Med Student Discusses His Fight to get into Med School

In the beautiful words of wisdom writer James Allen, “There is an appointed season when inspiration meets opportunity and one will move toward his destiny to fulfill his divine purpose.” For me, there is no greater pleasure than the ability to use my intellect and abilities to alleviate human pain and suffering. The personal gratification I receive from working with and caring for others is a major motivation behind my desire to become a physician. Furthermore, becoming a physician will allow me to participate in one of the most intimate dialogues between people. In this role, I will be able to empower individuals to take better care of themselves as well as those around them.

“Relentless” is how I would describe my mindset over the past nine years with respect to my journey to medical school. As a college junior, I took the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) for the first time, confident that I performed well enough to be competitive. I was excited at the prospects of starting medical school the following year. I applied to medical school for the first time my senior year in college and was unsuccessful. Despair set in as I realized that my dream would not come to pass as I had planned. I consulted with an advisor who provided insights into what it would take to become a competitive applicant. I then enrolled in a MCAT review course and participated in a Summer Medical and Dental Education Program.

I applied to medical school for the second time and again was unsuccessful. So I decided to engage in research, teaching, and consulting. These opportunities, however, did not provide the sense of satisfaction that I looked for in a career. I then enrolled in another MCAT review course as I worked part time and made up my mind that I would do whatever it took fulfill my dream of becoming a physician. After further reflection, I decided to apply to a postbaccalaureate program to better prepare for medical school.

I applied to the postbaccalaureate program, got an interview, was waitlisted and ultimately rejected. The interviewers recommended that I retake a couple of courses and reapply. In an effort to demonstrate that I was sincere about my aspirations, I left my job and moved to Carbondale, Illinois where the postbaccalaureate program was located. After retaking the courses and reapplying to the program, I was placed on the waiting list a second time. At this point, I had grown despondent because I left a good job close to home to pursue a dream that had eluded me for several years and my hope was all but gone. Could it be that I would never experience the privilege of the physician-patient relationship? By God’s grace, I persevered and finally received word that I was granted acceptance into the program in March of 2005. There is always a blessing behind closed doors and the uncommon dream is usually the exact opposite of your present circumstances.

As a non-traditional student, the adjustment from the corporate arena back to the academic environment proved to be particularly challenging. In fact, the story of my life since moving to Carbondale, Illinois, was akin to the Biblical account of Joseph the Dreamer. One truth I learned from his life is that things come to us in seasons. Here was a young man who, at the outset, was mistreated, rejected, and falsely accused. But before Joseph could enter his place of purpose as governor of Egypt, he had to acquire a deeper revelation of what it meant to be humble. One would think that he would have become bitter; instead, Joseph grew in compassion for his loved ones and became a blessing to the whole region.

In retrospect, this was one of the tests I had to pass before entering the next season of my life and I now serve as a resource for all my colleagues. Further, this transition taught me how to persevere in the face of adversity and engage in honest self-evaluation. These attributes, in conjunction with my values and belief system, will undoubtedly sustain me throughout the rigors of the medical school experience and enable me to effect long-lasting change within the community as a servant-leader.

If I were to characterize my first year of medical school in a phrase, it would be “success in the very face of adversity.” I’ve learned that I thrive and look forward to challenges. In fact, adversity is simply confirmation of divine partnership. As a physician, it would give me the greatest satisfaction to know that my work is benefiting society and that future generations will be able to benefit by enjoying good health. Moreover, my background and education have instilled in me the ethical values and sense of dedication that the medical profession demands.

From these experiences, I have gained a sense of what it means to give unselfishly and derive much satisfaction from knowing that my efforts are worthwhile. After taking the MCAT four times, applying to medical school three times, and applying to the postbaccalaureate program twice, I continue to stand on the fact that in the fullness of time, my dream will be fulfilled and the labor of love will produce seasons of fruitfulness.

 

This essay was written by Okey Eniya.  To contact Okey, please email him at cabletow1906@gmail.com.

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Health Concern: 1 in 4 Black Women Refuses Cancer Treatment

Nearly 1 in 4 African-American women in the United States with late stage breast cancer refused chemotherapy and radiation therapy, researchers said.

Study leader Dr. Monica Rizzo of the Emory University School of Medicine and Emory University's Avon Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center at Grady and colleagues reviewed stage III breast cancer data from 2000- 2006 from an inner city hospital in Atlanta that serves a large African-American population.

The investigators identified 107 cases of stage III breast cancers diagnosed and/or treated at this hospital over the six years of study. Approximately 87 percent of these cases were in African-American women.

Chemotherapy and radiation are recommendedtherapies for patients with stage III breast cancer; however, many women in this study decided to forgo these treatments.

 

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Study: Men and Women Both Have a Ticking Clock

It has been happening for centuries – an older man taking a younger bride. Popular with kings in earlier times, in this day it is not uncommon with Hollywood royalty.

A 20-something-year-old I met tried to sum up the thinking on the male biological clock, saying “We don’t have to deal with the whole, you know, estrogen issues. So men keep on pumping it out but women – they can’t.”

The truth is there may be a male biological clock – and it’s ticking.

The headline from a recent study: Older fathers may mean lower IQs in their children.

Researchers found children born to 50-year-old fathers scored slightly lower on intelligence tests than children of a 20-year-old father, regardless of the mother’s age. The researchers analyzed data from more than 33-thousand American children. The study’s outcome is a hot topic in the blogosphere.

 

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14 Year old Black Boy Creates Surgery Technique

He will present his findings today to the medical community.

A Jacksonville researcher has developed a way of sewing up patients after hysterectomies that stands t;o reduce the risk of complications and simplify the tricky procedure for less-seasoned surgeons.

Oh, and he's 14 years old.

Feel free to read that again.

Tony Hansberry II is a ninth-grader who, as it happens, will be presenting his findings today before an auditorium filled with doctors just like any of his board-certified - and decades older - colleagues would. He would say he was following in the footsteps of "Doogie Howser, M.D." - if he weren't too young to have heard of the television show.

Instead, he says that his remarkable accomplishments are merely steps toward his ultimate goal of becoming a University of Florida-trained neurosurgeon.

"I just want to help people and be respected, knowing that I can save lives," said Tony, the son of a registered nurse mom and an African Methodist Episcopal church pastor dad.

To be sure, he had some help along the way, but, then again, most researchers do. The seeds of his project were planted last summer during his internship at the University of Florida's Center for Simulation Education and Safety Research, based at Shands Jacksonville.

 

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Black Health: Swine Flu Gets Out of Hand

Cases of swine flu were confirmed early today in Israel and New Zealand, the first definitive proof that the dangerous new virus has spread to Asia.

The World Health Organization, which yesterday raised its pandemic threat level from 3 to 4, two levels below a full-scale pandemic, will not meet today to consider another increase, a spokesman said at a news conference.

While the agency said people should think carefully before traveling to or from areas known to be affected by the flu virus, spokesman Gregory Hartl said it considers formal travel restrictions and border closures ineffective because people who would be screened could be infected but not yet showing symptoms.

