protect glial cells from damage.

Other dietary tips include following a Mediterranean diet rich in fresh produce, whole grains, fish, nuts, olives and olive

oil with the occasional glass of red wine can decrease risk by up to 50 percent and and square of dark chocolate. Green teas, also slow deterioration in those who ala variety of fresh fruit and vegetables are ready suffer from cognitive deterioration. helpful, as is eating five small meals per day The foundation doesn’t urge those who to reduce glucose spikes in the brain. Foods have been sedentary to suddenly sign up to avoid include trans fats and saturated for an aerobics class, but rather make small fats, such as those found in full-fat dairy changes to their habits, like taking the stairs products, red meat, fast food, pre-packaged instead of the elevator, parking farther and processed foods. from the entrance of “Head injuries “Keeping your body healthy the grocery store, pace seem to be related to while talking on the is a big part of keeping your Alzheimer’s, particuphone instead of sitting brain healthy.” larly in young patients,” or taking an occasional Susan Gilder Gilder said. walk around the block. a social worker at Studies suggest that Every small action can Moscow’s Good Samaritan Society head trauma at any age help decrease the risk of can significantly increase the risk of devel- developing cognitive deterioration. oping Alzheimer’s. Gilder suggests making “Keeping your body healthy is a big part the home fall-proof, always wearing a seat of keeping your brain healthy,” Gilder said. belt while driving and a helmet while bikThere is currently no cure for Alzheiming, motorcycling, playing sports or taking er’s disease, although researchers conpart in any activity where a head injury tinue to work toward one. Maintaining a may occur. healthful lifestyle is the best defense against The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevenage-related memory loss, and all forms of tion Foundation reports physical exercise dementia.

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Tribune/Kyle Mills

Steve Dietz of Follet’s Mountain Sports prepares a bicycle for a customer at the store in downtown Lewiston.

Just do the math Bicycle geometry fits riders with the right ride

By Nathanael Tucker

R

iding a bicycle just got easier. It’s called bicycle geometry, and with the proper time and measurements, your bicycle can be easier to ride.

Walk into a bike retail or sales shop,

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and the number of options is overwhelming: beach cruisers, mountain bikes, road bikes, recumbents, hybrids, fixies — where do you start?

“I start by asking, ‘How are you going to ride?’ ” said Steve Dietz at Follett’s Mountain Sports in Lewiston. “Are you going levee cruising, endurance training, 10 miles a day, 40 miles a weekend?”

Answering these questions all goes into choosing a bike that’s right for you. Riding

a bicycle that fits everything from the tearsquinting sprint to the first-gear grind is what bicycle geometry is all about.

The math is integral to the way we ride.

Imagine heading down a mountain trail on an old-time bike with a huge front wheel and a tiny back one. Funny enough for You Tube, probably, but not practical — the geometry is all wrong. A mountain bike, however, with a carbon fiber frame and shock-absorbing forks, changes that

ride into an experience. That same expe- at the gym. Especially since those marience translates to every style of riding chines are not fit to your body. out there.

That’s why “trainers” have taken the Back in the shop with all of those place of the stationary bicycle. These choices, you need a guide — someone relatively small stands allow cyclists to who can help you find the bicycle that’s bring their bicycle indoors, pop the back right. For those serious about their wheel onto a mount and ride while the investment, Dietz, wind whips outside. along with a As Dietz points “What’s remarkable about handful of other out, the bonus bikes is that there are two things bike pros, take is that when the that have not changed since classes to unweather warms up their invention: triangles for derstand body and you’re ready to structure, and circles for power. mechanics and cruise, your body By manipulating the geometry of the way we ride. will still be in tune people, we can get better results.”

Proper fitting with the bike you T. Jay Clevenger takes anywhere ride and not the owner of Paradise Creek Bicycles in Moscow from an hour to thing at the gym. two and a half hours, said T. Jay ClevMany bike shops offer trainers, and enger, owner of Paradise Creek Bicycles will usually use them to fit you in the in Moscow. He has been offering the store. Trainers cost from $70 to $400, service for the past five years and taken depending on the brand and features, so classes on this topic for just as long. ask your bike pro which one will fit your “I had people asking for it for so long needs. that I just started doing it. There’s really no accredited trade school for this type of thing,” he said, “but you can see the results. I can take someone with their old bike and, with some adjustments and CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AGES parts, get them really dialed in.”

