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MID-VALLEY HEALTH Albany Democrat-Herald ■ Corvallis Gazette-Times
Sunday, April 13, 2014
HEALTH STAT
COUNTY
Quick reads about health topics in the news
HEALTH
E-cigarette evidence A fair amount of conversation about e-cigarettes has involved people using them in efforts to quit smoking. Researchers say the evidence for that has been “unconvincing,” and they suggest that regulations should forbid such claims until there is supporting research. In a recent letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, researchers from the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education and the Department of Medicine at the University of California-San Francisco noted that e-cigarettes are “aggressively promoted as smoking cessation aids.” Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-operated; they heat substances that usually include nicotine to deliver a vapor for inhalation that often also contains flavors. Unlike conventional cigarettes, there’s no tar or carbon monoxide. It’s estimated to be a $2 billion business. Supporters say they’re safer in public than conventional cigarettes. Detractors say that they are a means to make smoking socially acceptable again and that they target young people. — Los Angeles Times
RANKINGS
National study reviews statistics for Linn, Benton On the Web Want to take a deep dive for yourself into the county health rankings? They’re posted at this website: www.countyhealthrankings.org. BY MIKE MCINALLY MID-VALLEY HEALTH
Mosquito-borne ailment A mosquito-borne disease that originated in Africa and elsewhere that has not been found yet in the United States is causing concerns among health officials, and now the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research has joined a group of top virologists around the world to respond to the recent spread of the disease, caused by the chikungunya virus. The virus causes fever and joint pain and has now been reported in the Caribbean and South America. Outbreaks are expected soon in the United States. There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya, which can resemble dengue fever, also spread by mosquitoes. The task force’s 16 virologists represent nine countries. Much of their effort will focus on faster identification of infections, improved treatment options and the development of an effective vaccine. — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Aerobics and memory Regular aerobic exercise seems to boost the size of the area of the brain (hippocampus) involved in verbal memory and learning among women whose intellectual capacity has been affected by age, indicates a small study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The hippocampus has become a focus of interest in dementia research because it is the area of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning, but it is sensitive to the effects of aging and neurological damage. The researchers tested the impact of different types of exercise on the hippocampal volume of 86 women who said they had mild memory problems. Roughly equal numbers were assigned to either twice weekly hour-long sessions of aerobic training (brisk walking); or resistance training, or balance and muscle-toning exercises, for a period of six months. Only 29 of the women had MRI scans, but the results showed that the total volume of the hippocampus in the group who had completed the full six months of aerobic training was significantly larger than that of those who had performed the balance and muscletoning exercises. — British Medical Journal
The headlines from the recent release of the county health rankings — a measurement prepared by the national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — likely sounded familiar: The 2014 edition of the rankings, released last month, showed Benton County regaining its position as the healthiest county in Oregon after a drop the previous year to No. 2. And Linn County continued its upward move in the rankings, up to 22nd — an increase from the No. 28 ranking it held in 2010. But county health officials on both sides of the river again downplayed the overall rankings, and instead called attention to some of the individual statistics that went into the rankings. The rankings, said Charlie Fautin of the Benton County Health Department, are a “PR exercise to get public health issues into the media, not a comprehensive health assessment.” That sense was echoed by Frank Moore, the director of the Linn County Department of Health Services — who welcomed the improvement in the county’s health ranking but still cautioned that the overall assessments include socioeconomic measures “that are really outside the scope of what we have influence over” — unemployment rates, for example. And both Moore and Fautin emphasized that each county has its own plan for health improvement — and while each of those plans focuses on areas important to each county, they also increasingly call for collaboration with other counties and other entities, such as the coordinated care organization that now serves Benton, Linn and Lincoln counties. As public health officials in Benton and Linn counties took a look at the county numbers, we asked them to reflect on some of the statistics that stood out for them – and why they thought those were important. Here are some of their responses:
Adults without health insurance
Physical inactivity
(Percentage of adults under age 65 without health insurance.) Benton County: 15 percent Linn County: 18 percent Oregon average: 18 percent Here’s an area where both Fautin and Moore report progress – and the men expect this number to continue to drop as the provisions of the Affordable Care Act mandating coverage kick in. It’s an important number to watch because uninsured adults often put off preventative health care until health woes no longer can be ignored – and then often report first to emergency rooms, where the cost of care is high.
(Percentage of adults over age 20 reporting no leisure time physical activity.) Benton County: 15 percent Linn County: 21 percent Oregon average: 17 percent Again, this category was essentially flat from the previous year.
