NATIONAL HEALTH MAGAZINE JUNE, 1981 $1.25
HOW TO GET
A BETTER
NIGHT'S SLEEP
'CHILDBIRTH:
*JAPANESE STYLE
•
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Y
-•
HELP YOUR
PRESCHOOLER
TO AVOID
DRUG ABUSE
MILLIONS OF
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YOU may be among the millions of Americans who
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Pressure," "Children Have High Blood Pressure, Too!"
"How Much Salt Is Too Much?" and "Taking the Tension
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LIFEMIEALTHВ®
NATIONAL HEALTH MAGAZINE
JUNE, 1981
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Page 22
Page 24
How to Get a Better Night's Sleep
U.S. Public Health Service
Childbirth: Japanese Style
Karen Michener
Warm, sensitive care with technology makes childbirth not a thing of fear, but of joy.
A Tribute to Dad
Erwin F. Hodde
New Hope for Many Cardiac Patients
Richard V. Dunning
Keep a Healthy Distance From Wild Animals
Massachusetts General Hospital
GOLDEN YEARS
How to Plan for Your Retirement
Raymond Schuessler
DRUG EDUCATION
Help Your Preschooler to Avoid Drug Abuse
Kristi Holl
EXERCISE
The Tortoise vs. the Hare Philosophy
Betty Nix
Want to exercise, but feel you can't keep up the pace? Often the slow, consistent ones are the
winners.
TOTAL HEALTH
Lifestakes
Leo R. Van Dolson, Ph.D., M.P.H.
The author gives some good counsel on how to have a longer life.
GAZETTE
BOOKSHELF
Cover Illustration by Jeff Dever
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13
22
24
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LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
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L 86l3N1V-H11V3HV33 11 -17
HOW TO GET
A BETTER
NIGHT'S SLEEP
Knowing the facts about sleep can help you to
improve your rest and enhance your health.
U.S. Public Health Service
oper rest is mandatory for good
health. You cannot, however,
mandate sleep. The same kind of
determination that gets a person to
take up exercise and quit smoking is
practically useless when you're pursuing those "forty winks." As a rule,
the harder you try to fall asleep, the
harder it is to nod off.
Most age-old cures for sleeplessness, such as a nightcap or strenuous
exercise before bed, tend to backfire
by waking you up more. Sleeping pills
lose their effectiveness when taken
nightly over a long period of time, and
some medications can even interfere
with sleep. Then, too, there's the
attending fear that your inability to
sleep is a sign that something's wrong
with you—a thought that's sure to
keep you awake.
Occasional sleeplessness is not a
cause for alarm, especially when it is
linked to some unusual excitement.
Many people toss and turn the night
before a big event, whether it's a
wedding, a job interview, or an
appearance in court. A physical ailment or injury also may bring on
restless nights because of pain or discomfort.
But for too many people, chronic
sleeplessness—or insomnia—is a con-
Pr
JP,
This article has been produced under the auspices of
Project Sleep: National Program on Insomnia and Sleep
Disorders, a physician- and public-education program of
the Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services.
stant drain on their physical capacities
and sense of well-being. In light of
estimates that 50 million Americans
have trouble sleeping, and some 4 to 6
million take sleeping pills, which can
be dangerous to health, the United
States Public Health Service has
launched Project Sleep to bring the
latest information on insomnia and
sleep disorders to physicians and the
public.
The warning is: Be careful about
using sleep medications, and find out
from your physician how to get at the
underlying cause of your problem.
Some facts about sleep
It helps to know the medical facts
about sleep. Most of us have been
misled by the old chestnut about needing eight hours or more a night.
According to reports released by
Project Sleep, which are based on
studies conducted by sleep experts, the
need for sleep varies from individual
to individual. Some people are able to
get complete rest on four or five hours
each night; others need a regular ten to
twelve hours of sleep.
Sleep is a very complex activity
composed of different states, stages,
and cycles. There are two major sleep
states: nonrapid eye movement
(NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Throughout a normal night's sleep, the two states occur
and reoccur in predictable
ninety-minute cycles.
NREM sleep is divided into four
separate stages. Stage one is the
threshold stage, the brief juncture
between wakefulness and sleep. During the first ten minutes of sleep, the
heart slows down, blood pressure
drops, and the mind is in reverie. In
stage two, sleep becomes deeper.
Thoughts sweep freely, and the eyes
roll slowly from right to left. In stage
three, the mind is pulled into deeper
sleep. Heart rate, blood pressure, and
body temperature continue to fall, and
these diminish even further in stage
four.
At the end of this cycle the body
moves into the next sleep state, REM
sleep. During REM sleep, many of the
body's activities, including heart rate,
body temperature, and blood pressure,
function actively, as if the body were
awake. In fact, REM sleep gets its
name from the rapid darting back and
forth of the eyes beneath closed lids
that is characteristic of this sleep state.
The mind is busy during REM
sleep, for 80 percent of all dreams
take place in this state. Everyone
dreams—and in color. Some people do
not recall their dreams, and some, who
focus mainly on the dream content,
recall their dreams only in black and
white.
Research has shown that the different states and stages of sleep alter with
age. An infant may spend as much as
50 percent of sleeping time in the
REM state, while a normal adult's
sleep is 20 to 25 percent REM. Children and young adults have considerably more sleep in stages three and
four than do elderly people, many of
whom seldom or never fall into these
last two sleep stages.
Each person's own pattern of sleep
cycles is regulated by a mechanism
within the brain called the "circadian
clock." This clock—or 24-hour body
rhythm—may be influenced by environment or life style, but for the most
part it governs with an iron hand. If
you are not sleeping well, you may
have fallen out of sync with your
circadian cycle.
Your sleep needs
Sleep experts have devised this rule
of thumb: your sleep need is being met
if you are not sleepy during the day
and are fully alert with a sense of
well-being. In other words, the best
way to judge your sleep needs is to
LIFE HEALTH—JUNE 1981
5
judge the way you feel during your
waking hours.
You can determine your sleep needs
more precisely by experimenting with
different lengths of sleeping time.
Give each length of time at least a few
weeks' trial before changing your bedtime or the time you wake up. If you
cut back below the amount of sleep
you truly need, you will feel excessively tired during the day. If the sleep
length is more than your circadian
clock requires, you will lie awake in
bed at night.
Another good way to get acquainted
with your sleep needs is to monitor
your sleep for a few weeks. In a
journal or notebook, describe each
day's activities, including important or
stressful occasions. Then write down
the number of hours you sleep each
night. Note the time that you (1) go to
bed, (2) actually fall asleep (estimated
time), and (3) wake up. Briefly
describe the quality of each night's
sleep.
This kind of monitoring should provide you with a complete picture of
the ways that waking events interact
with sleep. You may find that many
busy and productive days are followed
by nights of deep sleep, and vice
versa. When you have to shortchange
your normal sleep, you may feel sluggish the next day. If you must work
overtime or are faced with extraordinary pressures, you may toss and turn
that night, even though you feel
exhausted.
As you monitor your days and
nights, pay special attention to your
physical exercise patterns, especially if
you play sports regularly. Athletic
activity definitely affects sleep and
other behavior in a variety of ways.
For example, novice joggers and tennis players who begin a weekly regimen often reach a physical plateau
after a few weeks: at the same time
that they feel more energetic and alert.
their eating and sleeping habits change
so that they need less food and rest,
but they enjoy these more.
On the other hand, experienced road
runners who begin training for the
long-distance marathon usually need
more sleep to compensate for the
increased exertion. And anyone who
engages in unusually rigorous activity—especially late in the day—may
have trouble falling asleep that night.
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LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
Strenuous exercise just before bedtime
definitely is not recommended as conducive to sleep.
Of course, the monitoring system
does not take several external factors
into account—and such factors often
are at the root of insomnia. Sleep
patterns can be interrupted by any of
the following:
Drinks containing caffeine, including tea and some light-colored sodas,
as well as coffee and cola
Heavy meals before bedtime or
foods with high sugar content, such as
cand) and cookies
Going to sleep at irregular times
The quality of your sleep
is certain to affect the
quality of your waking
life.
The kind of noise stimulation produced by loud television shows and
fast music
Alcoholic beverages
Cigarette smoking
Certain prescription drugs, especially diet pills.
Very strong evidence exists that
these prevent or at least interfere with
deep sleep. Even if you can doze all
night after drinking a lot of coffee or
beer, these substances still will disturb
your normal sleep cycles and affect the
quality of your rest.
Depression can cause insomnia
Depression often is associated with
persistent insomnia. Symptoms of
depression that can correspond with
sleep problems include loss of appetite, listlessness, irritability, inability
to concentrate, and the "blues." Many
depressed people report that they wake
up in the early-morning hours and
cannot return to sleep.
If your insomnia has lasted more
than three weeks and/or is accompanied by these feelings during the day,
you may wish to talk with a physician
or other mental health professional
about your symptoms. At any given
time, 30 million Americans suffer
from some kind of emotional or mental disorder, and another 50 million are
faced with a life stress that taxes their
ability to cope.
A number of therapies and techniques are used successfully to root
out depression. A visit to your doctor
or local community mental health center is a good first step.
Whatever else you use to ward off
insomnia, don't rely on long-term use
of sleeping pills. Prescription sleeping
pills may work when used on an occasional or temporary basis, but these
drugs lose their effectiveness when
taken nightly over long periods of
time, and regular use can lead to
psychological and/or physical dependency. Sleeping medications also tend
to interfere with the circadian clock
and actually impede the cycles and
levels of sleep.
In fact, researchers have found that
some sleeping medications have a
"hangover" effect, which means that
they can impair coordination for driving a car or performing other manual
tasks the next day. If you use a sleeping pill, ask your physician or pharmacist if there are any known side
effects. And never mix alcohol and
sleeping pills—this could be fatal.
The quality of your sleep is certain
to affect the quality of your waking
life. You can ensure good sleep by
learning about and heeding the dictates
of your body's own rhythms. Regular,
moderate exercise during the day and a
quiet, relaxing time before getting to
bed may also help. Sensible sleeping
habits can be incorporated easily into
almost anyone's daily routine.
With regular sleep, your daytime
functioning probably will improve, and
your sense of command over your
physical and mental health will be
greater than ever.
For more information, write Project Sleep, 5600
Fishers Lane, Room 17-60, Rockville, Maryland
20857.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clift, A. D. (ed.). Sleep Disturbance and Hypnotic
Drug Dependence. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam,
1975.
Dement, W. C. Some Must Watch While Some Must
Sleep. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1974.
Hauri, P. The Sleep Disorders. Kalamazoo: The
Upjohn Co., 1977.
Hoskisson, J. B. What Is This Thing Called Sleep?
London: David-Poynter, 1976.
Luce, G. G. and J. Segal. Insomnia: The Guide for
Troubled Sleepers. New York: Doubleday, 1969.
Mendelson, W. M., J. C. Gillin, and R. J. Wyatt.
Human Sleep and Its Disorders. New York: Plenum
Press, 1977.
