National American Heart Health Month activities end with healthy heart presentations

Participants learned exercising techniques. (Lori Edmo-Suppah photo)

By Lori Edmo-Suppah
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — More than 50 people turned out Tuesday, February 23, to learn about maintaining a healthy heart at the Fort Hall Housing conference room.
Attendees learned about nutrition, exercise, the heart in relationship to hypertension and kidneys, along with de-stress techniques through Yoga. They were also treated to a healthy dinner and door prizes.
Registered dietician Char Byington from the University of Idaho Extension Service in Pocatello was the first to present on the topic, “Love your heart – feed it right.” She said that if one doesn’t take care of blood cholesterol, plaque builds in the arteries and it poses a risk for heart attack.
Salt intake is a big part of nutrition and where people carry extra body weight is important. Those with diabetes must take care of themselves because sugar is similar to sandpaper floating in the bloodstream. “Foods people eat are critically important,” she said and the browner the bread the better but more importantly it should be multi-grain.
Eating fruits and vegetables are the best to eat because they are high in nutrition and low in calcium. Milk should be low fat, skim or soymilk.
Byington added cranberry juice helps with inflammation. When buying lettuce she said darker green leaf lettuce such as romaine is better because iceberg lettuce doesn’t contain as much nutrients.
Karen Donaldson, also a registered dietician but from Excel Weight Loss Solutions of Pocatello, talked about “Blood sugar blues and belly fat – no thong leotards allowed.” She explained through a diagram how the pancreas produces insulin. She said the liver and pancreas are responsible for maintaining blood sugar. When blood sugar gets high then insulin resistance can develop where there is no energy in cells and too much sugar in the blood. When there is too much insulin in the blood, it travels around and stores in the belly therefore causing belly fat.
Donaldson said when there is extra sugar and insulin in the blood it can cause heart disease. It causes inflammation and raises triglyceride levels. But it can be taken care of with proper nutrition.
Dr. Nahim Raheem addressed “Heart – hypertension and the kidneys.” He said Native Americans have the most common incidence of diabetes among all ethnic groups. Seventy five million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80. Blood needs a certain amount of pressure to go from the heart to the fingertips.
Raheem said diabetes and high blood pressure adds stress. When kidneys get damaged protein leaks into the urine. If a person has diabetes, when he or she visits a doctor an important question to ask is about kidney disease. He said 20 million people have kidney disease in the country but only 400,000 are on dialysis.
Dialysis is where people are put on a machine to filter the poison out of the body when the kidney is no longer working. It replaces the function of the kidney to act as a filter where a small amount of blood is taken out of a person’s body, it’s cleaned then put back in the body. Raheem said kidneys do not heal most of the time.
Peritoneal dialysis is one type where it can be done at home. A tube goes into a person’s belly, clean water is put in then it sucks the poison out.
Raheem said Medicare pays most of dialysis, however those not covered by it may be covered by Contract Health if eligible.
Julie Dustin then explained how Yoga could help people to relax – meditation brings oneness. “When you take care of yourself, it can save a life,” she said.
She offers classes in Fort Hall every Tuesday at noon in the aerobics room next to Timbee Hall.

ISU Health Fair March 18-19

POCATELLO – The Idaho State University Health Fair 2010 – celebrating its 29th year – is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 18 and 19, and organizers are looking for private and public health enterprises to set up learning centers.
The health fair is sponsored by the ISU Kasiska College of Health Professions and Portneuf Medical Center (PMC). It will be held in the ISU Pond Student Union Ballroom. Participants are encouraged to bring a can of nonperishable food to help replenish the community’s food banks.
Portneuf Medical Center (PMC) will provide laboratory services at the fair on March 18 and 19 or can be done at one of PMC’s labs. If you have blood work done at one of the PMC labs, the draws will be available on a walk-in basis from 7 to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday beginning March 1 through March 31 at both the East and West PMC lab locations.
The PMC East lab is located at 777 Hospital Way with access to the lab through the main entrance. The West Campus lab is located in the main lab at 651 Memorial Drive. Access is on the ground floor (level six of the parking garage elevator). Parking is available in the parking garage.
If you have your blood drawn before March 15, you can pick up your blood profile results at the ISU Health Fair. Health care professionals will be available to interpret your results at the fair. If you have your blood drawn at the Health Fair or at a PMC lab after the Health Fair, your results will be mailed to you.
PMC offers a general health blood profile for $35. The screening will include a chemistry profile, assessments for cardiac risk based on cholesterol levels, a complete blood count and a thyroid screen. Optional tests include a $15 confidential HIV screening and a $15 prostate antigen test. Other tests that will be offered this year include thyroid function screen for $15, iron level for $5, uric acid level for $5, glycohemoglobin for $25 and insulin level for $25. A 14-hour fast is required prior to a blood draw for the lipid profile and general chemistry profile. Last year’s Health Fair featured more than 65 learning centers, providing services to hundreds of participants. ISU Dental Hygiene, Nursing and Pharmacy students will be available for consultation on medications, healthy teeth and gums, nutrition as well as other health-related topics.
For more information on learning centers, contact Heather Hodges 282-2132 or hodgheat@isu.edu

CHN: Walk-In H1N1 Vaccination clinic

FORT HALL — The Community Health Nursing Clinic is conducting walk-in H1N1 vaccination clinics at the Not-tsoo Gah-nee health care facility throughout February and March on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The H1N1 vaccinations are available to all community members and are not restricted to IHS eligible clients. Also, remember second doses for your children nine years old and younger are needed. If your child has received their first dose they will need the second dose for full immunity.
For more information please call the Community Health Nursing Program and ask for Julie Christensen R.N. at 208-238-5435 extension 3954.