Adult smoking (Percentage of adults who smoke regularly) Benton County: 11 percent Linn County: 20 percent Oregon average: 16 percent Both counties notched a slight decline in the numbers from the previous year. The key here is preventing young people from picking up the habit.
Diabetic screening (Percentage of diabetic Medicare enrollees who receive screenings.) Benton County: 96 percent Linn County: 93 percent Oregon average: 87 percent Both counties have seen consistent improvement in this category. Screenings help providers identify health problems in diabetic patients before they worsen.
Children in poverty (Percentage of children under age 18 in poverty) Benton County: 17 percent Linn County: 25 percent Oregon average: 23 percent The Benton County rate has been rising over the years. The Linn County number has dropped. Children in poverty may not be able to access the health-care or preventative services that they need to treat illness or prevent more serious illnesses.
Excessive drinking (Percentage of respondents reporting episodes of binge or heavy drinking.) Benton County: 14 percent Linn County: 17 percent Oregon average: 16 percent This category improved a bit from previous years’ measurements.
Sexually transmitted infections (Chlamydia rate per 100,000 population.) Benton County: 356 Linn County: 329 Oregon average: 352 Here’s a number that continues to trouble Benton County’s Fautin; the chlamydia rate in the county is steadily rising. “Chlamydia is our big problem” among sexually transmitted diseases, he said, and “it’s getting worse.” The rate in Linn County is under the state average.
Adult obesity (Percentage of adults with a body mass index greater than 30.) Benton County: 22 percent Linn County: 30 percent Oregon average: 26 percent This category is essentially flat from the previous year, but Benton County dipped a bit.
Access to dentists (Ratio of dentists to population.) Benton County: 1 for every 1,725 Linn County: 1 for every 1,868 Oregon average: 1 for every 1,430 Here’s an area where both counties have seen improvement, but access to dentists still is less in the counties than the state average.
Demand grows for gluten-free beauty products BY MARY MACVEAN LOS ANGELES TIMES
Amy Soergel’s lip gloss was making her sick. The problem, she realized, was gluten — hydrologized wheat protein, to be exact. Then she went to the hairdresser who used a shampoo that made her neck burn. Again, it contained gluten. “There’s hidden gluten in many places you may not consider,” including stamp and envelope glues, toothpaste and lip balms, said Soergel, who has a store, Naturally Soergel’s, near Pittsburgh that
caters to people with allergies. Indeed, for people with celiac disease, a bit of gluten that might get swallowed from a lipstick or a stream of shampoo in the shower can be enough to cause illness. A slew of gluten-free skin care products have come on the market, including items from well-known companies such as Murad, Dr. Hauschka, EO, MyChelle, Suntegrity, Acure and derma-e. Many are sold in health food stores. If they’ve been certified by a third-party agency, an icon usually appears on the packaging. Avalon Organics and Jason — two moderately priced health food store standards from the company Hain Celestial — recently released Avalon Organics
Sun Tegrity's sunscreen is part of a wave of gluten-free beauty products. Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/MCT
Here
to make sure you’ll be
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Gluten Free Cucumber products and Jason gluten-free lotions, washes and hair products. Emma Froelich-Shea, the company senior vice president of marketing and research and development, says she was skeptical at first that such products were needed, thinking gluten — which is found in wheat, barley and rye — was only a food issue. But wheat protein is used as a binding agent for skin-firming creams and hair products that aim to strengthen hair, she says — and she was won over by customer demand. Bob Zahradnik launched Coldstream Natural from Gainesville, Fla., about six months ago, selling gluten-free tooth creams and mouthwashes. “Any trace materials in oral care products will definitely present a risk to people with a gluten sensitivity,” Zahradnik said.
Customers of derma-e, a 30-year-old company that started with a vitamin E cream, prompted the company to change, says Jennifer Norman, the vice president for marketing. Most of its products had no gluten, and the company reformulated the rest. “It shows the amount consumers are researching products. In the last year, it’s been almost an explosion of interest in gluten-free,” Norman says. Dermatologist Jenny Kim, associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles’s David Geffen School of Medicine, says some people thought that gluten-free skin care was simply a trend, in part because gluten molecules are too large to penetrate through skin. But that’s only true for skin that’s healthy and intact, and not necessarily for people with eczema or other skin conditions.
You take care of yourself because you want to be there for all of the big moments. We offer the best doctors, technology and care available to help keep you healthy and celebrating life for years to come.
samhealth.org/SHVI
ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE-TIMES
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2014
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Content provided by Samaritan Health Services
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Enjoy travel in your golden years
reaming of that trip to Bhutan? Maybe it’s Machu Picchu that beckons you. The good news is that adults over the age of 55 are in a great position to enjoy visiting new places. However, your body has changed since your younger days, and the things you need to take into consideration while traveling might also be different.