•Most Insurance Accepted “I measure everything,” Dietz added, including Medicare “from foot angulation, hip alignment, flexibility. We don’t use a machine.”

•Family and Prenatal Care He also pointed out the people he’s fitted all seem satisfied. “Cycling is an Dr. Terri Drury activity of repetitive motion,” he said, Palmer Graduate noting cyclists who are properly fitted 1303 6th St., Clarkston, WA • 509-758-0660 have fewer injuries and report better performance. And for some endurance riders and racers, marked improvement Ronald W. Alm, D.P.M. in their times also are possible.

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Winter 2014 13

Healthy apps that don’t come on a plate How smartphones and computers are changing the way people work out

By Bill McKee

T

he phrase “healthy apps” might cause some to imagine an appetizer of vegetables with hummus dip.

Usually, though, these days healthy apps come on a phone, not a plate.

Since smartphones came out a few years ago, the number of apps available for anything from helping to plan meals and track caloric intake to timing your sleep cycle to ensure you wake up as fresh and rested as possible has skyrocketed.

Tracking caloric intake, an endeavor which used to take pen, paper and a basic understanding of math, can now be more easily done by scanning the bar code on foods bought from the store, or, with a few simple taps, entering what you made for dinner. Dozens of apps on the market can now take that information and track your caloric intake, along with other nutritional information if desired.

“Myfitnesspal has a great database.

You can just punch in some food, whatever you’re eating, and it will give you all the relevant nutritional info,” said Chad Williams, a certified trainer with Anytime Fitness in Lewiston.

Williams said he’s tried out several of the apps, but is a traditionalist who, for the most part, still likes to keep track of his foods the old-fashioned way. He’s got See APPS on page 15

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Tribune/Kyle Mills

Smart phone apps like Run Keeper help keep track of your exercise activity.

FROM APPS on page 14

a number of clients who prefer to track their efforts with a phone app or online.

Myfitnesspal is one of two that he recommends to any of his new clients.

“I’ve never not been able to find food I’ve looked for in their database,” he said. “I still use it for nutritional guidelines to make sure I’m taking what I need to in terms of protein, fat and carbs.”

One of the other helpful aspects of Myfitnesspal that many others also use, is that it allows users to be a part of a community, which Williams says helps bolster their commitment, since they feel like they’re part of a group, and that allows them to share their success, as well as ask questions of others.

Stronglifts is the other app that Williams recommends to new clients. Also available online, the app is useful in helping weightlifters track their workouts as it automatically tells them what the weight increase should be for their next set.

Katie Shuter, a Zumba instructor at the University of Idaho recreation center, said she likes to use apps when she goes for a run.

When she jogs indoors at the gym she’ll use Tap-A-Lap to keep track of how many times she’s gone around the track and to calculate the distance for her, but when the weather’s nice, she prefers to run outdoors. Then she uses RunKeeper.

“It uses GPS to track how far you’ve gone and what route you took. If you really enjoyed a run, you can also save the route, so you can do it again later,” she said.

Sometimes, especially on nights when she feels like pushing herself, she likes to use Zombies,Run!, which combines the music you have on your phone with a hair-raising narrative and achievement goals that unlock new storylines.

“It’s a good motivator,” she said.

“During the summer I often run at night. When I discovered that app, I got a lot faster.”

Daily News/Bill McKee

Many apps allow users to be part of a community that helps them feel like part of a group, lending support as well as answers to any questions they might have.

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Sports drinks not as good as advertised Stick with water, bananas, raisins and a balanced diet

By Ben Handel

T

o the average consumer perusing the local grocery store and trying to make healthy choices, brightly colored bottles of Vitaminwater stand out like a piece of broccoli in the middle of a sea of mashed potatoes and gravy. After all, everyone knows water is healthy, as are vitamins, so surely a drink that combines the two must be equally as good, right?

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Think again.

The common belief that this brand, and others like it, is healthier than soda has been the subject of litigation by the Center for Science in the Public Interest since 2009. The CSPI found Vitaminwater’s claims so outrageous that executive director Michael Jacobson said Vitaminwater’s marketing “will go down in history as one of the boldest and brashest attempts ever to affix a healthy halo

to what is essentially a junk food.”

“It’s basically a scam,” said Josh Amos, an aspiring dietitian from Moscow. “If you look at the ingredients on the back, it’s basically soda.”

