Haiti

Haiti is a country that was facing massive poverty before the quake hit. They have neither the money, nor infrastructure for rescue work and rebuilding. I urge you to donate what you can to help Haiti.

Naturopaths can have a role in the relief work. Natural Doctors Internation (NDI) is sending in relief teams. I would love to join one of these teams myself, but I don't have a passport! There is something that I can do though, I can donate to the group.

Please consider donating to NDI for their Haiti Relief Effort. Here's a message from NDI

We have all been deeply distressed by the news and images of the destruction in Haiti resulting from the earthquake some 48 hours ago. Within our own family, Dr. Sabine Thomas is still trying to establish communication with many of her relatives who live in Haiti. NDI is coordinating with Dr. Sabine Thomas, Bastyr University and many other volunteers in the naturopathic community to purchase supplies and organize a disaster relief team to travel to Haiti to give care. Our goal is to fundraise money to create a sustainable effort to send food, medical supplies and teams of interdisciplinary health providers (ND's, LAC's, LMP's, CNM's, MD's, ARNP's, etc) to Haiti. We are organizing our first trip for February or March of 2010. If you would like to participate in the trip or volunteer in any way, please email us at haiti@ndimed.org.

Free Reuseable Menstrual Pads

I don't think I've posted about one of my favorite companies. I've had their link posted on the side bar at least! I am a proud GladRags Guerilla.

GladRags is a woman-owned company out of Portland. They make all sorts of reusable menstrual products. I've used GladRags pads since 2002 and they are all still in great shape. The company states that they last at least 5 years, and I can verify that!

I suggest starting to wear the pads at night to increase your confidence. The inserts are great, you can control the thickness to match your flow. After a few months of no leaks I was confident to wear them out and about. They're also great for post-partum use. GladRags are discreet and comfortable, try them you'll see!

I love not having to budget for menstrual products! Having a bathroom garbage that rarely needs to be emptied is also great. They can be machine or hand washed. I always line dry mine and they are really comfortable!

I'm posting now because there is a give-away going on. Woman Tribune is offering a color pad sampler worth $75.99! This sampler will get you started with everything you need. Head on over to their site and submit your free entries. The give-away ends today. If you miss it, you should consider ordering from GladRags.

Simple Energy Saving Tips for the Office

Welcome to 2010! For this post I'm attaching an article I wrote for the January issue of the CHD Newsletter. Many people use the new year as a time to focus on making changes in their lives. This article focuses on energy conservation in an office environment. This information is universally applicable. Try instituting these simple changes in your life!

Always look for the win-win

A lot of changes are happening at CHD. The move will cause a change in all of our habits. It is during this time of change that I suggest we change our habits for the better. I would like everyone to focus on ways to conserve energy.

Energy conservation is a win-win. By conserving power we help the environment and save money. Conservation allows us to continue “working for healthy communities.”

Need some ideas of easy ways to conserve energy at work?

• Turn off the light when you’re not in a room. If you’re going to be gone for longer than 30 seconds, turning off the lights will save energy, even with the most inefficient bulbs. There’s even an old Mythbusters episode about this! Another thing to check is if the natural light in the room is enough to see by. Sometimes you don’t need to turn on artificial lighting.
• Unplug your cell phone when it’s done charging. Your phone will continue to draw power while it’s on the charger. The charger by itself draws power when its plugged in. It’s not much energy, but when multiplied by 24 hours/day 7 days a week, it’s a real energy drain.
• Turn off your computer when you leave at night. By this I don’t mean just logging off, but fully shutting down the system including turning off the power at the bar. According to Tech Services, for most people here this is a good option. The main exception is VPN users. Those with desktop and laptop systems may notice slower start-up times as the computers do their routine maintenance. Thin client users will not experience any slowing.
• Use your own power to go short distances. There’s no need to drive a car to go a few blocks, unless you transporting large or heavy equipment. Walking and biking are great ways to save oil and keep in shape. If you live close to the office you can also use your own power to get here! There are several of us who don’t arrive by car. We’ll gladly share tips with you on how to commute using people power!

Busy Year Ahead

2010 is lining up to be an interesting year. There are a lot of changes that will be happening in my life and practice. I will be continuing my work at the Center for Human Development (CHD) Union County Public Health until April 16th. After that I will be moving to Santa Rosa, California to start a six month internship. I will end the year back in my home town of The Dalles, Oregon.

In the next few months I will continue to focus on teen pregnancy prevention. A coalition has started in Union County, and should be self-sustaining by the end of my service. The county is in desperate need of help in this area. If you're interested in joining the coalition please call 541-962-8836.

