Collins’ show, which runs from Nov. 16-20, will feature beautifully executed drawings and paintings in a photorealistic manner. She depicts full figured women at obscure angels with interesting compositions, as well as showing “thick” women in the most beautiful and classical pictorials.

“My show is about thick women and how society views them,” Collins said. “Beauty is something I’ve been questioning since I can remember. I portray thick women in the best of the light and the worst of light to make a statement on how different our ideals of beauty are.”

Collins has participated in many art shows in Tennessee and is looking forward to being represented by a gallery full-time.

“Since I was 5-years-old, I knew I wanted to be an artist,” she said. “I live and breathe art. I can’t imagine life without it.”

Collins has been studying fine art at APSU since 2005 and will graduate Dec. 18 with a Bachelors in Fine Art, concentration in drawing and painting. She plans to further her career in Los Angeles, Calif.

Ask any woman what disease she’s most afraid of, and chances are she’ll say breast cancer. “Almost everyone knows someone who did everything ‘right’ and still got breast cancer,” says Victoria Seewaldt, MD, who is co-leader of the breast and ovarian cancer program at the Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center. “That can make women feel like they have no control.”

While you can’t control your genes, there are powerful steps you can take to protect yourself. But experts say there’s a lot of confusion about what really matters. Here’s what they want you to know about…

Lifesaving Screenings

1. Clinical breast exams are as important as mammograms. Mammograms starting at age 40 are crucial (get them earlier if you have a family history of the disease), but they’re an imperfect screening tool, especially in women who have dense breasts. That’s why an annual clinical breast exam from a doctor is a must. “This is especially important for detecting inflammatory breast cancer [a rare but aggressive type that can make the breast swollen and red], which often doesn’t show up on mammograms,” explains Katherine B. Lee, MD, a breast specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Breast Center. On the other hand, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the earliest form of breast cancer, which is limited to the milk ducts, is most often found on mammograms. So both screenings are equally important.

2. Breast self-exams really can help. It’s good to do them at the same time every month, but don’t stress out if you don’t have them penciled into your planner. What self-exams do is help you become familiar with what’s “normal” for your breasts. So when something’s off, you’ll know and can bring it to your doctor’s attention. After all, you know your body better than any doctor does.

3. Don’t panic if you get called for a mammogram “redo” or have calcifications. Many women over 40 have calcium deposits (calcifications) in their breasts, and most of them are benign. “It’s part of the aging process of the tissue,” explains Dr. Lee. These can show up as white spots on a mammogram—they tend to be harmless if they’re large, coarse, solitary spots but suspicious if the tiny flecks cluster together in a linear pattern. Most radiologists can distinguish between the two, and only the suspicious ones warrant a biopsy. Although the period between the initial and follow-up mammograms can be anxiety-filled— a common reason some women delay their followups, says research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston—most of the time the callback turns out to be nothing.

How Diet and Exercise Lower Your Risk

4. Active women are less likely to develop and die from breast cancer. Regular exercise has consistently been associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. “Any type of exercise is likely to help by lowering estrogen levels,” Dr. Seewaldt explains. What’s more, a new study from the University of South Carolina suggests that women with high aerobic fitness levels (based on their endurance on a treadmill exercise test) have a 55% lower chance of dying from breast cancer than their less-fit peers. So get moving!

5. Get your folate. While experts say that an overall healthy diet may help prevent breast cancer, a growing body of research suggests that getting enough of the B vitamin folate (in leafy green vegetables, beans and fortified cereals) may help mitigate the increased risk associated with drinking alcohol. (Having two or more drinks a day ups breast cancer risk by about 25%.) Go easy on the alcohol, but “if you have one drink daily, getting plenty of folate from your diet or a multivitamin may help,” says Claudine Isaacs, MD, director of the clinical breast cancer program at Georgetown University Medical Center.

6. Being overweight is riskiest after menopause. Of course, staying at a healthy weight throughout your life lowers your risk of just about everything, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis. But when it comes to breast cancer, it’s the postmenopause pounds that are particularly dangerous. “In postmenopausal women, one of the most significant sources of estrogen comes from body fat,” explains Dr. Isaacs. “So if you’re overweight, you have higher amounts of circulating estrogen, which could stimulate breast cancer growth.” And it doesn’t take much: Losing even 10 pounds may help lower your risk.