"Border controls don't work. Screening doesn't work," Hartl said, according to Reuters news service, describing the economically-damaging travel bans as basically pointless in public health terms.

 

 

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Your Black Health: Swine Flu is Taking Over

The World Health Organization warned countries around the world Saturday to be on alert for any unusual flu outbreaks after a unique new swine flu virus was implicated in possibly dozens of human deaths in North America.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak in Mexico and the United States constituted a "public health emergency of international concern."

The decision means countries around the world will be asked to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease, which she said had "pandemic potential" because it is an animal virus strain infecting people. But the agency cannot at this stage say "whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic," she added.

 

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African Americans Less Likely to get Proper Cancer Treatment

Black patients with lung cancer are less likely than white patients to receive recommended chemotherapy and surgery, a new study finds.

Disparities in lung cancer treatments were as large in 2002 as they were back in the early 1990s, even though there have been efforts to decrease those inequalities in treatment, the study said.

"This study shows what most of the previous research has shown -- that disparities in treatment patterns [still exist] between blacks and whites," said Katherine S. Virgo, director of health services research the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in the study.

The findings were published online April 13 in the journalCancer.

For the study, Dale Hardy, of the University of Texas School of Public Health, and colleagues collected data on 83,101 people 65 and older with non-small cell lung cancer -- the most common form of lung cancer -- between 1991 and 2002.

 

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Your Black Health: Can Gay Men Now Have Children?

The UK’s Daily Mail is now claiming that:

British scientists are ready to turn female bone marrow into sperm, cutting men out of the process of creating life.
The breakthrough paves the way for lesbian couples to have children that are biologically their own.
Gay men could follow suit by using the technique to make eggs from male bone marrow.
Researchers at Newcastle upon Tyne University say their technique will help lead to new treatments for infertility.
But critics warn that it sidelines men and raises the prospect of babies being born through entirely artificial means.
The research centres around stem cells - the body's 'mother' cells which can turn into any other type of cell.
According to New Scientist magazine, the scientists want to take stem cells from a woman donor's bone marrow and transform them into sperm through the use of special chemicals and vitamins.

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Domestic Violence Rears It’s Ugly Head

Slain attorney Chiquita Tate was such a believer in the legal system that she had a tattoo of Lady Justice on her back, college friend T. J. Crawford recalled.

Chiquita Tate was in the midde of a high-profile murder trial when she was stabbed to death in her law office.

"She just had an attachment to justice and doing what's right by people. She was always very serious about that," said Crawford, a teacher and community organizer in Chicago, Illinois.

But Tate, described by colleagues as a tenacious defense attorney who fought for her clients, could not save herself.

Family members and friends in Chicago; Atlanta, Georgia, and Tate's adopted home -- tiny Baker, Louisiana -- are reeling from the grisly details of Tate's slaying, and police say it was at the hands of her husband, Greg Harris. They had been married about 14½ months.

Harris, 37, is in custody, accused of stabbing Tate to death. He is charged with second-degree murder and the illegal use of a dangerous weapon. A judge last week set his bond at $500,000.

In a phone interview with CNN, Harris' attorney, Lewis Unglesby, said police have the wrong man.

"Greg Harris by all accounts ... is innocent. I don't know anybody that thinks he did it, except the police," Uglesby said. "There's nothing in his background. He has cooperated completely with the police; he's signed everything they've asked him to sign. He's let them search his house, his car."

Tate, 34, had started her own law firm in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was doing well, family and acquaintances said.

"She was up and coming," said Cpl. L'Jean McKneely, a police spokesman in Baton Rouge.

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Delores Jones on Mental Health

 

by Delores Jones

How many of us just hates when someone stands in front of us blocking our view, especially when we are sitting down in a seat like at a concert?  Now, you really can’t see or enjoy your favorite music artist that you paid, let’s say $90, to watch perform your favorite hit.      Tell the truth.  How many of you would touch the person blocking your view and ask them to move out of your way?  Others might just sit there and complain while missing out on what is happening because for whatever reason, he or she decides to do nothing.

     Earlier today I had a meeting with a client.  We met to help her identify what she believed she wanted and needed to do to better herself and her situation.  I simply asked one question, “what do you want to do?”  She said, “anything, I just need a job.”   Her response was desperate and too vague.  After a little coaching and conversation she said, “I really want to go to school.”

     With this in mind,  I told her that at the college level she could apply for a ‘work-study position” where the school she would  attend pays her a small stipend and allows flexible working hours for her to successfully complete her classes.  She looked surprised and slightly relieved until SHE starting talking about all of the past bad things that she had experienced while in school.  Fifteen years ago, she was told by a teacher that she had a learning disability and needed more time to read and process her work.  It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it.  It would only take her a little longer to finish.

 

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Chinese Gov’t Allows Human Cloning

Click the image to watch!

“Sexting”: The latest fad, but also the latest felony

20% of teens are now engaged in “sexting”, sending nude text messages to their friends.  The authorities are classifying this as a felony. 

Click the image to watch the video. 

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Black Health Implications of Chris Brown and Rihanna

 

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

Forgive me for diving into the crazy world of pop culture, but the fact that Chris Brown and Rihanna are a couple again is something on which I had to comment. I am not speaking on the issue because I love Chris Brown or Rihanna’s music (they are ok). I am commenting because young people need to have a serious conversation about relationships and domestic violence.

Here’s the deal: I don’t know exactly what Chris Brown did and did not do. From the picture I saw and police reports, it appears that he may have done some serious damage to Rihanna’s face. Again, I am not convicting Chris Brown and I am not pretending to know if he is a bad human being. In fact, Chris Brown could very easily be a good man who did a very bad thing. But if he did do this damage to Rihanna, then he should pay a price for his actions.

But it appears that Chris won’t be paying a price, since Rihanna does not seem to be interested in pressing charges. Rihanna’s actions are nothing new: Every day, across America, women are beaten to a pulp by their boyfriends (roughly 13,000 incidents per day are reported to police), and then choose to excuse their inexcusable behavior. The prosecutor prepares a solid case that will send the guy packing for years, and the case falls through because the woman chooses not to press charges. So, as extraordinary as Rihanna might be as a performer, her behavior is actually quite ordinary.

Chris Brown, if he was the cause of the facial damage shown on pictures released to the media, needs serious counseling. He needs to learn that growing up watching your father beat your mother (as Chris admitted on the Tyra Banks show) may establish a destructive social norm, thus making you believe that violence is appropriate in male/female relationships. He also needs to learn about the serious consequences for brothers who choose to beat up on their partners. Even if Rihanna is crazy, provocative or evil, you have no business laying your hands on a woman. Not only is violence wrong, but it will land you in a criminal justice system that destroys the lives of young black men every day. I understand young people making mistakes (I’ve made far too many to count), but you must learn from those mistakes, and we are not doing young people any favors by pretending that this didn’t happen.

