Thursday, May 11, 2006
Alopecia Areata - House call: expert advice on health and fitness
Q My 16-year-old daughter is terribly disturbed because a lot of her hair falls out for no apparent reason. What can cause this to happen to an apparently healthy teenager?
M.N., Charlotte, N.C.
A This can be a terrible situation for a teenager who is possibly being teased by her peers in high school. The first thing you should do is make an appointment for your daughter to see a physician, who can determine the Cause of your daughter's extreme hair loss.
Although not so common at her age, she could be experiencing the effects of a condition called Alopecia Areata, which is a progressive condition that's characterized by loss of hair. The cause is unknown, and unpredictable hair loss is the only noticeable symptom, doctors say. Regrowth of hair may or may not occur, and the hair loss is usually confined to the head and face, although the entire body may be involved.
Churches stressing health and fitness
Larry Swain, a Pittsburgh minister, is happy that he's lost more than 50 pounds in a year and a half. He credits several factors, especially wanting very much to wear a smaller tuxedo at his daughter's wedding. A doctor's visit also showed his cholesterol and blood pressure were at unhealthy levels.
It didn't hurt to hear a pointed question from a guest speaker at his Pittsburgh Baptist Association meeting. "He asked me, 'Larry', what are you doing to take care of yourself?'" recalled Swain, executive minister of the association.
Spurred to slim down, Swain received a $300 "wellness grant" from the American Baptist Churches USA, which has asked its clergy to take better care of themselves. Some other denominations sponsor fitness walks or runs during their conventions. Books like Body by God have been best sellers.
Two newsmaking studies on obesity released in March prompted Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson to declare in a news conference that "our poor eating habits and lack of activity are literally killing us, and they're killing us at record levels." An analysis published March 10 by the Journal of the American Medical Association said deaths caused by poor diet and sedentary lifestyles rose by 33 percent from 1990 to 2000. Another study by the Band Corporation, based in Santa Monica, California, predicted that within 20 years obesity-related diseases will cancel out health strides made through medical advances.
Can God make you thin? The good news about church-based health and fitness programs
Walk by the sanctuary of New Life Ministries in New Orleans on a Tuesday evening, and you'll likely hear the uplifting sounds of contemporary gospel music. But if you took a peek inside the sanctuary, you'd be in for a surprise. The neat rows of chairs parishioners inhabit on Sundays are pushed off to the side so that Carla Allen, the first lady of the church, can lead as many as 100 parishioners and community members, including her husband, Pastor Glenn B. Allen, and their two children, ages 2 and 4, in low-impact "praise aerobics." "We're praising and worshipping God, but not in the traditional way," Carla Allen says.
The thrice-weekly wellness ministry includes the hour-long aerobics classes and health and nutrition seminars, taught by Carla and guest medical experts. For inspiration, she quotes dietary instruction found in Leviticus and other Scripture to show class participants what the Good Book says about caring for their physical selves. "The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit," Carla says. "But you have to do all you can to maintain it."
The number of faith based exercise and wellness programs is exploding. Wander through a Christian bookstore, and you'll probably find titles like Body by God and Moses Wasn't Fat. When Allen hosted a praise-aerobics workshop at a recent convention for churchwomen, more than 600 participants joined her in doing jumping jacks for Jesus.
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