Using clever, catchy buzz words like “energy” or “essential” or even “focus,” it’s not hard to see why Vitaminwater, which was purchased by Coca-Cola in 2007, continues to be a trendy drink for people who want to be healthy. The reality is an average bottle of the sporty drink contains about 13 grams of sugar per serving, which comes out to be about 32 grams per bottle (as each bottle contains roughly 2.5 servings). For comparison, a can of Coca-Cola

Tribune/Kyle Mills

There are many drinks out that claim to help energize or rejuvenate you after a workout.

Classic has about 39 grams of sugar in it. Both of these processes have mild to sigThe consensus in the medical community nificant effects on nutritional value, and is that the sugar in the popular drink is by the time Naked Juice gets to your lips, enough to offset any possible benefits the it’s a processed food product nothing like vitamins could provide. the real thing. The amount of naturally “The best plan is to try and eat a occurring sugar in the drink without the healthy, balanced diet with a variety of fiber that normally would be in the fruit fruits and vegetacan be problematic bles,” Kelly Accord, as well.

“The best plan is to try and eat a fitness trainer Other popua healthy, balanced diet with a from Lewiston, lar drinks, such variety of fruits and vegetables. If said. “If you can’t as Gatorade and you can’t do that, you can always do that, you can Powerade, are great try taking supplements.” always try taking for athletes who Kelly Accord supplements.” need quick bursts a fitness trainer from Lewiston But what about of energy, but the other popular “healthy” drinks? Naked average gym-goer hoping to shed a few Juice claims to simply be a puree of vari- pounds should steer clear of the glucoseous fruits and vegetables with no added infused drinks. Instead, most experts sugars and its hefty price tag seems to recommend sticking with plain old water be a certificate of authenticity. However, to hydrate your workout while some solid Naked Juice, like most other juice brands, foods, such as bananas and raisins, can must put its products through various be effective in sustaining electrolyte baltypes of pasteurization and irradiation. ances.

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Winter 2014 17

Multivitamins can help, but can’t replace food Dieticians recommend balanced diet, warn against misconceptions about supplements

By Anthony Kuipers

M

any people may turn to a multivitamin in hopes it will give their body the nourishment it needs to stay healthy and thriving.

But what they should turn to first, according to local dieticians, is a balanced diet.

“Our bodies are better able to absorb and utilize nutrients first through food,” Marissa Rudley, University of Idaho campus dietician, said.

Rudley, who advises college students on issues like nutrition, eating habits and weight management, said there are misconceptions that multivitamins can be used as a replacement for food.

There’s a misguided notion, she said, that if they take a pill or chewable, they won’t have to worry about the quality of their diet.

“People think of multivitamins as a magic bullet,” she said.

A 2009 study from the American Dietetic Association came to the conclusion that the best strategy “for promoting optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to wisely choose a wide variety of foods.”

Rudley and Courtney Goff, outpatient dietician at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, both recommend Tribune/Barry Kough See MULTIVITAMINS on page 19

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Multivitamins can supplement a diet but not replace what’s missing.

FROM MULTIVITAMINS ON PAGE 18

excrete in waste. multi-grains, fruits and vegetables as the “It can be a big waste of money, building blocks to an optimal diet. because there’s only so much your body However, both Goff and Rudley say can handle,” she said. there can be instances where its necesGoff advised to look out for false adsary to use a vitamin as a supplement. vertising. Many supplements promise to Goff said some people can’t always be “cure-all” to any ailments without any achieve a varied, balanced diet because scientific research to back it up. of food allergies.

“I encourage Or, they may have clients to watch “It can be a big waste of money, medical problems out for those false because there’s only so much your t 0OMZ %FOUVSJTU t %FOUVSF $MFBOJOH t 0OMZ %FOUVSJTU that affect their claims and don’t body can handle.”

-JDFODFE JO t "EKVTUNFOUT t 2VBMJUZ "òPSEBCMF 8BTIJOHUPO diet such as liver buy those suppleMarissa Rudley XJUIJO 1SJDF and pancreatic ments,” she said.

