Washington Holds Inauguration for First Female American Indian Senator in State History

From Left to Right: Board Member Joan Staples, Newly elected state Senator Claudia Kauffman, Board Member Jeanette DeCouteau

Washington - On January 8, two members of the Board of Directors for the National Indian Women’s Health Resource center were on-hand when, Claudia Kauffman, made Washington State history. Joan Staples and Jeanette DeCouteau were fortunate enough to attend the ceremony to witness the swearing in of Ms. Kaufman (Nez Perce) as the first American Indian woman elected to the Washington state senate.

When asked why Kauffman chose to run for a Senate position, she responded, ''It's the manner in which I was raised, the basic values American Indians have - taking care of our children, respecting our elders, honoring our veterans, serving our community. I've been around these values all my life and I have had an opportunity to do these things on so many different levels; the next natural step for me was to run for office.''

Kauffman plans on tackling the issue of education as the district she represents has a high school graduation rate well below the state average, overcrowded classrooms, and a need for more funding for early learning programs.

Kauffman believes that the early learning programs are necessary for preparing at-risk children for school, which will in turn increase the graduation rates.

''The Kent School District has made strides in that area,'' she said. ''We need to focus on getting kids into school and getting them to stay in school.''

Kauffman has served as the deputy project manger for the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation’s People’s Lodge Project, Overseeing predevelopment, planning, and community relations. She also worked with Oglala Sioux tribe, as a private consultant, to coordinate President Clinton’s 1999 visit to Pine Ridge. Currently, she is the intergovernmental affairs liaison for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

She is aware of the importance of being a Nez Perce woman, ''I want to contribute to a broader perspective in the state Senate,'' she said. ''Before [her election], there was only one Asian-American, one African-American and one Latino in the Senate. I believe we've changed the face of the [Senate].''

February is National Hearth Month. Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women. These are two of many cardiovascular diseases that kill nearly 500,000 women each year. That’s more than the next five causes of death combined. Fortunately, you can do a lot to prevent these killers. The American Heart Association has created a unique campaign to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases. Began in February 2004 the grassroots campaign, Go Red for Women Day , asks that all women and men wear red on February 4 to help raise the awareness of cardiovascular disease. The campaign provides women tips and information on healthy eating, exercise, and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control and blood cholesterol management.

“Last year, we discovered an alarming fact — that women still don’t know heart disease is their No. 1 killer,” said Alice Jacobs, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. “In fact, more women still believe that cancer is the greatest health problem facing them today. Go Red For Women is beginning to change that.”Most important for both men and women are:

Following your healthcare professional's recommendations, including taking prescribed medications.

The Heart of the Matter
By Carol McKiel

Preventing heart disease can sound overwhelming. In addition to staying smoke-free, one must get regular exercise, keep total cholesterol low, manage blood pressure, control diabetes if present, and maintain a healthy weight. Yet, when you get right to the heart of the matter, achieve just one of these and you will start a chain reaction that will positively affect all the rest: maintain a healthy weight.

Although it’s not always easy in practice, weight loss is simple in theory: eat less, exercise more. Regular exercise coupled with a low calorie diet consisting of foods like fruits and vegetables will cause a “negative energy balance.” This simply means the body is burning more calories than it is storing, and this is the only way to achieve lasting, healthy weight loss. And though it is easier said than done, the facts show that shedding those pounds is well worth the effort. People who have lost weight often talk about how much better they feel overall. But aside from feeling better there are serious health concerns with too much weight. Obese individuals are much more likely to acquire type II diabetes, have high blood pressure, and high total cholesterol - all major risk factors for heart disease. Yet, even if these are not present, obesity by itself is a risk factor for the disease. In fact, obesity increases the risk of many different chronic conditions, but none are more important than heart disease. It is the number one cause of death in America and Oklahoma, and our state ranks dead last in the nation in heart disease death rate. So the next time that voice in your head tells you to “eat that doughnut” or “skip your workout,” do the right thing and listen to your heart instead.