I will have 2 weeks between leaving CHD, and starting my internship. I will be doing a residential internship at TrueNorth Health Education and Fasting Center. At the end of my time there, I will be eligible to be certified by the International Association of Hygienic Physicians in Therapeutic Fasting Supervision.

I'm looking forward to this internship. Fasting is an area that is lacking in the education of most physicians. Learning more about this, often misunderstood, method of healing will be a wonderful experience. In the coming year I plan to post more entries about fasting.

Medical Care is a human right

For this year's Human Rights Day I want to draw people's attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration clearly guarantees the right to health and medical care. The same article also declares the right of mothers and children to special care and assistance.

Article 25.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
• (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

(You can read the declaration online at http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml)

Some countries do a wonderful job of providing these rights, others do not. In the US we barely meet these obligations. People are entitled to life-saving medical treatments, but not with care to promote and maintain health. Mothers and children do get some special care through SCHIP, and other state programs, but this assistance is very meager and many families suffer.

The US needs to provide health care (not just emergency disease care) to everyone. Why are we having a debate about this issue? It is our obligation to the citizens of the world to work to insure that human rights are met. The right to health care was clearly articulated over 60 years ago.

I urge you to spread this information to everyone you know. Have discussions with people about what you think this right guarantees. Attend demonstrations, blog, write letters!

Find out candidates opinions on health care. Talk to your elected officials about health care. Check their voting records! Do they support the meager legislation that we have, or have they repeatedly rejected renewing SCHIP? What about maternity leave? If their actions don't match their words, don't re-elect them!

It will never happen to me

It will never happen to me. I'm straight, and so is my partner. We don't do IV drugs and we're monogamous.

We were together for 5 years. We tried having a baby and then things fell apart. Now I've met someone new. My partner wants me to get an HIV test before we have sex. What's the point? I know that I'm not infected...

It's been a while since I've done the whole condom thing. I went to buy condoms and discovered that the lambskin ones don't protect against sexually transmitted infections. Who knew?! What's the point of a condom that doesn't stop the spread of HIV?

Today I am Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day. Today I remember all who are infected without knowing they are at risk. The above stories highlight many of the ways people unknowingly put themselves at risk. There are so many people who assume that heterosexual serial monogamy will protect them. Others use lambskin condoms, assuming that all condoms prevent the spread of HIV.

In most cities, the only non-latex condoms that grocery stores sell are lambskin. People with latex allergies have very little choice. Luckily, public health departments and internet retailers can provide fairly easy access to non-latex condoms that do prevent the spread of HIV and other STIs.

How many people go without HIV testing between relationships? Serial monogamy does not prevent HIV transmission. Everyone should have an HIV test at the end and beginning of every relationship. I don't care if you're 12, or 92. Do it for your partner.

To find an HIV test site, text your ZIP to “KNOWIT" (566948), or visit www.HIVtest.org. On this World AIDS Day join me in facing AIDS for yourself, your partner, and your community. Together we can fight AIDS.

Take Local Action- Support a Farmer's Market!

Today I'm urging you to take local action to support your health. The action I would like you to focus on is supporting local farmer's markets. In most areas this is the off season for markets, but its a great time to prepare for their return in the spring/summer.
Is there a farmer's market in your area? In La Grande we have a market that runs June through October. I recommend that you search around and see if there's one you can attend. If there isn't one, consider trying to get one started (post a comment and I'll connect you to resources to do so).
There are multiple ways to support your local market. The easiest is as a consumer. At the farmer's market you can have access to fresh healthy produce. You are able to talk to the producer and find out how they produce the food. Is it organic? Organically grown, but not certified? Do they use chemicals? How is it harvested? Many of these producers harvest the food themselves, often the morning of the market!
By buying locally produced foods directly from the growers you are able to provide your neighbors with income, that is a living wage. Local foods are fresher and less resources are used to move the foods from the point of production to consumption. A lot less oil is needed to transport grapes from a vineyard that's 10 miles away, than from one in Argentina.
On a budget? The prices at farmer's markets are often comparable to stores and the food is a lot fresher! Most farmer's markets are now accepting food stamps. Go to the information booth and ask! If your local market doesn't accept food stamps, now is a great time to start talking to the manager to get them to take food stamps.
Many smaller markets will welcome occasional sellers. If you have a bumper crop, consider getting a booth at your local market and selling your excess! There are many people who live in apartments, and other situations with limited space to grow food, who will appreciate your extras.
Already a market vendor? Does your market have an agreement with a local food pantry to distribute extra food? If not, start planning it now! Talk to everyone you meet about the benefits of them shopping locally. The public needs to know that they are making a huge difference by purchasing your products.
Farmers markets benefit the health of individuals and society.