University of Idaho campus dietician Medica

t 'VMM %FOUVSFT .JMFT 3FMJOFT disease. She also Rudley said Accepteid d t 0óDF $BMMT said those on a reduced-calorie diet have what science understands about these t %FOUVSF *OTQFDUJPO a lower food intake, and thus may not be supplements is always a “contentious t 'SFF $POTVMUBUJPO consuming enough to meet their body’s subject.” Questions often surround their t ,JOE BOE 'SJFOEMZ 4FSWJDF t 8IFFMDIBJS "DDFTTJCMF daily nutritional needs. In these cases, effectiveness and how safe they are. t &WFOJOHT CZ "QQPJOUNFOU t 0WFS :FBST PG &YQFSJFODF Goff said multivitamins can act as a sort That’s why she along with Goff say it’s Hours: Mon-Thurs: 8am-Noon; 1pm-5pm Friday: 8am-Noon of safety net, giving them those missing not an alternative to good, old-fashion Evenings by Appointment & House Calls in Washington vitamins they require. healthy eating.

Rudley said multivitamins are use“You’re never going to be debating the 509-758-7805 ful when someone is “struggling to fill safety of eating broccoli,” Rudley said.

1346 12th St., Clarkston nutrient gaps in a day.” For example, she said people in the Northwest who endure long winters often lack vitamin D they could normally get from the All sun. Therefore, vitamin D supplements Adults could go a long way in helping maintain healthy bones, which are especially important for adolescents and the elderly.

She also recommended iron supplements for vegetarians who don’t eat iron-rich meat, and folate supplements for women of child-bearing age to prevent birth defects. Though, she said folate is abundant in whole grain cereals as well.

There are a few issues to look out for when taking multivitamins. For one, Rudley said there is such a thing as too much vitamin intake. She warned Strength and balance fitness classes available through WHMC against excessive amounts of vitamin A, which, according to the Office of DiClasses are taught by trained and certied Hill Ray Plaza Colfax etary Supplements, can cause dizziness, Whitman Hospital instuctors. headaches and nausea.

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19

When eating habits become dangerous Eating Disorder Awareness Month sheds light on life-threatening risks

By Meredith Metsker

F

or most people, food, beyond being a necessary part of living, is often an excuse to gather and socialize with friends and family, especially around the holidays.

But for millions of men and women in the United States, food is the enemy.

Weight gain is a source of intense fear and shame, and the need to avoid it is ingrained. And soon, this fear and shame can develop into a potentially deadly eating disorder.

Eating disorders affect men and women of all ages and ethnicity, though the majority of people with eating disorders are women, according to the National Eating Disorders Association website.

Half a million teens struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating.

Nancy Kure, director of Nutrition Services at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, said most of her eating disorder patients are high school age, but she has seen some as young as 5 years old and some well into their 60s. For the young children, Kure said an eating disorder can be triggered by people around them dieting or talking about dieting, but it often comes from a deeper problem.

“Eating disorders are a coping mechanism. Some people do drugs, some people do alcohol. Everybody has their own coping mechanism and unfortunately, this is a coping mechanism for something they really need. They really

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have a reason,” Kure said.

Eating disorders stem from serious emotional and often psychological issues and can manifest in different ways, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS).

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.

Bulimia nervosa is a cycle of bingeing and purging to undo or make up for the effects of binge eating. Purging methods can include everything from self-induced vomiting to laxative or diuretic abuse, fasting and/or obsessive or compulsive exercise. Binge eating disorder can include frequently eating large amounts of food in short periods and feeling out of control about the eating behavior during an episode. EDNOS can include any

combination of signs and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia.

Kure said she sees binge eating more in older people and sees a lot of people suffering from combinations of eating disorders. Because every patient is different, Kure said there is no set recipe for treatment.

“It’s complicated,” she said.

Courtney Goff, outpatient dietician for St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, calls eating disorder treatment an “evolving thing.” It’s never the same among patients and effective treatment requires a multi-faceted approach, she said.

Marissa Rudley, campus dietician for University of Idaho, understands the interdisciplinary approach and encourages students to take advantage of it. She said she recommends that her student

patients use the student health clinic, have a medical provider to do regular physical screenings, visit the UI Counseling and Testing Center and see her for confidential one-on-one nutrition counseling sessions.

“My goal is to help the student be successful and really do their best with managing all the expectations of being at school,” Rudley said. “And that’s really difficult, I think, for a student with an eating disorder. Because they live with that every day.”

Because eating disorders involve some kind of emotional or psychological issues, Rudley said she also tries to educate patients and others about how eating disorders are not a chosen lifestyle, but rather a serious and potentially life-threatening mental illness.