7. Steer clear of soy supplements. Soy contains isoflavones, which can act like estrogen in your body and potentially stimulate the growth of certain types of breast cancer, explains Seema A. Khan, MD, a professor of surgery and coleader of the breast cancer program at Northwestern University in Chicago. Supplements usually contain more concentrated doses of isoflavones, so experts recommend avoiding them. But soy foods— edamame, soy milk, tofu—are fine.

How Your Breasts Look and Feel

8. Lumpy breasts don’t mean a higher risk of cancer. Many women have cysts in their breasts that come and go throughout their menstrual cycles (which are also known as fibrocystic changes). Feeling any kind of lump or bump can be scary, but these types of cysts don’t typically lead to cancer, Dr. Seewaldt points out. Still, it’s especially important for women who have fibrocystic breasts to do breast self-exams and get annual clinical breast exams so any lump that is out of the ordinary can be thoroughly checked out.

9. Pain isn’t usually a sign of breast cancer. If you have pain in one or both breasts, rest assured: It’s probably due to hormonal changes, a benign cyst, a ligament strain or another condition, says Dr. Isaacs. More common warning signs of breast cancer include a palpable lump, a change in the size or shape of the breast, puckering of the skin, nipple changes (like scaling or discharge), or increased warmth—changes you should bring to your doctor’s attention ASAP.

10. Women with very dense breasts are four times more likely to develop breast cancer. “When breast tissue is dense, the cells grow and multiply at a faster rate, which means there’s more of a chance for some to become abnormal or cancerous,” explains Dr. Lee. Ask your doctor if you have dense breasts; she should be able to tell you based on a clinical breast exam and a mammogram. Since mammograms aren’t as effective at detecting cancer in very dense breasts, if yours fall into this category you may benefit from getting regular MRI scans or ultrasounds plus mammograms.

Your Odds

11. Breast cancer risk is not 1 in 8 for all women. That stat applies to lifetime risk, assuming you live to 85 or beyond. At age 40, the average woman has a 1 in 69 chance of getting breast cancer in the next 10 years; at 50, the risk rises to 1 in 42; at 60, it’s 1 in 29; and at 70, it’s 1 in 27. Which means that statistically speaking, women are at most risk for breast cancer in their 70s and 80s—but that’s when breast cancer has the highest cure rate because women in that age group usually get a less aggressive and more treatable form of the disease, says Dr. Seewaldt.

12. A family history doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get it. Only about 20% to 30% of people who develop breast cancer have a family history of the disease, and an even smaller number—5% to 10%—carry a BRCA1 or 2 mutation (the so-called breast cancer genes), Dr. Isaacs explains. So rest assured: Biology isn’t destiny.

13. If it’s caught very early, breast cancer has more than a 90% survival rate in the U.S. “The majority of women who get breast cancer in this country don’t die from it,” says Powel Brown, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a member of the scientific advisory board for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. At stage 0 (which means the cancer’s confined to the milk ducts) and stage I (a tumor is 2 cm or less and hasn’t spread beyond the breast), the five-year survival rate is now 100%, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Five years may not sound like much, but “if you get to the five-year benchmark without a recurrence, your prognosis for leading a long, healthy life is good,” Dr. Seewaldt says. At stage II (the tumor is between 2 and 5 cm or the cancer has spread to one to three lymph nodes), the five-year survival rate is 86%. Thanks to better screening, most breast cancers in the U.S. are now caught in the early stages.

14. Many factors affect your risk. Family history isn’t the only thing that matters: Other factors come into play, including when you first got your period, if or when you have children and how active you are. Discuss all the details of your lifestyle and medical history with your doctor so she can make sure you’re getting the right screenings at the right time.

15. A father or brother with prostate or colon cancer can raise your risk. These are signs of possible BRCA1 or 2 mutations, Dr. Lee says. These gene mutations can run on your dad’s side, so be sure to ask if any of his female relatives had breast or ovarian cancer.

If You’re at High Risk

16. Get an MRI and a mammogram. Doing both will increase the odds of picking up small tumors in women who are at high risk (if you have a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer and carry the BRCA1 or 2 mutation). However, an MRI should only be ordered under the care of a breast specialist, says Anne Wallace, MD, a team leader of the Moores Cancer Center breast program at the University of California, San Diego.