Rihanna needs her own counselor. She needs one that will give her and other young women the self-esteem to realize that there are few genuine excuses for a man to put his hands on you. She needs to have someone who truly understands where all this is going, to make her realize that no matter how cute he is, how popular, how rich, or how charming, a man like this can eventually kill you. You don’t know domestic violence until you’ve seen DEATH. It starts innocently enough, and eventually escalates to the point that someone is in the morgue. Any self-respecting adult should, in my humble opinion, refuse to sit idly to the side and allow your teenager to ponder reasons that Chris Brown should have hit Rihanna. No, he should not have done this, and I encourage Chris to make sure he sends the same message.

Old people can be obnoxious. We pee on the parades of young love by writing articles like the one I am writing right now. I hate doing this, but I have my reasons. My friend, a professor in Florida, died at the hands of her husband, who then killed himself and left her two young children without parents. This happens every day, and most of these cases start out like the situation between Chris Brown and Rihanna. In fact, your daughter, friend, sister, mother or cousin may have that lovable boyfriend who only shows peeks and hints of violent behavior, but just enough that your gut is telling you that something isn’t quite right. Listen to your instincts, for they’re trying to tell you something. Love should not end with anybody getting punched. Domestic violence is not a silent killer…..it usually warns you all along the way. Whether you choose to listen is up to you.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

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Your Black Health: A Black Woman Speaks about The Down Low

By Syreeta L. McNeal, CPA, JD

Recently, New York Knick’s basketball player, Eddy Curry, a married father of several kids, received notice of a sexual-harassment lawsuit by his former limo driver, Kuchinsky. Kuchinsky is alleging that Curry tried to solicit gay sexual activity from him while working as a 24/7 chauffer for the NBA hoop star and his family.[1] With the national press coverage of this story, I am reminded of the movie,Cover, which explored the current situation that appears to be facing many black families. Cover is a film about a devoted, churchgoing wife, and mother whose faith is shattered when she discovers that her husband is living a secret double life.[2] Also, there is a 30-minute internet movie, Results, which tackles the same type of betrayal and shows how the couple tackles it in the span of one night.[3] So, as it relates to married men who happen to cheat on their spouse on thedown low, I ask, what’s love got to do with it? I understand the question is paying tribute to the hit single by Tina Turner. However, I think people should explore the reasons why married men choose to cheat on the down low and should a wife, who takes a vow of fidelity with her husband, continue in the relationship after discovering the betrayal.

People might ask why a lawyer would write an article on a social topic such as married men who cheat on the down low. Well, a lawyer is considered an attorney and counselor at law. When a wife chooses to get a divorce due to infidelity from their husbands cheating on the down low, it is important for lawyers to understand the origin of the relationship and what caused the heartache to their client so that they can effectively provide legal advice and counseling for their client. In a majority of states, infidelity is just one factor in how marital property is divided between former married couples. Even though a wife might want her husband, who cheated on the down low, to get nothing and pay dearly for the betrayal, the courts in a majority of states will not find fault (e.g. infidelity) a determining factor in the division of marital property. Therefore, it behooves the lawyer to try other methods of counseling to explain the law to jilted married clients.

This article will analyze the meaning of love, the reasons why people get married, and what actions people should take to minimize the potential of being married to men who cheat on the down low.

Meaning of Love

Love has many meanings. Webster dictionary defines Love as a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (e.g. maternal love for a child).[4] Also, love is an attraction based on sexual desires (e.g. affection and tenderness felt by lovers).[5] Love is also an affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests (e.g. love for old schoolmates).[6] Also, love is a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion (e.g. love of the sea).[7] Love can also be used as a term of endearment.[8] Love is also the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.[9] Love is a sexual embrace.[10] In all, love embraces a form that is erotic, romantic, familial, platonic, and religious.

Similar to Webster dictionary, Christianity embraces four forms of love: Agapē, Philia, Eros, and Storge.[11] Agapē means charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional.[12] It is parental love seen as creating goodness in the world.[13] It is the way God is seen to love humanity and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for others.[14] Philia is defined as the human response to something that is found to be delightful.[15] Also, it is known as "brotherly love".[16] Eros is defined as sexual love.[17] Storge is defined as the needy child-to-parent love.[18]

One thing that is fascinating is the explanation of what Eros is. Eros is a very passionate love, with sensual desire and longing.[19] In the classical world, the phenomenon of love was generally understood as a kind of madness or, as the Greeks put it, theia mania ("madness from the gods").[20] This love passion is best illustrated by a scheme involving “love arrows” or “love darts.”[21] The source of the arrows is said to be the image of the beautiful love object itself.[22] If the arrows arrive at the lover’s eyes, they would then travel to and ‘pierce’ and ‘wound’ his or her heart and overwhelm him/her with desire and longing.[23] This creates an image of an “arrow’s wound” where an oxymoron of pleasure and pain is created.[24]

As illustrated above, love has different meanings. Saying “I love you” to a person can mean a variety of things. The issue for married couples who are dealing with husbands who cheat on the down low isnot whether they love their wives. The issue is what type of love does husbands who cheat on the down low have for their wives. In my opinion, this is the heart of the conflict that exists between married couples who have husbands who cheat on the down low. Next, it is important to understand why people marry.

Why People Marry

Marriage is a social, religious, spiritual or legal union of individuals.[25] People marry for many reasons, but usually they marry for one or more of the following reasons:[26]
· legal, social, and economic stability;
· the formation of a family unit;
· procreation and the education and nurturing of children;
· legitimizing sexual relations;
· public declaration of love; or
· to obtain citizenship

In almost all Protestant forms of Christianity, they hold marriage to be ordained by God for the union between a man and a woman.[27]They see the primary purpose of this union to be to glorify God by demonstrating his love to the world.[28] Other secondary purposes of marriage include intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings.[29]

Like love, people marry for a variety of reasons. What is extremely interesting is that when protestant Christians marry their primary purpose is for the union to glorify God. One example of the betrayal for protestant Christians is when married men cheat on the down low. This action is not one that glorifies God especially when the bible states that men (or women) who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God.[30] So, the conflict exists and men and women need to be aware of who their partners are before entering into marriage.

The Reality of the Conflict of Down Low Activity with Marriage

Some married men who cheat on the down low believe that down low activity is similar when men cheat with other women. I beg to differ. As these movies illustrate, a woman cannot compete with a man sexually. Women and men are not equal in physical form. Men and women have different sexual features and different purposes of use for these features. I equate the differences between men and women similar to placing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. Do like parts unite or do opposite pieces fit together?

If a married man cheats on the down low, they have a sexual attraction for another man. Sorry ladies. Physically, there is nothing you can do, except do a sex change, to sexually fulfill a man who wants to sleep with other men. A married man might love his wife, but the sexual love a wife is craving from her husband does not exist the way she wants or believes it should exist especially if this type of infidelity occurs after the coupled exchanged wedding vows to be married. There are always signs of men who have a sexual attraction for another man. However, you have to open your eyes and find out who your spouse truly is before you enter into marriage.