“It’s not something you’re choosing to have, or a lifestyle that you’re essentially selecting for yourself,” Rudley said. “It’s a mental illness that affects all aspects of your mental and physical health. It’s more than something that just involves food.”

Because of that, Kure said, she doesn’t see patients with eating disorders unless they are also seeing a counselor. She said the complex pain, experiences and memories contributing to the illness can be beyond her scope as a nutrition counselor, an intense role she said she loves.

“If you work with them, you worry about them and you think about them and you want them to go somewhere, but it’s a really complicated disease,” Kure said. “It’s not just about food. It’s about something deeper.”

Lately, Kure said, she’s been using a relatively new method of treatment called intuitive eating, which is all about enjoying food, getting rid of the food police and rules, and being comfortable in one’s body.

“It’s a philosophy about making peace with food, getting rid of the dieting and rediscovering the pleasures of eating,” Kure said.

To raise more awareness about the severity of eating disorders, both the University of Idaho and Washington State University host events, presentations and screenings each year during National Eat-

ing Disorder Awareness Week, which this year is set for Feb. 23-March 1. The month of February is National Eating Disorder Awareness Month. Both universities, along with Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, provide counseling services and help for students with eating disorders.

Rudley said the 2014 National Eating Disorder Awareness Week schedule at UI hasn’t been set yet, but will be by midJanuary.

Goff said having a month dedicated to

eating disorders is helpful for educating the public about what signs and symptoms to look for and what to do next.

“The more we’re educated, the better we can work as a community to help and to provide more effective treatment,” Goff said.

For more information about eating disorders and their warning signs, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org. For information about intuitive eating, visit www.intuitiveeating.org.

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Winter 2014 21

Cervical cancer rates low, yet still remain Support, prevention methods offered in Quad-Cities

By Lindsey Treffry

W

hat was once the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cervical cancer has declined significantly in the past 40 years.

Many women get regular Pap smears, which can find cancer before it turns invasive.

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And Gardasil, also called Silgard, made its way into the market after being approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006. The three-dose vaccine is used to prevent human papilloma virus, which causes an estimated 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

In 2010, though, 11,818 women in the United States were still diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,939 women died.

While Gritman Medical Center in Moscow has the Cancer Resource Center, there is no single program that specifically supports cervical cancer patients or survivors.

“We get a lot of information from the

American Cancer Society, which of course is very accurate and up to date,” said Rene Finney, an ACS volunteer of 15 years, and a six-year Gritman Cancer Resource Center volunteer. “We have pamphlets written by the ACS and we’ve also got the website for the ACS, and other groups also. But the ACS has two programs for women going through cancer, and men, too, really.”

Gritman offers “Reach to Recovery,” a program in which a person diagnosed with cancer can meet with another who survived.

“You can learn a lot of things that your doctors don’t tell you, because they don’t go through

it,” Finney said. “You can meet once, or you can meet 10 times, whatever the constituent feels comfortable with.”

“Look Good ... Feel Better” is a program in which cosmetologists assist in skin care of chemotherapy patients. “Light A Candle” supports women seeking financial help during cancer therapies. A breast cancer support group is

“You can learn a lot of things that your doctors don’t tell you, because they don’t go through it.

Rene Finney

an American Cancer Society volunteer of 15 years, and a 6-year Gritman Cancer Resource Center volunteer.

383953F3-13

available, too, but Finney said only the speaker series is available to cervical cancer patients. The meeting is open only to those with or having had breast cancer.

“Having oncologists in Lewiston and Spowomen know about their exposure to HPV and intercourse, too. “Just because cervical cancer is kane, you’re kind of isolated,” Finney said of the how prevalent it is,” said Bigsby, who mentioned a female issue doesn’t mean those are the only area. that men can carry and share HPV through people that should be thinking about HPV.” The Washington State University Women’s Resource Center and the University of Idaho Women’s Center cannot provide medical assistance or advice, but both are home to healthrelated pamphlets. WSU Women’s Resource Located Over Center director Turea Erwin said the center 2500 inside works directly with the Pullman Regional Rosauers Items Hospital coordinator of education, Noel Nicolai, in regard to cancer services, education and awareness.

Certified Organic Foods Cervical cancer education is important, said Natural Body Care Products Dr. Geneen Bigsby of Valley Medical Center in www.huckleberrysnaturalmarket.com Lewiston.

