HEALTH
Pro tate c n r will kill 32,
m n thi ye r 10 , yet many m n,
e pecially Bl c • re not being ex
mined for h. Only 5 percent 0
Blac men h ve h d pro t te
creening, comp red to 0 percent of J
white men th tiona} Cancer In-
titut ( CI) reports. While on in 11
men will develop the di e e, mong
Bl c ,th ratio i the highe t in the
world: on in nin .
"Men need to get a yearly, imple
rectal exam tatting at age 40 that can
be done by a phy ician in about one
minute," Dr. Staggers ay. "Since
pro t te cancer often pread
without ymptoms, regular creen
ing would go a long way toward
early detection, allowing a much
more favorable outcome."
BlOOd Te.t Deyeioped
During the traditional digital rec
tal exam (ORE) the Phy ician inserts
a gloved finger into the patient's rec
tum and pre es against the prostate,
feeling for enlargements or hard
lump. During PCAW, many par
ticipating centers will at 0 offer an
investigational blood test known as
prostate Specific Antigen, or PSA.
The tes measure the blood level of
PSA, a protein produced by prostate
cells.
Last year, among patients con
firmed by biopsy to have prostate
cancer, the PSA te t was more ac
curate than the traditional DRE --
41.6 percent vs. 20 percent.
More important, the combination
of tests provided an even higher
. diagnostic accuracy rate (44.2 per
cent) when both te ts were abnormal.
Katrina Denson's story is an inspiring one. The daughter of a teen-age mother, Katrina pulled herself
out of poverty by turning to the books. And not the streets.
Now with the help of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, Katrina is closing in on her gool of
becoming a nurse. • .
The Miller Brewing Company is committed to making dreams like Katrina's a reality through the
Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.
It's the only four-year,' national scholarship' program devoted to providing tuition and expenses to
students attending historically Black public colleges and universities. These schools don't receive the same
ftnancial backing given to Black private colleges and universities. .
Yet these thirty-six historically Black public schools account for over 70% of the stud nts graduating
from Black college� and universities.
Help us help future leaders like Katrina. They're some of the best investments you can make today.
Give to the Thurgood Marshal,l Scholarship Fund.
For Fundroising Program Information. pleas co I 612-835-7838.
Donotions should be sent to:
Thurgood Marshall Scholo hip Fund.
Processing enter, P.O. Box 39992. Washington. O.c. 20036
,; . 202-778-0818
Prostate Cancer Strikes Thousands - Few Examined
d
122,000 Men Will
Develop Prostate
Cancer In 1991
-. I
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32,000 Men
Will Die In 1991
6,000 Men
Received An Exam
Within Past Year·
PCAW Support d By M dice.
Conium" ""a.upa_
Many pro-: i nent organizations
upport Pro tate Cancer Awarene
Week, il in the Americ n
Urological � ... vciation, American
Foundation or Urologic Di ease and
The National Can er Care Founda-
tion. ,
"Prostate cancer education in the
'90s needs the attention breast can
cer: generated in the '80s," says
Rocky Bleier, national PCAW
.. !
,. ,
· : '
' ..
• ... r
"
• I
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, . '
effective patient education to comb t
thi life-threatening di e. " t •
Pro t te Cancer Aw re�
Week and dditional community
outreach efforts are upported bX �
education I grant from th S txmQg
Corporation, .� . _
spoke person and former running
b ck for th Sup r owl Pittsburgh
Steelers. Bleier' grandfaSh r died
of pro tate c ncer.
Th Pro tate Cancer Edu tion
Council i n advi ory bo rd of
phy icl ns, health educators and
p tient upport group dedicated to
educating men and their f milie
bout pro tate c ncer and the impor
tance of early detection.
Pro tate Cancer Awarene
Week, the largest program of its
kind, continues to et an example for
.' J '
A free pro tate cancer brochure
is available by writing the Prosttue
Cancer Education Council, c/o
Chase Direct Mail Corp; 10(. W.