Attributes of Counseling Before Marriage

One way to discover whether your significant partner is ready to be married is to participate in marriage counseling. In essence, you are treating your marriage as a long term investment and gathering as much information about your spouse before you enter into marriage. As illustrated above, love has many meanings and people marry for different reasons. Just because someone says “I love you” is not all you need to know to venture into marriage. What a man and woman need to find out from each other is what type of love exists and is it reciprocally felt. If your potential spouse only feels an admiration for you and you feel romantic love for that person, then you need to find this out before you venture into marriage and not get married to the person. Also, what are the reasons why the man and woman are getting married and is it reciprocal. If your potential spouse wants to get married to obtain citizenship and you want to get married public declaration of love, then you need to find this out before you venture into marriage and not get married to this person.

Ideally, married couples expect their spouses to solely want them only. They believe their spouse will be the complement human being to help fulfill their needs mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. No one is perfect, but the union of a man and woman is expected to be one that works to perfection as seen in God’s light. When married men cheat on the down low, there is an erotic and sexual attraction for people of the same sex that their wife can’t fulfill. A potential spouse needs to know this before hand and not marry the individual especially if they seek their spouse to solely want them only.

Effective marriage counseling will be able to discover the compatibility of the couple. Marriage counseling should emphasize substance over form. The counseling should explore the type of love that exists and if it is reciprocally felt. Also, marriage counseling should explore the reasons why each person wants to marry and whether it is reciprocal. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with doing an extensive background check on people before getting married. When you choose to marry someone, you are making a societal and private contract that this individual is someone you will honor and cherish, to have and to hold, until death do you part. With any type of long term investment, you need to know what you are getting into. This is not to say that marriages will not have problems, but if you choose someone to be married to you, you are making a long term investment in that individual expecting that the good will outweigh the bad. Know what you are getting into so you canminimize suffering betrayals like having married men cheat on the down low.

Legal Disclaimer: This site provides information about the law designed to keep readers informed of pertinent legal matters affecting the African-American community. But legal information is not the same as legal advice -- the application of law to an individual's specific circumstances. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer in your specific location if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.

[1]http://www.nypost.com/seven/01132009/news/regionalnews/knick_gets_called_for_sex_foul_149982.htm
[2] http://www.coverthemovie.com/
[3] http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi3195994137/
[4] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Love
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_(religious_views)
[12] Id.
[13] Id.
[14] Id.
[15] Id.
[16] Id.
[17] Id.
[18] Id.
[19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eros_(love)
[20] Id.
[21] Id.
[22] Id.
[23] Id.
[24] Id.
[25] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage
[26] Id.
[27] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_views_of_marriage
[28] Id.
[29] Id.
[30] 1 Corinthians 6:9

Technorati Tags: black relationships,african american love,african american relationships,on the down low,black men in america,black love,black men,black women,african american men,african american women

Your Black Health: Black Men & Prostate Cancer From 4-Men.org

(Article From 4-Men.org)

African American men are 60 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than whites. They're also twice as likely to die from it than any other group. For years those numbers puzzled researchers, but scientists have made a discovery that may help explain why the risks are so high.

After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Percy Smith knew he wanted to volunteer for the hospital where he was treated. He says he's alive today partly because of the treatment he received at the hospital and partly because of his wife. Knowing African Americans are at a greater risk for prostate cancer, she insisted he get checked.

"She never understood it, I never understood it. I asked doctors and they say they didn't know why,” said Percy.

But now, for the first time they just might ...

Doctor Jim Mohler of Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo has discovered a crucial difference in the prostates of African Americans.

All men have what are known as androgen receptor proteins - they are the receptors for the hormones that regulate male traits like facial hair and baldness. But Doctor Mohler has found that the levels of those proteins are 22 percent higher in the prostates of African Americans than in whites. And even more striking, they are 81 percent higher in the prostate cancers of African Americans.

"So what this suggests is that the prostate of an African American can be thought of to be in a 'revved-up' state where it's being stimulated to grow and perhaps develop cancer because of greater stimulation,” said Doctor Mohler.

But the over-expression of that protein could lead to more than just cancer - Doctor Michael Wong says it could also lead to the development of new treatments if doctors can pinpoint when the protein becomes active and why.

"Knowing that, we can use that and exploit that to have better therapies, better treatments. We can use that to help us find the cancers for earlier diagnosis,” said Doctor Wong.

If prostate cancer is caught early, it can often be treated successfully. It worked for Percy, which is why he is now committed to working for the hospital that played a part in saving his life.

Most men are encouraged to start having prostate screenings around age 50. However, experts recommend African American men begin testing at age 45.

Weight Loss Book Specifically for Black Women

Black women are constantly fighting obesity in the United States. With so many different fad diets and pills out there, it is frustrating to come up with no results.


Weight Loss book "The Black Diet Doctor's Solution for Black Women", written by the late Dr. Robert Beale and his daughter Lisa Beale, brings an alternative to weight loss for black women.

Instead of listening to all of those diet ads and pills, the book explores eating and exercising strategies directed specifically towards Black women.

Lisa Beale said in the August 2004 issue of Ebony Magazine, "Our book offers all Black women who suffer with obesity and who struggle to reach a healthy weight a realistic solution for permanent weight-loss success."

"Weight is like hair - you are born with a certain type," says coauthor Lisa Beale. "However the type of hair you have determines the salon that you go in. Many Black women have been going in the wrong 'salon' and listening to the wrong 'stylist' for their weight."


You can check out the book and it's authors here, as well as get information on purchasing it.

Black Health: Black Actress Gabrielle Union Talks about being Raped and Beaten

 

 

Actress Gabrielle Union Talks About Being BRUTALLY BEATEN And SEXUALLY ASSAULTED While Working At A Shoe Store - MediaTakeOut.com™ 2008

As a 19-year-old college student, she was raped at gunpoint and beaten beyond recognition during a night shift working at a Payless ShoeSource. “I blanked out and had an out-of-body experience, like I was hovering above seeing this horrible thing happen to someone else—not me,” says Gabrielle, who got through the trauma partly because of an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show she had seen days before on victims of violent crimes.

After her ordeal, she immediately turned to UCLA’s Rape Treatment Center. “It gave me my life back,” she says. “My dignity and self-esteem were gone and they helped me find them again.

That’s why I now lobby for state legislatures across the country to help raise funds and awareness for rape crisis centers, and I speak to college girls about what happened to me. My goal is to never hear the words ‘me too’ from someone after I say ‘I was raped.’ ”

gabrielle union,black women,african american women,african american health,rape

Black Health: Female Rape Victims in the Military

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.net

I had a very close friend who described a situation in which she was "scheduled" to be raped during a field exercise by some of the men in her military unit that were not happy with her. Fortunately, there was a man in her unit who cared enough to tell her what was going to happen. I can only wonder what happens to other women put in that unfortunate situation. This is not to say that rape or sexual abuse occurs regularly in the military. But it is to say that when it does appear to have occurred, we should let them know that it is not acceptable.

