Clje Cljarlotte
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1996
Healthy Body Healthy Mind
Healthy
Heart
possible
By George D. Wilbanks, MD
President, The American
College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists
Heart disease, a condition
that affects one in five women
over 65, is the No. 1 killer of
women. Women are about ten
times more likely to die of this
disease than of breast cancer.
Lifestyle
changes are a
key to preven-
t i 0 n .
Cigarette
smoking is
the most seri
ous risk fac
tor. If you
smoke, you
are two to six
times more
apt to suffer a
heart attack
than a non-
smoker. This is true even with
light smoking (fewer than four
cigarettes a day) and low-nico
tine brands. When you quit
smoking, you will immediately
reduce your risk of heart dis
ease by 30 to 50 percent, and
after two or three years your
risk will be the same as that of
nonsmokers. High blood pres
sure, or hypertension, is
another risk you can control.
More than half of all women
over age 55 suffer from this
condition. You should have
your blood pressure checked
regularly, and if it is elevated
attempt to lower it by losing
weight, exercising regularly
and reducing your sodium and
salt intake. If your doctor pre
scribes high blood pressure
medication, keep taking it as
advised, even if you feel better.
Remember, high blood pres
sure often has no symptoms,
which is why it’s called the
“silent killer.”
Finally, as an adult woman,
you should have your choles
terol level checked at least
every five years. Cholesterol
and fatty deposits settle on the
inner walls of blood vessels
and restrict the flow of blood to
the heart. To lower choles
terol, eat less red meat, con
sume mainly low-fat dairy
products (such as skim milk),
and avoid fried foods and fatty
desserts in favor of whole
grains, poultry, fish, beans,
and fresh fruits and vegeta
bles. Limit your fat intake to
about 30 per cent of your total
calories. To figure fat percent
ages, remember that one gram
of fat is approximately nine
calories, example: A 100-calo
rie cracker with 2 grams of fat
will be about 18 percent fat.)
Most of these should be from
unsaturated fats (like olive,
cannola, or sunflower oil) and
only 10 to 15 grams daily from
saturated fats (found in meat
and poultry skin, whole milk
dairy pro ducts, cocoa butter
and coconut and palm oils).
Check labels to be sure. Your
cholesterol levels may increase
after menopause, when your
body is no longer producing
estrogen. If you have an espe
cially high risk of heart dis
ease, your doctor may recom
mend estrogen replacement
therapy, which has been asso
ciated with lower cholesterol
and a reduced cardiovascular
risk by as much as 50 per cent.
Discuss with your doctor
whether that’s right for you.
Next Month
Drugs to Avoid
During
Pregnancy
Getting physical: Right moves, food builds bodies
By Tammie Tolbert
THE CHARLOTTE POST
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS III
Phil Jant Instructs Arlinda Duncan on proper use of stair
climber at Bally’s, a local health and fitness club.
“Exercising and proper nutri
tion go hand in hand,” says fit
ness consultant Phil Jant.
“Beginners should start with
the basic compound move
ments, which is lifting light
weights at high repetitions,”
Jant says.
Proper form is required to
obtain results. “Once you have
proper technique then you can
increase the weight,” he said.
A good cardiovascular pro
gram will be beneficial for peo
ple interested in losing weight
only.
“A high-level intensity work
out on a steady cardio program
for five times a week should
produce results for someone
trying to shed pounds,” Jant
says. “Your body will need at
least two days to rest and recu
perate. A cardio routine
includes walking or running
on a track or treadmill, using a
stairclimber, or riding a bike
for 20 to 40 minutes. The
majority of people try to loose
body fat first and then add
muscle mass. “
Jant’s clients participate in
his program called the total
body circuit workout, which
requires combining the cardio
vascular program with weight
lifting.
“This combination theory
was set up by Authur Jones,
the man who developed
Nautilus equipment in the
early 1970s,” Jant said.
Unlike the cardiovascular
workout, a person only has to
do the total body circuit rou
tine three times a week with a
rest day in between each work
out routine.
“A person should take a 15-
to 60-second rest period after
they work on an isolated mus
cle group,” Jant said.
The rest period depends on
the intensity of the routine
and which muscles the person
works with.
Improper eating is a common
mistake, Jant said.
“Not eating properly is the
most common mistake that I
see people commit,” Jant said.
He said that the most impor
tant thing for people to be
aware of is the nutritional
aspect of working out. “It takes
more calories to maintain
muscles than it does fat and
once you increase your muscle
mass that helps to speed up
your metabolism,” Jant said.
“You may initially make
some progress, but if your eat
ing habits are not in order, you
are eventually going to run
into some problems,” Jant
said. “Your body will make
See Physical Page 10A
Mobile bealtb outreacb in Earle Village
By Tammie Tolbert
THE CHARLOTTE POST
T he Earle Village com
munity got a chance to
stay ahead of a leading
cause of death for black
Breast cancer is the leading
cause of cancer death for
African American women,
according to the National
Cancer Institute.