17. If you have the BRCA1 or 2 mutations, removing your ovaries lowers your risk by nearly 50%. “Your ovaries produce hormones, so taking them out changes the hormonal mix,” explains Dahlia Sataloff, MD, a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Integrated Breast Center at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

18. Taking certain medications can help. Tamoxifen and raloxifene are drugs that can block estrogen’s ability to promote breast cancer. They lower the chances of developing the disease by about 50% in women who carry the BRCA1 or 2 mutation, says Dr. Brown. “These medications can be used for five years and the risk reduction continues for 10 years after stopping them. Yet most women who are candidates for the drugs aren’t taking them.” Of course, there are side effects: Both drugs can worsen hot flashes, and tamoxifen increases the risk of uterine cancer. But for some women, those risks are considered worth the benefit. “These meds are much less invasive than using prophylactic mastectomy [having both of your breasts removed before there’s any cancer] to reduce your risk,” says Dr. Brown.

Treatment

19. Breast cancer is not a single disease. What’s helped doctors and scientists develop more effective treatments is realizing that there are different types of breast cancer with different causes. Among the primary ones: estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers, whose growth is fueled by the hormone estrogen; HER-2-positive breast cancers, which contain a protein called HER-2/neu; and triple-negative breast cancers, which don’t have receptors for estrogen, progesterone or HER-2.

20. Chemotherapy isn’t always a given. These days, doctors do genetic profiling on a breast cancer tumor (using advanced tests like the Oncotype DX or MammaPrint) to gauge a woman’s risk of a recurrence. If chances are low, doctors may not advise chemotherapy. “We’re being more selective about using chemotherapy to help women avoid unnecessary toxicity and having to go through unnecessary suffering,” says Dr. Wallace.

About Woman’s Day Magazine

Woman’s Day captivates 21 million readers* by inspiring them to Live Well Every Day. Woman’s Day is designed for how we live now – with a strong voice that serves up simple, but sound ideas about health, food, family, relationships, home and style. A streamlined look and integrated media capabilities reflect both the sensibility of our readers and our editorial commitment to fresh thinking. Woman’s Day is truly an indispensable guide to living the best day possible.

Woman’s Day Magazine is published by Hacette Filipacchi Media U.S. A Lagardère Active Company

This article was republished here with their gracious permission.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN, will visit Camp Widjiwagan, a YMCA of Middle Tennessee day and overnight camp, on Wednesday, Aug. 5 between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., to educate campers about the importance of healthy living.

Tennessee Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper

Cooper, along with the Get Fit Tennessee team, will spend the morning with more than 300 campers from the Middle Tennessee area in an effort to encourage the children to begin making healthy choices at a young age. Cooper will have breakfast with the children, discuss steps the kids and their families can take to make Tennessee a healthier state and lead campers in an obstacle course designed to showcase fun fitness activities.

Get Fit Tennessee is a statewide awareness program developed by Gov. Phil Bredesen with a focus on educating and empowering Tennesseans to move more and eat healthier to combat health risks facing the state, such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Who: Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Health
What: Cooper will spend the morning with campers at YMCA’s Camp Widjiwagan
When: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. CDT

Where:

The conference will be held Saturday, May30, 2009 at the Riverview Inn Hotel, 50 College Street, Clarksville, TN  37040, from 10:00 a.m. to 4p.m.  (www.theriverviewinn.com).

The aim of our event is to enhance partnerships between women and Montgomery County health professionals in order to improve the health of women in our community and promote health awareness, in general.

The conference will include presentations and discussions of

• Women Health and wellness issue
• HIV/AIDS prevention
• Obesity and pre-diabetes
• Cancer awareness
• Violence against women
• Regional women’s health programs

This free event will be open to health care professionals, service providers, consumers, community leaders, policy makers, and the general public.

As a community health care professional, your knowledge and expertise in promoting the health of underserved populations is invaluable to our community, and we sincerely hope we can count on you to join us in this important outreach effort.

