THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1979
Page 7
eak, sick, poor
^ I
Ignorance, malnutrition add to disease among poor
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By PAUL BARTON
Special to The Battalion
Povferty means doing without —
Wt adequate food, clothing and
Unfortunately, it doesn’t
■loing without disease.
Boo often, there is a wealth of
jsases among the poor in compari-
Bother strata of society.
[rou’re not only poor but also
that’s an incredible burden
with,” says Dr. David N.
[rray, assistant professor of
microbiology and im-
5gy at Texas A&M Univer-
He diseases are found more
pimong the poor than other
H, McMurray says. They in-
^Bespiratory diseases such as
^B 111 ! 05 ! 8 ’ pneumonia and
^Bria; gastrointestinal diseases
typhoid and intestinal para-
Rnd diseases related to nutri-
ILYZING THE HEALTH
of the poor in the Bryan-
Station area, however, is
ifficult by a scarcity of statis-
al Bata. Neither the Brazos
lounty Health Department nor the
ffi|lDepartrnent of Human Re-
mrces, which handles Medicaid
ftiJ nor T exas State Depart-
'atchoniEnt 0 f Health or the Central Texas
s. [ealth Systems Agency have
y Ken Aj :adily available statistics about dis-
B||frequencies in different
icioeconomic groups.
“If you can’t find statistics it’s be
cause health care is poorly managed
and so often does not exist,” says
Clair Jordan, executive director of
the Texas Nurses Association.
“The health care the poor do get
comes from so many different
sources, there is no central data
bank for it.”
Some help is available from the
National Center for Health Statistics
in Washington. For example, in
1970 there were 90,000 cases of
tuberculosis in the South. About
59,000 of those were found among
individuals whose household in
come was less than $5,000 a year.
Statistics for 1973 in the South re
veal similar trends. Out of the
869,000 cases of anemia, very much
a nutritionally-related disease,
450,000 came from households with
a yearly income of less than $3,000.
OTHER STATISTICS RE
LEASED by the center for 1973
show that the majority of diabetes
cases, thyroid problems and urinary
problems in the South also occurred
among individuals whose household
income was less than $3,000.
Although no statistics pertaining
to the Bryan-College Station poor
were available, Katherine Young,
nurse coordinator for the Bryan In
dependent School District, says she
sees more ear, teeth, and eye prob
lems, more heart murmurs and
more problems with cleanliness
among children of poor families.
Why would there be more health
problems among the poor? McMur
ray cites several reasons. Among
them are a lack of health education,
substandard living conditions and a
malnutrition.
Living in crowded conditions,
sharing eating utensils, eating unc
lean food and failing to clean up
after animals that live around the
house are practices that contribute
to the spread of disease, says
McMurray. He also says malnutri
tion and the general state of poverty
itself weakens individuals so that
diseases like influenza can develop
into pneumonia much more easily.
Others, however, blame many of
the health problems of the poor on
an attitude of indifference. Young,
for example, says that many poor
mothers don’t care if their children
eat the right foods or brush their
teeth. She also says they are negli
gent about immunizations.
“THEY SHOULD HAVE started
them at two months and here they
are starting them at five years,” she
says.
Margaret Piwonka, a nurse for the
Brazos County Health Department,
makes frequent field trips into poor
neighborhoods. She adds unconcern
as as a problem among the poor. In
one case, she says a mother brought
her daughter to a free health clinic
sponsored by the county where it
was discovered the child was bow-
legged. The mother, however, re
fused treatment offered her, insist
ing that the girl would outgrow the
problem.
On the other hand, Dr. Ruth
Schaffer, a specialist in medical
sociology at Texas A&M, says that
much of what is labeled nonchalance
or unconcern is really something
else.
Because of their lack of health
education, she says the poor often
have a hard time understanding the
seriousness of a problem when it is
told to them.
She also says that unless the prob
lem is severe, the poor are reluctant
to go to a doctor for economic rea
sons. “It’s a choice of where to
spend your money,” she says, ex
plaining that low-income families
have to worry about food, clothing
and shelter first.
EVEN WHEN medical services
are offered free, they are hesitant to
accept it. “I think it goes against the
culture of some people to accept
anything free,” Schaffer says.
“Sometimes people mistrust the
local health department. They think
if the service is free there has to be
something wrong with it.”
Susie Feldman, nurse for the
A&M Consolidated School District,
also doubts that unconcern is the
real problem. “What I see is not so
much nonchalance as it is a lack of
understanding about the impor-
t^frice of good health habits.
McMurray says the level of health
eaucation among the poor in this
country is better than in most un
derdeveloped nations. However, he
still thinks it could be improved.
One suggestion he makes is for
more media ads that tell the poor
about simple things they can do to
prevent disease. Examples include
putting in screens to keep insects
out and taking care of food properly.
BALL 0p
Tues. Night
presents
Dennis Ivey & the Waymen
$2.00/person
pitcher of beer $1.75
Open at 7; dance 8-12
ind better than drugs
healing — psychologist
nbers
g. RepiiU
juld havt
eductioni^H United Press International
anothi;: gj LOUIS — Psychologist
'ents pr rhomas W. Allen believes the
lower of positive thinking is
tronger in fighting disease than all
technology of modern
till nedieine.