DOS	DON’TS
Change your eating habits to emphasize healthy foods and exercise. This should be your first move toward a healthy weight management. Whether you are overweight or not, regular daily exercise is important to look and feel your best. If you do need to lose weight, stepping up your activity level will help. Exercise increases your lean body tissue, which will help you burn calories more quickly and help make weight loss easier.	There’s a right way and a wrong way to lose weight. Examples of wrong ways are to skip meals, resolve to eat nothing but bread and water, take diet pills or dietary supplements, or make yourself vomit. You may make it through the end of the week and maybe even lose a pound or two, but you're unlikely to keep the weight off. Forced-vomiting could be a sign of an eating disorder called bulimia, which can result in serious health problems.
A healthy diet is one that has balance, variety and moderation in food choices. Be sure to limit the amount of high-calorie foods that you eat. If high fat foods are among your favorites, balance those foods with fruits and vegetables, which are generally lower in fat and calories.	"The more you deprive yourself of the foods you love, the more you will crave those foods. Inevitably, you'll break down and binge," says Jo Ann Hattner, a clinical dietitian at Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. Then you'll not only gain those pounds back, you'll likely add a couple more.
Try to eat a wide variety of foods to keep from getting bored and to make sure your diet is nutritionally sound. Keep portion sizes reasonable so that you can have an occasional dessert without taking in too many calories.	Low-calorie diets that allow only a few types of foods can be bad for your health because they don't allow you to get enough vitamins and minerals. Rapid weight loss from very-low-calorie "starvation diets" can cause serious health effects in teenagers, such as gallstones, hair loss, fatigue, and diarrhea.
Another way to lower your calorie intake is to make lower fat substitutions for the regular foods that you eat. Here are some common substitutions: Switch to 1 percent or fat-free milk instead of whole milk Try nonfat or low-fat frozen yogurt or nonfat or low-fat ice cream instead of regular ice cream Have pretzels instead of corn chips or potato chips Switch your fries for a small baked potato with a little low-fat sour cream Remember, low-fat doesn't always mean low calorie. For example, extra sugars may be added to low-fat muffins or desserts to enhance their flavor. As a result, they may be just as high in calories as the regular versions.	Be wary of advertisers claims of miracle foods that burn fat. Foods don't burn fat, they create fat when we eat more than we need. Also, stay away from diets that claim you can lose weight without exercise or say you will lose more than 2 pounds per week.

Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 21, 2007 is the first annual Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This is a day for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians to take the opportunity to raise awareness of the impact HIV/AIDS has had on the Native population.

HIV/AIDS continues to increase among Native people making it the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS per population behind Blacks and Hispanics. Because many Native people live in rural areas they lack testing and are subject to the stigma about HIV and the fear that those within their small communities ostracizing those with the disease. This fear in many cases prevents Native people from being tested.

On March 21, Native people will have the opportunity to raise awareness about the risks of HIV/AIDS in their communities, call for increased resources for testing, remember those who have passed from this disease, acknowledge those and their families who are living with it, and to ask for more support for increasing treatment and care options.

The date, March 21st, was selected to commemorate this event because it is the first day of spring. In Native cultures, seasons signify the cycle and celebration of life. Ceremonies are held to acknowledge the start and end of each season.

The four seasons are very sacred and highly respected in many Native cultures. The cycle of life is defined by the change in seasons, and ceremonies are held to recognize the passing of one season and the beginning of another. Each of the four seasons holds special meaning.

For example:

1. In Alaska, the nalukatak, or spring whaling festival, takes place at the end of the whaling season. One purpose of this festival is to win the favor of the spirits of the deceased whales and to ensure the success of future hunting seasons.

2. In the Medicine Wheel of the Native American Lakota tradition, spring is the season of birth when life and inspiration awaken.

3. The Iroquois celebrate the Green Corn Ceremony to mark the emergence of the first ears of corn which represent the ideal relationship between humans and the corn plants upon which they depend for their existence.