To register please log on to www.latinohope.com or call 931-24905330

NASHVILLE, TN:  Legislation protecting the integrity of elections in Tennessee overcame its first hurdle towards passage this week with approval by the Senate State and Local Government Committee.   The bill requires voters to provide photo identification to guard against fraud and assure only U.S. citizens vote.

“Unfortunately, we know that voter fraud exists and that there are people who try to be dishonest in an election,” said Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), Chairman of the Committee and sponsor of the bill.  “This bill aims to curtail such abuse by making sure those persons voting are who they say they are.”
The bill, SB 150, provides for various forms of photo identification to be used including a driver’s license, military identification, a valid passport, government employee identification cards, and any federal and state-issued identification cards that contain photographs of the voter.  The legislation does not apply to those in nursing homes.  It also allows for those who are indigent to sign an affidavit swearing their status as an eligible voter.  In addition, the bill provides for a “provisional ballot” which would only be counted if the election counting board is able to verify current and valid identification of the voter within three days.

Last April a U.S. Supreme Court decision validated the right of states to require voters to produce photo identification.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, of the 24 states that have a voter-ID requirement, seven states specify a photograph be shown to prove identification, including neighboring states Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana.  In no state is a voter who cannot produce identification turned away from the polls.  All states have some recourse for voters without identification to cast a vote or provide for a provisional ballot.

The voter integrity legislation has been approved for the past several years in Tennessee’s State Senate but has failed in the House of Representatives along party lines with Democrats opposing the bill.

“This legislation makes it clear to everyone that Tennessee has the right to make sure that those voting are legitimately casting their votes, and are U.S. citizens,” added Senator Ketron.  “I am hopeful that this measure, which has been upheld by the courts, will be approved by the full General Assembly this year.”

Also on the agenda…

In other action in the State and Local Government Committee this week, legislation was approved to update the political composition of the State Election Commission which has been dominated by Democrats for generations.  State law currently requires that the political composition of the five-member State Election Commission be three members of the majority party and two members of the minority party.  In 2008, the majority party changed prompting the need to replace one Democrat on the state board with a Republican.  The terms of office for State Election Commission board members, however, are on a four-year cycle, which is in conflict with state law given the shift in power.

“The Republican Party, now holds the largest number of seats in the General Assembly,” said Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville), sponsor of the bill.  “In order to reflect the new majority and comply with state law, we propose to temporarily add two new Republicans to the mix.  The Democrats are in mid-term and won’t go gracefully.”

Under the bill, SB 547, the new members would rotate off in two years when their terms of office expire.  The make-up of the board would consequently return to a five-member status after that time.

Tennessee law also requires county election commissions to reflect the change in majority status by giving Republicans three members of the five-member boards statewide.  Those terms of office will be up next month.

Finally, the Senate State and Local Government Committee approved legislation sponsored by Senator Doug Overbey (R-Maryville) requiring that a convicted felon must pay all fines and court costs imposed before being eligible to have their voting rights restored.  Currently, a person convicted of a felony must be pardoned, discharged from custody or supervision, and have paid all restitution to the victim of the offense to have their rights of suffrage restored.  This legislation, SB 440, would add the payment of fines incurred as a result of the felony as a condition for restoring the right to vote.

Legislation approved by Judiciary Committee strengthens rights of property owners

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation sponsored by Senator Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) to strengthen the rights of property owners in cases of eminent domain.  The potential for abuse of government power in cases of eminent domain has been a growing concern for citizens nationwide in recent years, particularly after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Kelo v. New London, which opened the floodgates.  The 5-4 high court decision condoned the rights of local governments to take private property for public use in the name of economic development.

After the Kelo case, many state legislatures moved into action in 2006 to improve their eminent domain laws, including Tennessee.  The legislation, SB 521 and SB 522, approved by the Judiciary Committee would further strengthen that law to provide additional checks and balances to protect citizens from abuse.

Tennessee’s 2006 post-Kelo law reiterated that a “taking” must be for “legitimate public use.”  It prohibited land used predominantly for agriculture production from being considered a blighted area.  It increased notification requirements for eminent domain action from 5 to 30 days, allowing land owners to receive a fair hearing in court with time to prepare their case and provided for attorney’s fees if the property owner is successful.  It also required government entities seeking eminent domain action to deposit moving and other expenses into an account for the owner of land seized through eminent domain.   The bill approved by the Committee this week would further strengthen that law by providing that approval must be given for eminent domain “takings” by the locally-elected governing body.  It also gives property owners the right of first refusal to buy back property from an eminent domain taking if it is not used for the purpose for which it was taken within ten years.