4
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CHILDBIRTH
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JAPANESE STYLE
Combining warm, sensitive care with technology, the
Japanese have an impressively low infant-death rare.
by Karen Michener
I
was visiting the obstetrical unit of a
Japanese hospital on the island of
Okinawa, when I spotted a young
Karen Michener spent some of her growing-up years in
Japan and, as an adult, lived for a time on the Japanese
island of Okinawa. She has been a high school teacher and
is now a Navy wife and the mother of three daughters. She
lives in Severn, Maryland.
woman who was apparently in early
labor. Because I had just recently given
birth, I could not refrain from gushing
with encouragement. I waited until the
look of pained concentration passed from
her face and then I cheered, "Gambatte
ne!" which translates "Hang in there!"
She brightened and I beamed back,
feeling contentedly in touch with the
universal satisfaction of childbearing.
From what I had already learned about
childbirth in Japan, I could predict much
of what that young woman was likely to
experience in the next hours. I knew that
she had already been spared the enema
ordeal. I could see that no i.v. hung by
her bedside. Though her husband stood
uneasily beside her, I knew that he would
shortly be dismissed. In a land where role
expectations often determine behavior,
his presence in the delivery room would
be inappropriate, if not redundant. The
midwife would serve as comforter and
companion. She would carefully watch
the woman's progress, encouraging her
through the difficult moments, breathing
with her face to face if she lost control. A
doctor might complete the delivery,
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
7
especially if the mother had complications. If the birth proceeded routinely,
she would be spared anesthesia, and
possibly the episiotomy with its accompanying stitches.
Alert throughout her delivery, she
would probably enjoy an emotionally
gratifying experience. She would especially benefit from the kind of warm,
sensitive care that has been offered by
midwives for generations in Japan. This
quality of care has not been lost among
technological advances in obstetrics.
Rather, the woman's personal involvement with her midwife defines the
essence of childbirth, just as it did in
1954, when Hana McKay began having
her babies.
Role of traditional midwife
Hana delivered uneventfully in her
midwife's home three times. As the bride
of an American serviceman, she could
have chosen to give birth in a United
States Army hospital in Tokyo. She
preferred, however, to follow her own
cultural patterns of childbirth. Accordingly, when she reached her fourth
month of pregnancy, she visited a
midwife who lived just a block from her
Tokyo apartment. The midwife examined her and predicted a normal birth.
The following month, the midwife
performed the quaint ritual of binding
Hana's womb. Hoping to keep the baby
small, she wrapped a wide strap, girdletight, around Hana's abdomen. Later
Hana would use the strap to carry the
baby on her back.
Hana received monthly examinations
and followed the midwife's instructions
concerning nutrition and exercise.
Finally, the day arrived when she began
having mild contractions, and she knew
it was time to walk to the midwife's
home. She settled comfortably there on
the tatami-covered floor, reclining on
cushions protected with disposable
cloth. She received no special preparations, such as enema, pubic shave, or
intravenous.
The midwife remained with her constantly, encouraging her to relax, rubbing her back, noting her dilation,
coaching her breathing patterns, and
offering light snacks and hot tea. After
nine hours, Hana's strength began to fail,
and the midwife told her not to give up.
She coaxed her to drink a concoction of
raw egg whipped with a little soy sauce,
which revived Hana's strength for the
expulsion stage. Hana remembers thinking, I start, so I got to finish.
8
LIFE & HEALTH-JUNE 1981
The midwife's hardest physical work
then began. She wrapped her thumb in
cotton and placed it in her patient',,
rectum, exerting continuous, firm counterpressure to the baby's head on the
perineum, preventing tearing. She
encouraged Hana to push with the
contractions or pant to hold back, as she
expertly eased the baby's head out. As
the nine-pound baby boy emerged, the
midwife placed him momentarily underneath Hana's thigh. As Hana felt the
warm, slippery body in contact with her
own, she felt overwhelmed with her new
identity. I've become a mother, she
thought.
Hana had two more nine-pound children born in a similar manner, one in
1956 and one in 1958, under the same
midwife's care, with shorter delivery
times. For these pregnancies Hana abandoned the practice of womb-binding. In
the third delivery a doctor was consulted
by telephone, because Hana's water
broke before labor began. He authorized
the midwife to administer a labor-inducing drug, the only drug used during any
of the three births. No episiotomy was
performed for any of the deliveries, and
Hana experienced no tearing of the
perineum.
A casual observer might be deceived
into thinking that Japanese obstetrics
has changed drastically since 1954. After
all, the move from home to hospital has
been a thorough revolution, with 98
percent of women now giving birth in a
hospital. Of course, modern equipment
and procedures are nearly as accessible in
technologically advanced Japan as they
are in the United States. The number of
obstetricians has greatly increased, so
that most women have some contact with
a doctor throughout pregnancy, especially for nonroutine matters. Also, the
lay midwife has been replaced by the
certified nurse-midwife, whose credentials include three years of training in
nursing and one year in obstetrics/midwifery.
Today's nurse-midwife
However, even modern nurse-midwives cherish the viability of the natural
birth process and distrust excessive
reliance on technology. For example,
youthful, pixielike midwife Yoshiko
Chinen described the simplicity of the
preps for low-risk mothers at the Red
Cross Hospital in Naha, Okinawa.
Enema and i.v. are optional. Half-shaves
are required only of first-time mothers.
She added, though, that standards can
vary. In a hospital a few miles north of
Naha, the staff obstetrician, who was
trained in the United States, requires that
all patients receive a full prep.
A more experienced midwife, Mrs.
Eiko Kyoda, educational coordinator for
Naha Nursing School, believes that
avoidance of drugs during labor and
delivery is safer for the baby. She says
that an analgesic is prescribed sparingly,
and anesthesia is reserved for complications and special circumstances. Local
anesthesia can be given for an episiot-
•
,
•
omy, but episiotomies are the exception painful experience. Unmedicated birth is
rather than the rule. Furthermore, Mrs. achievable because the mother has been
Kyoda claims that tearing of the peri- trained to work with the contractions of
neum rarely occurs for those women who her uterus rather than to resist them. One
do not have episiotomies. Rather, expert Japanese study reported that 5 percent of
coaching by the midwives and doctors women will experience no pain in
allows the woman to control the baby's childbirth regardless of prenatal care or
passage into the world by panting or training. For the other 95 percent of
blowing when she needs to refrain from women, natural childbirth training
pushing. Obstetrical teams encourage would shorten labor time and lessen
vaginal delivery for breech birth, avoid- complications.
ing Caesarean section unless absolutely
Low infant-death rate
necessary.
The paradoxical fact about natural
Mrs. Kyoda also feels that the fetal
monitor need not be used routinely, childbirth in Japan is that the safety of the
though nurse-midwives are trained in its patient is enhanced by cautious applicause. She thinks that the expert observa- tion of technology. Japan's impressive
tions of the midwife are effective and infant mortality statistics confirm the
safe. "The personal approach is better," success of the common-sense approach
that balances technology and warm,
she comments.
Without this personal attention, natu- sensitive care. The Population Bulletin
ral childbirth could be a frightening and of the United States Population Refer-
ence Bureau states that Japan has made
"spectacular gains in reducing infant
mortality in the past twenty years."'
Japan held the position of fourth lowest
in the world in 1974, while the U.S.
ranked sixteenth. In 1976, Japan climbed
to second position.
Mrs. Doris Haire, past president of the
International Childbirth Education Association, has observed that "the mortality
rate figures relate to a difference in
cultural attitudes toward birth, and
babies die less frequently in countries
where midwives form an essential part of
obstetrical care both in and out of the
hospital; where the physician is only
called on when the pregnant woman is ill
or the birth is expected to be in some way
abnormal; and where mothers are
actively encouraged to breastfeed their
children."'
One Japanese nursing journal attributed the lowering of the infant mortality
rate to universally accessible prenatal
care. Approximately 28,000 midwives
nationwide provide free prenatal and
postnatal care to all mothers, under the
provision of National Mother and Child
Health and Child Welfare Laws. Private
medical insurance plans pay for further
hospital costs, including any services
rendered by midwives.
Of course, other factors contribute to
the impressive birth-safety record of the
Japanese. These may include improved
nutrition, uniformity of physique in the
population, and selective abortion of
high-risk pregnancies.
However the individual factors might
be weighted, the sum of them equals a
formula for childbirth that approaches
Dr. Grantly Dick-Read's ideal. He
wrote, "I am persuaded from long years
of experience among women of many
nationalities that good midwifery is
essential for the true happiness of motherhood—that good midwifery is the birth
of a baby in a manner nearest to the
natural law and design—and good midwifery, next to wise and healthy pregnancy, sets the pattern of the newborn
infant and its relationship to its
mother." '
Good midwifery and wise and healthy
pregnancy—these are the strengths of the
Japanese way of childbirth.
REFERENCES
I Leon F. Bouvier and Jean van der Tak, "Infant
Mortality—Progress and Problems," Population Bulletin, April, 1976, p. 8.
2 Danae Brook, Naturebirth: You, Your Body, and
Your Baby (New York: Pantheon Books, 1976). p. 78.
3 Grantly Dick-Read, Childbirth Without Fear (New
York: Harper Brothers, 1959), p. xvii.
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
9
it
" LIFE . HEALTH-JU NE 198
11111.11AIIIA,11.001M115.501
0
FOR YOUR RETIREMENT
You should plan for your later years Ion(3 before it is time to retire.
by Raymond Schuessler
I
A
t's later than you think! Remember
when that was a catch phrase? You
may think you're a long way from
retiring, but somehow the years roll by
very rapidly. One day, sooner than
seems possible, zero hour will arrive,
and you'll enter a new phase of your
life. Will you be ready for it?
To have an active, interesting,
worthwhile retirement takes planning.
That means looking ahead, saving
ahead, really getting set to move into
your time of leisure. It is never too
early to begin cultivating interests to
fill your later years with happy and
constructive activities. You cannot
wait until you are retired to acquire
interests and hobbies and friends. You
must do it now, before the time comes
for retirement.
To their dismay, many have found
out the truth—that you cannot change
the habits of a working lifetime overnight. The man behind the desk or
machine who keeps looking forward to
the day when he can sleep late in the
morning is going to find it harder than
he thinks to turn off the habits that
have regulated his life for so many
years.
After a few days of the pleasure of
rolling over again and going back to
Raymond Schuessler has been a free-lance writer since
l995. He lives in Venice. Florida.
sleep, he soon is going to roll over
and sigh, "Now what can I do
today?" When there is no reason for
getting up day after day, the pleasure
of retirement will begin to fade.
Just what are the problems of retirement, and what can you do about
them?
First of all, don't retire unless you
have to. Many companies are giving
their employees the option of working
longer if they are capable. Think it
over.
If you do decide to retire, choose a
retirement date. By the time you reach
middle age, have a retirement cutoff
date in mind—a definite month and
year when you will make that important change in your life. This will help
you prepare psychologically and financially for retirement. You will know
just when to leave your present company and how much more money you
will need to save during your productive years in order to have adequate
golden years security.
Second, don't think of retirement as
a time of being turned out to pasture.
When you stop working, start doing
something else. Retirement isn't the
end; it is a beginning.