29th Street, New York, NY 10001.
"
Sickle Cell Anemia cuts acr ss cia
By DANNY R. COOKS
COf'Nspo"".nl
Dr. Wanda Whitten-Shurney
form the Children hospital Sickle
Cell Clinic of Detroit was the South
we tern Michigan Sickle Cell Sup
port Groun' guest peaker recently
as part o. ,:ckle Cell Awarene
Month aVIV ,II •
Dr.' utu -Shurney, discus ing
. the treatment of sickle Cell patients
and psychosocial issues that affect
families of Sickle Q:n patients, ad
dressed an audience of more than
sixty in downtown Kalamazoo's Gil
more Center for Health Education,
located at Bronson Methodist Hospi-
�l. .
"Sickle Cell is no re pector of
eta 0" breeding," Dr. Whitten
Shurney aid, "people from all
. profession and lifestyles are af
fected; doctors, lawyers, and
teachers." She "aid the number one
cause of deal) for Sickle Cell
patients is infe Lion, which means
fever is an emer �ency in Sickle Cell.
It is now pos 'ible to determine the
presence of th disease during preg
nancy, .whitten-Shurney said.
"Also, the cure for Sickle Cell dis
ease is bone marrow transplant but
it's such a risky procedure: The body
. will reject what is foreign to you,"
she said, nothing that a cure which
presents' a 10% or more chance of
death isn't much of a CW'C when the
disease isn't very life-threatening.
lines
Dr. Whltten-Shumey discussing the treatment of Sickle CeU patient �tb
an audience comprised of many mothers and their mall children. (p�to
by D. Cooka) \
Information on \ ..
Alzh Imer' 01 ea e�."
THE MEDICAL profession
doesn't understand why orne people
are sicker than others, Dr. Whitten
Shumey acknowledged. She also
was unable to say why it's so hard to
get the word out about the dise e
and ways of preventing its spread.
A free community tntorma> '.
tion ion on Alzheimer'S
Di ease and severe memorj",
loss will be held Wednesday', .
October 23 from 1 p.m. until 3 <, '
p.m. at Emmanuel Bpiscopal .
Church, 18430 John R. in"
Detroit. '
'For additiontl information,· .
please Call the Alzheimer'S ..
Assbciation at (313)557-827J . ,
or the Emmanuel Community '.
�nter at (313)869-3230. ',�."
Medical Arts
Pharmacy
13700 Woodward
.869-1800
DAVID N.
ZIMMERMAN
PO, FACA.
Pre.lde"t
Exercise-Induced Asthma and Athletics
More than 10 million Americans or about four percent of the U,S.
population have asthma. Accmling to a recent article in P harmacy Times,
one in ten persons with asthma suffers from a condition referred to as
exercise-induced asthma (EIA). EIA can affect an otherwise healthy
, individual, resulting in serious breathing problems. This can be trouble
some for highly active individuals, including athletes - amateur and pro
fessional.
EIA is a health problem that is receiving a lot of attention because it af
fects one of our most vital functions - breathing. Typically, after three
to eight minutes of vigorous exercise, EIA causes the air pas ages lead
ing to the lung to constrict Constriction may be mild or severe. Severe
constriction of air passages interferes with the normal exchange of oxy
gen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.
Several prescription medicines are available for those who uffer from
EIA. Physicians who tteal EIA may prescribe theopkylline, atbuierot, or
terblltaline. These medicines work by relaxing the smooth muscle ur
rounding air pas es leading to the lungs. Through the use of one or m��e
of these medicines, the person with a history of EIA may be able to paruci
pate in the same ctivities as does the person who does not have EIA,
, ,
They both need to be thorougl)ty ,
checked on a monthly basis. ..,
For furth r information arding
early defection call (800�1-2l4
weekdays, 9:00 am-5:00 p.mCSt
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Y-ME
CMcer •• -��-
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