Page 3-THE NEWS-December, 1987
Jewish Family Services
i/.
IN
Vour Oollcw-s\/Vor«« Mar's
Project GENE—Part III
By Penny Eisenberg
Project GENE, an acronym for Genetics: Everyone Needs
Education, is the nationwide program recently launched by
B'ngii B’rith Women in cooperation with the March of Dimes,
to educate the public about birth defects. This series of articles
has been prepared by HaLailah B’nai B’rith Women to explain
genetic disorders and the research that is being done in the field
of genetic disease.
Down’s syndrome is the
most common genetic birth
defect affecting all people
regfU’dless of race or economic
circumstance. Children born
with Down’s syndrome are
mentally retarded and have
physical deformities including
thick tongues, flattened heads,
small ears, flat noses, heart ab
normalities and respiratory
problems. Life expectcmcy is
greatly reduced. In normal
fetal development an egg and
sperm unite to form a child
with 46 chromosomes. If the
embryo has 47 chromosomes
the result will be a child with
Down’s syndrome. The phe
nomenon which causes the ex
tra chromosome can happen in
any egg or sperm cell which
means that children with
Down’s syndrome are born to
normal parents. Those at high
risk are parents who already
have a baby with Down’s syn
drome or mothers over the age
of 35. If there is reason to be
concerned, amniocentesis csm
be done in the fourth month of
pregnancy which will indicate
if Down’s syndrome is present.
Another common genetic
disease is NF or neurofibro
matosis. NF occurs in every
racial and ethnic group through
out the world and affects both
sexes equally. One baby in
3,000 born in the U.S. will
develop NF. The disease is
characteized by tumors made
up of nerve cells that usually
begin to appear during adoles
cence. These tumors may be
situated so as to cause blind
ness, or deafness or may be
disfiguring to the face or body.
Severe cases such as that pre
sented in the movie “The
Elephant Man” are rare in
deed. At present there are no
means of preventing NF nor of
detecting it prenatally. The
March of Dimes is funding
studies on NF and other
diseases of the nervous
system. For more information
contact The NF Foundation
Inc., 70 W 40th Street, NYC
NY 10018.
Twenty thousand Ameri
cans suffer from Marfan Syn
drome, with abnormalities
that may affect the heart,
blood vessels, lungs, eyes,
bones and ligaments. This is
an inherited disorder of con-
treenspon
"7 & Associates »Inc.
y Insurance
Specialists In
Personal and Business Life Insurance
Employee Benefits
125 Cottage Place * Charlotte, NC 28207 * (704) 376-7434
Thoughts From Adrienne
By Adrienne Rosenberg
JFS Director
nective tissue that causes suf
ferers to have unusually long
arms and legs, scoliosis, pro
truding breastbones and spi
dery fingers. The greatest
threat to these people is death
from a sudden split in the aor
ta. Marfan syndrome is the
result of a single abnormal
gene usually inherited from
one parent. There is no pre
natal test for Marfan syn
drome nor can it be prevented.
Those with family history of
the disease should seek genetic
counseling.
Thalassemia is one of the
most common inherited
diseases of the blood. It af
fects mostly people of Italian
or Greek desQpnt and occa
sionally those of Middle
Eastern, Asian and African
ancestry. Thalassemia in
cludes several different forms
reinging from severe to a form
which shows up in blood
testing but has no symptoms.
Most children with severe
Thalassemia appear healthy at
birth but soon become pale
and listless. Heart failure and
infection are leading causes of
death. Eventually patients’
bones become thin and brittle.
Thalassemia is passed on to
children by parents who carry
the gene. A carrier has one
normal gene and one thalas
semia gene. Most carriers lead
normal lives. If two carriers
become parents there is a 25%
chance that their child will
have a severe form of the
disease, a 25% chance that the
child will be completely nor
mal, and a 50% chance that
the child will be a carrier. For
tunately, blood tests can show
if individuals have Thalasse
mia or are c£u*riers, and am
niocentesis can be used to
determine if a fetus is affected
or normal. Those with history
are advised to seek profes
sional advice. Since the gene
responsible for Thalassemia
has been tagged, the March of
Dimes has supported resetu’ch
on gene splicing that may cor
rect the defect. Research has
also been done with a drug
that can make a normal gene
take over for the thalassemia
gene. Researchers are hopeful
that effective gene treatment
See GENE page 23
“If only my spouse would
change.”