Allen preaches holistic medicine
- the treatment of a patient as a
I f 1 0 v ^ e P erson ra ther than treatment
kt/t if specific symptoms of a disease.
Svenlan illness such as cancer can
ometimes be thwarted, he be-
jctor byeves, if patients are taught to mar-
ang violtlial their powers of mind for the at-
ack.
edtopo! “Medicine has been highly de*-
ndent on involving an outside
nology in the fighting of dis-
J said Allen, a faculty member
Washington University. “A per-
s been called a patient, which
the one hand means one who suf-
d on the other means one
st waits while the doctors do
ir Shtick.
“Medicine has become too expen-
e and doesn’t always work. Yet
resources of people have hardly
enpeen tapped.”
Most of Allen’s work has been in
lucation, where the use of imagery
achieve goals long has been suc-
essful. Now, he said, techniques
^ch as biofeedback show that even
fighting disease, if a patient
/links in the right way, wishing may
e able to make things happen.
“The use of imagery is very po
int not only in helping people
flange their feelings but also in
langing the way the body acts. If
)u think of an appealing food, your
flgh may contract or you may
gin to salivate. People shiver
men
her, sen
us.
a numbeii
ig reside!
“There if
er territorj
olence,”
zed here,|
ry police!
veek run I
when they think of going out into
the cold.
“Our thoughts reverberate in our
bodies. We sort of know that intui
tively, but we’ve made an artificial
distinction between our thoughts
and our bodies. We’ve been made
to distrust our common sense.”
The views of Allen and others
have been supported by experi
ments. He cited one in which
cancer patients taught to use
imagery techniques lived longer and
better lives than their doctors had
thought possible.
A key point in the use of imagery
to fight trAhcer; fte ;: skid, .is recdgniz-
ing that cancer cells are riot over
powering invaders but can be con
quered.
“Patients who use imagery pic
ture their immune system as more
aggressive and the cancer cells as
relatively weak and confused. That’s
why radiology treatment works. You
bombard the body and the cancer
cells are overwhelmed.
“The survivors became more ag
gressive, questioning their doctors
more and seeking alternative treat
ments to help hang to life. Those
who died earlier were good patients
who did as they were told. ”
Holistic medicine requires a
sharp revision of conventional at
titudes toward sickness and health,
Allen said.
“We’ve tended to believe any
type of healing or sickness has to
happen from the outside in, he
said. “Pasteur had a hard time get
ting his theory accepted, but once it
was accepted, it was made the rule
for every disease.”
Allen believes the theories of
holistic medicine will make a big dif
ference in the near future.
“General practitioners used to
practice a type of holistic medicine
— an attempt to mobilize the op
timism of the individual with
encouragement and personal con
tact. They just didn’t have the tools
we have now.”
WE NEED YOU!
The MSC Council and Directorate has memberships open
in most of its committees throughout the year. Presently,
the following committees are accepting applications for
OFFICER positions:
MSC Aggie Cinema
MSC Arts
MSC Black Awareness Committee
MSC Camera
MSC Free University
MSC Great Issues
MSC Hospitality
MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society
MSC Outdoor Recreation Committee
MSC Radio
MSG Recreation
MSC Student Conference on National Affairs
MSC Travel
MSC Town Hall
MSC Videotape
\ Apply Room 216 MSC
Deadline: Wednesday, March 21, 1979
J
Alterations 1
N THE GRAND" T RADITION OF
3ftEXAS WHERE MOTHER
TAUGHT DAUGHTER THE FINE
’ OF SEWING — SO HELEN
TIE TAUGHT EDITH MARIE
EGRETS OF SEWING AND
ITERATIONS.
ill GIVE UP — WE'LL
MAKE IT FIT!"
AT WELCH’S CLEANERS, WE
NOT ONLY SERVE AS AN EXCEL
LENT DRY CLEANERS BUT WE
SPECIALIZE IN ALTERING HARD
TO FIT EVENING DRESSES,
TAPERED, SHIRTS, JEAN HEMS,
WATCH POCKETS. ETC. _
(WE’RE JUST A FEW
BLOCKS NORTH OF FED
MART.)
WELCH’S CLEANERS
3819 E. 29th (TOWN & COUNTRY SHOPPING CENTER,
9
>.
SUMMER JOBS
We’re Looking
for Counselors
Camp Olympia is looking for
summer counselors. If you enjoy
the outdoors and the rewarding
experience of working with and
teaching children recreational
activities, visit the employment
center for an interview
Tuesday, March 20 with an Olympia
representative.
Opening available for married couple.
Assistant Director during summer.
Tommy Ferguson
Director
>hris Gilbert
vner
SIGN UP FOB AN
INTERVIEW AT THE
TEXAS A&M PLACEMENT
CENTER.
TOP COUNSELOR PAY
Corby Robertson, Jr.
Owner
C0MIE J0IIN on
IN PROGRAMMING THE MOST EXCITING ACTIVITIES ON
CAMPUS. THE MSC COUNCIL AND DIRECTORATE INVITE
YOU TO APPLY FOR COUNCIL ASSISTANT.
ORIENTATION MEETING TUESDAY MARCH 20th,
5:30p.m„ ROOM 140, MSC.
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE IN ROOM 216, MSC.
DEADLINE MONDAY MARCH 26th.