The case of Lavena Johnson is one that not only brings tears to your eyes, it boils your heart. This young woman, only 19 years old, was found shot in the head, with a broken nose and acid on her genitals (a way to cover up DNA evidence in rape cases), with her death being ruled a highly questionable suicide. No one in the military is willing to thoroughly investigate the case, and they only say that the case is closed. I have done some research on Lavena, and my questions have certainly not been answered. A news story about her horrible experience is in the video below, and I encourage anyone who cares to pass this message onto others.

Black Health: Mandatory HIV Testing on Large Black/Latino Populations: Good?

The New York City health department plans to announce on Thursday an ambitious three-year effort to give an H.I.V. test to every adult living in the Bronx, which has a far higher death rate from AIDS than any other borough. The campaign will begin with a push to make the voluntary testing routine in emergency rooms and storefront clinics, where city officials say that cumbersome consent procedures required by state law have deterred doctors from offering the tests.

Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Dr. Donna Futterman, left, with Rosita Gonzalez and colleagues at Montefiore Medical Center, helped the city shape the plan.

“Routine would mean if you came into the emergency room for asthma or a broken leg, we test everyone for H.I.V., if they’re willing,” the health commissioner, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, said in an interview on Wednesday.

While Manhattan has long been the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in New York, with the highest incidence of both AIDS and H.I.V., the virus that causes it, the Bronx, with its poorer population, has far more deaths from the disease. Public health officials attribute this to people not getting tested until it is too late to treat the virus effectively, thus turning a disease that can now be managed with medication into a death sentence.

Several AIDS experts said on Wednesday that the Bronx campaign was the most aggressive testing effort they could recall in the nation. Two years ago, Washington, D.C., made a high-profile push to test 450,000 residents, enlisting celebrity endorsements and distributing 80,000 free testing kits, but the campaign resulted in only about 45,000 people being tested.

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black healt,african american health

Ethiopian Food Crisis Reaches Horrific Levels

by Asha Castleberry




While we are eating our meals everyday, please be aware of how grateful you should be to have that advantage. Unfornately, this is very uncommon in Ethopia.

Today, over 4.6 million Ethopian children are suffering from starvation due to the lack of food, water, and poor health care. Also, an estimate of 1.6 million are affected by the HIV virus. These poor conditions have led a large portion of the population to die from malnutrion. The UN children's agency reported that these children urgently need emergency food aid because starvation will continue to spread from famine and drought. Late seasonal rains have caused dramatic food shortage, which is very critical because 80 percent of the people live off of agricultural consumption. For the past ten years, domestic production has fallen and is affecting 85 percent of all exports.

Poor health conditions have caused dramatic defects in growth. About 47% of Ethiopian children five years of age or younger are moderately to severely underweight, and 52% suffer from stunted growth. The life expentacy rate is 46 years old. (United States is 77 years old).

In 2003, the United Nations launched a food relief program that helped up to 14 million people. At that time, Ethopia experienced one of worst famines in the world. The Ethopian government claimed that they were unable to provide relief to the people but still work to appeal to international donors. Currently, an estimated 300 million in emergency aid is reported to be required to overcome the problem which has now spread to all corners of the country. The UK has also offered 19.5 million in aid.

Black Women & Breast Cancer

In June of 2006, my mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Luckily, with the help of God, early detection, and very good doctors, my mother was able to take care of the situation before it became fatal. Throughout the experience, I became very interested in learning about this illness. It seemed so random and I would question how she got it at times, since nobody else in my family had the disease.

Cancer was something that I always heard about, but it seemed like it would never happen to us. This is the mentality of many women today, but the truth is cancer can happen to anybody. Breast Cancer in particular, is very prominent in African-American women.

A statistic has shown that 95 in every 100,000 African American women die of Breast Cancer each year. But also, the age of those infected is slowly getting younger. Now, 31 in every 100,000 African American women that are diagnosed with Breast Cancer are under the age of 40.

Here are 3 ways to prevent yourselves from becoming one of these numbers:

1. Learn about the disease. Just knowing something about Breast Cancer (such as symptoms) can help you satisfy a suspicion if you feel something is not right. There are tons of sites online to choose from. Look at Breastcancer.org, or read about the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

2. Learn about Breast Self Exams (BSE) and perform routine checks. There are numerous cases of cancer that have been detected early because of women performing self-checks and finding a lump in their breasts.(www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/self_exam/index.jsp)

3. Attend all annual Mammograms. These appointments are necessary! A lot of mammograms have helped spot breast cancer in a lot of women. Talk to your doctors about when to start attending these, and where to go.



Breast Cancer is not something to brush off. This horrible disease has affected the lives of two of my cousins, an aunt, my mother's best friend, her friend's sister, my neighbor's sister, and four ladies who work with my mother.

I strongly believe that the cure is not too far away. Until then, all African American women should do what we can to protect ourselves.

testing

testing

Traces of Drugs Found in Nation's Water Supply

A wide array of pharmaceuticals, including mood stabilizers, sex hormones and antibiotics, were found in the water supply for 41 million Americans, according to the Associated Press.

While utility companies insist their water is safe, the amount of drugs found in the system is alarming. Scientists are concerned that there could be a long-term consequence to the country's overall health.

Water companies do not regularly discuss their results of pharmaceutical screenings of the water supply. Additionally, the drugs are believed to have reached the water supply by people taking pills and then using the bathroom. While their bodies absorb much of the medication, some of it reaches the water supply. While the water is treated upon reaching the sewers, many of the treatment processes are not competent to stop the flow of drugs within the system.

While the effects of the drugs have not shown themselves on the general population, there is some alarm of the effect that the presence these drugs are having on wildlife.

"We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The investigation by the Associated Press found that there were 56 drugs or byproducts in treated drinking water. They found sex hormones in the San Fransisco water supply.

Currently, the federal government does not require testing for drugs in water.

Breast Cancer Patient Has Policy Cancelled During Therapy: Wins $9M in Lawsuit

Patsy Bates, a 52 year old woman in Los Angeles, won $9 million in a lawsuit against her insurer after having her policy canceled in the middle of her breast cancer therapy.

Her policy was canceled in 2004, leaving her with $129,000 in unpaid bills. Upon hearing that her costs were no longer covered, her doctors left her to die. She continued her treatment under a state funded program.

"It's hard to imagine a situation more trying than the one Bates has had to endure," the presiding Judge wrote after making the court decision. "The rug was pulled out from underneath, and that occurred at a time when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death for women."

Bates, who is a mother of two, was excited to hear the verdict.

"I am elated," she said.

Bates' insurer, Health Net, was found to have used a policy that rewarded it's employees for finding reasons to cancel policies. The Los Angeles City Attorney had filed suit against the company for illegally canceling 1,600 policies.

"It's hard to imagine a policy more reprehensible than tying bonuses to encourage the recision of health insurance that helps keep the public well and alive," Judge Cianchetti wrote in the Bates decision.

McDonald's Workers with No Gloves...What's That All About?

