North Carolina Newspapers

6 THE COMPASS - SPRING 2008 STUDENT HEALTH MRSA Bj:Jordan McAllister MRSA is a type of infection caused by bacteria that is resistsint to some common antibiotics. Most cases have involved ath letes but, there have been cases that includ ed non-athletes. “MRSA could be potentiaJly dmgerous," said Mrs. Regina McCoy-Davis, Health di rector at Elizabeth City State University. MRSA first killed a Virginia teenager and more deaths have happened from MRSA than Aids in the United States. “Usually it steirts wdth what looks like a spider bite,’ says Mrs. McCoy-Davis The red sore is usually full of pus Jind de velops drainage. If it advances more you may develop a fever with it. “MRSA is usually treinsmitted through contact vrith others,’ says Mrs. McCoy-Da- vis. Athletic equipment such as wrestling mats is a big transmitter. Athletic towels jJso transmit MRSA, especially if someone uses them and the individual has an open sore. “To date we have thirteen cases reported here at ECSU,” said Mrs. McCoy-Davis Ten of the cases were regular students eind four were student athletes “ People on the football team have gotten MRSA,’ says Andrew Henning, Kicker for the Elizabeth City State University football Birth Control Pills- Harmful or Helpful? Bj:Tasba Pippen tecim. All of the athletes have been cleared who are on the footbedl team. They were taken to a local hospital and proper medical treat ment was given following the discovery. “ We have done thorough cleaning of otir buildings and educated students about MRSA,” says Mrs. McCoy-Davis. The University health department posted flyers in some of the major residence halls, and classrooms. E-mails were sent out to warn students about the epidemic and in formation is on the school’s website. “ I just do basic things to prevent me from getting MRSA, like washing my hands,’ says Blake Cooper, a freshman at Elizabeth City State University. Hand washing is the single most impor- tjint way of preventing MRSA. PHOTOGRAPHS BY GORDON PARKS EXHiBITiON PROGRAMMING JANUARV 25 MARCH 30, 2008 Work Out, Drink Up Bj: Allan Holmes Are you tired of going to the gym and eat ing healthy foods to stay healthy? Well, a new study of cardiac health has given a new for mula that adds alcohol consumption to your routine. Dr. Morten Gronbaek, is an epidemiolo gist. His research shows that if you don't want to exercise much, you can trade it in for 1-2 drinks per day. This method is for those who are in their mid 40’s to early SO’s who are at high risk of heart disease. Dr. Gronbaek and his colleagues at Denmark’s National In stitute of Public Health researched and pub lished it in the Eiiropean Heart Journal. Alcohol and exercise affects your heart health in a Vciriety of different ways. It in creases your cholesterol, or high density li poproteins (HDL), and cleans the circulatory system’s pipes. This was stated by Dr. Arthur Klatsky, cardiologist of North Carolina. HDL helps remove fatty deposits created by bad cholesterol, the higher the HDL, the less like ly vascular disease becomes. This is good for people with heart problems or health prob lems. Sometimes drinking is healthy. Females should drink a glass a day, whereas males up to 2 a day. New studies show that birth control pills (BCPs) have been linked to cirtery- clogging plaques that greatly increase risk for heart problems. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven tion, about 12 million U.S. women take BCPs. For decades, most of these women have been aware that BCPs can increase blood pressure, cause migraines, and raise their potential for blood clots, especially if they are over 35 and smoke, or have a history of blood clots or other heart prob lems. However, these women were probably not aware of their pill’s link to a plaque that could greatly increase their risk for cardiovascultir inflammation. Ernest Ri- etzschel, of Ghent University of Belgium, reported to an American Heart Associa tion meeting that the recent study done on 1301 women ages 33 to 55 foimd that for every 10 years of BCP use, the probability of finding plaques in key arteries increased by an alarming 20 to 30 percent. This news is distvirbing to women who take BCPs, but may be confusing when compared with another recent study that shows that birth control pills can help pro tect women from ovarian cancer. British research, stemming from the Oxford Scientists and the Cancer Re search UK and Britain’s MedicsJ Council foimd that women tjiking the pill for IS years cut their risk of developing ovarian cancer in half. The study cJso showed that the BCPs continued to protect for 30 or more years, although the protection does decrease over time. Gloria Brown, a reg istered nurse at the Elizabeth City State University Infirmary, says “ I think that [the protective qualities] is a good thing, but, even though other risks, like blood clots, may not sound as dangerous as the word ‘cancer’, they still are.” From a study covering 23,257 women with ovarian cancer, 31 percent of whom were on the pill, to 87,303 without ovsir- ian cancer, 37 percent of whom were on the pill, experts have concluded that the pill has prevented an estimated 200,000 cases of ovarian cancer cind 100,000 deaths from the disease, which has a very low sur vival rate. So what’s the verdict? With the pill’s sexual freedom allow ances, some women do not want to think about possible health risks. But should women worry about BCPs risks or be comforted by their protective qualities? ECSU’s Brovra says about coUege-aged women: “It’s not that they’re not con cerned, but I think this age group doesn’t know to be concerned. When you’re young you feel some things will probably never happen to you,” A registered nvirse from Cvirrituck Coimty High School who wished not to be ncimed, says that although the school’s policy is to strictly teach abstinence, she is not sure that teenage girls who take the pill are aware of the possible side effects, cind she stressed that physicians need to explain those risks to them before they subscribe to any medication. As studies continue to define jind re define the health effects of birth control pills, women wiU ultimately have to weigh the facts on their own. The only fact that is conclusive is that cJmost any risk can be lowered by changing lifestyle habits such as smoking, high cholesterol, and poor di eting. Cost of Cadence By.Tasha Pippin Steel strings press hard into hot fingers, nestling in, pushing the soft flesh down and around them then pulling back a little and feeling the purple fingertip valleys slowly fill back out, the white bloodless circles ciround them fading back to pink, and leaving them only wdth flat tingling pads that will soon callus; won’t be so smooth and pink and yielding next time.