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Here, from leading health e -
pens, are ix oth r early-warning
igns to watch for:
- Brt f I P in i ht or
pe h. Thi ymptom could ignal
transient i chemic ttack (fIA), a
brief period when blood fail to reach
a pecific area of the brain. Some
neurologi ts estimate that up to one
third of people who experience a
I TlA later uffer a troke. Be ides
lapse in ight or peech, ymptom
include dizzine ,tingling and
nurnbne s. limb weakne ,inability
, to comprehend or use the correct
I word when peaking. TlAs can be as
; brief as 30 second or as long as 24
: hours.
- Ch nge in a mole. This
could signal a malignant melanoma
I (one type of kin cancer). Some
I 6,500 Americans died of malignant
I melanoma in 1990.
I
Yet, in its early tages, melanoma
is almo t always curable -reqlliring
nothing more than the surgical
removal of the mole.
What to look for: Melanomas
have an uneven shape.
One half does not match th other.
Edges are ragged, notched or
blurred. Nonuniform shades of tan,
brown and Black are present. Cften,
there are also mottled dashe of red,
. white and blue. Melanomas normal
ly are six millimeters or more aero s
- about the size of a pencil eraser.
Any increase in ize should be a
., warning sign.
- Recurrent coughing. Usual-
.' I ly a stubborn cough i notasymptom
of a life-threatening illne '. Often it
is caused by a chronic po t-nasal
drip. "But it also can. ignal an
obstructed airway, asthma, conges
tive heart di ease OF lung cancer,"
say Dr. Norman H. Edelman, con
sultant for scientific affairs for the
I • American Lung Association.
I. I "The key is not to diagnose your-
1" I self," says Dr. Daniel Ein, a
.. Washington, D.C., allergist. "If a
I. "cough continues for two weeks or
I more, and there is no obvious ex-
· planation, such as a cold, see. your
doctor."
- Persistent itchin . Persistent
II.
itching can signa! diabetes, several
blood disorders, liver disease and
Hodgkin's disease. It also may be a
r· ,I , ide effect of certain medications.
including antibiotics.
"In most cases, itching is a minor
dermatological problem caused by
, !' anything from tress to a kin allergy
. or sensitivity to certain soaps or
fabric softeners," ays Dr. Isadore
Rosenfeld, clinical professor of
medicine at New York's Cornell
University School of Medicine.
"But when itching persists and there
Is This How
You Feel About
Breast Cancer?
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l_L--tU-tIoMI---Y- M_t c.nc.er_E HodIne ____
Early d tection can mak the differ n .
Call ( ) 221-2141 w kday,
a.m- 5:00 p.m. (c ntral tim zon ).
r
y
cO ..... .. ... _ -
HEALTH
p
-7
A program to provide free eye
examinations to low-income work
ing people and their families gets
underway in Michigan in January.
The program, called VISION
USA, i being sponsored by the
Michigan Optometric Association
and is part of a nationwide effort
initiated by the American Op
tometric As ociation.
Low income workers can sign up
for free eye care by calling l-BOO-
766-4466 in January, according to
Will E. Phillip , 0.0., chair of the
VISION USA program in Michigan.
The eye exams will be given in
optometrists' private offices in
March, coinciding with the 65th an
niversary celebration of Save Your
Vision Week, March 1-7. The op
tometri 15 are volunteering their time
and services as "a way of givihg
something back to the people of the
community," Dr. Phillips said.
TO QUALIFY for the free eye
care, persons must have a job or live
in a household where there is one
working member; have no health in
surance; have income below an es
tablished level based on family size;
and have had no eye examination
within 12 months.
recur,
life.
ar
y
Thi i the econd year the
VISION USA program ha been of
fered nationally. Last year, more
than 8,000 AOA-member op
tometrist aero the country
donated their service and nearly
40,000 people rec ived the free eye
care.
"Almo t 90 P rcent of the people
we examined throughout the country
in last year's VISION USA program
had eye health or vi ion problems,"
Dr. Phillips said. "For over 15 per
cent, this was their first eye exam
ever. And that group included mid
dle-aged adults. It hows what a
great need there i for a program like
VISION USA."
Based on last year' experience,
Dr. Phillip said, "It's evident that
many people in low-income Iamilies
are not doing as well as they could at
work or in school because of uncor
rected vision problems. We want to
• help eliminate this situation by
giving these p ople acce s to regular
eye care."
VISION USA was started in 1985
with a pilot program in Kentucky. It
quickly spread to m ny oth r state
and, in 1991, became a nationwide
program.
surance w a pr blem in
of the country.
The analy of the tudy al 0
looked at 15 prote ions and their
rate of unin ured. According to
lh report, th real tat field h d
th high t r te, with 20 percent,
[011 wed by the clergy, with 16
p rce ni lackin h alth car
coverage.
Le i lators and judge were the
only p fe . al group in which
all individua insured.
D AR DIALOGU : When we were kids and got a sore
throat, my Mom had us gargle with a mixture of warm water
and spoons of baking soda and table salt: It burned, but did
it do some good?
- T.B., Wa hington, D.C.
DEAR T.B.: Modern medicine i judging Mom wrong. A
UCLA throat expert say a home remedy gargle i a wa te of
time. Might even do some harm. For a dry, cratchy throat or
hoar enes of speech, he recommend drinking a lot of water,
inhaling steam from a vaporizer several time a day, and
glycerin cough drop to lubricate the throat (no 'mint or
menthol flavoring).
And, don't forget, frequent hand wa hing i one of the be t
methods to prevent sore throats, cold or flu.
HELPFEEDT
Study shows man
are affected
L H SA U L
MELV DL CK H �AR.
R.N. j a Detr it health educator
and con ultant. She i al 0 co-
tour I h'.
y u' kin &YOll
dial-ogue
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