Health & Wellness
i
Healthbeat
Wake Forest Baptist receives
funds for ALS research
,, The Blazeman Foundation for ALS has awarded a
grant of $11300, with the possibility of providing an
additional $11,000, to support research into
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) being conduct
ed at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
ALS is a debilitating and lethal disease character
ized by muscle weakness,
paralysis and ultimately respi
ratory failure. The research
study, titled "Muscle Fiber
Type Switch as a Potential
Therapeutic Target for ALS," is
being conducted by Dr. Carol
Milligan, professor, and Dr.
Ramon Jimenez-Moreno,
research fellow, in the
Department of Neurobiology
and Anatomy.
The study will examine the
use of the FDA-approved drug
AICAR in inducing muscle
Blais
fiber type switch in the mouse model of ALS.
Milligan said positive results in the study could pro
vide the first step toward a clinical trial of A1CAR for
treating ALS symptoms.
"The Blazeman Foundation for ALS provides
funds to explore new ideas," Milligan said. "They are,
without a doubt, laying a foundation for large
advancements in understanding the disease and the
development of effective therapeutics."
Milligan said researchers working on ALS and
other neurodegenerative diseases often lack the fund
ing needed to obtain preliminary data. She said the
grant addresses that need, which will make it easier to
secure additional funding from other sources and pro
mote further research.
The Blazeman Foundation honors Jonathan
"Blaszeman" Blais, who was a well-travelled elite
athlete and multi-sport competitor, when he was diag
nosed with ALS in 2005 at age 33. Blais became a
major advocate for ALS research before he died in
2007.
Obesity risk high for
nearly half of NC's kids
Nearly half of North Carolina's elementary and
middle school aged children may be at risk for child
hood obesity and its related diseases. Fitness testing
results from more than 82,000 NC students found,
according to body mass index (BMI) data, 43 percent
are at risk for metabolic syndrome, a group of risk
factors including a high BMI and poor physical fit
ness, that may lead to cardio
vascular disease and type 2
diabetes.
"The warning signs were
here years ago. This is the final
wakeup call; 43 percent cannot
be ignored. Today's over
weight and obese youth are
already a threat to national
security - too few are physi
cally fit enough to join the mil
itary. The problems are large
scale and numerous. Every
parent, policy maker, educator,
Dr. Marrow
and child must make physical education and fitness
top priorities," said North Carolina Alliance for
Athletics, Health, Physical Education , Recreation
and Dance (NCAAHPERD) Executive Director Dr.
Ron Morrow.
The findings are a result of the In-School
Prevention of Obesity and Disease (IsPOD) initiative,
a $4 million grant program supported by the Kate B .
Reynolds Charitable Tnist. IsPOD combines SPARK,
a standardized, evidence-based PE curriculum proven
to reduce childhood obesity, with the nation's first fit
ness testing solution at a statewide level.
Campaign targets
cigarette butt litter
With the cooperation of downtown businesses,
Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful has placed cigarette
butt receptacles along Fourth and Trade streets as part
of a new campaign to fight cigarette litter.
The campaign also includes advertisements, free
pocket ashtrays, a web site
and a public service
announcement, says George
Stilphen, the executive direc
tor of Keep Winston-Salem
Beautiful.
"In the past decade, ciga
rette smoking in America has
decreased 28 percent, yet cig
arette butts remain the most
littered item in the United
States and in our city,"
Stilphen said. "Cigarette butts
contain artificial fibers that
are not biodegradable and
they harbor toxic chemicals.
Every cigarette butt thrown on
the ground stays there until
someone picks it up."
DON'T
TIER
L
CIGARETTE
BUTTS!
Receptacles for cigarette butts have been placed
on Fourth Street at Foothills Brewing, Separk Music,
Noma, Mellow Mushroom, Rana Loca and the
I Nissen Building; and on Trade Street at The Other
Half Gallery, Chelsee's, Sweet Potatoes, the Winston
Salem Urban League. Finnigan's Wake, the Silver
Moon Saloon, Elliott's Revue and the Bubbling Well.
Additional locations may be added.
A new web site, www.EveryButtHurts.com, has
created to promote the campaign, and drink
ers advertising the site have been distributed to
[restaurants and bars downtown.
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Grief from job loss comparable to
losing a loved one, says professor
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Today's economic times with wide-spread massive layoffs, home foreclosures,
threats of global unrest and other personally stressful situations, are causing record
numbers of people to experience grief that is comparable to the loss of a spouse or
close family member, according to a Winston-Salem State University (WSSU)
instructor and author.
Similar to the loss of a relative, individuals who receive news of their layoff are
likely to experience a series of painful and surprising emotions, which are the com
mon symptoms of grief, which can be more debilitating because of its extensive
impact. These include shock and denial, disbelief, sadness, guilt, anger and fear. In
addition, they may even face physical affects such as weight loss or gain, fatigue, impa
tience, physical pain and insomnia.
"Tens of millions of people are suffering from various forms of grief and don't realize
it," said Elizabeth Fain, WSSU instructor of occupational therapy. "And even those who
may recognize the symptoms may not know how to get help because when they try, they
find themselves dealing with the many health care professionals and friends who aren't
equipped to help," says Fain, who is also author of the new book, "Good Grief: A 4
Care Map for the Grief Journey," by Jebiare publishing. The book is a guide to assist
those going through grief, whether it is as the bereaved or a friend of the bereaved.