It's 5 in the morning in beautiful East St.Louis, Illinois


1. Lisa, a stripper, takes her night's worth of salary home and counts it.

2. Most of the dollar bills have been saturated with vaginal juice, alcohol, sweat and possibly various forms of communicable diseases.

3. Lisa is hungry after a 10 hour shift, so she decides to fulfill her hunger at McDonalds. She takes 3.50 of her $500 worth of work and buys an Egg McMuffin Value Meal.

4. Ernest, the McDonalds morning crew manager, takes these storied bills and places them in his register.

5. Ernest proceeds to make the Egg McMuffin Value Meal with NO GLOVES ON.

6. Lisa devours the Egg McMuffin Value Meal that was prepared with NO GLOVES ON.

7. Daunte (me) orders 2 Sausage, Egg and Cheese Value Meals.

8. Ernest, the McDonalds morning crew manager, takes my money and places them in his register and gives me back 3 dollar bills. (The same 3 bills Lisa gave him)

9. Ernest prepares my 2 Sausage, Egg and Cheese Value Meals with NO GLOVES ON.

10. I quickly scarf my meal that was prepared with NO GLOVES ON.

11. Daunte’s sick


The End


This story sounds very far-fetched and possibly outlandish, yet at least 2 or 3 of those gross things occur at McDonalds every time you go.


Every time I go to McDonalds I see one or more of the following:

-workers preparing food with NO GLOVES ON

-managers taking money from customers and then preparing my food with NO GLOVES ON

-workers using the bathroom and not washing their hands


When I was around 6 0r 7, I distinctly remember food service being cleaner; workers used gloves, there was a distinct system of duties that didn't allow people to handle money and prepare food. Where has all of that gone? I'm sorry but hand sanitizer isn’t good enough for me, people need to wash their hands with HOT water and used gloves. I don’t mean to just point out McDonalds because Popeye’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and many other fast food places don’t use gloves. I'm glad restaurants don’t have a visible kitchen because I'm sure there are worse.


I know McDonalds has the best fries but just be mindful that you might be eating a Big Mac with cheese, influenza, yeast infection and ketchup. Just a thought.

The Morning After Pill: What you Might Not Know

Introduction to Emergency Contraception

Emergency contraception (EC) also known as the “morning-after-pill” is a little known method of pregnancy prevention that has proved safe and effective through numerous medical reports and case studies. One survey conducted revealed that only six percent of women 18-44 have ever used emergency contraception (Weismiller, 2004). EC may be administered after failure of contraception or unprotected intercourse, including sexual assault. The primary method of EC requires that the first dose be taken within 72 hours following unprotected intercourse (Weismiller, 2004). While some feel that EC should be made more easily accessible by being available over-the-counter (OTC), others feel that it should be limited in availability. I feel OTC availability is a crucial issue to both American woman and men alike because the Food and Drug’s Administration’s (FDA) decision on OTC status could alter their methods to pregnancy prevention. It is important for college-aged individuals between the ages of 17-23 to know the benefits of OTC emergency contraception because they hold a high tendency to incur an unplanned pregnancy. In addition the FDA strictly requires, “if a medication can be offered over-the-counter status, it must be.” Cleary in the issue of emergency contraception, the FDA is not following its own rules.

The Problem

There are many problems surrounding the switching of emergency contraception to over the counter status. These issues range from the FDA requirements on over the counter medications to the time frame in which the medication must be administered to the lack of involvement by the Bush administration. According to the FDA’s requirements for a medication to attain over the counter status, emergency contraception should attain such a status. However the FDA denied OTC status citing that emergency contraception needed to be researched more for young persons. They further argued that making EC available over the counter could alter sexual behavior, especially in woman 15-24 (Science overruled, 2004). The FDA’s decision to deny emergency contraception over the counter (OTC) status is unsubstantiated by medical evidence.

The FDA has strict requirements for a medication to be switched to over-the-counter status and in the case of emergency contraception; there are definite discrepancies in the FDA’s evaluation. First and foremost the FDA requires two studies before granting a medication arrival of OTC status. They first test the comprehensibility of the contraception labeling information then conduct an actual study of the OTC usage (Grimes, 2002). Medical analysis reveals that emergency contraception met the FDA’s labeling requirement (Grimes, 2002). In fact, seven of the eleven labels tested were understood by more than 85% of woman (Grimes, 2002). An actual study of OTC emergency contraception is unnecessary. The drug has already been approved for prescription use and it is impossible for a consumer to overdose.

As for the claim that OTC availability is linked to a change in sexual behavior; this statement is scientifically untrue. A case study conducted by four San Francisco area clinics found that EC does not alter sexual behavior. The case involved 2,117 women ages 15 to 24, participants were each given access to emergency contraception in three forms, at pharmacies, at clinics and in packs of “morning after” pills. The study found that about 55% of those who received “morning after” pills didn’t use them after unprotected sex (Morning after, 2005). In addition the study analyzed their contraception use, their condom use and the number of sexual partners. The findings indicated that there was no increase in risk-taking (Morning after, 2005). This study reveals that if EC were made easily accessible, women would not alter there current procedures for pregnancy prevention.

The second problem stemming from the FDA’s denial of OTC status is that taking EC within the 72 hour period following unprotected intercourse is crucial to the effectiveness of the medication. One randomized controlled study found that the sooner the first dose was taken after intercourse, the greater the effectiveness. The study also concluded that the failure rate at 72 hours after hormonal emergency contraception is approximately 4 percent; this rate increase to 10 percent at five days (Weismiller, 2004). If EC were available OTC, it would be much more accessible within the 72 hour time period. Pharmacies that are open 24 hours would be able to administer the medication without a consultation with a physician. In fact there is little evidence linking a consultation with a physician to the effectiveness of the medication.

Amidst all the controversy concerning OTC status for EC, there has been little acknowledgement by the Bush administration. The Bush administration that is highly non-abortion has made little to no assertions on the matter. Medical physicians recognize that emergency contraception is not abortion because implantation marks the beginning of pregnancy, and emergency contraception works after fertilization but before implantation (Grimes, 2002). The Bush administration appointed the FDA members, and they are rumored to have placed pressure on the FDA’s decision in the case of emergency contraception. These rumors are fueled by the fact that the Joint Advisory Committee to the FDA voted of 23-4 in favor of making Plan B, a form of emergency contraception available over the counter in combination with the FDA’s persistent rejection (Stanley, 2004). In the past the Bush administration has also been linked to discrediting the effectiveness of condoms and erroneously asserting that abortion causes breast cancer (Stanley, 2004). In both case it is evident that the far right ideologies of the Bush administration far outweigh scientific evidence. Nonetheless, the Bush administration has surly done little to support the switch to over the counter, and is publicly withdrawn from the scientific advancement.

Black Health and Black Love - Do they go hand in hand?

by The Love Doctor

Is there any feeling worse than the one you have after ending a long-term relationship? It seems that if anything is deserving of a sick day, this would be it.

Well, a Japanese Marketing firm agrees with you. The firm offers its employees "heartache leave" to help them get over the pain of a lost relationship.

