Health & Wellness ? ? ? ? -i ealthbeat I. Children's Hospital wins international award r "? Dr. Bruce Rubin, a pediatric pulmonologist at '.nner Children's Hospital has been awarded the Extraordinaire Award by the International gress of Pediatric Pulmonology (CIPP). The Prix Extraordinaire or Special CIPP Award is top recognition by CIPP and has been given outl y three former times. The award's presentation [ emphasized Rubin's work over the past two decades | with pediatric pulmonologists around the world and I bis use of magic to break down barriers and to teach n has held magic workshops on five continents the last 10 years plans to give another later this in Santiago, Chile. ruce's work has encouraged physicians- to down barriers and attempt to .communicate children of all ages through magic," said Jon S. ""-on, MX)., chair of pediatrics at Brenner j's Hospital. "We are pleased that this interna society chose to recognize the high caliber of i served as the program committee chair for meeting in Lisbon in 2004, as a congress for the CIPP meeting in Montreal in 2006 xl as past president in for the CIRP meeting tin 2008. re-appointed to HWTF S. Parker, vice president for ! and Community Health at Wake Baptist Medical Center, has L to serve on the North Carolina 1 Wellness SI Trust farker Commission (HWTF). is oni of the HWTFs < members. The HWTF was i ______ 2001 by the N.C. General | Assembly as one of three i ties to invest the states i of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement in| which the tobacco agreed to pay $206 billion toj 46 states over the next 25j years It also included tm addi- [ f $5 billion given to 14 states, including North r's involvement in activities to of community health, public health evention has included the N.C. f Commission , N.C. Prevention ] Futures, YMCA of Northwest N.< United Way of Forsyth ilthy Community Jem State University Center : for Elimination of Health Disparities, received his bachelor of science degree I -med post-graduate education from Easy versity (ECU). He also received a r ! in administrative services and < i from ECU. . . :||| and smoking quitlines of new report SNTO, Calif.- The Health (HEC) unveiled a report s' use of quitlines for tobacco African American Tobacco 4ational Network on Tobacco Poverty National Conference in Detroit last The study came as result of the common t among African American anti-tobacco i that quitline services are not considered a cul re levant cessation intervention for African ans. !? reports' findings and subsequent recommen serve as a first step in a critical dialogue ? national African American community 1 organizations and the quitline community. The > change perceptions about the effectiveness , and in turn lead stakeholders to promote i within their organizations. awnload the report, visit w It"*' T receives nearly $1 million Medical Institute 1 Carolina Central University is one 48 ut undergraduate institutions that ? receive funding from the Howard i to be used towards science i in 21 states and Puerto Rico will > $1.6 million over the next four ir Undergraduate instruction in F will receive $900j000. n has challenged colleges to crea ; science classes, bring real-world I to students, and increase the di > study science North Carolina Central U; ?n the state's Research Triangle ,.t high -tech hub - less than five p I currently major in science. That's a for* the school's science faculty. ?s that the HHMI grant will help ' jp?/ recruiting promising Students as : 8chl and engaging them in ? leir undeigraduate years. T will bring in 36 promising 1 1th grade stu i science enrichment programs the univer has in place at local middle and high Understanding Bipolar Disorder It is unfortunate that, despite the advances of modern medicine in understanding and treating mental illness, stigma still frequently surrounds these diseases and the people who live with them. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a very real disease that affects nearly six million adults in the United States alone, according to the National Institute of Mental Health It remains uncertain whether the illness occurs more frequently in minority or non-minority communities. It is one of the most stigmatized diseases in our society, and living with bipolar disorder is challenging enough without having to handle stigma as well. In this article, I will describe some experiences of people living with the disease and attempt to drspel some of the myths and untruths frequently attributed , to the disease's survivors. __ __ I What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar disorder is a serious brain disease in which a person's mood, , energy, cognitions (thoughtsJ.jand ability to function are impaired. While every human being goes thtough periods of ups and downs ? that's pafl of life? a person with bipolar disorder experiences disabling changes in mood, thought patterns, and energy levels that can last from days to weeks to months at a time. These shifts are severe and can result in the person being unable to function at work or school, and they even affect rela tionships and other social situations. A sur vivor once informed me that someone told her, "If you think you can't function, you won't be able to function." But the truth is that the disease is not something that the patient can control; it can be crippling and disabling and is not the patient's fault. Frighteningly, people suffering from bipolar disorder have a higher rate of suicide than do those in the general population because the disease can be so crippling that it impacts a person's desire to live. . Let's start by talking about the "highs," or mania, that a person living with bipo lar disorder faces. A lot of people think that mania refers simply to being in an excessively good or "euphoric" mood and may not understand why that is a problem. The truth is that mania is not fun or enjoyable. While an extreme ly "high" mood is symptomatic of mania, there are other symptoms, including increased energy or restlessness, extreme irritability, rac ing thoughts, and little need for sleep. Creativity frequently blossoms when a person is experiencing a manic episode, and a lot of times that person can do a lot of work in a very short period of time. These feelings can be over See Bipolar on A13 Effort launched to fight malaria in Africa SPBCIAL TO THE CHRONICLE - NAIROBI, Kenya - A multi-country project called ACTwatch. which will monitor the availability and affordabil ity of effective malaria treatment, was launched in Nairobi Friday, which was World Malaria Day. Over the next five years, ACTwatch, which is funded