“The protection of homes and small businesses and other private property against unreasonable government seizure is a fundamental principle of our form of government,” said Senator McNally.  “These two additional protections will provide the checks and balances needed to make help safeguard against abuse.”

Senate Education Committee hears update on efforts to improve students’ health

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony this week regarding the state’s Coordinated School Health Program’s efforts to improve the health of students in Tennessee.  Coordinated School Health Director Connie Givens told the committee that the program is a national model that is making a significant difference to help Tennessee children make healthy choices and improve student performance.

Tennessee ranks among the highest states in the nation for the incidence of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.  Forty-one percent of students in the state’s schools are overweight or obese.  These adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults who are subject to these life-threatening health conditions.

Beginning as a pilot project, the program was implemented statewide in 2006.    That legislation was sponsored by Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), General Welfare, Health and Human Services Chairman Rusty Crowe (R-Johnnson City), Senator Steve Southerland (R-Morristown) and Speaker Pro Tempore Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville), among others.  It provided for a Physical Education Specialist and a Coordinator of School Health position within the Tennessee Department of Education and called for 90 minutes of physical activity for K-12 students.

There are eight components to the Coordinated School Health Initiative including health education, physical activity, nutrition services, school health services, counseling, a healthy and safe school environment, community involvement and health promotion for school staff.  The program also partners with other health care agencies to provide a vast array of health screening services to accomplish those goals.  Givens said the results of the program have included reduced absenteeism, improved academic performance and higher graduation rates.

Research shows that poor health habits in children are associated with poorer academic achievement.  It also shows schools that offer intense physical activity programs have shown positive effects on student academic achievement.

The Committee, in partnership with the American Heart Association, also honored three Tennessee schools for excellence in implementing the Coordinated School Health Law.  Lincoln County High School received “highest honors” for outstanding achievement by a Tennessee high school, E.O. Coffman Middle School in Lawrence County received the award for excellence in a junior high school, while North Stewart Elementary School in Stewart County topped the list for elementary schools.

Turning the tide on Tennessee’s disturbing health status to help future generations make healthy choices is important not only to improve the health of individuals but also for the economic health of the state due to rising health care costs.

Finance Official updates Senate Finance Committee on federal stimulus money

State Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz appeared before the Senate Finance Committee this week where he continued to urge caution regarding the stimulus money coming to the state through the federal U.S. Economic Recovery Act.  The state has revised its statistics on how much will be coming into Tennessee to $4.5 billion over a two-year period.  Earlier predictions were in the $3.8 billion range.

Goetz said he is cautioning leaders at all levels of government in Tennessee to remind them it is a temporary assistance plan and that if recurring expenses are involved to expect the money to disappear at the end of the two-year period.  He also said the federal government is issuing guidance on how the money must be spent daily and that there is nothing to prohibit the federal government them from changing its mind at any time regarding those rules.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris questioned Goetz and Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely about the need to implement an orderly process to the lawful expenditures of stimulus funds.

“The State Constitution mandates that all expenditures are subject to appropriation by the Legislature,” said Leader Norris.  “The governor has given us his word that he will comply.”

Issues in Brief

Hunting and fishing rights / SJR 30 — The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a resolution this week to amend Tennessee’s Constitution to protect the rights of citizens to hunt and fish.  The measure will be voted on in the same manner as the “Victim’s Rights Amendment” in 1998, the “State Lottery Scholarship Amendment” of 2002, or the recent amendment to give property tax relief to the elderly.  The measure was approved in the 105th General Assembly but must pass by a two-thirds majority in the current legislature before citizens can expect to see the resolution on the ballot in November 2010.

Abortion / SJR 127 – Legislation was filed on Monday by Senator Diane Black (R-Gallatin) to give Tennesseans the opportunity to restore their voice in determining what state law should be regarding common sense protections for abortions.  SJR 127 passed the State Senate overwhelmingly last year but failed along party lines with Democrats voting against the measure in a House Subcommittee.  The resolution addresses a State Supreme Court decision in 2000 that struck down provisions in Tennessee law allowing women to receive “informed consent” information about the surgery and to wait 48 hours before they receive an abortion, making Tennessee more liberal than the courts required in Roe v. Wade.  The earliest this amendment, if approved, could go to voters is 2014.