Third, recognize the changes now,
before you are retired. You are going
to have more time on your hands when
you retire. What are you going to do
with it? Most likely you will have a
reduced income. How will you manage? Living arrangements might be
different. Will you live where you are,
or will you move?
Start thinking about these problems
early enough so you can make the
change while still young enough to
adjust and get established more easily
in a new way of life.
Visit your local library for literature
on ways of making the later years
worthwhile. Subscribe to the new
magazines for senior citizens. A vast
and increasing amount of such data is
available from which you can get useful ideas to form a bulwark against the
hopelessness of inactive retirement.
Seek out others who have retired and
see what they have done.
Adult education classes can supply
you with a formal course to prepare
for later maturity. By enrolling in such
a class you can not only hear experts
speak on employment, health, hobbies,
emotional adjustment, and other subjects, but also exchange ideas with
other students who, like yourself, are
thinking about what kind of retirement
they might make for themselves.
The greatest advantage you will
have in old age is to pursue varied
interests. No life should focus only on
one narrow interest or objective. Nor
should one allow the drive for success
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981 11
to lead to neglect of family life,
friendships, creative expression, community participation, or just plain fun.
Friendships can make life worth living. If you do not have many friends,
join clubs or recreation centers for the
aged. These clubs, sponsored by
churches, social agencies, libraries, or
other community groups, provide
elderly people with chances for fun,
creative activity, crafts, and social
intercourse.
This doesn't mean you must be a
flighty gadabout. Take an interest in
some sort of hobby, so that being
alone won't mean automatic loneliness
and empty time. A real hobby takes
root in your personality; it excites and
arouses; it enables you to take hold of
a challenge and meet it by work and
creative effort. It doesn't matter what
the hobby is; it can involve birds,
clay, stamps, coins, research, letters to
editors, painting, gardening, or many
other things. Many hobbies can be
turned into profitable ventures, too,
such as photography, carpentry, and
doll making. One couple who dabbled
in leathercraft have opened a gift shop
and are doing well. A retired lawyer
gives advice for a dollar a problem.
Think in terms of a second career.
One executive who retired from the
television production business started a
repair shop in a small town and is
doing nicely both in business and in
making friends. Some of the most
successful retired persons have used
former vocations or hobbies to start
businesses of their own. One enterprising soul who used to visit auction
sales has opened his own antique
store, as well as a repair shop for
broken furniture. His profit is small,
but he's having a lot of fun and
making many new friends.
It isn't always the position that
counts; it's the fun you get out of it
and the opportunity you have to meet
people. Too often the fear of "lowering themselves" prevents many retired
people from being active. One socialite became a sightseeing guide in a
scenic Florida city. His relatives
almost had apoplexy; but he was never
so happy, and he outlived them all.
If you were to analyze all the successfully retired people you know, you
would find two common denominators:
they possess an active interest in the
life and work around them, and they
12
LIFE 8 HEALTH—JUNE 1981
have a big circle of friends.
Nothing is so corrosive to old age as
lack of friends—to be limited to only
one's relatives and a small circle of
childhood friends. The happiest retired
people are those who keep on making
friends. In this sense they are never
retired.
Retirement years can be unpleasant
if your financial situation is grim. Here
are some tips you can put into practice
now to help minimize some worries
later.
1. Set up an adequate savings
program, regularly allotting a certain
portion of your funds to savings or
investment—preferably toward a home
of your own. "Don't spend it all" is a
The happiest retired
people are those who
keep on making friends.
good motto whether you're 19 or 49.
Adequate insurance is part of this program.
2. Keep your installment buying
down as you mature. In a youthful
period, installment buying is often
welcomed because one cannot pay outright for all the things needed. As you
grow older, don't burden your future
earnings too heavily, except for your
retirement plans.
3. Learn your Social Security
benefits. Go over them with your personnel director or other qualified
adviser and make sure you understand
them perfectly. You can only get the
benefits you apply for. If you don't
know about all of them, you may miss
benefits to which you are entitled,
including survivor's old-age and disability benefits.
4. Pension Plans. Consider the
advantages of company cooperative
retirement plans if they are available to
you. They are intended for the very
purpose of helping you to retire with a
sound financial basis for your older
years.
Should you work?
Figure out, too, whether you will
work part time at some sort of job.
Sure, jobs are scarcer at your age, but
they do exist. Employment experts say
jobs most open to you will be in
maintenance and service occupations,
sales opportunities, and small industries. 'You definitely will have a better
chance of breaking into an organization in which hiring is done on a more
personal basis. Long before you retire,
it is best to develop a special skill to
fall back on in your retirement years.
Try evening adult courses in which
tests are given to discover where your
aptitude lies.
Where to retire must be considered
too. Some think it is a time for drastic
moves—from city to farm, from the
North to the sunny South, from private
home to hotel. The success of your
move will depend on how well you
plan.
Consider all angles. According to
one social worker, one of the most
tragic aspects of moving from a hometown is the terrible loneliness of those
who have left home, friends, and
familiar scenes.
Of course, sticking to your hometown with in-laws after retirement may
be a mistake. It can not only disrupt
your children's lives, but actually
interfere with your own independence
and freedom. Weigh the advantages
and disadvantages of every move. If
you plan to retire in Florida or California, then go and scout the territory
before you do so. Consider the pros
and cons of job opportunities, climate,
cost of living, and other important
aspects of the proposed new location.
Most of all, keep alive your sense
of curiosity. Most people lose this
wonderful desire to learn, to know, to
experience, to experiment. It is the
key to happiness in your later years.
If you plan well, you can enjoy
some of the richest, most rewarding,
and most satisfying years of your life.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Atchley, R. C. The Sociology of Retirement. New
York: Halstead Press, 1975.
Buckley, J. C. Retirement Handbook: Complete Planning Guide to Your Future. New York: Harper &
Row Publishers, Inc., 1962.
Hunter, W. W. "Education for Retirement." Michigan
Institute of Gerontology, 1978.
Margolius, Sidney. Your Personal Guide to Successful
Retirement. Westminster, Maryland: Random House,
Inc., 1969.
Plan Your Retirement Now So You Won't Be Sorry
Later. Washington, D.C.: U.S. News & World
Report Books, 1978.
4
P TRIBUTE TO DAD
The author presents his concept of the qualities that a
good father possesses.
by Erwin F. Hodde
.4
special day is set aside each June
in which to honor our fathers. I
wish to paint a composite picture
of a good father. I hope you find your
father in it.
A good father is masculine, yet loving
and tenderhearted. He may never have
built a house, but he is a builder
nevertheless. He builds character. He
lays a good foundation for his children to
build upon. He may be of medium stature
or even short, but in moral and spiritual
qualities he stands tall.
A good father may not have had the
privilege of a formal education, but he is
a teacher. He teaches his children to be
Erwin F. Hodde is a free-lance writer who lives in
Glendale, California.
honest, industrious, and thrifty.
Even though he may have lived in the
city all his life, he is like a farmer. He
plants seeds of faith, hope, and love in
the hearts of his sons and daughters.
A good father is a sportsman of sorts.
He plays with his toddlers, giving them
horsy-back rides.
He is an administrator, dispensing
justice, but blending it with mercy and
love.
He may wear big patches on his
clothing, as my father did while working
on the truck garden, but he labors hard to
give his family the necessities of life and
the blessings of a God-oriented upbringing.
He is like a shepherd out on the
mountain on a cold, dark, stormy night
looking for his one straying black sheep.
He does not give up on his wayward
child.
He is like a physician, for he heals
fractured relationships.
A good father is like a priest. He lays
his personal, cherished desires and
ambitions on the altar of sacrifice for the
eternal well-being of his children.
If you are blessed with having your
father still, express your love and appreciation to him lavishly. Remember the
words of the fifth commandment, the
first commandment with promise:
"Honour thy father and thy mother: that
thy days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
LIFE 8 HEALTH—JUNE 1981
13
DRUG EDUCATION
HELP YOUR PRESCHOOLER
TO AVOID DRUG ABUSE
Are we unintentionally giving our children the concept
that everything unpleasant or painful can be made
better by raking a pill?
by Kristi Hell
alking past my 4-year-old daughter's bedroom, I was captivated
by the scene I saw. Jenny cradled
her baby doll protectively and crooned,
"Here's some aspirin, Pinkie. They taste
yummy! Soon your headache will be all
better." Sneaking away with a smile on
my face, I was pleased that she was
learning to show love and concern, even
in this pretend situation.
But later in the day as I reflected on the
incident, it bothered me. I wondered
whether I hadn't witnessed something
more serious and revealing than love and
concern in Jenny's conversation with her
sniffly doll. Somehow my daughter had
formed the idea that at the first sign of
discomfort, you reach for aspirin (a
drug), and soon everything will be "all
better."
Adults are enchanted by toddlers' and
preschoolers' imitative behavior of
adults, usually their parents. Since children learn more from what parents do
than from what they say, the importance
of setting a good example can't be
overestimated.
So the question for me became: What
in my behavior was Jenny imitating? I
carefully reviewed my own drug habits
during the past year.
Lately—more and more, I realized—I
had reached for the aspirin bottle as soon
as I walked into the kitchen in the
morning. Sometimes my early-morning
headaches were caused by dry air when
the humidifier ran out of water, or
because I had consumed too much
caffeine before bed the night before. But
instead of remedying the causes, I just
reached for the aspirin.
W
Kristi Hull, a former schoolteacher, is a free-lance writer
in Conrad, Iowa. She is the mother of three young
children.
14
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
I had always prided myself that our
three children were healthy and I seldom
had to buy medicine. But I kept an
abundant supply of baby aspirin and
chewable vitamin C tablets on hand, and
out they came at the first sign in any of the
children of teething or a cold. Was I
reaching for them too quickly?
Attitudes are contagious
Our attitudes about things are as
catching in preschoolers as our actions. I
looked to aspirin and cold remedies for
instant relief and talked about how much
better I felt afterward. In coaxing my
children to take occasional medicine, I
also stressed how much better they would
feel if they swallowed it. Did I overemphasize this good feeling derived from
taking drugs?
I remember, as a child, taking half an
adult aspirin, ground up and mixed with
water. The bitter taste of the aspirin never
tempted me to eat them like candy. But
children's medicines, aspirin, and vitamins are very tasty now. How many of us
are guilty of inducing a child to take his
medicine because it tastes good? Should
the purpose of medicine be to taste good?
The seeds of adult behavior are planted
early in childhood. Many habits we
exhibit can be traced back to our
preschool conditioning. I believe the
seeds of drug abuse can be planted early
also. So the time to think about preventing drug abuse is in your child's early,
formative years. Several things can be
done.
Control your child's vitamins and
medicine, including aspirin. Emphasize
that you are giving her or him one aspirin
or one teaspoon of cough syrup, as the
doctor has specified. Always dispense
the medicine to your young child yourself, and be sure that she or he takes it in
your presence. However tempting it is,
especially during the night, don't leave
the bottle of medicine in your child's
room.
Do not place undue emphasis on the
taste or effect of the drugs. The child
should realize that the medicine is
necessary, and that the decision was
made by a responsible adult. Taking
medicine is not supposed to be a delightful experience, and we should not try to
make it so.