Hime & Company says that the time off allows its workers to cry off their pain and move forward with their lives.

"Not everyone needs to take maternity leave but with heartbreak, everyone needs time off, just like when you get sick," CEO Miki Hiradate said.

If you are 24 or younger, you get one day off per year. If you are between 35 and 29 you get two days off. If you are older than that, you get 3 days.

"Women in their 20s can find their next love quickly, but it's tougher for women in their 30s, and their break-ups tend to be more serious," Hiradate said.

The company also offers women two mornings off twice a year for "sales shopping leave".

"Before, women could take half-days off to go to sales, but you'd have to hide your shopping bags in lockers by the train station," Hiradate said.

"But with paid leave, we don't have to feel guilty about bringing our shopping bags to work, and we can enjoy the best part about sales shopping -- talking about our purchases afterwards."

Taking time off for love makes sense, since there is scientific research stating that losing a relationship can be as painful as drug withdrawal. Perhaps firms in the U.S. will consider a similar policy.

Lil Wayne and Heath Ledger: Medicating our problems Away

Shortly before Lil Wayne’s arrest, I’d recently become reacquainted with him. I’ve met a lot of artists through time, and even when I’d met Wayne a couple of years ago, I wasn’t impressed. I honestly didn’t feel, at the time, that his music was all that good. But this year, I was proven wrong. Lil Wayne came up like Godzilla from the ocean, and he now has my respect. Sort of.

Heath Ledger has had an equally meteoric rise, with that rise expected to go on full blast with his latest role as The Joker in the new Batman film. The Joker’s presence appears to be the central theme of the movie and I am sure there are rooms full of Hollywood executives trying to figure out how to manage the fact that one of the two most important people in their new blockbuster film is now lying in a casket.

I feel bad for Heath Ledger and Lil Wayne. It appears that both of them had an odd love affair with a set of mind altering substances.

There are at least three clear differences between Heath Ledger and Lil Wayne: First, one guy is dead and the other only has a death wish. Secondly, one guy’s substances are illegal, and the other guy’s stuff should be outlawed. Third, I am not sure if Heath Ledger ever had a chance to experience the greatness of Lil Wayne, and I would not be surprised if Lil Wayne missed out on Broke Back Mountain. I honestly missed it too, it was just too weird.

But that’s where the differences seem to end.

Drugs are everywhere. As a college professor, I’ve seen drugs destroy the lives of many otherwise normal, happy, healthy young people. What’s worse is that many of our greatest drug dealers are major corporations. I tire of seeing one commercial after another, seeking to bring out the hypochondriac in all of us. They overmedicate our kids to turn them into lifeless, wide-eyed, zombies. They tell old men that they can have bigger penises and use them more often. Anyone who can’t sleep or has a series of bad days is given something in a bottle that will make the bad days turn sunny.

Actually, they’re right. People on drugs are usually much happier than those who actually face their problems and work through them….at least for a while.
I am not here to say that psychiatric medication is not necessary. I like the idea that I can escape the pain of surgery and suddenly see Halle Berry in a bikini. However, the idea that our society allows an industry to make money hand over fist by getting us all hooked on their product is quite disturbing. Pookie on the corner offering hits to school children has been overshadowed by men in business suits showing up at the same school to offer a more powerful product.

Heath Ledger had problems, and his doctor gave him prescriptions to make it better. He eventually dies from an overdose. Lil Wayne surely has problems of his own, since the list of haters gets long when you’re on top. He found his own medication. Part of the reason I never wanted to be a huge celebrity is that the psychological toll can be astronomical. In this case, the inability to handle this toll has stolen the life of one of our most talented celebrities, and may steal the livelihood of another.

I must admit that all of this just makes me sad. But then again, I’m sure some company will soon offer me a drug that can make me it go away. Perhaps I should see my pusher….err uhh…doctor. Either one would be just fine.

When Death Comes Knocking

I learned a long time ago that when death comes knocking, there’s nowhere to hide. When the AIDS epidemic hit and spread faster than a prostitute’s legs, I remember feeling a sense of panic and urgency. Panic, because the disease affected anyone and everyone. And urgency due to an overwhelming desire to know. Like most people, I was scared…more like horrified at the thought of possibly having contracted a deadly disease due to something I had done.
I’ll never forget the day that Ervin “Magic” Johnson announced on national television that he was HIV positive. My heart sank, and I cried so hard my tear ducts became dry. Although I was devastated by the news, I couldn’t help but think about my uncle. My uncle was an openly gay male. I became physically ill thinking that he could be infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
A few years later, my fear became a reality. Not for me, but for my uncle. I remember that he had quit his job and moved to the same city as me. When I saw him, there was something different about him. Not only did he physically look different, he started behaving with a true sense of urgency. Although he never confided in me about his condition, I believe he knew that he was terminally ill. The truth was he was in denial. It wasn’t until he began to experience flu-like symptoms that he went to the hospital. That’s when the doctor confirmed that he had full-blown AIDS. Even then, he was ashamed and full of remorse. He didn’t want the family to know, especially his nieces.
Not long after my uncle turned thirty-two, the virus began to take over his body. An MRI revealed that he had a mass on his brain, which impacted his speech and ability to walk. After being confined to a wheelchair and requiring the constant care of a nurse, he was placed in hospice.
“Your uncle died today,” were the words my mother left on my voicemail.
I felt as if someone had sucker-punched me in the gut and left me winded. An invisible vacuum must have sucked the air out of the room, because I thought I was going to suffocate. It didn’t matter that his chances for survival were bleak. I refused to accept his prognosis. I fasted, prayed and pleaded with God for a miracle. There was no miracle, and I was grief-stricken.
The same morning that I received the news about my uncle’s demise, I got dressed, crying all the while, and went to work. After running a red light, I nearly joined my uncle. Because of my tears flowing like a river, my vision was blurred. I arrived at the office, eyes red and puffy, and went to my desk. I couldn’t stop crying. Unable to concentrate, I went back home.
Admittedly, I was having a difficult time. Later that evening, while sobbing in my pillow, I felt my hair being lifted off my shoulders and plop back down. Immediately, I stopped balling and looked around the room. No one was there. I didn’t feel afraid. Rather, there was a comforting presence. Suddenly, I heard my uncle’s voice as clearly as if he were standing in the same room as me.
“Little niece, don’t cry for me,” he said. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Now stop crying and go put some ice on your eyes.”
Although I missed him terribly, the grief became more bearable. Having that encounter helped me to understand that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Energy doesn’t die, it transcends. At his funeral, I shared my experience. Later, I found out that lots of people were comforted by my testimony.
For a while, I had vivid dreams about my uncle. I even participated in AIDS Walk Atlanta. I didn’t want other people to go through what my uncle went through.
Ten years has passed since my uncle died, and AIDS is still an epidemic. Recently, I visited his gravesite for the first time since his burial. I introduced him to my four-year old daughter, his great-niece. I realized that I really did introduce them because a few months later, my daughter came to me with her notebook in hand. She had drawn a picture of her uncle. She didn’t know his name, or at least she didn’t tell me. In her artwork, the man had long hair and wore a crown. She proceeded to tell me that he was no longer with us and that he wanted to be a girl. My jaw dropped. I was shocked and skeptical at first. Then she informed me that while he was in high school, he wore a dress. After high school, he got married to a boy.
Everything she said was true, but she had no way of knowing any of it, unless he had told her. My daughter is young, and I’ve never had a discussion with her, or around her, about same-sex relationships. Thankfully, she wasn’t afraid and neither was I, especially when she told me that he hugged her.
Hearing about my daughter’s encounter with our deceased uncle reminded me that there is still so much work to do regarding combating HIV/AIDS. It amazes me that although the media has done a good job bringing awareness to the disease, so many people are still getting infected. I feel as though I have been personally commissioned to help eradicate this pandemic. Each and every life lost to AIDS related complications is too many. We need to do everything we can to stop the spread of this horrific disease. If anyone thinks that HIV/AIDS is limited to homosexuals, intravenous drug users or morally corrupt individuals, think again.
The United States vital statistics found on the “Until There’s a Cure” Web site suggest otherwise. The following stats are disturbing.
 An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.
 70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
 By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
 Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger.
The worldwide statics are even more alarming.
 Over 22 million people have died from AIDS.
 Over 42 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 74 percent of these infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa.
 Over 19 million women are living with HIV/AIDS.
 By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50 to 75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease.
 There are 14,000 new infections every day (95 percent in developing countries). HIV/AIDS is a "disease of young people" with half of the 5 million new infections each year occurring among people ages 15 to 24.
 The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million.
No one deserves to contract HIV/AIDS, regardless of their lifestyle. When death comes knocking, it doesn’t care about age, race, nationality, religion, sexual preference, gender or social status. What will you do to make a change?