by a grjint from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will KKNewst-oto/L. BM A woman holds her child in the ? Malaria Ward of Kumi Hospital in Uganda. malaria treatment seeking behayior in the community and the functioning or the supply chain tor antimalarials, as well as look at the effect of government policies on the structure of the antimalarial market in each country. The principal^ outputs of ACTwatch will be evidence on changes in the availability, affordability and use of ACTs, in all sectors, as well as policy recommendations targeting national and internationafcdecision-makers to increase use of ACTs in vul nerable communities provide ongoing evidence related to access to anti malarials, specifically artemisinin-based combina tion therapies (ACTs), the most effective malaria treatment on the market. This evidence will inform policy discussions ongoing at both the global and country level to increase access to effective anti malarials for those who need them most. ACTwatch is being implemented by a consor tium of partners led by the nongovernmental organ ization PSI. Other partners include the London School of Hyg?itfc and Tropical Medicine, United States Pharmacopeia and the market research firm. Nielsen. The project will be carried out in six African countries (Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia) and two countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia and one other, ygt to be decided upon). Studies conducted under the auspices of the project will examine the price, availability and quality of different types of antimalarials in shops and health facilities. Studies will also investigate UNC reports that most American women have form of eating disorder '?-?If SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE 1_ Sixty-five percent of American women between the ages of 25 and 45 report having disordered eating behav iors, according to the results of a new survey by SELF Magazine in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An additional 10 percent of women report symptoms consistent with eating disorders such as anorexia, bulim ia nervosa and binge eating disorder, meaning that a total of 75 percent of all American women endorse some unhealthy thoughts, feelings or behaviors related to food or their bodies. "Our survey found that these behaviors cut across racial and ethnic lines and are not limited to any one group," said Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., William and Jeanne Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the UNC School of Medicine's department of psychiatry and director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. "Women who identified their ethnic back grounds as Hispanic or Latina, white, black or African American and Asian were all represented among the women who reported unhealthy eating behaviors." Lucy Danziger, the editor-in-chief of SELF Magazine said: "SELF's investigation will help our 5.8 million readers determine whether their eating habits could be considered disordered, and the survey results show that more women than expected will identify with various disordered.eating behaviors. Recognizing what's normal and what's dangerous is the first step all women can take in developing a more positive body image and a healthier approach to food." Although the type of disordered eating behaviors the survey uncovered don't necessarily have potentially lethal consequences like anorexia or bulimia nervosa, women report they are dissociated with emotional and physical distress. And despite the stereotype that eating issues affect mostly young women, the survey found that those in their 30s and 40s report disordered eating at vir tually the same rates. Some of the findings show that: ? 75 percent of women report disordered eating behaviors or symptoms consistent with eating disorders; so three out of four have an unhealthy relationship with food or their bodies ? 67 percent of women (excluding those with actual eating disorders) are trying to lose weight ? 53 percent of dieters are already at a healthy weight and are still trying to lose weight ? 39 percent of women say concerns about what they eat or weigh interfere with their happiness ? 37 percent regularly skip meals to try to lose' weight Eating habits that women think are normal - such as banishing carbohydrates, skipping meals and in some cases extreme dieting - may actually be symptoms of disordered eating. Local man to share his ALS battle CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Larry Kincaid of Jonesville (in Yadkin County) is among those featured in a national Muscular Dystrophy Association campaign promot ing awareness of ALS (amy otrophic lateral sclerosis). May marks the 17th annual national ALS Awareness Month The devastating neuromuscular dis ease is better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS cut short the career of' the famous New -York Yankee home-run king. This month. Kincaid will be one of 31 people featured (one per day) in the MDA online series '"ALS: Anyone's Life Story." The series highlights how people have learned to live with ALS, gaining new perspec tives on life even as the disease progressively steals their ability to move, eat and breathe. Kincaid 's story and picture will appear Saturday, May 10, on MDA's ALS Division Web site (www.als-mda.org) and the Association's main site (www.mda.org). The 59-year-old learned that he has ALS in May 2007. Three days after his diagnosis, Kincaid's wife died following a long battle with cancer. Kincaid had cared for her for five years, while pursuing a successful career and devoting time to his daughter and grandchildren. His activity now is much less, but his spirit remains strong. "I've gained many friends in this challenge." he says. "I want others to know they're not alone in this fight. My passion is to make a difference in someone s life." Average life expectancy ot people with ALS is three to five years after diagnosis. ALS attacks the nerve cells that con trol muscles, ultimately result ing in paralysis of all voluntary muscles, including those used for breathing and swallowing The "Anyone's Life Story' series grew from the personal saga of fitness pioneer and entrepreneur Augie Nieto. who received a diagnosis of ALS at age 47 in 2005. A leader in the fitness equipment industry. Nieto underwent a dramatic shift in his life's priorities after his diagnosis, from striving for business success to searching for personal significance and fulfillment. He and his wife. Lynne. are co-chairs of MDA's ALS Division, and the driving force behind MDA's Augie s Quest research initiative.