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Bigsby said boys and girls as young as 11 can receive the Gardasil vaccine, while Gardasil’s website touts age 9.

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Winter 2014 23

Strep scorecard might help tell if you need a doc

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON — Debating whether to seek a strep test for that sore throat?

One day there could be an app for that: Researchers are developing a home scorecard that aims to prevent thousands of unnecessary trips to the doctor for this common complaint.

More than 12 million people make doctors’ visits for a sore throat every year.

Usually the culprit is a virus that they just have to wait out with a little TLC. In fact, the risk of strep throat is low enough for adults that doctors may skip testing them, deciding not to bother after running down a list of symptoms. That can leave patients wondering why they spent hours in the waiting room and had to pay the doctor’s bill.

“If you could know that your risk was low enough that you wouldn’t even be tested, you might actually save yourself a visit,” said Dr. Andrew Fine, an emergency physician at Boston Children’s Hospital.

The trick: Combine some of the symptoms that doctors look for with a bit of computer data to tell if strep throat is circulating in your geographical region.

If the bug’s in your neighborhood, that MinuteClinics in six states between 2006 increases the chances that you’ve caught and 2008. They determined those people’s it, said Dr. Kenneth Mandl, a Harvard risk of strep using the experimental professor and inscorecard approach formatics special“If you could know that your risk and checked the ist with Boston computer model’s was low enough that you wouldn’t Children’s. accuracy against the even be tested, you might actually As a first step, strep test results. save yourself a visit.”

Fine and Mandl Nationally, identiDr. Andrew Fine turned to the fying those with less an emergency physician at records of more than a 10 percent Boston Children’s Hospital. than 70,000 sorechance of strep throat patients who got strep tests and throat could save 230,000 doctor visits a had their symptoms recorded at CVS year, the team reported in the journal An-

24 Balance

nals of Internal Medicine.

The method wasn’t perfect: It meant 8,500 strep cases would have been missed, or the diagnosis delayed, concluded the government-funded study.

But Mandl said it’s unlikely that would lead to lasting harm as most of those infections would clear up on their own, or persisting pain eventually would send patients to the doctor. And he noted that the rapid strep tests that doctors use in their offices can miss cases, too.

Much more research is needed to prove if the method would work in

everyday life and if a mobile app or a phone call to the doctor would be the best approach. The Boston team has begun the next step: Parents of kids who come to the hospital’s emergency room for a strep test are handed a digital tablet and asked to fill out the scorecard first. Researchers will see how the combination of symptoms and local infection trends compare with actual strep test results.

Sore throats are a challenge. Strep throat, caused by bacteria named Group A streptococcus, is to blame for only about 10 percent of cases in adults, and 30 percent in children.

It’s hard to tell who needs a strep test based on symptoms alone, cautioned Dr. Chris Van Beneden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which helped fund the new research. But what is clear: Doctors should be sure it’s strep before prescribing antibiotics because those bacteria-fighting drugs have no effect on viruses.

Yet research published last month in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found 60 percent of adults who sought care for a sore throat received antibiotics.

Unneeded antibiotic use can spur development of drug-resistant germs.

The Boston team looked at the flip side of the issue: Who could safely skip a strep check? Because strep is most common in children ages 5 to 15, doctors usually test youngsters with a sore throat for the bacteria.

For anyone 15 or older, Mandl said doctors may skip a test depending on symptoms. While a cough and runny nose are more typical of a cold virus, strep symptoms might include a fever, enlarged lymph nodes, tonsils with swelling or pus and lack of a cough.

So Fine and Mandl focused first on the over-15 crowd. Because feeling lymph nodes and peeking at tonsils could be difficult for the average layman, their scorecard posed easy questions: Is there a fever? Is there a cough?

Then came the key: The scorecard automatically merged those symptoms with local trends in strep diagnosis.

It’s a practice called biosurveillance.

Already, hundreds of hospitals, clinics and health departments automatically report certain symptoms and diagnoses to the government. That lets officials track the spread of flu every year, for example — and some websites now show flu activity by zip code so people can check if influenza has reached their community.

Likewise, results of strep tests are available digitally from testing laboratories, clinics, even large doctors’ offices, Mandl said. They just have to be collected and used, which isn’t routine.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Robert Centor of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, said too many clinics and emergency rooms still give

a strep test to every sore throat patient.