Prosperity in 7 Days: Add One Dose of Reality

By Dr. Alduan Tartt - Mental Health Specialist

WOW, there certainly is a market for selling hope and prosperity? Have you seen how many motivational products are on the market these days: “The Science of Self-Discipline, The 4 hour Work Week, Lead the Field, etc.? Isn’t it great that we only have to wait “45 Days to Get Rich” and that we can, “Have the Life of Our Dreams in 90 Days”? In fact, did you know that it is possible to “Achieve a Whole New You in 7 Days”? It certainly appears that society is getting a whole lot smarter because we have miraculously figured out how to obtain riches, live the life of our dreams, and transform our lives in record time. Imagine, our parents, mentors, and ancestors had to struggle and endure for decades to get the same results. One has to think, if they knew what we knew they could have retired earlier and endured far less suffering.

If you’re like me, you have gotten caught up in the hype too. In 2007, I purchased motivational CD’s, tapes, DVD’s, workbooks, and even attended workshops and boot camps to improve my life, get rich, and find my true calling in record numbers. I sincerely cherish my expansive library of motivational products because they have significantly influenced and added value to my life in unimaginable ways. Being a motivational speaker myself, I even got caught up in creating products that would transform people’s lives in record time too. However, there was one thing that kept getting in my way: THEY DIDN’T WORK IN 7 DAYS.

I didn’t “Earn a Million Dollars as a Speaker in One Year”. I didn’t even earn a hundred thousand dollars! It’s taken me years to “transform my life” and I’m sure I’m still transforming. As for my dream life, I had some revelations about that too. I realized through daily prayer and relationship with God that I already was living my dream life and didn’t know it. In fact, when I began to reflect I became upset because I remember vividly that I struggled, lost direction, and got distracted from my true calling chasing “A Million Dollar Lifestyle in a Week”. I began to think that my cherished arsenal of motivational products was a fraud but then something told me to listen again.

When I went back and listened I realized that, almost to an author, I had missed one very integral, salient, and redundant point: Struggle is necessary for success and we only have limited control over when it comes. How did I miss that and why wasn’t struggle emphasized more in the titles? Was I duped, sold false hope, or outright lied to? I mean a 4-hour work week clearly implied that I can have more with less time. How was it possible that I had less money than what I had before I purchased these products when I was adding 5-10 hours per week just to listen to the tapes and CD’s? I mean, I was really mad but then I came to peace with myself.

To be real, I wasn’t duped. The authors told me the truth and I bought the PR and marketing hook, line, and sinker for one reason: I wanted a short cut. I certainly didn’t mind skipping struggle, losing money, or working for the rest of my life. I realized that I had gotten caught up in the hype. We’re living in a microwave society that wants and expects everything NOW! We watch reality TV shows, MTV, and VH1 and see everyday people transform into stars, in what appears, overnight and we want the same thing. I mean, it’s OK for children to think that Peter Pan can fly, Santa Clause can fit down chimneys, and WCW wrestlers really fight each other but what about adults? We’re grown and we know better, don’t we?

Television, radio, and those damned infomercials (my weakness) are so powerful. Even as adults, we forget that television is contrived, scripted, and fantastical which means that the extraordinary is the norm in Hollywood. What we forget is what is edited out, fast forwarded, or outright skipped. However, I’ll admit that I did turn the channel when the spokesmen kept it real about struggle, patience, and self-discipline. I didn’t want to hear that. Instead I bought what I wanted them to sell me: Instant Results! As a society, we now expect instant gratification, boundless energy, success, wealth, and prosperity without having to work for it. We desire the results now and could do without having to struggle, persist, or depend on God for it.

In retrospect, I’m glad that things didn’t work out for me in record time. Had I been so lucky, I most certainly would have traveled the world encouraging others to do the same while I openly and naively challenged their belief system if things didn’t work out for them in 7 days. Now that I struggle, I can better identify and appreciate the exhausting journey of obstacles, trials, and tribulations that we all must endure in order to be successful. Rome was not built overnight and neither were Les Brown, Oprah Winfrey, or Jay-Z for that matter. Certainly none of my heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, or Nelson Mandela learned how to be leaders from listening to motivation tapes and CD’s. Instead they all followed their dream, worked hard, struggled, endured, and prospered…and in that order!

Who are we to take short cuts? The moral here is that no matter how much we get mesmerized by instant success productions in a microwave society; there remains one tried and true formula for success: Belief, patience, persistence, and hard work- Notice that no specified time was included. God knows what we need, what we can handle, and has the ultimate time table for our success.

Remember that struggle is part of the process, builds endurance, faith, stamina, and ALWAYS precedes success. So, don’t give up on your dreams because you did not achieve your dreams in 7 days. Remember that the harvest takes time and fruit can be long-bearing. Keep stringing together 7 days of hard work, persistence, and faith in God and watch what happens over six months, one year, and two years! Besides, success stories without conflict don’t sell very well and ultimately rob you of your testimony to encourage others. Embrace and enjoy the journey.

Dr. Tartt is a licensed psychologist, power life coach, and motivational speaker in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He is available to speak on a variety of topics and enjoys coaching and supporting believers on their walk with faith towards a better tomorrow. He can be contacted at www.drtartt.com or 1-877-377-4002.