“My child is so unreason
able.”
“If it weren’t for the fact
that you always upset me, I’d
be fine.”
“You never listen to me.”
“My relatives make me
nuts.”
“You are going to be the
death of me yet.”
“After all I’ve done for you,
this is how you pay me back?”
We have all heeird or said
these things. Yet, the reality is
that no one can change what
another adult does. We can in
fluence, advise and order; how
ever, when it comes to per
sonal relationships, we can not
make anyone do anything
they do not want to do. Ac
tually, the only one we can
control or change is ourselves.
Healthy relationships do not
just happen. They are the
result of each person taking
responsibility for communica
tion and recognizing that
when someone bugs them, it is
because they are reacting to
the other person’s behavior.
That reaction is what can be
controlled; the other person’s
behavior can not.
Unfortunately, most of us
expect other people to alter
how they behave or interact to
accommodate our wishes. This
makes it easier on us, for then
we do not have to experience
stress. Often, we react with
anger or disgust when we do
not understand someone or
dislike what someone says or
does. Differences between us
can become exaggerated and
intense. “Why don’t you
think, feel emd act like I do?”
we wonder. Or as Professor
Higgins stated, “Why can’t
— Special Acknowledgements —
The Chai Group members who so generously gave funds
for a family with very little funds.
Temple Beth El V’Shalom Religious School who gave
some of their Karen Ami money for a family at Thanks
giving.
The two Temple Israel’s Religious Classes who gave
Thanksgiving dinners to a needy Jewish family.
All those in our community who regularly visit the
homebound and those Jewish persons in non-Jewish nurs
ing homes in our area.
women think more like men?”
Changing how we relate with
the one whose behavior is
bothering us is not easy, es
pecially if we believe we’re
“right”. But that is all we
have the power to change. Ac
tually, counseling is someone
looking at taking responsibili
ty for their own behavior and
reactions in the situation they
find themselves.
What this means in every
day words is that no one can
drive you “nuts” unless you
let them; no one is unreason
able unless you define him so;
and only I have control over
my reactions to how you be
have. If I get angry, it’s
because I choose to do so —
not because you’ve made me
lose my cool. I am responsible
for how 1 come across. I
choose to either cooperate or
not with others I am responsi
ble for myself.
Terms of Office
of Three Expire
The month of December will
see the end of the term of of
fice of three persons who have
been on our Jewish Family
Services Committee for over
four years. Anita Blumenthal,
Dr, Joal Fischer and Moses
Luski will be missed. They
have contributed much to our
Committee and Agency.
Stay Ahead
of the Game
Active, hoolthy pooplo don’t wait lot probloms to got
thorn down. They mcdntain mind and body through
diet, exercise and a productive lile style. Proper pre
ventative maintenance should also include regul&lT
scheduled chiropractic care—the only profession
whose specialty is the detection and correction ox
misaligned vertebra.
At ASSANDT CLINIC we counsel our clients in the
development ol a personal, ongoing strategy lor total
health and well being.
us today. Find out how we can help make your
tile a moving experience.
. s. Ancmdt D.C
Uaa A. AnoBidt D-C.
HEALTH
n. A state
of optimal physical, mental
ARRANDT CLINIC OF CHIROPRACTIC and social well-being, and
4.00 PAR* ROAD chamct^RTHcakouna aw „,arelY the obsenco ol
^ ^ disease and inffrmity.
Mon.-Sot. 9-1 Mon.-Thurs. 3-7
Only 2 Blocks from
Temple Israel
Approved by
Rabbi Marc Wilson
Rabbi Robt. Seigel
334-6421
375-6502
INFLATION PROOF PREARRANGEMENTS AVAILABLE
DEUTACHAra.
OOO MaBaH CfMk
Dwlta. N.C
WEST CHAPEL
7Z7 C. Sc
Chwl*ct«.N.C
MINT HnJL CHAra.
Hm
MmIOB. NX.