Category Archives: Health and Wellness

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

Just because local children were schooling at home until last month – and continue to be isolated from normal routines this summer – that’s no reason to drop good health and wellness habits.

Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60) is the largest in-school health and wellness program in the country and advises kids and teens throughout Oregon on nutrition and physical activities.

Created by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is led by youth and empowers students to eat healthy, be active and make positive changes in their schools and communities.

Concordian Shannon Guirl, Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council (ODNC), is the senior communications manager.

Part of the program is a series of short videos featuring Anthony Newman. The retired NFL defensive back and former Oregon Duck created them to inspire healthy solutions to some of the issues children face during the crisis.

He relates directly to his audience on issues like food and activity. “You’re not in this alone,” Anthony affirmed. “We’re all in this together.”

His favorite smoothie recipe can be found through Food Hero at ODNCouncil. org. Food Hero is a recipe resource site of Oregon State University’s Family & Community Health Extension. It’s available for children and teens ages one to 18.

More of the “Staying Healthy with Anthony Newman” campaign is on that website. It highlights how children and teens can stay healthy and active during the health crisis.

Five videos highlight how they can access free school meals, stay active at home, create healthy routines, stay connected with others and eat nutritious food.

Editor’s note: For information on local summer food programs, call 211 or Portland Public Schools at 503.916.3544. Portland Parks & Recreation’s “Free Lunch + Play” contact information is on Page 3.

Tamara Anne Fowler is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a sof ter, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors – Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D – are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.com or contact her at Tamara@EditKitten. com.

By Tamara Anne Fowler & Nancy Varekamp | CNA Media team

Sam Balto knows you can social distance without losing social connections. Beginning March 16, he’s led his Concordia neighbors – children and adults alike – in workouts five afternoons a week.

The physical education teacher at Cesar Chavez School in Portsmouth Neighborhood has been teaching for more than 10 years at schools in Boston and Washington, D.C. – in addition to serving as a Playworks coach.

He’s devoted to making streets safe for all road users, and is the Safe Routes to School champion at Cesar Chavez. Oregon Walks last year recognized his efforts with an award.

In fact, his “stay home, save lives” classes occur on the pavement in front of his house on 35th Avenue, which closes temporarily at both ends of the block.

“I saw a video from Italy where someone was leading people in his apartment building in exercise,” Sam explained. “He was in the courtyard and everyone was on their balconies.

“Even though we are practicing physical distancing right now, I knew that it was important to still be socially connected and to get physical activity. I knew it would be something fun to put a smile on everyone’s faces.”

So Sam texted his neighbors with an invitation to join the class. “We have a lot of children on our block, including my son Lev.”

Parents and neighbors without children at home also show up. Wife Kayci participates, and even the family dog Orli joins in.

The workouts aren’t silent. In addition to occasional grunting and groaning – and plenty of cheering – participants are motivated with “A Fishy Song.” To add it to your own exercise regimen, find it here.

By CNews press time, the exercise group had grown to more than 10 families. But the pavement continued to accommodate plenty of room for participants to respect six-foot distances from each other.

“Some kids on the block have invited their classmates,” Sam said. “Word of mouth and making sure to be inclusive of everyone is so important.

“People in the neighborhood have made class part of their afternoon routine,” Sam pointed out. “It’s important to be consistent every day, rain or shine.”

Physical fitness has been a lifetime passion for him. “During these uncertain times, activity is more important than ever.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, stress can reduce people’s immune systems.

“When you exercise, your body releases a chemical called endorphins,” Sam explained. “Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body and help reduce stress.”

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

What is an “adverse childhood experience (ACE)?” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines it as “any act which harms or threatens a child.”

Events that hurt children include any form of violence – social, emotional, psychological, rape, abuse – food insecurity/hunger, family separation/ deportation, or witnessing parents being bullied. These encounters inform them that they or their families are not safe. Not feeling safe creates stress.

A child’s body reacts to stress by increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and releasing stress hormones. These physiological changes are reduced if the child is surrounded by supportive caregivers. The presence of those buffering caregivers helps children develop healthy stress responses.

That’s how children can usually manage occasional stress-producing threats. When stressful episodes occur regularly, however, the result is toxic stress. That’s the most severe stress children can encounter. Frequent, prolonged episodes of toxic stress are damaging to a child’s physical/mental health because they negatively impact brain development and learning.

Although children often survive ACEs and toxic stress, a lifetime of struggles lay ahead. As youths and later as adults, they often struggle with establishing trust and healthy lifestyle choices, and they experience mental health issues and/or chronic illnesses.

The financial cost to the community of ACEs and toxic stress is large. It is estimated that the annual cost related to them in Oregon is about $5.74 billion, according to the Task Force to Develop Prevention in Oregon.

How can you know if your child is experiencing an ACE? “Every child has a unique style of handling stress,” said Ira Karon, child and family therapy intern with Trillium Family Services at Faubion’s 3 to PhD Wellness Center.

Signs of stress can appear slowly. Parents know their children best. If you have concerns, simply ask them if everything’s OK or if something happened that they’d like to talk about.