Mobile Health Outreach pro
vided free on-site breast exams
in Earle Village.
“The Charlotte Housing
Authority is elated whenever
we can form partnerships with
other organizations that will
visit our communities, that
will benefit our residents,”
said Vivian Nivens, housing
authority public relations
director. “Such is certainly the
case with this partnership
with Nationsbank and
Metrolina Outreach
Mammography.”
Mobile Health Outreach is a
non-profit arm of Metrolina
Outreach Mammography. “If
you don’t go to the woman.
she’s not going to come to you,”
said Jean Griswold, a director
of the mammogram mobile.
“We were seeing so many
women who did not have
insurance or access to obtain a
mammogram and we didn’t
want to turn anyone away,”
Griswold said. “Sponsors like
NationsBank help to provide
funding to help pay for the
women who are screened.”
The mobile exam unit has
been successful in helping
women to detect breast cancer.
“For the first time women are
taking advantage of something
being brought to them and as a
result some of the things that
could have been life threaten
ing have been detected,”
Women between the ages of
35 to 60 are being screened.
The mobile bus is in operation
on Monday through Saturday
and it goes to church health
programs and senior centers.
Two technologists administer
the mammograms.
“I enjoy doing this because I
believe that I am helping to
save the lives of women, said
mobile technologist Lisa Wart.
“Every woman over the age
of 20 should do self breast
examination every single
month,” Griswold said. “She
should also have a complete
physical that includes a breast
exam at least once a year.”
When a woman reaches 35,
she should have her first
breast examination called a
baseline mammography. The
average cost for a breast exam
is $60.
“After reaching 40, a woman
needs to have a mammogra
phy done every year,” Griswold
said.
Tb learn more about mam
mography you can call the
National Cancer Institute at
1-800-4-CANCER.
Technician Lisa Wart gives Earle Village resident Annie
Ollphant her breast examination at mobile site.
LIVING WITH LUPUS: ‘Let go and let God’
By Tammie Tolbert
THE CHARLOTTE POST
s
ystemic Lupus
is a disease
that has effect
ed every aspect
of Sybil
Childers-
iMorgan's life.
"I was diagnosed with Lupus
in 1972 and the doctors only
gave me ten years to live,"
Twenty four years have passed
and Morgan says that she has
found ways to manage her ill
ness. Lupus is a chronic,
autoimmune disease which
causes inflammation of vari
ous parts of the body, especial
ly the skin, joints, blood and
kidneys. There are three types
of Lupus: discoid, systemic,
and drug-induced. Discoid is
limited to the skin and it
resembles a rash; systemic can
affect almost any organ or sys
tem of the body; while drug-
induced Lupus occurs after the
use of certain prescribed
drugs.
"Lupus forced me to take
early retirement and it pre
vented me from having chil
dren," Morgan said. Morgan
says that in 1972 there were
over 500,000 people with
Lupus in the world and now
there are over 1.9 million peo
ple who have the disease.
"Lupus is three times more
prevalent in females than
males and it is three times
more prevalent in blacks than
in whites," Morgan said.
Morgan is a founding member
of the Charlotte Chapter of
the Lupus Foundation of
America.
The Lupus Foundation of
America states that scientists
believe that the disease is
caused by genetics, but they
still aren't really sure what
causes the disease. "I am the
only one in my family that has
Lupus," Morgan said.
Morgan says the disease
makes her very tired and
feverish. She said she is often
' ' ■■
Chllders-Morgan
asleep.
“This disease is sometimes
called the "Great Imitator"
because it mimicks other dis
eases.
"The sun is my enemy
because it drains my energy
and I have to wear sunscreen
on my skin," Morgan said. "I
don't go to the malls often
because the ultaviolet light
also drains my energy."
"The main way that Lupus
has effected me is that it has
effected my brain," Morgan
said. "Sometimes I am not
interested in my surround
ings...! experience deep
depression and I just with
draw," Morgan said. Morgan
says she has a doctor for all of
her illnesses. "I have a pyschi-
atrist, a pediatrist, a psycholo
gist, and other doctors,"
Morgan said.
She said she experiences
excrutiating pain in her joints
and sometimes she has to see
a psychiatrist and undergo
hypnosis to get relief from her
pain.
"I have learned how to do
self-hypnosis in order to
escape the pain," Morgan said.
"I have tried to include
Lupus into my life because I
know that it is something that
I must live with," Morgan said.
Morgan says she would
sometimes ask the question,
"Why me?" Now she says she
starts her days saying, "Let go
and let God."
For more information about
the Charlotte Chapter of
Lupus, call Becky Nelson at
399-3761 or Betty McQuay at
366-6796.
Lupus forced me to take early
retirement and it prevented
me from having children ^ ^
Sybil Childers-Morgan