A
Other options
My next suggestion may at first seem
unnecessary or cruel. I believe you
should teach your child that there are
ways to deal with life's stresses and
discomforts without resorting to a drug.
Show your child you can stand a certain
amount of pain or emotional upset
without turning to drugs for quick relief.
Young children are adept at spotting
hypocrisy, so we must practice what we
preach. (Does your preschooler see you
run for aspirin, tranquilizers, or alcohol
when you get angry or upset?) Try other
remedies for yourself and for your child's
discomfort—a warm bath, a hot drink, 0
lying down briefly. Remember, too, that
medicine is no substitute for tender
loving care.
Pain and sickness are a part of
life—understanding this helps a child
learn to handle it. Don't unwittingly give
the impression that drugs are "magic"
and will make everything unpleasant go it
away.
Drugs can be a very helpful part of our
lives, but they should be treated as a
temporary necessity. Form good druguse habits yourself, and help your
preschooler to think of drugs as medical
•
aids, not sources of pleasure. Begin
drug-abuse prevention now.
p
PHOTOGRAPH BYROBERTWRIGHT
4
LIFE & HEALTH-JUNE 1981
15
EXERCISE
THE TORTOISE vs.
THE HARE PHILOSOPHY
Slow and steady may be the solution to the I-hate-ro-exercise problem.
by Detty Nix
16
LIFE & HEALTH-JUNE 1981
4
aybe fairy tales still come true!
Maybe we need not "tote that
barge and lift that bale" or jog
five miles every day to remain at the peak
of good health. Something less arduous
may serve us quite well.
After reading a recent report in the
New England Journal of Medicine, I felt
almost euphoric. My personal philosophy of exercise, which actually sprang
from the ashes of a number of failures,
may be more effective than I had dared to
M
0
4
Betty Nix, a free-lance writer living in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
is a former English teacher.
hope. The tenacious tortoise on the
exercise track may stack up favorably
against the hasty hare, even as he did in
the ancient fable.
I discovered some time ago that
exercise, like the weather, is something
that everyone is talking about but that
few do anything about on a long-term
basis. I was one of this myriad for longer
than I care to admit. Finally, it dawned
on me that I and many of my acquaintances were approaching the matter unrealistically. The exercise history of most
of us could be accurately described as a
series of spectacular starts and fast
ILLUSTRATION BY BOBBI TULL
fizzles. Of course, our intentions were
good.
Most of us have been impressed to
some degree by the reams of data that
seem to indicate that we will be healthier
and happier if we get regular physical
exercise. Doctors have been telling us for
years that the heart and lungs need
exercise if they are to function optimally.
More recently, psychiatrists have begun
expressing the opinion that exercise
helps alleviate anxiety and depression.
Our bathroom scales chide us. Our
flabby underarms and spreading waistlines tell us that we need a fitness
LIFE 8 HEALTH—JUNE 1981
17
program to help us shape up.
So what do we do in the face of all this
evidence? Frequently we embark on an
ambitious exercise program that fails to
take into account two important factors:
(1) our present level of physical fitness
and (2) our degree of dedication to an
exercise program.
Consequently, we have two strikes
against us in the beginning. Like the hare
in the fable, we wear ourselves out early
in the race, then decide it's time to rest.
We would probably derive more benefit
from a steady, tortoiselike pace that will
not be so likely to induce rapid burnout.
A study done at Duke University
Medical Center and published in the May
1, 1980, issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine* seems to give
credence to the theory that even moderate
exercise, if engaged in regularly, has the
potential to decrease the risk of heart
disease and strokes.
For this study, the doctors chose 69
adults who had not been exercising
regularly. Two weeks before the start of
the exercise program, blood pressure
cuffs were used to cut off the flow of
blood through the veins of the volunteers' arms, thus simulating a blood clot,
and specific blood tests were made. The
volunteers were then supervised three
times a week as they engaged in ten
minutes of stretching exercises followed
by thirty to forty-five minutes of walking
on a treadmill. This moderate exercise
program was continued for ten weeks, at
the end of which time the blood tests
were repeated.
Moderate exercise has benefits
The doctors concluded that the test
results seem to indicate that even moderate regular exercise can release plasminogen activators that are capable of
dissolving fibrin, which is the stringy
protein that forms the essential portion of
blood clots. Needless to say, blood clots
in the major vessels are culprits that can
cause heart attacks and strokes.
The doctors further concluded that
"the exercise program produced a distinct aerobic conditioning effect, defined
as a reduction in heart rate"; i.e., the
heart was doing its job more efficiently at
the end of the test period. Their findings
were also similar to those of other
researchers in that their subjects showed
higher blood levels of HDL cholesterol,
which has been associated with less heart
disease in other experiments.
Of course, we are not being promised
threescore and ten years in a rose garden
18 LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
in exchange for working out moderately
three times a week. So many variables
are involved that it is difficult to prove
that there is a direct correlation between
exercise and good health. Consequently,
the case for exercise is still considered
circumstantial by some. Studies such as
this one, however, are helping to forge a
connecting link and remove the doubts.
The results of this study served to
reinforce my own commitment to exercise. The Duke study's exercise program
was very close to the routine I had finally
settled into after my more ambitious
plans had ended in failure.
A new philosophical approach to the
subject marked the turning point for me. I
simply acknowledged at the outset that
exercise would never be the high point of
my day. I had never been able to fool
myself for long anyhow. Those for
whom exercise is a joy are fortunate, but
not all of us are fleet of foot and agile of
I simply acknowledged at
the outset that exercise
would never be the high
point of my day.
arm. For some of us, exercise is a bore at
best and a chore at worst. This does not
alter the fact that we need exercise.
So with the tortoise as my role model, I
said to myself: "You will benefit more
from a moderate, long-range exercise
program than from a rigorous one that
will cause you to become discouraged
and quit within a few weeks' time." My
doctor agreed with me.
From there, it was simply a matter of
deciding what kind of exercise I needed
most and what I could live with on a
day-to-day basis. This part of the program must be decided by each individual.
There is general agreement, however,
that all of us need some aerobic exercise,
such as walking, jogging, swimming, or
cycling, to strengthen the heart and lungs
and improve blood circulation. I decided
that walking or cycling would best fit my
needs and capabilities. Three or four
days a week I either walk very briskly for
about a mile and a half (fifteen average
city blocks), or I ride my bicycle about
twice that distance.
This will not impress someone who
jogs this distance or farther, but it's a
routine I can live with. It is not
oppressive in terms of time or energy.
Work on those lazy muscles
The other phase of my exercise program consists of sit-ups and bend-andstretch exercises that are designed to
improve the elasticity of my lazier
muscles. I work at them for about ten
minutes at a time, three or four times a
week, but I do not necessarily do them in
conjunction with the aerobic exercises.
In fact, I tend to work on my indoor
exercises when it is rainy, windy, cold,
or otherwise miserable outdoors.
Again, the needs of each person will
vary considerably, yet there are problems
that are common to most of us. The
midsection is a good example. Breathes
there one with soul so dead who never to
himself has said, I must firm up my
abdomen?
For toning abdominal muscles, it's
hard to beat the old-fashioned sit-ups and
leg lifts. But take it easy in the beginning.
A half-dozen sit-ups may be enough at
first if you're really out of shape. If you
make those unused muscles so sore that
you groan when you get out of bed the
next morning, you're probably setting
the stage for premature termination of
your fitness program.
For most of us, it is probably necessary
that we make exercise a ritual. We need
to establish a time and a place for it, and
then not allow anything else to fill that
slot in our lives. There's nothing new
about this idea, but it bears repeating. It
is also helpful to some persons to enlist a
friend as an exercise companion. Neither
wants to disappoint the other, so both
stick with the routine.
The philosophy of exercise that has
proved successful for me can be condensed as follows:
1. Decide what kind of exercise you
need most.
2. Set realistic goals.
3. Quit before exhaustion and internal
rebellion set in.
4. Work regularly but not fanatically
at whatever program you decide is best
for you.
If you recognize yourself to be a
"tortoise" on the exercise scene, don't
despair. Those of us who exercise
moderately but consistently may be the
winners in this race.
* "Physical Conditioning Augments the Fibrinolytic
Response to Venous Occlusion in Healthy Adults,"
New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 302, No. 18,
1980, pp. 987-991.
4
TOTAL HEALTH
1. 8
0
6
z
0
0
LIFESTAKES
Every person receives ar birth a specific amount of
'adaptation energy'" or "vital force.- It's up to each of
us ro determine how fasr we use ours up
by Leo R. Van Dolson,
.,,
•
•
в–є
et's do some fantasizing. Suppose
you are the one in five-and-a-half
million persons who wins the grand
prize in the current Reader's Digest
sweepstakes. Immediately you are confronted with a choice. Will you accept a
lump sum of $127,000 all at once or
settle for $102,000 now, plus $100 a
month for the rest of your life? One thing
I'm sure of—you'd like to be able to
make that kind of choice.
But in one sense you are making a
similar choice every day of your life.
When you were born you were equipped
L
Leo R. Van Dolson, in addition to being an associate
editor of Adventist Review, is a minister and a health
educator. He has had numerous articles and several books
published. Dr. Van Dolson is a former editor of LIFE &
HEALTH.
M.P.H.
with a certain amount of what Dr. Hans
Selye terms "adaptation energy" and
others call "vital force." Some people
receive more than others, he tells us, not
by chance, as in a sweepstakes, but by
inheritance. We might call this our
"lifestakes."
We receive a given amount of adaptation energy, and that has to last us an
entire lifetime. Dr. Selye likens it to a
bank account that we can draw on but
cannot place any deposits against. If we
wish, we can use it up quickly, or we can
stretch it out and consequently live
longer—but when the account is
depleted, that's all there is. Selye
informs us: "Your only control over this
most precious fortune is the rate at which
you make your withdrawals."'
Our lifestakes really depends on the
way we live. Since we each have only a
certain amount of adaptation energy or
vital force, we cannot afford to be
spendthrifts with it but instead need to
conserve our energies and powers and
make sure that we use this vital force for
truly vital purposes. Those who use their
bank account of vital force unwisely are
borrowing against future resources, and
the time for paying the debt will come
before it needs to. Yet we won't find
much enjoyment in life, either, if we
simply avoid all stress and unnecessarily
hoard our allotment of vital energy.
There has to be a balance.
As with most of that which counts in
life, the secret to proper budgeting of our
lifestakes is moderation and self-control.
A large share of sickness and disease is
brought on ourselves by intemperate
LIFE & HEALTH--JUNE 1981
19
usage, even of those things that are in
themselves good for us. One of the
essential laws of life and health, therefore, is that of temperance.
In a relevant Bible illustration of this
principle the apostle Paul asks, "Do you
not know that in a race all the runners
compete, but only one receives the
prize?" Then he admonishes, "So run
that you may obtain it. Every athlete
exercises self-control in all things. They
do it to receive a perishable wreath, but
we an imperishable." '
Every time I read this instruction I am
reminded of the two fellows on my high
school track team who were discharged
by the coach because he caught them
smoking. If high school coaches are strict
with track team members, how should
humans relate to the far more important
game of life? We're in a greater race than
any athletic contest. Our life and health
are at stake. Certainly it is more imperative to exercise temperance and selfcontrol when the stakes are so much
higher than when the goal is what Paul
calls "a perishable wreath."