But he questioned if the home scorecard approach would make a difference, wondering if biosurveillance would be too costly or if average patients even would use it before seeking care.

Winter 2014 25

New test aims to better detect viral infections

By LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON — It happens too often: A doctor isn’t sure what’s causing someone’s feverish illness but prescribes antibiotics just in case, drugs that don’t work if a virus is the real culprit.

Now Duke University researchers are developing a blood test to more easily tell when a respiratory illness is due to a virus and not a bacterial infection, hoping to cut the dangerous overuse of antibiotics and speed the right diagnosis.

It works by taking a fingerprint of your immune system — how its genes are revving up to fight the bug. That’s very different from how infections are diagnosed today. And if the experimental test pans out, it also promises to help doctors track brand-new threats, like the next flu pandemic or that mysterious MERS virus that has erupted in the Middle East.

That viral “signature could be quite powerful, and may be a game-changer,” said Dr. Geoffrey Ginsburg, Duke’s genomic medicine chief. He leads the team that recently reported that a study involving 102 people provided early evidence that the test can work.

Today, when symptoms alone aren’t enough for diagnosis, a doctor’s suspicion guides what tests are performed — tests that work by hunting for evidence of a specific pathogen. Fever and cough? If it’s flu season, you might be tested for the flu virus.

An awful sore throat? Chances are you’ll get checked for strep bacteria. A negative test can leave the doctor wondering what germ to check for next, or whether to make a best guess.

Moreover, rapid in-the-office tests aren’t always accurate and can miss infections. So patients may have blood or other samples sent to labs to try to grow any lurking

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bacteria and tell if it’s to blame, additional testing that can take days.

“This is something we struggle with every day,” said Dr. Octavio Ramilo, infectious disease chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who wasn’t involved in the new study. Particularly with children, a respiratory virus and a bacterial infection “in the beginning look completely alike,” he added.

Hence researchers at a number of universities are trying to harness a fairly recent discovery: As your immune system detects an invading bug, different genes are activated to fend off a viral infection than to fight a bacterial or fungal one. Those subtle

molecular changes appear to be occurring even before you feel any symptoms. And they form distinct patterns of RNA and proteins, what’s called a genomic fingerprint.

The Duke team discovered 30 genes that are switched on in different ways during a viral attack. The test essentially is a freezeframe to show “what those genes are doing at the moment in time that it’s captured,” explained Duke lead researcher Dr. Aimee Zaas, an infectious disease specialist.

Small studies spotted that viral signature in people who volunteered to be infected with different influenza strains for science.

For a more real-world simulation, the researchers then analyzed blood samples

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stored from feverish people who had come to the emergency room — and who were eventually diagnosed, the old-fashioned way, with either some type of virus or a bacterial infection.

The genomic test proved 89 percent accurate in sorting out who had a virus, and did even better at ruling out those who didn’t, Zaas reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

It took 12 hours to get results. The researchers hope to speed that up so that it might work as quickly as some in-office tests.

Still, “it’s a promising tool,” said Ramilo, an Ohio State University professor who is doing similar research. He called the Duke study an important step toward creating a commercial test, and predicts one might reach the market within five years.

Why would a doctor want to know merely that a virus is present and not which virus? That’s enough information to rule out antibiotics, Zaas said. Unnecessary antibiotic use is one factor in the growing problem of drug-resistant germs, which the government blames for more than 23,000 deaths a year.

Plus, if a dangerous new virus begins spreading, like MERS, this approach could help avoid quarantining people unnecessarily by telling right away which ones are virus-free, Ginsburg added.

In Ohio, Ramilo is exploring a more immediate need: When young infants have high fevers, they’re often hospitalized while doctors run a battery of tests to find the fraction who have a serious bacterial infection. He is leading a study involving 22 pediatric emergency rooms to see if a genomic fingerprint approach could separate which babies really need all that testing.

But the virus-or-not question is just the beginning, Ramilo said. His research suggests genomic fingerprints also can distinguish a flu strain from other common viruses. And the Duke team is analyzing a huge study of students living in dormitories, to see if the genomic test detected who was incubating the flu before their first sniffle — and thus might be useful in stemming outbreaks.

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Winter 2014 27

Finding strength, stamina and confidence through rowing then they must pass a float test in a swimming pool before Condon allows them to row on the lake.

