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o http://www.thecharlottepost.com Section Blacks still at risk of AIDS By Hazel Trice Edney NA710SAkS'KWSh\PER PI :buSUERS associatios WASHINGTON - Zaibaa Mahbi, a 16-year-old ^nior at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., is walking down the street on her cell phone when she gets some shocking news. ‘Tm just having fun, first of all. Tm out walking down the street and all that,” Mahbi recounts. “And I get a text message saying that my fiiend, one of my very close fiiends, went to a party and did something really stupid, got hi^ and hooked up with some guy she hardly even knew and got the virus, HTV” She continues, “When you find out that someone dose to you has AIDS, there’s anger some how, anger at yourself and anger at that person, and you are so distraught because that one action led to that consequence and thereis no turning back.” Fortunately, the street scene that Mahbi describes in an inter view is not i*eal, but a role she plays in a 60-second public ser vice announcement that will begin airing across the country today, World AIDS Day 2005, an annual international day of action on HIV and AIDS. ‘basically what it’s trying to do is raise awareness and to help people to think before they act because people just follow their desires. They say, I want to do it right now,” but they don’t think about what could happen,” says Mahbi. What is very I'eal is the fact that black teenage girls, the main target of the new PSA, are contracting HIV at alarming rates — in part - because of irre sponsible sexual behavior after the use of drugs and alcohol, according to a report released this week fix)m the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the sponsor of the PSA. “Althou^ Afiican-Americans ages 13-19 represent only 15 percent of U. S. teenagers, they accounted for 66 percent of new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2003,” states the report. Thatis 19 times the rate for White females and five times the rate for Hispanic females. The report continues, particu lar HIV risk behaviors of this group, including sexual experi mentation and drug abuse, are often influenced by strong p)eer group relationships and dimin ished parental involvement that can occur during adolescence. The research repxjrt recom mends drug addiction treat ment, school and community- based outreach and testing and counseling for HTV as among the most effective ways to reduce the risky behavior for teens and adults. It also recommends: • Research to understand the factors leading to disparities in HIV infection and survival rates among racial and ethnic minori ties, partioilariy among Afiican- Americans, taking into account age, gender, education, sexual identity, geographic region, and socioeconomic status. • Studies to recommend cul turally sensitive protective fac tors and culturally sensitive pre vention interventions. • Scientific studies on how an individual’s peers, relationships, social networks, and environ ment influence both drug abuse and s«cual risk-taking. “Three key findings inform our approach, linking the interac tions of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in ways that extend far beyond iiyection drug use,” the report states. “First, drug abuse impairs judgment and Rease see WORLD/2B Clje CI)nrlotte $oiSt LIFE THURSDAY DECEMBER 1, 2005 Religion 8B PHOTO/MATTEL This year’s Holiday Barbie Is the first African American doll that Bob Mackle has designed a gown for. By Cheri.s F. Hodges cherishodges^thechwloneposti-om Every year girls and women wait with antici pation for Holiday Barbie. This year legendary designer Bob Mackie has finally put one of his dresses on a black Barbie. The first of Barbie’s black fiiends, “Colored Frande,” debuted in 1967, but radal tensions quickly forced the doU to be dis continued. The first Afiican-American Barbie, “Black Baibiie,” appeared in 1980. For over a decade, the holiday season has been eagerly antidpated because of the appearance of a holiday-themed Barbie. This doll has become an annual tradi tion for collectors, com- m^norating the year and reflecting the love and joy of the season. In many families, a holiday- themed Barbie is a very spedal gift that is shared by generations as a keep sake that will long be dierished. The 2005 Holiday Barbie is unique since, for the first time ever, Mackie is the designer. Shimmering and sparkling with glitter, this doU exhibits the extrava gance and glamour for which Mackie is famous. The gown is crafted of glit ter-printed jacquard, mushroom pleated tulle, fuchsia sparkle oiganza, and pink satin. The bur gundy flock sash features a silvery edge. A glitter printed starburst design embellishes the shoulder. Brooch, necklace, ear rings, and crown are accessories. The Holiday Barbie dressed in a burgundy and silver gown is avail able at retailers now. Additionally, a second Holiday Barbie doU, wear ing a green version of the gown, is available exclu sively at Sears. Another difference between the Please see BLACK/2B Stay-at-home dads overcome stigma THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESCOTT, Ariz. - Eleven-year-old Hannah KeUerman is proud of her father’s popularity with her classmates. Hannah said her fiiends like to visit her house after school or on weekends because they ei\joy hanging out with Edd while their own par ents are absent. Edd, 40, also volunteCTS to be a (diapCTone during school field trips, Hannah said. “That’s what made my fiiends love my dad,” said Hannah, a sixth-grader at Prescott Mile High Middle School. “My fiiends always had to stay at home because they can’t do stuff with their family because their parents woiic full time,” she said. ‘T think I am a lot better off this Edd, a part-time grant- and copywriter with the Stepping Stones Agencies in Prescott Valley, stays at home with Haiinah while his wife, Mardi, holds a demanding job as a senior scrub technician at Yavapai Regional Medical Center. “I don’t think it