U.S. News and World Report states:
"In Los Angeles County, 25 chapters of
Alcoholics Anonymous are composed
solely of teen-agers and 75 other chapters
in the county have some teen-age members. One young Houston woman, now
18, says she began drinking when she
was 9 and quit, as an alcoholic, at age
15." '
Even more insidious, however, is the
free use of those drugs and other harmful
substances that are not ordinarily recognized as being especially detrimental.
For instance, a common drug that is
sometimes detrimental to health is one
that fifteen million Americans are said to
take regularly—aspirin. One in twenty of
those admitted to hospitals because of
adverse drug reactions are there because
of aspirin-related reactions, usually
intestinal bleeding.'
One definition of temperance is abstinence from that which is harmful and
moderation in that which is good. The
latter point can be illustrated by one of
the most prevalent physical problems in
the United States—obesity. Life insur-
Physical application
In the physical dimension, this law of
life can be applied to either lessening or
eliminating the various stress factors that
Selye identifies as being involved in the
needless expenditure of our adaptation
energy or vital force. Among these he
lists:
1. Mechanical (example: accidents)
2. Psychological (example: worry,
fear)
3. Chemical (example: abuse of narcotics)
4. Bacterial (example: disease)
5. Physiological (example: defects)
Some of these stress factors cannot be
avoided, of course. But many of them,
such as drug abuse, are entirely the result
of our own course of action or choice. In
recent years the American nation has
become alarmed at the increasing use of
alcohol and marijuana by high school and
elementary school youth. The drug
problem in schools has shifted away from
hard drugs to use of alcohol and marijuana.
The Surgeon General's report issued
in 1979 estimates that youthful problem
drinkers (aged 14 to 17) now number
three million, between 20 and 25 percent
of the age group. About 10 percent of
high school seniors surveyed reported
daily use of marijuana.'
Misuse of the body
shortens the life span by
unnecessarily calling on
those reserves of vital
power that cannot be
replaced.
20
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
The above article is taken from Dr. Leo Van Dolson's book
The Golden Eight. Read the entire volume to learn more
principles of good health. Available for only $4.50.
postpaid. Send your order to The Golden Eight. Box 4353.
Washington. D.C. 20012. Please send check or money
order. Price slightly higher in Canada.
ante companies are interested in our
cutting down on overweight because they
recognize that obesity contributes
strongly to shortening of the life span, as
well as to many degenerative diseases.
By shortening the waistline we lengthen
the lifeline. Since the primary cause of
obesity is "exceeding the feed limit,"
the best and only really successful way to
control overweight is through a well-balanced, but abstemious diet combined
with a mild exercise program. With
many of us, the "battle of the bulge"
must become a lifelong one.
Mind control
Since this takes willpower (or won't
power) the mental aspects of the law of
self-control are extremely significant.
Selye's thesis is that misuse of the
body shortens the life span by unnecessarily calling on those reserves of vital
power that cannot be replaced. When we
allow ourselves to keep late hours,
gratify appetite at the expense of health,
and overeat and overdo in a variety of
ways, we bring physical problems on
ourselves.
By underexercising the body and
overworking the mind we also can
unbalance and weaken the nervous system. Physical habits such as overeating
and using alcohol, tobacco, and drugs of
all kinds can so interfere with the powers
of the mind that they inhibit our ability to
think straight and to exercise self-control.
This effect is so well known that it
doesn't need documentation here. However, one intriguing statement concerning the effects of improper diet probably
needs more publicity. The informative
book Counsels on Diet and Foods states:
"An intemperate man cannot be a patient
man. . . . Intemperate eating, eating too
frequently, too much, and of rich,
unwholesome food, destroys the healthy
action of the digestive organs, affects the
brain, and perverts the judgment, preventing rational, calm, healthy thinking
and acting." "Many spoil their dispositions by eating improperly." 6
Obviously, here is a vicious cycle. In
order to control our physical habits we
need to exercise mental discipline. But in
order to think straight we must refrain
from mind-benumbing indulgences. The
question needs to be considered, "Where
can we best intervene in this cycle in
order to gain control of what's happening?"
1..
Various intervention techniques have
proved successful. For instance, behaviorists are helping people to overcome obesity through such techniques as
rewards, reinforcements, interruption
during meals, eating only when sitting,
and so forth. But these techniques in and
of themselves are not enough. You can't
escape the need for self-control and
willpower. So motivation, group therapy, reflection (or thinking carefully
about what is being done), and techniques that develop psychological distance are being used in addition to
behavior-modification methods. Too
often, however, even these approaches
fail to gain lasting results.
Spiritual resources
There is one long-proven and truly
effective way to achieve self-control. It is
successful because it gets right down to
the root of the problem—the sinful,
selfish nature of man. There is only one
possible prescription for this disease that
has infected every living individual in the
world. It was made available to us by the
Creator and was dramatically illustrated
at the cross on Calvary. There God
accepted the life and death that were
rightfully ours and gave us in exchange
the victory and overcoming power that
were His.
When we accept Christ as our Saviour,
He makes it possible for us to accomplish
that which unaided human willpower
cannot possibly achieve. By choosing to
bring our will into harmony with His will
for us, we find more than human strength
in meeting those problems and situations
in which, without divine help, we have
so often failed.
And it works! If you are a Christian,
you've undoubtedly seen it work, not
only in your own life but in many
dramatic cases in the lives of your fellow
Christians.
When my wife and I served as
missionaries in Japan, a young murderer
of three people (including two policemen) was converted right in his jail cell
by the power of Christ's love. Before he
was executed, he not only was baptized
as a Christian but also became an
effective witness to Christ's power to
turn even the most hardened criminal
from the habits of sin to the practice of
purity. Several of his fellow prisoners,
impressed by his example, were also
converted.
On a less dramatic level, in recent
years of conducting health-education
programs in communities across
America, I have seen many people who
could not of themselves overcome
smoking or overeating find the help they
needed by turning to the divine resources
that are freely available to those who seek
them. God does not ask us to overcome
sin and intemperance without Himself
providing the power necessary to
accomplish His biddings.
Social stakes
Let us now consider the social issues
involved in the law of temperance and
self-control.
In a thought-provoking article entitled
"It's My Life, Isn't It?" published in the
October, 1968, Reader's Digest, Author
Each of us is affected and
molded to some degree by
those we meet, even as
we help shape their lives.
Evan Hill proposed that one's life isn't
entirely one's own.
As a college professor he asked one of
his students why he took the risk of
smoking. The young man thought that it
wasn't anyone else's business whether he
ruined his health by the use of tobacco.
He reasoned that it was his lungs, his
health, his life, and that he should be free
to do as he wished as long as he didn't
harm anyone else. He believed that this
philosophy covered all areas of his life. If
he wanted to speed down the road at one
hundred miles an hour he should be
allowed to do so if the road was empty of
traffic and he had no passengers.
The professor disagreed with that
viewpoint, telling the student, "It's such
a bleak and lonely view of man. It's as if
you felt you had no value."
Professor Hill went on to point out that
each man's life is intertwined with the
lives of others. Each of us is affected and
molded to some degree by those we
meet, even as we help shape their lives.
Although a man may consider his body
his own, he does not have the right to
abuse it, the professor continued, and
then referred to Scripture to substantiate
his belief: "Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within
you, which you have from God?" says
the New Testament. "You are not your
own" (1 Cor. 6:19, R.S.V.).
He told of a man he knew who was
warned by his friends that his heavy
drinking was endangering his health. The
man replied that he was harming no one
but himself and asked his friends to mind
their own business. Ten years later,
married, and having difficulty holding
his job, he was discovering the impossibility of obtaining insurance because he
had cirrhosis of the liver. "During his
carefree, unmarried, drinking years, he
was steadily damaging a girl he was not
to meet for at least five years; he was
harming children yet unborn," Professor
Hill added.
We are not our own, the text tells us.
As Christians we belong to God and are
closely involved with those about us. In
every aspect of life we cannot do just
what we please. Instead, we must abide
by the selfless commitments we have
freely chosen.
It is because people are afraid of such
commitment to God and others that they
often hesitate to turn to Christ for the
power and victory He can bring to their
lives. Somehow we seem to think that
God wants to deprive us of something
good, that He's trying to shortchange us.
What is the result? We remain enslaved to sin and caught in the stranglehold of self-destroying habits. If God is
to save us from ourselves, He must break
the pattern of enslavement to self and sin.
This He wants to do.
Talk about lifestakes! God offers us
something far beyond the lifestakes we
acquired as a result of being born into this
world. He offers eternal life, not just
"pie in the sky by and by" but, in a
sense, right now. Through His grace we
can begin to enjoy a new, healthy,
happy, holy pattern of life that brings us
peace, confidence, joy, and the pleasure
of victory over those life-destroying
habits that we find so difficult to overcome.
REFERENCES
Hans Selye, The Stress of Life (New York:
McGraw-Hill Co., 1956), p. 274.
2 1 Cor. 9:24, 25, R.S.V.
3 Healthy People, The Surgeon General's Report on
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (Washington,
D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979), pp.
125, 126.
U.S. News and World Report, Nov. 24, 1975, p.
28.
5 U.S. News and World Report, June 16. 1975. p.
61.
6 Ellen G. White. Counsels on Diet and Foods
(Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald
Publishing Association, 1938), pp. 50. 126.
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
21
NEW HOPE
FOR MANY
CARDIAC
PATIENTS
A look at coronary bypass surgery
by Richard V. Dunning
T
hings are not always what they
seem. You might think that the
human heart, which is continually
pumping blood, would always have as
much as it needed. Actually, the heart is
unable to receive nourishment from the
blood that it pumps; only blood that is fed
through vessels known as the coronary
arteries can permeate it in such a way as
to nourish all the cells.'
Some people's coronary arteries (there
are three major arteries) become narrower with the passage of years, as fatty
deposits accumulate and restrict the
amount of blood that can flow through
them. A person with this problem is said
to have coronary artery disease. The
severity of the disease will be directly
related to just how much the blood flow is
restricted.'
As the disease advances, a person who
has this type of restricted blood flow will
feel heart pain known as angina whenever his heart is not receiving sufficient
blood. This will usually occur during
some type of exercise or strong emotion,
either of which increases the heart's
requirement for blood by increasing the
heart rate.'
Until recent years there was no permanent cure for a person with this disease.
Medication afforded some relief, but
Richard V. Dunning, a 1970 graduate of Brigham Young
University, has worked with the New Jersey Commission
for the Blind and Visually impaired for the past ten years.
He is involved with blind and visually impaired children
and their teachers in a program that enables the children
to attend regular public school classes. His wife,
Cassandra, who is a physician, assisted in the writing of
this article.
22
LIFE 8 HEALTH—JUNE 1981
patients with more advanced coronary
artery disease still found it necessary to
restrict their activities, and many were
prime candidates for a heart attack.