Talking with them is your first opportunity to spot a concern. When asking, be compassionate, wait for them to share, and be respectful while listening.

The mental health team of the wellness center can help mitigate some of the effects of ACEs. It creates a safe, engaging, child-centered environment that validates children’s experiences. Families and children are not asked their immigration/citizenship status when seeking care or support services there.

If you have concerns, call the wellness center at 503.916.5908 for more information and help. Editor’s note: Karen invested considerable effort researching adverse childhood experiences and how they can affect the lifetimes of those who experience them. If you would like to delve into the subject, find her resource list at ConcordiaPDX.org/aces-resources.

Karen Wells is a retired early childhood communit y educator, health and safety trainer.

Since its inception more than 25 years ago, Legacy Helmet Sales has distributed 130,000 low-cost helmets in the Portland area.

Last year Trauma Nurses Talk Tough (TNTT) – a Legacy Health service, aided by the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association – distributed 5,000 helmets.

This summer, three of the sales events are scheduled at nearby Legacy Emanuel Hospital, 2801 N. Gantenbein Ave. All will be in the Atrium from 4 to 8 pm. June 6, July 25 and Aug. 22. A June 23 event is scheduled at Good In the Hood King School Park, at 6th Avenue and Humboldt Street, from noon to 4 p.m.

The goal is put an end to preventable injuries and deaths, which the trauma nurses and trial lawyers report they see altogether too many each year.

State law mandates anyone younger than 16 must wear a safety helmet labeled “ANSI” and/or “Snell approved” while on bikes, scooters, skateboards and in-line skates while in public places.

Legacy Helmet Sales, however, sells bicycle and multi-sport helmets in toddler through adult sizes. The price for each is $6. At sales events, professionals and volunteers fit and adjust the helmets for each recipient.

In fact, more volunteers are needed for this year’s events, and training is provided. To volunteer, contact Geri Bartz at GBartz@lhs.org or 503.413.1092.

TNTT’s mission is to teach people of every age how to reduce risk of injury through properly fitted bicycle helmets, proper use of car seat and seat belts, safe driving, and a reduction in falls by senior citizens.

For more information about the TNTT program, visit bit.ly/2LqwTCY. For details about the helmet program and sales, call 503.413.4960.

By Penny Hill, Rising Sun Massage

A trainer I know refers to the exercises that most of us do as ones that make the “mirror muscles” look good. You know, the tight abs, the great arms and the chiseled legs.

But today I want to talk about a set of muscles that – while no one is going to see the results of your hard work – are nonetheless critical to your well-being. They are, ahem, the pelvic floor muscles.

The pelvic floor is a set of muscles, nerves, tendon and ligaments. They attach front and back and side to side forming a hammock that supports the organs in the lower torso: the vagina, rectum, uterus and bladder.

Like all muscles of the body, they need exercise. As the pelvic organs are acted on by gravity and other pressures, they tend to move downward. This can cause changes in continence of, let’s call them, wind, water and earth. The other common causes of a weakened pelvic floor include childbirth, obesity and the associated straining of chronic constipation.

An online search will yield good exercises to strengthen these muscles. But here is an easy start. Lie down on your back and tighten the muscles at the very bottom of your torso, between your legs.

There are three separate areas to work. Start in the middle – these are the muscles that control the flow of water. Now think of tightening the area in front of that, and then the area to the rear of that. That’s it.

You may find in the beginning it is hard to locate these areas. You’ll recruit muscles from the glutes and abdomen, but keep going. Eventually you’ll be able to isolate just the ones you’re aiming for.

Remember to relax the contractions, too. You are re-establishing neural connections that have atrophied and, over time, it will become easier.

Penny, LMT, Certified EFT Practitioner can be reached through ConcordiaMassagePros.com.

By Penny Hill

The news and Twitter­verse are abuzz today about the cupping bruises – they are actually called kisses and are not bruises – on various Olympic athletes. If you missed it, and are new to cupping, it is the therapeutic application of a cup to the skin in which a vacuum is created. This vacuum creates a localized suction of the tissues up into the cup and stimulates a healing response.

All of the news coverage I saw focused on Chinese fire cups, which are used by acupuncturists and are stationary. But there is a different kind of cupping. In Massage cupping, the cup is plastic or even silicone, and the vacuum is achieved by means of a pump attached to a valve.

The value and use of cupping has been known since very ancient times. Massage therapists are getting in on the action, me included. Incorporating this ancient technique into massage cupping is sort of the Ginger Rogers of massage techniques. It does everything regular massage does, just backwards.

In a usual session of massage, all the pressure is directed inward but, with cupping the force is outward. This lifting separates tissue layers for more mobility. The cups can be used to break up other muscular adhesions and scar tissue, collect and drain lymph and increase blood flow. The process is very soothing to the nervous system and induces a deep calm and relaxation.

In general, cupping feels very like massage does. Some areas feel lovely, some not so much. The vacuum cups allow for regulation of the suction if an area of discomfort is found. The cups also stimulate the flow of stagnant energy.

The addition of cupping to your massage sessions can be transformative.

Penny Hill, LMT and certified EFT coach, can be reached by visiting concordiamassagepros.com.