Health: Portland-area Native Americans burdened by health hurdles generation after generation - By most measures, Native Americans' health problems exceed the average, and it's even worse for urban Indians who can't tap social and health services available on distant reservations. The problem's not new, but some of the solutions are. Native Americans have built their own health organizations that mix Native traditions and Western medicine. They have acted on a fundamental truth -- what people do at home with diet, exercise, conflict and lifestyle more profoundly affects health than what a doctor prescribes in the clinic. Comment: Unfortunately, most tribal clinics still embrace the sickness care model of mainstream society.
April 2012
Health: Tribal clinic uses native foods to fight diabetes - To walk into the central gathering space of the Potawot Health Village in Arcata, a multi-tribal health clinic, is to be made instantly aware of the concept of traditional native food as medicine. “Got Acorns?” reads a poster. “Got salmon?” “Got seaweed?” Built, administered and owned by American Indians, Potawot is at the front line of a national resurgence among native peoples to address the link between the loss of ancestral native foods and disproportionate rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
March 2012
Health: Tribal Governments Qualify For Federal Health Insurance - Oregon’s tribal governments will soon be able to buy the same health insurance policies for their workers that federal employees get. About 8 million people are already covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. It lets policyholders pick and choose from a variety of health care products. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act extends the eligibility for that program to employees of tribal governments.
Health: Nutrition a Pressing Concern for Native Americans, Part III - Some tribes have started cutting out sugary beverages at community events. The S'Klallam tribe of Jamestown, WA took a drastic step toward building a healthy environment in 2008 when it requested that the new, large convenience store at its 7 Cedars Casino not have a deep fryer in-store.
Health: SPIPA Sets Tribal Health Conference - The South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA) is calling together members of 7 area Tribes at the end of the month to address the problem of colorectal cancer in Tribal Communities, it's their 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths.
Health: Nutrition a Pressing Concern for Native Americans - Part I - The battle with obesity has become one of the most urgent health issues in America today, as over one third of adults and 17 percent of children are now obese. But for Native Americans, this problem is even more dire.
Health: Nutrition a Pressing Concern for Native Americans - Part II - Tribal communities nationwide are working to fight the trend toward obesity and its resulting health consequences. In 2008, the Indian Health Service - a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services - reported almost 500 nutritionists working at the country's 561 federally recognized tribes.
Health: Tribal Concerns in Health Exchange Spotlight - It’s been a busy month in Oregon’s world of health policy, but perhaps nowhere more so than the intersection between tribal health issues and the health insurance exchange. American Indian and state leaders signed a contract last week to work through details of qualifications and outreach.
January 2012
Health: Smoking Teeth = Poison Gas
This video shows why tribes should not pay for amalgam fillings, but should seriously consider paying to replace amalgam fillings with fillings that do not contain mercury. The "smoke" in the video is mercury vapor being release by amalgam fillings. It causes many health problems, including brain and nerve damage.
Happiness Lost & Found [Paperback]: Randy Kempf was born in Bolivia, South America. He grew up bilingual and bi-cultural in Bolivia and the United States. He has a Master's Degree in Counseling, specializing in Marriage and Family. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Washington and presently facilitates Life Skills classes on American Indian Reservations.
Astaxanthin 10mg 60 Softgels: Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid from sea algae that, because of its unique structure, provides a wide range of antioxidant benefits. Astaxanthin can help to support a healthy inflammatory and immune system response. Plus, after I started taking it my weight dropped from 202lbs to only 185lbs!
Life Extension Vitamins D and K with Sea-Iodine: An avalanche of favorable studies has resulted in record numbers of Americans supplementing with vitamin D. Since it is virtually impossible to obtain adequate vitamin D from food sources, supplementation with 5,000-10,000 IU daily is required by most aging individuals. Vitamin K transports calcium from the bloodstream into the bone.