(Heart attacks occur when one or more of
the coronary arteries are blocked long
enough for part of the heart to die from
lack of fresh blood.)
In the late 1960s an operation known
as coronary artery bypass surgery was
developed. This surgery improves the
circulation to the heart because new
blood vessels are grafted in to circulate
blood around blocked or narrow areas.
Major surgery of this type is not
recommended unless the physician in
charge of the case feels that the disease is
too far advanced to be controlled by
nonsurgical means, including diet, exercise, and medication. One test that lets
him know just how much exercise his
patient's heart can support is called a
stress test. This test is by no means
reserved for surgical candidates; it is
routinely given to anyone with any
complaints of this nature and may even
be part of a thorough physical exam for
healthy adults.'
The actual test involves having the
patient walk in place on a treadmill while
electrodes on his chest monitor his
heart's activity. The electrodes are
attached to an electrocardiograph (EKG)
machine. The readout of this machine
helps to tell the doctor whether a
particular level of exercise may be
causing his patient's heart to need more
blood than it is getting.'
A more complicated test, known as a
coronary angiography, is used on a
patient who is being considered seriously
for surgery. This test involves inserting a
catheter through an artery in the groin or
arm and threading it through the artery
until it is at the coronary artery. When it
is there, a dye is injected that will be •
visible on X-rays. While this dye is going
through the arteries feeding the heart,
X-ray movies are taken from different
angles, showing just how much blockage
exists in various arteries and where the
blockage occurs. This lets the physician
know whether the blockage is serious
enough to warrant surgery, and if so,
what will be found during the actual
surgery.6 ' The procedure also evaluates
other aspects of heart function.
The bypass operation
During the operation the surgeon will
remove from one leg a vein that will be
cut and grafted in such a way as to form
one or more bypass vessels. The removal
will not cause permanent damage to the
leg, because other veins will permit
continued adequate circulation.'
The coronary arteries that are not
providing sufficient blood flow to the
heart are not removed but are bypassed
with the replacement vessels, which
detour around the artery whose circulation they are supplementing. The operation can involve the bypassing of one,
two, three, or more arteries (known as a
single, double, triple, et cetera, bypass),
depending on the condition of the arteries
in question.
The recovery period can vary considerably from one patient to another,
depending on the particular patient's
health and whether or not there are any
complications. A typical recovery period
for someone who is not having any
complications would begin with his
sitting up in about two days. He would be
taking a few slow, short walks in about
four days and would be out of the hospital
in ten to fourteen days. A person with an
office job might be back at work in six to
eight weeks. As with any major operation, healing takes place over a number
of months.'
The most obvious benefit of this
operation is immediately apparent: the
absence of anginal pain. This, of course,
is very significant, since it may make a
difference in whether or not a person can
do housework or gardening or even hold
a job.
Is length of life increased?
A number of studies have been done
4
4
46
0
z
F
0
z
r
0
I
a'
during the past several years to determine
to what extent, if at all, a person's life
expectancy is extended by this operation.
This is not as easy to decide as it might
appear, since data must be obtained on
large groups of people over a number of
years. Information must be gathered not
only on postoperative patients but also on
a similar group of persons that did not
have the operation, so that a comparison
can be made. Because of the size and
complexity of these studies, legitimate
disagreement may exist among scientists
as to the validity of a particular study.
One study was done a few years ago in
association with Veterans Administration hospitals. It concluded that patients
who had blockage in a major vessel
known as the left main artery would have
a longer life expectancy as a result of this,
operation, but that the majority of
patients, while being enabled to lead
more active lives, would not actually live
longer.10 11. 12
A large number of surgeons have
disagreed with this study, maintaining
that the vast majority of patients have
increased life expectancy. As in many
areas of science, there appear to be
studies supporting both sides, although
more recent evidence leans toward the
belief that life expectancy is, indeed,
increased."-'4• "
Regardless of the dispute concerning
these figures, there is universal agreement that the quality of many people's
lives can be vastly improved. Many
thousands of people have been able to
resume normal or near-normal activities
as a result of coronary artery bypass
surgery.
Conviction is also growing that
patients do better and may even avoid (or
slow) blockage of vessels in the future if,
after the operation, they change their life
style (habits of diet, smoking, exercise,
et cetera) so as to reduce further narrowing of arteries.
Hope does indeed exist for many
cardiac patients.
REFERENCES
Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., Textbook of Medical
Physiology (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1976),
p. 320.
2 Stanley L. Robbins, M.D., Pathologic Basis of
Disease (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1974), pp.
586, 587.
3 George W. Thom, M.D., Harrison's Principles of
Internal Medicine (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.,
1977), p. 1267.
4 C. Dunning, M.D., personal communication.
5 Ibid.
Thom, op. cit., pp. 1266, 1267.
C. Dunning, M.D., personal communication.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
m Marvin L. Murphy, M.D., "Treatment of Chronic
Stable Angina," New England Journal of Medicine,
September 22, 1977, p. 621.
II Katherine Detre, M.D., DPH, "Veterans Administration Cooperative Study of Surgery for Coronary
Arterial Occlusive Disease," American Journal of Cardiology, August, 1977, p. 212.
12 Henry D. McIntoch, M.D., "Will Coronary Vein
Bypass Grafting Prolong Life in Patients with Chronic,
Stable Angina Pectoris?" in Current Controversies in
Cardiovascular Disease, Elliot Rapaport, M.D. (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1980), p. 172.
6
7
13 George J. Reul, Jr., M.D., "Long-Term Survival
Following Coronary Artery Bypass," Archives of Surgery, November, 1975, p. 1419.
14 "Coronary Bypass Said to Prolong Angina
Patients' Lives," Family Practice News, October 1,
1980.
15 Nicholas T. Kouchoukos, M.D., "Coronary Vein
Bypass Graft Surgery Prolongs Life in Patients with
Chronic, Stable Angina Pectoris," in Current Controversies in Cardiovascular Disease, Elliot Rapaport,
M.D. (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1980), pp.
155-157.
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
23
KEEP A HEALTHY DISTANCE
FROM WILD ANIMALS
Animals in the wild are
fun to watch, bur they can inflict painful
or dangerous bites and may transmit diseases.
T
he great outdoors is beckoning
again, and as millions of city
dwellers plan their annual trek to
commune with nature, some advice
seems in order: Keep a healthy distance
from all animals living in the wild.
This article is slightly adapted from one that appeared in
the June-August, 1979, issue of MGH News, published by
the Massachusetts General Hospital. Boston. Massachusetts.
24
LIFE & HEALTH—JUNE 1981
A half-million Americans receive
treatment for animal bites each year, and
although domestic dogs and cats rank as
the principal offenders, untamed creatures pose the greatest threat of inflicting
serious diseases.
Although since 1968 only fifteen
humans are known to have been infected
with rabies in the United States, an
estimated 30,000 Americans undergo
PHOTOGRAPH BY RALPH BLODGETT
antirabies inoculations each year. In
most instances the injections are purely
precautionary, since the animal that
inflicts the bite usually escapes and
cannot be examined.
Rabies is a virus that thrives in the
saliva of an infected animal. Conveyed to
a human via a bite, the virus enters the
central nervous system, first causing
headache, fever, and general malaise,
then confusion, muscle spasms, and
paralysis.
Inoculations against rabies usually
succeed because the disease has an
incubation period of from ten days to a
full year.
In the past, if an infected person
delayed being vaccinated until symptoms of the disease appeared, he was
regarded as beyond chance of survival.
"This is not necessarily the case today,"
says Dr. Ann S. Baker. "It's worth an
all-out effort to treat the patient with all
the cardiopulmonary support that one can
provide."
Dr. Baker is a physician and member
of the Infectious Disease Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, an assistant
professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and an epidemiologist at the
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
She explains that a new antirabies
vaccine (Human Diploid Cell Strain
Vaccine) is six to ten times more potent
than the• duck-embryo vaccine used
successfully against the malady since
being licensed in 1957.
In place of a series of twenty-one or
twenty-two painful injections administered over a two-week period, only a
half-dozen inoculations of the new vaccine assure full immunization. And the
side effects, such as muscle pain and
fever, are less severe.
Most cities in the United States have
been declared rabies-free as the result of
Between 6,000 and 7,000
poisonous snakebites are
recorded each year in this
country.
years of compulsory vaccination of
domestic pets. In rural areas, however, if
the biting animal cannot be caught and
examined, two questions must be asked:
Was the attack provoked? Has ownership
of the offender been established? A
negative reply to either question might
warrant vaccinating the victim.
The Federal Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, reports that in
1977, the latest year for which statistics
are available, 3,130 animals in this
country were found to be rabid.
Skunks accounted for 52 percent of the
total, followed by bats, 20 percent;
raccoons, 8 percent; cattle, 6 percent;
PHOTOGRAPHS BY RALPH 8 ARLAN BLODGETT
foxes, 4 percent; and dogs, 3 percent.
Miscellaneous other domestic or wild
creatures completed the list. In Massachusetts during 1977, ten cases of animal
rabies were reported, all involving bats,
according to the State Laboratory Institute.
How to care for bites
Dr. Baker says that all animal bites
require very careful washing of the
wound, but that suspected rabies calls for
additional scrubbing of the site with soap
and a brush, a careful rinse, then a repeat
wash with alcohol to try to remove and
kill the virus.
Gauze or some such cover may be put
on the wound to keep dirt out, but no
attempt should be made to sew up the
wound, whether rabies is suspected or
not, until a medical professional can
examine and treat the injury.
Tourists and campers are advised to be
LIFE & HEALTH-JUNE 1981
25
on the alert for snakes. Between 6,000
and 7,000 poisonous snakebites are
recorded each year in this country, the
largest proportion in the Southwestern
and Gulf States. Even areas like Massachusetts and Rhode Island, however,
have rattlesnakes and copperheads. Most
commonly treated are snake handlers,
entertainers, farmers, and children.
The degree of toxicity from the bite
depends on the potency of the venom, the
amount injected, the size and condition
of the snake, and the age, size, and health
of the person attacked.
"As soon as possible after a limb is
bitten, a tourniquet should be placed
around the extremity above the wound to
prevent the venom from traveling
through the blood stream," says Dr.
Baker. "However, the tourniquet should
be loosened periodically to avoid impairment of the blood supply to the limb.
"Parallel cuts can also be made
through the fang marks to give the poison
a better chance to drain. A suctioning
device is also helpful, but there should be
no delay in reaching a hospital or clinic to
receive an antidote to the poison."
Dr. Baker says that emergency rooms
in urban medical centers should be
prepared to • treat the bite of the most
common poisonous snakes.
Some years ago a 16-year-old boy was
treated successfully at Massachusetts
General Hospital after being bitten by a
cottonmouth, also called a water moccasin. A collector of reptiles, the youth had
the cottonmouth shipped from a snake
farm in Florida. In handling the pet, the
boy mistakenly thought the snake had
been defanged.
Spiders have a much worse reputation
than they deserve. In the United States,
the female black widow, which has an
hourglass-shaped red mark on its abdomen, represents the greatest concern.
The bite of the aggressive black widow
produces at the site a sharp pain that
subsides, only to be followed by a
cramping pain, mainly in the abdomen.