There are five stages of grief people should expect to experience on the road
to recovery: denial, anger, bargaining such as "if this is fixed, 1 promise 1
will ..." depression and finally, acceptance. In that final stage, indi
viduals accept that the loss is real and begin making decisions to
move forward dealing with the loss.
"Understanding the journey and when you arrive at
See Grief on A8
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
First Lady Michelle Obama joins students for a "Let's Move!" Salad Bars to Schools launch event
at Riverside Elementary School in Miami on Nov. 22.
NCSU to play part in pushing
First Lady's fitness initiative
SPECIAL TQ THE CHRONICLE
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen A.
Merrigan was at N.C. State University (NCSU)
in Raleigh last week to announce a grant to
develop an obesity prevention program that aims
to increase access to healthy food and
safe places that offer physical activity.
The announcement was delivered as
part of the first anniversary of First
Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's
Move!" initiative.
"One year ago, First Lady Michelle
Obama launched the Let's Move! ini
tiative with a goal of solving child
hood obesity within a generation so
that kids born today will grow up
healthier and better able to pursue
their dreams," Merrigan said. "Today,
we build on that commitment with an investment
in research that will help prevent obesity, which
can help create healthier communities and fami
lies in North Carolina and across the country."
USDA's National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (N1FA) awarded $3,026,939 to
Merrigan
NCSU researcher Sarah Bowen, who will work
to gain a better understanding of how the "food
environment" ? which includes social, cultural,
political, economic and environmental factors ?
affects patterns of childhood obesity.
st of the recent research on obesity has
focused on individual eating behaviors.
While this research is important, the
USDA says that it often ignores the
sociological challenges behind child
hood obesity. NCSU's research project
will address the wider structural factors
that contribute to the drastic increases
in obesity, particularly among low
income populations. Looking at all
environmental factors will help drive
community-led proposals for concrete
environmental and policy changes to
address these challenges.
The project will interview low-income moth
ers about their food practices and perceptions to
understand how they promote childhood obesity.
The research will then be incorporated into the
Faithful Families project, a special project of the
See NCSU on A8
Settlement dollars will help state's food banks
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
N.C. Attorney General Roy
Cooper was in Winston-Salem
last week to announce $740,000
in grant funds to help fight
hunger across the state.
Cooper made the announce
ment at the headquarters of
Second Harvest Food Bank of
Northwest North Carolina,
which serves more than a dozen
counties.
Second Harvest says that the
money comes at a time when
the state's food banks are work
ing harder than ever to meet the
needs of North Carolina fami
lies hit by the economic down
turn. North Carolina food banks
have seen a 30 percent increase
in need since 2006, according to
the NC Association of Feeding
America Food Banks. The
demand is even higher in the
Second Harvest Food Bank of
Fond Bank Photo
Attorney General Roy Cooper speak as Clyde Fitzgerald listens.
NWNC service area, which, in
the last two years, has experi
enced a 100 percent increase in
the amount of people needing
help.
"Many people who've never
needed their local food bank
before suddenly do. Meanwhile,
many of the families and corn
See FootrtJanks on A8
Treatments
for Heart
Disease
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A North Carolina Minority
Health Education Collaborative
The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity
www.wfubmi.edu/macht
Wake Forest
(i N I V E R S I 1 Y
S(H(K)I d/MIIIH INI
For the past two weeks, we
have been discussing what
heart disease is and how you
can reduce your risk of devel
oping heart disease. As we
talked about last week, quitting
smoking and getting to a
healthy weight are also great
steps to treating hypertension
(high blood pressure), or high
cholesterol, and heart disease,
but sometimes, even those peo
ple who do live a healthy
lifestyle develop these condi
tions. Medications and surgical
procedures are sometimes
needed to control heart disease
and its risk factors. Having reg
ular, yearly checkups with your
doctor helps monitor your
health and allows you and your
doctor to determine the right
treatment regimen for you
How is Heart Disease
Diagnosed?
Your doctor may perform
several tests, some noninvasive
(which do not involve inserting
instruments or fluids into the
body) and some invasive.
Examples of noninvasive tests
are: resting or non-resting elec
trocardiogram (ECG or EKG).
chest X-ray. exercise stress test,
computed tomography (CT)
scan, and magnetic resonance
imaging (MR1). The CT and
MRT scans allow the doctor to
see a 3-D image of your heart.
The most common invasive
procedure is a cardiac catheter
ization. during which a doctor
inserts a thin plastic tube
(catheter) into an artery or vein
in the arm or leg. From there, it
can be sent into the chambers
ot the heart or into the coronary
arteries, allowing the doctor to
see what areas are blocked or
affected by disease.
Medications
There are a variety of heart
medications you can take to
treat or prevent heart disease.
These drugs lower vour blood
pressure, reduce the level of
cholesterol in your blood, or
help your body get rid of
excess fluids that affect your
heart s ability to pump blood.
Medication needs vary for each
person. According to the
American Heart Association,
some guidelines to keep in
mind when you're taking heart
disease medications are:"
- Know the name of your
medications and how they
work.
- Take your medications as
scheduled, at the same time
every day. If you forget a dose,
call your doctor or pharmacist
Sec Treatment on A lit