Coal Fly Ash – Legislation was presented by Senator Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) to the Senate Environment Committee this week to ban the future storage of coal fly ash in lagoons.  The bill, SB 1559, would prohibit the State Conservation and Environment Department from issuing a permit for disposal of fly ash in holding ponds.  It also prohibits issuance of a permit in landfills unless they contain a liner for protection of groundwater and are capped properly.  Debate on the bill will continue in the committee next week.

Vacancies / County Commissioners — The full Senate passed legislation this week to correct a problem arising from an interpretation of a 2008 law that revised procedures for filling vacancies by a county commission.  That law required a county commissioner to resign from the county commission if they accept an appointment made by that governing body.  Some attorneys have interpreted this to include any appointments made by the county commission, including internal appointment to boards and committees, such as budget and finance committees, beer boards, ethics committees etc.  The legislation, sponsored by Senator Doug Overbey (R-Maryville) clarifies that it was not the intent of the 2008 law to prevent a county commissioner from serving on any board or commission if he or she could lawfully serve on that board prior to the act.

CAMTAN is the local organization assisting individuals affected by the HIV pandemic within our own demographic. an IRS certified local 501 (C) 3 non-profit in need of community support.

As 2008 comes to a close, consider making a tax-deductible donation to this Clarksville-based non-profit. Started by a small collective of local ministerial leaders and lay people, the Clarksville Area Ministers Technical Assistance Network (CAMTAN) seeks to provide assistance, support and education to persons affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the greater community.

While Metro-Nashville has Nashville Cares, MICTAN, the Ryan White Foundation, Operation Stand Down Nashville-Street Front, a transportation funding grant from the Nashville United Way and a array of philanthropic foundations: Clarksville, Montgomery County, Dover, Stewart County, Erin, Houston County, Charlotte, Dickson, Dickson County, Springfield, Robertson County, Cumberland City, and other outlying areas must relay on the limited resources provided by a small collective of churches and a few private individuals, with which CAMTAN seeks to address the physical and psychological stresses that can accompany an HIV/AIDS infection.

Rev. James W. Hill Jr., pastor of Greenwood C.M. Baptist Church, serves as the Senior Executive Director of this all volunteer effort. Rev. Hill has attended numerous training seminars with the Nashville United Way -Ryan White Foundation, Operation Stand Down Nashville, the MICTAN initiative and Tennessee Dept. of Health to become certified as a HIV/AIDS counselor-facilitator.

MICTAN is the much larger and better funded Metro-Nashville equivalent of CAMTAN- a faith-based fellowship ministry to those impacted by the HIV/AIDS virus. These efforts are non-judgmental and focus on assisting the client in stabilizing their lives in the areas of housing, medication, counseling, personal relationships, fellowship and employment sustainability and include a general community health education outreach. Of the five county service area, Clarksville leads with the highest number of STDs and HIV transmission cases. The need for education and awareness is real and growing. CAMTAN is seeking to raise funding so that they can hire a case manager, a secretary and a driver and stabilize their client medical appointment transportation support system.

Rev. Timothy Grant- CAMTAN booth, 2008 African Street Festival

CAMTAN has participated in and sponsored several health fairs over the past years in an effort to increase community awareness of the various and diverse health issues confronting our collective communities. Information is available on cancer- be it either female or male breast cancer, colo-rectal or prostate cancer, cervical cancer or testicular cancer. Additionally diabetes, hypertension, obesity and weight control, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), depression and other mental health issues are all matters that CAMTAN seeks to aide the community in understanding and confronting. All of these health concerns are also of concern to individuals confronting an HIV/AIDS infection, along with issues of homelessness, abandonment and physical or domestic abuse. CAMTAN seeks to educate the community to raise the level of awareness and understanding of these issues and improve the public’s preventive posture addressing these concerns. It also seeks to provide assistance to those confronting an HIV/AIDS infection and/or the consequences of such an infection upon the client or family members.