Patients usually do well after evaluation
and treatment. Contrary to common
belief, death is quite rare.
Public health officials caution travelers against handling wild rabbits
because of a disease call tularemia, or
rabbit fever. Several days after contact
with the animal, symptoms of the disease
appear in the form of headache, fever,
lymph-node swelling, and, at the site of
the bite, a skin lesion. The disease may
also be contracted by eating poorly
26
LIFE & HEALTH-JUNE 1981
Do not try to play with
animals in the wild or to
capture them as pets.
cooked rabbit meat. Ticks inhabiting the
rabbit's fur can also transmit the disease
to humans. In Massachusetts most cases
of tularemia are caused by these parasitic
insects.
Ticks transmit another potentially
deadly disease—Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Dr. Baker points out that more
cases of this malady occur on the Atlantic
Coast than in the Rocky Mountains. "In
recent years," she says, "we have seen
an increasing incidence of the disease in
the Cape Cod area."
Watch out for insects
Guarding against insect bites of all
types during this time of year is important. "One percent of our population is
allergic to insect stings," Dr. Baker
explains. Some persons are subject to a
kind of shock (anaphylactic) and can die
from such stings.
"If a person is stung by a bee, wasp, or
hornet and develops an unusually large
area of skin redness, inflammation, or ,
swelling around the bite, he should avail
himself of kits containing antiinsect
remedies," Dr. Baker says. "Many such
kits are available commercially.
"Meantime, regardless of the insect,
the stinger should be removed by scraping it off with a clean, dull blade, and the
wound should be cleaned. Pulling out the
stinger with thumb and forefinger could
squeeze more venom into the wound.
Cold compresses should then be applied.
If the victim does experience an allergic
reaction, he should seek professional
treatment. Among household pets, principally
cats, the most common bacterial infection transmitted to humans by means of
bites is called Pasteurella multocida. If
the organism penetrates deeply, an
inflammation of the bone (osteomyelitis)
can result.
"One would prescribe penicillin if the
bite were inflicted by a cat," Dr. Baker
says, "because a feline usually possesses
longer and sharper teeth than a dog.
Also, the organism isn't quite as prevalent in the dog's mouth. In tending to dog
bites, it is usually sufficient to clean the
wound and leave it open."
The second most common concern
among cat owners, especially those
having kittens, is an ailment called cat
scratch disease. The cause is uncertain,
but the scratch may lead to a skin lump,
fever, lymph-node swelling, and general
malaise. The victim eventually recovers
without treatment.
In general, to avoid infections trans- r
mitted by animals, Dr. Baker recommends:
• Do not try to play with animals in the
wild or to capture them as pets.
• If bitten without provocation by an
animal whose ownership cannot be
established, seek immediate professional
care.
• When traveling in an area where
snakes or insects abound, carry an •
appropriate antivenin kit and wear protective clothing.
• Do not tease animals, especially if
they are caged or tethered.
• Make sure pets are properly
immunized.
• After fondling pets of any kind, be
sure to wash your hands.
GAZETTE
4
Addiction may be reason smokers
can't quit
Addiction rather than weak will
could be the reason millions of cigarette smokers can't quit, a team of
University of Minnesota researchers
may prove.
Working under a grant from the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, the
four-member team is studying
behavior of smokers and those trying
to quit. According to John Hughes, a
psychiatrist with the Laboratory of
Physiological Hygiene, the four-year
project will attempt to show that
nicotine can cause addiction similar
to alcohol and drug dependency,
and, therefore, that smoking is more
than a habit.
The study will focus on three major
questions: Is smoking addictive?
What drug in tobacco makes it
addictive? How can smokers best be
withdrawn from the drug?
Although it has long been
assumed that nicotine is the ingredient in tobacco that gets smokers
hooked, it has never been proved,
says psychologist Roy Pickens.
However, a series of studies at the
university will attempt to show the
link.
"We're taking a drug-abuse
approach toward the problem," says
Pickens, an expert in drug problems.
"We're trying to capitalize on every-
thing we know about drug dependency."
Smokers in the study will be given a
nicotine-blocking drug while they
continue to smoke, to determine if
their bodies react as if they had
stopped smoking. Another phase of
the project will involve administering
nicotine to smokers to see if their
desire to smoke is satisfied.
One indication that smokers
develop a physical need for daily
levels of nicotine, Pickens says, is
that those trying to cut down gradually unconsciously begin to compensate for the decrease. For instance, if
a smoker goes from two packs a day
to one pack, each cigarette may be
smoked longer and the smoke held in
longer. "This seems to show that the
underlying purpose of the habit is to
regulate the daily level of nicotine,"
Pickens says.
The research could change society's attitude toward smokers,
Hughes says. "One of the problems
of smokers and exsmokers is that
people don't understand how much
distress they're in—they think it's just
a silly habit," he says.
"Society used to tell alcoholics and
drug addicts to just stop, and say
they were weak-willed if they didn't,"
Hughes points out. "Most people
don't understand it's not something
you can just do or not do."
ILLUSTRATION BY WARREN ROOD
One indication that attitudes are
changing comes from the Federal
Government's shift of smoking
research from the National Institutes
of Health to the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, Hughes says.
Once researchers understand
what causes the physical problems—irritability, insomnia, increased appetite, and nervousness—associated with giving up
cigarettes, they'll be able to develop
better treatment for smokers,
Pickens says. "If we find it is a
physical dependency, we may be
able to detoxify patients, get them
through the transition period, and
keep them from falling back into
smoking."
"Most people would like to stop,"
Hughes says, "but they know it's
going to hurt. But we don't know how
long it hurts and why it hurts longer in
some than in others." He says that
studies indicate that 95 percent of all
smokers would like to quit and 65
percent would if there were an easy
way.
—News feature, University of Minnesota.
CU cereal study hits fortification
"The mere addition of a vitamin or a
mineral to a food does not ensure that
the vitamin or mineral will be used by
the body," Consumer Reports, the
LIFE 8 HEALTH-JUNE 1981
27
magazine of Consumers Union (CU),
notes in a report on 57 breakfast
cereals in its February issue.
"Cereal companies, well aware of
the selling power of 'good nutrition,'
have co-opted for their advertising
pronouncements both the U.S. RDA
figures and the number of vitamins
and minerals added as fortification,"
CU continues. "To judge by the
banners and 'screamers' on cereal
boxes, you'd think there was a vitamin war in progress. This cereal has
seven vitamins, that one eight, the
next one nine plus iron. . .
"The hoopla helps create a false
impression of nutritional completeness. Total, for instance, implies in its
very name that it supplies 100 percent of everything you need to eat.
What Total really supplies is 100
percent of the U.S. RDA for nine
vitamins and iron, smaller amounts of
the RDA for a few other minerals, and
amounts of protein and carbohydrate
typical for a cereal. That's obviously
not 'total' nutrition, as the results of
our laboratory tests demonstrate."
In a replay of its controversial study
of the early 1970s, CU fed cereal plus
water (not milk) to young rats, then
observed how they thrived—or failed
to thrive—on various brands. CU
argues that rat feeding, with cereal as
the sole food, is a fair test of a
product's nutritional quality.
In the CU test, traditional cereals
such as All-Bran, Cheerios, and
Grape Nuts drew high ratings,
whereas several "100 percent fortified" cereals—including Total, Most,
and Product 19—were near the bottom of the scale.
"A breakfast cereal masquerading
as a vitamin supplement appeals to
the mistaken notion that if a little bit of
vitamin or mineral is good, more must
be better," CU said. "A person eating
one of the 'supplement' cereals might
think that eating such a breakfast
gives license to eat junk food the rest
for pilot training have been followed
down through the years. Most of the
subjects after WW II went on to find
different occupations, but they have
been contacted annually, and complete medical exams have been
performed on them every three
years.
Dr. Rabkin, who is an associate
professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, found that for
men with previous evidence of heart
disease, the death rate from sudden
cardiac death was pretty much uniform throughout the week. In contrast, men with no prior history of
heart trouble suffered a significant
number of sudden-death heart
attacks on Monday. In fact, 75 percent of such fatal attacks occurring at
work were on Mondays. Home was
no haven either, with 43 percent of
sudden-death heart attacks taking
place at home, also on Mondays.
While finding a definite cause for
the sharp increase of sudden-death
heart attacks on Mondays was not
part of the study, Dr. Rabkin speculates that it relates to a return to the
work environment.
"Going back to work on Monday
ti
after a weekend's rest may be
exposing people to a reintroduction
to occupational stress, physical
activity, or occupational pollutants,"
said Rabkin. "Of the three possibilities, we tend to favor the stress theory
because many of the individuals
were not in occupations that exposed
them to marked physical activity or
occupational pollutions. There were
a number of people with sedentary
of the day without ill effect. The low
ratings . . . demonstrate the futility of
'100 percent fortification' with fewer
than 50 percent of the nutrients
needed to sustain life and growth."
The CU report also discusses the
role of sugar, fiber, sodium, and
artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives in the manufacture and
marketing of ready-to-eat cereals.
—CNI Weekly Report, Vol. XI, No. 5,
published by the Community Nutrition Institute, Washington, D.C.
Mondays may be hazardous to
your health
Mondays have never been popular, because they usually signal the
end of leisure time and a return to
work. Now evidence is turning up that
indicates that those "Blue Mondays"
may be producing more than anxiety
about going back to the daily grind.
Information from a new study
shows that more sudden-death heart
attacks occur on Monday than on any
other day of the week. Even more
startling is that the high incidence of
sudden-death heart attacks at the
beginning of the week is in men with
no previous history of heart trouble.
While an exact cause is not known,
researchers speculate that it relates
to a return to occupational stress.
The findings, reported by Dr.
Simon Rabkin in a recent issue of the
Journal of the American Medical
Association (224:1357, 1358; 1980),
are part of an ongoing study (the
Manitoba Study) on cardiovascular
problems that began in 1948. A
group of nearly 4,000 men found fit
r _ ,.. _ _ ,.. _ _, _ _ _ .., _ _ _ _ _ _ - -, - - .1 •
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jobs who came in to work on Monday,
sat down at their desks, and died."
Psychological stress has been
related to sudden cardiac death in
other studies (W. A. Green, S. Goldstein, A. J. Moss, "Psychosocial
Aspects of Sudden Death: A Preliminary Report," Arch. Intern. Med.
129:725-731, 1972), and Rabkin
feels that returning to work on Monday may be serving as a stressor.
While more study on the subject is
needed, it may be that the stress
brought on by "Blue Mondays"
shouldn't be taken so lightly. It could
actually be hazardous to your health.
—Thomas C. Lawry, Director of Public Relations, Reid Memorial Hospital,
Richmond, Indiana.
Energy conservation—a community life style
If any community leads the nation
in energy conservation, the small
university town of Davis, California,
has to be a prime candidate. Back in
the early 1970s Davis enacted a
tough building code requiring pas
sive solar features in new homes.
Later, an energy conservation retrofit
law was passed. Before a house
could be sold it had to meet certain
insulation and weatherstripping
standards and be equipped with
low-flow shower heads. The town
built some twenty-four miles of bike
lanes and now has nearly as many
registered bicycles (28,000 to 30,000) as residents (35,000). Energy
conservation is a way of life in Davis.