DALLAS - John Cage grew up around Sarah Perry and Pam Schreiber are ampuWhite Rock Lake in Dallas. He learned to ride tees. Paige Mosley had a tumor removed from his bike there, his strong young legs keepher brain a year ago. Before that, starting with ing rhythm with waves steadily slapping the a childhood of soccer playing and horseback shore. riding, the Frisco mother of three had always He’s 32 now, still synchronizing his move- been active. ments to the water. This time, though, he’s in “It’s been really tough,” says Mosley’s brotha boat on top of it, and he relies on his arms er, Brad Hickerson, who drives his younger more than his legs to propel him along. A sister here twice a week. Theirs is a close fambout with West Nile virus has hindered his ily, brought even closer since Mosley’s illness. walking, his movement and his balance. But So when he happened upon an open house he has found grace in rowing. at the boathouse, close to his home, and heard On this afternoon, with its cloud-filled about the rowing program, he was excited to blue sky, Cage is on the lake as a rower for the tell her about it, optimistic she might benefit second time. from this new activity.

“It’s amazing how quickly you can glide “After the first day, I asked her how it went,” through the water,” says Cage, who learned Hickerson recalls. “She said, ’I’ll be back.’ You the skill through White Rock Boathouse’s want to engage anything so she’ll feel she acadaptive rowing program. “When you’re out, complishes something. It gives connection. It’s you forget your speed without a reference something to be involved in.” point. Then you get close to the dock, and you After Mosley, 39, was released from rehab realize you’re really sailing.” following her surgery, Hickerson says their For those who rely on something obvious family felt a bit at a loss as to what came next.

– a wheelchair, a walker, a prosthetic device, “It’s hard to find activities that people with a scooter – for help moving on land, gliding disabilities can engage in,” he says. “What betthrough the water on their own strength and ter way than this – to be on the lake?” fortitude is a godsend. They’re unencumMosley’s making progress, he says. She’s bered, smooth, confident – looking from all building stamina, using rowing as a motivantage points like any other person out for vational tool. “She loves it,” he says. “She’s an afternoon on the lake. motivated to improve herself.”

“It’s a sense of accomplishment, a sense He turns to Condon, who is standing of freedom, a newfound ability,” says Mary nearby: “Do you see this as a ministry?” he Condon, the boathouse member and physical asks. “We call it a ministry.” therapist who combined her two passions to He elaborates on that thought later, in an start the program. “Everyone does it within email: “When I think of ministry, I think of an their own capacity. We try not to let them act of selfless service. Mary has a passion and think about limitations.” professional training for the two things that On this Monday, while Cage rows on the intersect at the Boathouse: rehab and rowing. water with Condon close by, three women “I can tell that Mary and all the people learn the sport on ergometers (rowing we’ve met so far care about the individuals. machines) outside the boathouse. They’ll do She’s meeting a need for these people to re-enthese hourlong sessions at least eight times, gage in a way they probably never considered

By Leslie Barker The Dallas Morning News

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or thought possible.”

Condon says simply: “This is a population I love. I’m doing something I love.”

Adaptive rowing has been around for at least 20 years, Condon says. Once she determined to start a program in Dallas, she decided the White Rock Boathouse would be perfect. The facility, where several crew teams and rowing programs store their boats, has a wheelchair-friendly parking lot and a samelevel path leading to the dock and the ergs.

“I looked at the setup and went to the coach last year,” Condon says. “He was very familiar with this and had coached adaptive rowers elsewhere. It’s a great way to integrate this population into a sport considered mainstream, but also a perfect sport for so many people who have to sit, basically, either in a wheelchair or who can’t do a lot of walking or other activities.”

She stresses that this is real rowing. The equipment, not the sport, is adapted. Participants get a cardiovascular workout, increase their endurance, and strengthen their core and muscles. ’I need to be in motion’ Sarah Perry, 46, working on the erg one evening, says she always wanted to try rowing.

Although walking is tough for her, she rides bikes, rides horses and swims.

“I like the full-body aspect of it,” says Perry, manager of White Rock Local Market. A birth defect led to her leg being amputated when she was around 6 years old. “You can really use your strength.”

Plus, the more she does that involves moving, the better it is for her brain, says the mother of three: “I need to be in motion.”

Eventually, she says, she’d like to enter rowing competitions.

HOW TO TAKE PART For more information, go to whiterockrowing.org or send a note to Mary.Condon@whiterockboathouse.com

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