Donations, both monetary and in-kind services, may be sent to: CAMTAN, 1325 Dodd Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Receipts will be sent acknowledging all donations for tax reporting purposes. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return receipt. Rev. Hill is also available to speak with interested groups and coordinate CAMTAN participation in health fairs and other community events. Contact CAMTAN at 931-249-4262/552-3611. Send e-mail to: .

An April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found that African American mothers, who are less likely than white or Latina women to breastfeed, have reversed that trend and are now doing so in impressive numbers. Sixty-five percent of black women have nursed their infants at some point. This compares to a 36 percent rate 14 years ago. Still, only 20 percent of black mothers reach the government’s target goal of exclusively breastfeeding when their infants are six months old. Breastfeeding can help address health problems that plague both African American mothers and infants alike. Breastfeeding is the most natural and beneficial way to strengthen your baby’s immune system and provide the best possible nutrition for yourself, as a mother, and your baby.

“Breastfeeding has many benefits ranging from creating an important mother/baby bond to ensuring baby gets natural nutrients,” said Pam Noreiko, a lactation specialist at Baptist Hospital.

Baptist Hospital suggests six reasons why women should consider breastfeeding:

1. Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants. A mother`s milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water and protein that is needed for a baby`s healthy growth and development. Breastfed infants are seven times more likely to maintain a healthy weight gain and formula-fed infants. Breastfeeding also reduces infants’ risk of asthma, diabetes, infections and sudden infant death syndrome, all more common among African American infants.
2. Breastfeeding helps form a significant bond for mother and baby. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help the newborn feel more secure, warm and comforted.
3. Nursing uses up extra calories- 500 calories a day, making it easier to lose the pregnancy weight. It can also help ward off obesity and diabetes for which African American women are at higher risk. Breastfeeding also helps the uterus to get back to its original size and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth.
4. Breastfeeding lowers the risks of breast and ovarian cancer, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause. The health benefits continue through the next generation: Studies show breastfed daughters have lower rates of breast cancer when they grow up.
5. Breastfeeding makes your life easier. It saves time and money. There is no need to purchase, measure and mix formula continuously.
6. Breastfed babies score higher on IQ tests later in life, especially babies who were born prematurely.

All across the nation, advocates are offering wider education, tools and models for breastfeeding to make nursing the norm among black women. CDC officials are promoting “Healthy People 2010″ objectives that include having seventy-five percent of all mothers initiate breastfeeding and having fifty percent of all infants exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months.

The federal Office of Women’s Health has made “An Easy Guide to Breastfeeding for African American Women” available online. Thus far, 65 hospitals and birthing centers nationwide have worked to earn “Baby-Friendly” status from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. This designation is awarded to facilities which offer “optimal” lactation support to patients. Such efforts include:

• breastfeeding videos playing in prenatal clinics’ waiting rooms,
• staff members who interact with patients receiving 18 hours of training in breastfeeding basics and lactation consultants meet with every new mother,
• moving infants out of the nursery into the mothers room, and providing free breast pumps to patients who can’t afford them.

Baptist Hospital’s Lactation Department has the medical knowledge and expertise to answer any questions that would help mothers breastfeed successfully. The department can be reached at (615) 284-3381. The Lactation Boutique at Baptist Hospital also offers a complete line of breastfeeding supplies, pumps and nursing bras to make the breastfeeding experience successful. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please call 615-284-MILK (6455) for more information.

Details for this story was drawn from Baptist Hospital’s website media press releases and The Tennessean’s Healthtalk coverage and The Chicago Sun-Times.

In 1997, I found myself needing to get rid of about 40 pounds. I was obese. At the time there was no support on the Internet. So, I put the first online journal up for the world to see and within 2 months had over 250 men and women with journals. We started an email list and we supported each other and learned from each other.The The sad thing to say is that I don’t think even one of those people have lost the weight they wanted and needed to. I know I haven’t. Two days ago, I started yet again on another low carb diet.

I have been asked to do a bit of a column here at Clarksville Online on weight loss and diets. So what I am going to do, is to take you all along with me on my journey and share a little diet information with you along the way.

If some of you wish to join me, and help each other lose a little weight, that would be great. If any of you have any related questions, just post them as comments, and I will do my best to answer them.