International Travel Clinic.
medical insurance services.
“Certain pre-existing health conditions or medications may also pose risk of adverse reaction to vaccinations or prescriptions that we might otherwise recommend. It is important that travelers receive expert advice in these matters.”
Muth also recommends adults make sure they are up-to-date on routine vaccines such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles.
If you take regular medications, be sure to pack enough for your entire trip in The most important thing you can do your carry-on baggage in case your to ensure you enjoy your trip is to be checked baggage is lost. You should prepared! Start by choosing an itinerary also consider purchasing travel health that realistically reflects your health and insurance (different from trip protection current activity level. Conditions such as insurance). Its relatively low cost could heart disease may limit your strenuous help offset a more serious expense if activity. you needed medical care. Many health “A traveler may have underlying medical insurance plans, including Medicare, will conditions that could make him or her not cover care received outside the U.S. particularly susceptible to travel hazards,” Travel agencies specializing in overseas said William Muth, MD, an infectious excursions can help identify travel disease specialist at Samaritan’s
“I meet with people who are traveling to all parts of the world. Travel-related risks can vary considerably depending upon destination, so it’s important to consult with a travel medicine specialist prior to traveling to less-developed parts of the world.”
anti-malarial medication is essential to prevent this very serious illness. Prescription medication to prevent altitude illness and traveler’s diarrhea may also be recommended. Travelers should also check the U.S. Department of State website at travel.state.gov concerning issues of personal safety, crime, and customs and immigration requirements of destination countries. These are very important details that should not be neglected.
If your dream is to visit the Great Wall of “During an appointment, I review your China or to trek the Pampas of Argentina, itinerary, offer recommendations to take time to make sure it will be the trip of prevent travel-related problems, and a lifetime. counsel you about ways to avoid food and insect-borne illnesses, as well as illnesses For more information about the related to environmental exposures,” said International Travel Clinic, call Samaritan Muth. Infectious Disease at 541-768-5810 or visit samhealth.org/TravelClinic. When malaria is a risk, prescription
Tar Wars: THE RESIDENTS STRIKE BACK
ar Wars is an anti-tobacco program that targets fourth and fifth grade elementary students, sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The goal is to educate youth on the effects of tobacco, the costs associated with its use and the different ways the tobacco industry markets to younger generations.
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Claude Elmore (second from left) is surrounded by his rehab team (left to right) Amy Nistico, OT, Carrie Raymond, PT, and Shawn Johnson, ST.
Local man credits continued recovery after stroke to comprehensive rehab care “I look okay, I sound okay, but my body and brain don’t function together like they used to,” said Claude Elmore, a patient at Samaritan Physical Rehabilitation in Corvallis. “But I’m working on that.”
Elmore began a therapy regimen that consisted of speech, occupational and physical therapy, each once per week. Once he and his wife, Melissa, began to see progress, Elmore’s motivation amplified.
Elmore is on medical leave as director of sales for Cornerstone Associates, a non-profit that provides training and employment to adults with intellectual disabilities. He began a series of therapies after suffering from a hemorrhagic stroke preceding a car accident last fall.
Elmore said the best part about working with a team of therapists in one setting is that he feels his care is streamlined and more efficient.
“The kind of stroke I had means that I look normal, I can speak fairly well, and everyone thinks that I’m fine. But what they don’t understand is that my brain needs to be rewired to work with my body,” said Elmore. Once released from the hospital,
Mountain View Elementary School. They presented a series of visual and interactive activities to display tobacco use in today’s society.
“This was our second year of Tar Wars with 12 resident physicians participating,” said Christopher Leesman, DO, a resident physician of Samaritan Family Medicine Resident Clinic. “We For the past two years a group of resident feel a great responsibility to improve our public health, and this is one way we can physicians from Samaritan’s Graduate do that.” Medical Education Program visited
“When I talk with each therapist individually, they are already familiar with my care plan with the other therapist,” he said. “And I like that I’m not repeating myself.” Samaritan Health Services offers rehabilitation services throughout the mid-valley in Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon and Sweet Home. To learn more about the services offered at each location, visit samhealth.org/Rehab.
health To find the right health care provider for you, call 1-800-863-5241.
Christopher Leesman, DO (left), and Max Kaiser, DO, resident physicians of Samaritan Family Medicine Resident Clinic, explain to Mountain View Elementary students the effects of tobacco use as part of the Tar Wars program.