There's far less pollution and congestion, and since 1973 electricity consumption per capita has dropped 18
percent and natural gas use is down
35 percent.
—The Energy Consumer, January
1981, published by the U.S. Department of Energy.
rently rely on insulin produced from
the pancreas glands of swine and
cattle. Biosynthetic human insulin is
identical to insulin produced in the
human body, but is made by means
of recombinant DNA, using a laboratory strain of common bacteria found
in the body. This is believed to be the
first long-term application of recombinant DNA technology in the world.
Clinical evaluation in diabetics
began in December, 1980, at the
University of Kansas School of Medicine—Wichita. Other centers in the
United States and Canada will begin
evaluation of the recombinant DNAproduced medicine in the near
future, according to Eli Lilly and
Company, manufacturer of the new
insulin. Lilly is a pioneer in the
development of insulin. The company developed the first commercial
production of insulin in 1923 and has
continued its efforts to improve the
medicine.
—News release, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Bicycle touring—California style
or in the Michigan manner
Bicycle touring seems to be a
growing form of recreation in the
United States as more and more
people discover the joys of riding out
and seeing the countryside, getting
close to nature, feeling more fit, and
saving on gasoline costs. (For some
suggestions about how to become
involved in bicycle touring, see LIFE
& HEALTH, May, 1981.)
Backroads Bicycle Touring Co.,
based in Berkeley, California, offers
weekend, three-day, five-day, and
six-day tours, for novice, intermediate, and advanced cyclists. Some of
the scenic areas scheduled to be
visited this summer and fall are the
Big Sur Coast, Grand Tetons-Yellowstone, The Canadian Rockies, Puget
Biosynthetic human insulin being Sound, Zion-Bryce-Grand Canyon,
and a number of northern California
tested
Clinical evaluation of biosynthetic sites.
For more information, contact Tom
human insulin in diabetic patients
began in February of this year at Hale or Linda Petty, P.O. Box 5534,
medical centers in Detroit, Philadel- Berkeley, California 94705, telephone (415) 652-0786.
phia, and Trenton.
If you'd prefer Michigan scenery,
Thorough evaluation of the new
insulin must be conducted prior to Michigan Bicycle Touring offers the
application for the Government opportunity to experience the natural
approvals required before the prod- splendor of northern Michigan. A
variety of tours allows you to make a
uct is available for all diabetics.
Insulin-dependent diabetics cur- selection based on trip length,
cycling distance per day, degree of
difficulty, and scenic attractions.
Some of the tours include a little
canoeing in addition to cycling.
For specifics, contact Michael
Robold, 162 Golfview Drive, Brooklyn, Michigan 49230, telephone (517)
592-8620.
And man created heat
The extreme heat waves that swept
the country during the summer of
1980 could be a sign of a mancreated process that could destroy
the world's ecosystem by the year
2,030, says the chairman of the
Chemistry Department at the University of Alabama. According to Dr.
William Paudler, soaring temperatures could be part of "tremendous
climatic changes, the likes of which
man cannot possibly imagine."
Paudler says the changes might be
caused by the "greenhouse effect."
This effect, he notes, deals with the
burning of fossil fuels, which results
in the burning of carbon dioxide.
Plants convert carbon dioxide into
oxygen for people to breathe and into
carbon compounds," he says. "If
there is too much carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere, which there is, several things can happen. One, there
are not enough plants or algae to
convert the carbon dioxide to oxygen
and carbon compounds, so we begin
to have a decrease in our atmosphere's oxygen content. So what
happens to the extra carbon dioxide?
It goes to the upper levels of the
atmosphere, where it behaves much
like a blanket akin to the temperatures in a greenhouse—it lets sunlight into our atmosphere but will not
let some of the heat generated on
earth back out."
—News release, University of Alabama.
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29
BOOKSHELF
Review or listing of books does not constitute endorsement.
Books reviewed by Ella Rydzewski. former editorial secretary. LIFE & HFALTH.
Not for Doctors Only, Dr. James
Wasco. Addison-Wesley Publishing
Company, Inc., Reading, Massachusetts 01867, 1980, 306 pages,
$7.95 paperback, $12.95 hardback.
This volume claims to present
more than 100 medical discoveries
and inventions that even your doctor
may not know about. Dr. Wasco is an
experienced television medical
reporter, and in Not for Doctors Only
systematically writes on a spectrum
of topics that will be interesting to the
healthy and give hope to the ill.
The author feels, and he uses a
recent University of Michigan study
to back him up, that many physicians
are so busy working that they are
behind in their knowledge of up-todate medical advances. In this book
he tells about new treatments for
herpes, heart disease, acne, cancer,
psoriasis, and many other conditions.
A few of Dr. Wasco's "breakthroughs" seem not so new, and in
fact may become outdated very
rapidly as medicine continues on
with its dizzying advances in treatment and prevention of disease.
Citrus, How to Select, Grow and
Enjoy, Richard Ray and Lance Walheim. HPBooks, P.O. Box 5367, Tucson, Arizona 85703, 1980, 176
pages, $7.95 paperback (plus 750
postage).
This profusely illustrated volume
on citrus has been written as a guide
for citrus growers or anyone who
enjoys knowing more about these
beautiful, healthful fruits.
Maps show the areas of citrus
growing, and charts provide information about citrus pests. For easy
recognition, pictures are included of
those pests that are the most
destructive. More than 100 varieties
of citrus are described, and instructions are given on how to grow them.
Of special interest are the dwarf
varieties that allow small-space gardeners to enjoy the benefits of growing citrus. According to the author,
these can produce 50 to 60 percent
of the amount of fruit provided by a
standard tree.
30
LIFE 8 HEALTH-JUNE 1981
The more than 300 full-color
photos make this an attractive as well
as useful volume.
Why Seek Ye the Dead Among the
Living? A guide for widows, Alan C.
Tibbetts. Dorrance & Company, Inc.,
Cricket Terrace Center, Ardmore,
Pennsylvania 19003, 1981, 95
pages, $5.95 hardback.
As an Army chaplain in 1964 Dr.
Alan C. Tibbetts began counseling
widows when he came in contact with
women whose husbands had been
killed in Vietnam. In this volume he
presents an eleven-part, step-bystep guide for widows. Dr. Tibbetts
takes a direct, but compassionate,
common-sense approach toward
widowhood. His advice is directed to
that most difficult initial period, as he
helps widows evaluate their life and
its priorities.
Jackie's Book of Household
Charts, Jacqueline Hostage. Betterway Publications, White Hall, Virginia
22987, 1980, 113 pages, $5.95
paperback.
Jackie's Book of Household Charts
is a welcome addition to every wellorganized household. Have you ever
wished you had all your household
information in one place within easy
reach? Now you can do that with this
handy little comb-back book. It
covers subjects from family
diet/nutrition guidelines to directions
on how long and where to keep
important papers. Included are
charts on safe food storage and
information on how to care for seventy-five well-known houseplants.
There is a guide on the safe use of
medicines and another on energyconservation methods. It tells you
how to file consumer complaints and
how to cook with herbs and spices.
Another helpful addition is a number of charts you can fill in to keep on
file such things as household inventory, family health, dates to remember, clothing sizes, and other family
and financial records.
This book can be an asset for
anyone—families, couples, and singles.
Diet Against Disease, Alice A. Martin and Frances Tenenbaum.
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2 Park
St., Boston, Massachusetts 02107,
1980, 325 pages, $11.95 hardback.
Diet Against Diseasecovers a lot of
ground in the area of preventing
illness through better nutrition. It
begins by presenting the evidences
that link disease and faulty diet and
then goes on to discuss various
aspects of dietary needs. In Part I are
sections on fat, vitamins and minerals, salt, cholesterol, protein,
starch, sugar, fiber, and additives.
The second part of the book discusses putting this knowledge about
diet into practical use by giving
guidance in selecting, storing, and
preparing foods. Part III provides
recipes and cooking procedures. In
the appendix 41 pages detail. the
nutritive value of commonly used
foods. The appendix also includes
the dietary guidelines that were
issued in 1980 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S.
Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare.
Though this "new plan for safe and
healthy eating" is not vegetarian, the
guidelines proposed therein can be
modified and are valuable to everyone who aspires to a more healthful
life style.
Best Practical Parenting Tips, Vicki
Lansky. Meadowbrook Press, 18318
Minnetonka Blvd., Deephaven, Minnesota 55391, 1980, 139 pages,
$3.95 paperback.
This volume boasts more than
1,000 parent-tested ideas for the first
five years of a child's life. These tips
are presented under the headings of
fifty different topics having to do with
childrearing, including new-baby
care, feeding, toilet training, fears,
discipline, sibling rivalry, and many
more.
Vicki Lansky is a well-known American author of books on babies and
children. This book grew out of a
newsletter that she originated to
enable parents to share ideas that
had worked for them.
4
A
I
4
I
BASIC Ifpfils GROUPS
Vegetable-fruit group
four or more servings
Citrus fruits,
tomatoes, cabbage,
peppers, melons,
berries, dark- green
or deep-yellow
vegetables, potatoes,
and others
Bread- cereal group
four or more servings
Breads, cereals, and
other grain products
made from whole
( preferred ), enriched,
or restored grains
Protein group
two or more servings
Dry beans, dry peas,
lentils, garbanzos,
nuts, peanuts,
peanut butter, eggs,
cottage cheese,
soy cheese,
vegetable proteins
Milk group
children- - 3 to 4 cups
adults- -2 or more cups
Whole, evaporated,
or skim milk,
reconstituted dry
milk, buttermilk,
or soybean milk
Eat additional food as
needed for more calories
Is your kitchen suffering from the
decorative "ho-hums"? Do you
want to brighten things up and at
the same time have a daily rernino,
of your nutritional needs":'
Health is making available to you
this beautiful full-color poster on the
basic food groups for only 51.00.
Order your 21 \ 20 poster today'
Please send me
C
a_
_<2
a_
basic-food-groups poster(s) at $1 00 each.
I have enclosed $
Name
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Address
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Zip
NW., Washington. D.C.20012
Dental Fact or Fiction—#2
Answers to the most common
dental questions
The size, form, and arrangement of teeth encourage some to shed and others to hold tooth-decaying food. This is often an inherited trait. Nevertheless, what we eat, rather than heredity, more
often influences our dental health. Even though.'
parents have good teeth, their children must
brush and floss properly and reduce their
intake of refined starches and sugars to a -6
minimum to reduce dental decay.
Technique equals effectiveness
Learning how to brush and floss
your teeth properly is a very important part of personal dental care .
It's not how hard you brush your
teeth that really matters, but, how
thoroughly you clean them. Do
you know the best way to
brush and floss your teeth?
Learn how in the new Life &
Health supplement, the
Dental Health Special.
This 16-page booklet
is full of all kinds of
practical information
on personal dental
care, including
articles on preventing chil
dren's dental
injuries and
the hidden
sugars in
food.
Find out
more about
your teeth.
your copy of
Dental He.
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DH103

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