is extra ordinary that I am stay ing at home with her (Hannah),” Edd said. The KellOTnan family’s lifestj4e may be rare but not unheard of in the Prescott area. “That’s modem times now,” said Prescott Valley resident Julie Schifferii, who pursues her profes sion as a chiropractor while husband, Thomas, raises their adopted 4- month-old daughter, Annika Rose. Modem times, with Rease see STAY-/2B W Expecting medicine benefits helps 77/£ ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -Your medi cine leally could work better if your doctor talks it up befoie handing over the prescription. Research is showing the power of expectations, that they have physical—not just psychologi cal-effects on your health. Scientists can measure the resulting changes in the brain, fi*om the release of natural painkilling chemicals to alter ations in how neurons fire. Among the most provocative findings: New research suggests that once Alzheimer’s disease robs someone of the ability to expect that a proven painkiller will help them, it doesn’t work nearly as well. It’s a new spin on the so-called placebo effect—and it begs the question of how to harness this power and thus enhance treat ment benefits for patients. ‘Your expectations can have profound impacts on your brain and your health,” says Colvmibia University neuroscientist Tbr Wager. “There is not a sin^e placebo effect, but many placebo effects,” that differ by illness, adds Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti of Italy’s University of Tbrino Medical School, who is studying those effects in patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and pain. The placebo effect is infamous fiY)m studies of new medications: Scientists often given either an experimental drug or a dummy pill to patients and see how they fare. Frequently, those taking the fake feel better, too, for a while, making it more difficult to tease out the medication’s tme effects. Doctors have long thought the placebo effect was psychological. Now scientists are amassing the first direct evidence that the placebo effect actually is physi cal, and that expecting benefit can trigger the same neurolc^ceil pathways of healing as real med ication does. Among them: /• _University of Michigan scien tists injected the jaws of healthy young men with salt water to cause painful pressure, while PET scans measxired the impact in their brains. During one scan, the men were told they were get ting a pain reliever, actually a placebo. Their brains immediately released more endorphins _ chemicals that act as natural painkillers by blocking the trans mission of pain signals between Rease see EXPECTING/2B ents are absent. time,” she said. ‘T think I ordinary that I am stay- Annika Rose. mission of pain sig Edd,40, alsovolimteers am a lot better off this ing at home with her Modem times, with to be a chapCTone during way” (Hannah),” Edd said. Rease see STAY-/2B e3Se see Joltin’joe: Energy coffee drinks puts the spark in java By Chens F. Hodges ing an energy drink, wanted Latte/Mocha/TRIPLE with a hard yellow candy rate, high bio cherisJtotlgts'Sfh^chirlotuposirom i" 1° something different LatteVTRIPLE Mocha that shell. They’re perfect for sit- Boston holistic with coffee. are pretty easy to slam nations where brewing a Susan Huppe By Chens F. Hodges cheris-hodfies® th^charlotupostrom Ever need an extra jolt to start your day? Instead of grabbing a Red BuU, try an energy coffee drink. What? An energy coffee drink called Shock Coffee is avail able in most convenience stores and drinks like two cups of Java Jeff Rosen, president of Shock Coffee, said he woiks with a company that sells items to convenience stores and he noticed that coffee was one of the top three sell ers. “I wondered why weren’t we soling coffee,” he said. Rosen, who was develop ing an energy drink, wanted to do something different with coffee. “I did a Gog^e search of energy drinks and coffee,” he said. “And I found a com pany that specialized in that, so we bought them out.” Tfiat Imyout took the cof fee fiom 200 stores to 4,CXX) across the country Tlie hyper caffeinated cof fee is an all-natural blend of dark and li^t roast coffee beans, selected for the bal ance betwe^ taste and caf- fdne content. It’s designed for any method of brewing eind comes in whole bean, ground fi*actional packs. There are also blended carmed drinks like Latte/Mocha/TRIPLE Latte/TRJPLE Mocha that are pretty easy to slam down. They come in cool ffight.-niinrp cans with a hig coffee or mocha taste and big attitude. They’re rich tasting, smooth and creamy with milk, but not too thick or sweet. These are loaded into tidy 24-can cases and delivered to your door. And then there ate the Shock-A- Lots, candy-coat ed, chocolate- covered, hyper-caffeinated, Shock Coffee beans. They’re coated with extra with a hard yellow candy shell. They’re perfect for sit uations where brewing a cup of Shock isn’t so conve nient. Each 1-oimce bag equals about two cups of cof fee. “Originally our target market was 18 to 30 year olds, but all walks of life drink our coffee,” said Rosen. Not everyone thinks Shock Coffee is the best thing in energy drinks, thou^. “As you increase your amount of caffeine, there is restlessness, irritability, chocolate and finished off insomnia, increased heart rate, hi^ blood pressure,” Boston holistic nutritionist Susan Huppe said. “I think we are a hyper- caffeinated society and it’s something to be (xmeemed about.” So how does the caffeine in shock compare to other drinks? A 10 ounce cup of Dunkin’ Donuts regular cof fee has 105 Tnilligrams of caffeine. 8 ounces of the eneigy drink Red Bull will give you 80 milligrams of caffeine. 8 ounces of regular Shock Coffee has a whop ping 240 milligrams of caf feine in it. Log on to www.shockcof- fee.com to find out where the coffee is available and to compare its caffeine con tents to other coffees.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 1, 2005, edition 1
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