Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Feb. 26, 1988, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of Meredith College Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
■by Jennifer Com Debbie was a pretty girl with big spar- lIing. blue eyes, g9lden hair, and a smile that could brighten anyone's d^. She was smart, fun. and loved by all her friends, Yet, Debbie had a iow' image of herself because she felt her figure, wds inadequate because she was far frorri looling like Christy Brinkley. • A year ago, Debbie believed she found a cure for her problern. Her miratte dmg !wa$ amphetamines, prescribed to her by her doctor. ‘ • Debbie. Iiie many people, did hot take the amphetamine as th^ were pi^ribed. In less thah a month after beginning her'use of amphetamines, she began to increase her dose as h4r tolerance to the drug ^ng- thened. Dfebbie's misuse of amphetamines ultimately 1^ to tragedy. At the age of 23, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of her body. Her eyes have lost their sparkle and her smile is'now crooked. Though her figure is unchanged. Debbie no longer placK such an emphasis on the shape of her body because she is now too bu^ learning to overcome her physical handicap. In our socie^, there are many forms of weight reduction aids. One form, diet pills, comes in various forms, such as amphetam Diet pills cause more harm to women than weight loss ines. diurectics, thyroid compounds, and nmpnascription drugs containing amphetemine- like agents such as phenylpropanolamine. ' They are all publicized as quick and easy weight loss tools: however, they can have serious effects on their users and cari even cause death. •; ' Amphetamines were synthesized in 1927 and' since then haye become a means of weight reduction for a growing number of tfie fiopuMion, especially women. In this cquntiy aiofie. it was estimated that about 8 billidn doSes of amphetairiines are manufectured a year.' This amount would keep every man. woman, ahd child high on "speed" fora total of 6 weeks. Because the body becomes tolerant to the effects of amphetamines, afterjusta few weeks of use the drug actually fails to cause %-weight reduction. • Afnphetamines also promote a gradual increase of insulin in the body. Insulin pre vents the body’s fat-stores from being broken down. Amphetamines actually work against weight loss. Amphetamines have been known to be highly addictive, speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, and cause serious mental illness and death. Amphetamines may speed up the aging pnocess and are responsible for the growing cases of strokes among young people. Some doctors have observed that the post-high depression that follov/s the use of amphetamines is one of the leading causes of suicides in this society. Diurectics and thyroid compounds are also used for quick and ea^ weight loss. Diurectics. or water pills, promote the excretion of waterfrom the body. They have no effect on the body's fat-stores. '. Diuristics' may cause temporaiy weight loss, but a drop on the scale reflects only loss of water weight. The user's weight virtll return to its origi nal amount as soon as the diurectics are discontinued. ThyiTDid compounds speed up the meta bolic rate, and in some cases, can cause more harm than good. Unless one suffers from a low thyroid function, these compounds are not bene ficial. For the nomnal. healthy user, thyroid compounds can cause hyperthyroid ^p- toms like dia’rrhea. initabllity. and an ab normal heart rhythm. There are nonprescription diet pills. Most of these have the active agent phenylpro panolamine. This is an amphetamine-related drug that is commonly found in nasal decongestant and cold medicines. Phenylpropanolamine is known to reduce the appetite and dull the sense of smell and taste. A quick study of over-the-counter diet pills, shows that the majority of diet pills contained .75 mg. of phenylpropanolamine while others contain^ 50. mg. Their pack ages included vvamings to people suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, dia betes, and thyroid disease. There are also warnings addressed to pregnant womenand children underthe age of 18. Phenylpropano lamine has been known to cause heart palpi tations. high blood pressure; and insomnia. All of these drugs are highly commercial ized to promote quick and easy Vi^ight loss: however, doctors have proved that users can , regain even double-the weight lost while using these various diet pills. These drugs are dangerous. Unfortunate ly. they are widely misuse by the public. They can be good crutches, in fighting' hunger, but theirside-eff^ can cause much greater discomfort than hunger Even with their^dangers.-the FDA has been reluctant to remove them from the market but may do so in the future. Will there ever be a miracle drug that will cause people to lose weight? It is doubtful. The only true way to lose weight safely is through dieting and exercise. To do this suc cessfully. it must be done naturally and under the care of a physician. Deliveries from area floriats descended on Johnson Hall last week as the usual flood of roses arrived for Valentine’s Day. Hicks announces New York fashion/ merchandising visit Dr. Diane Hicks of the Department of Home Economics at Meredith has an nounced an off-campus program in New York City for undergraduate and continuing education students in design, retailing and merchandising. The New York Fashion/Mer chandising Visit is scheduled for next May 15th to May 20th. Hicks said. Participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at a variety of companies in the heart of the U5. fashion industry and leam about fashion career opportunites. The program will include guided tours of the showrooms and workrooms of apparel and fashion accessories manufecturers. Stu dents will view the latest designs, and hear insiders discuss the development of t^le new designs. At such famous department stores as Macy’s and Bloomingdale's as well as trendy boutiques, students will see at first hand how new merchandise is presented in exciting ways to potential customers. Members of the group will visit extensive fashion collections at the Metropolitan Mu seum of Art’s Costume Institues and at the Fashion institute of Technology to discover the historical backgrounds of many "new” fashion inspirations. Hicks said. "The New Yor1 Fashion/Merchandising Visit is care fully designed to broaden students’ under standing of past, current and future trends in the Industry in which they plan to make careers." Hicks explained. The program is being arranged to Hicks’ specifications through Campus/New Yori company whose fashion consultant is Flor ence Lentz, a former fashion editor of SEVENTEEN Magazine. For 15 years the fashion director for Buriington Industries. Mrs. Lentz is now Fashion Placement Dirk- tor of the Berkeley Schools and a member of the F.i.T. feculty. During their New York stay, students Vkrill be given ample time for sight-seeing and shopping. They will also attend evening per formances of two Broadway plays during their visit . Interested students can reach Dr, Hicks in her office in 110-A of Hunter on Monday. Wednesday and Friday from 12 -2pm. Merodith Herald February 26,1988 3'
Meredith College Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 26, 1988, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75