4. To Native Hawaiians and many of their Polynesian cousins, the season of Makahiki begins with the first sighting of the rising of the Pleiades in the heavens; it is the time when the sun turns northward, and plants flourish and fish spawn. It is the season to give tribute to Lono, the god of cultivation. The season of Makahiki is a time of peace.

The beginning of spring is the first time in the New Year’s cycle that the lengths of day and night are equal – this is a time of perfect balance. Many Native groups believe that this equality or balance occurs physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. By choosing the first day of spring to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS among Native people, we call attention to the regeneration that is possible when we take an active role in our health to secure our future. Perhaps we, as Native people, will awaken to the call for healthy and positive change - for bringing about balance and healing of our communities.

HIV continues to increase among Native people as it has over the past decade - this day will challenge us to work together, in harmony, to create a greater awareness of the risk of HIV/AIDS to our Native communities, to call for resources for testing and early detection and for increased options for treatment, and to eventually decrease the occurrence of HIV/AIDS among Native people – American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians -Protect our future, "Protect Our People."

This past year has been a busy one for all of the programs at the National Indian Women's Health Resource Center. The Healthy Relationship Skills for Youth Program in partnership with the American Indian Resource Center, the Gamma Delta Pi (OU American Indian sorority), Chickasaw Nation and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees developed and approved their training curriculum. Project Director, Kimberley Chaffin, pilot tested the curriculum in five schools in Cherokee and Adair counties in Oklahoma. The curriculum was well received by the students grades 8th-12th. In the upcoming year, the curriculum will be presented to an additional five schools in Cherokee and Adair Counter. Next, two tribes will be receiving the "Train the Trainer" training for ten members of their community. Once they have completed the training they will have the curriculum and teaching knowledge to do the trainings within their own communities. There will also be a "Peer to Peer" Training with the Gamma Delta Pi American Indian sorority. After they receive the training they will be able to teach other students the curriculum. As project director, Kimberley Chaffin will be providing technical assistance to the trainers.

In November of 2006, "Train the Trainer" session for the "Circle of Positive Choices" began. These trainings are used to assist community members by preparing them to teach the "Circle of Positive Choices" curriculum. Project director, Kimberly Baker, has traveled to Peoria, Illinois and Millsboro, Delaware to conduct the "Train the Trainer" session. The community interest was great and she will conduct technical assistance sessions in 2007. These sessions will serve to assist communities during the implementation of the curriculum. She will next travel to Phoenix to conduct a "Train the Trainer" session.

Janie Dibble is working on a new project entitled Intergenerational Approaches to HIV/AIDS Prevention Education With Women Across the Lifespan. This project is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. NIWHRC is developing a specific gender based (female) curriculum on intergenerational approaches to HIV/AIDS Prevention Education. The target population is mothers, grandmothers, daughters, granddaughters and aunts in a familial setting. The goal is to teach cross-generations of women and other female members of the family 12+ years old to develop healthy communication patterns built on caring, trusting familial relationships. Another goal is to equip women to give accurate information about their sexual health issues between other female members of the family 12+ years old by incorporating gender-focused, age specific, culturally competent, and linguistically appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention information.

Ms. Dibble’s other programs are also doing well. The Enhancing Cancer Prevention and Control Program provided technical assistance to the Kansas State Department of Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. A cultural competency training session was held for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Staff and consultant were facilitators at two breast cancer collaboration retreats and facilitators at the Comprehensive Cancer Control Leadership Institute. One of NIWHRC’s consultants made a presentation on Health Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives at the Case Management conference. The Quality of Life Project continues with staff completing surveys through one on one contact at the client’s home as well as contacting clients at health fairs. Surveys are being completed on American Indian/Alaska Native clients who are cancer survivors. Seventy-three surveys have been completed since October 2006.

s National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center’s Albuquerque Area Board Member, Filomena Louise Kiger, has been selected as a New Mexico Nursing Legend for 2006. The New Mexico Nursing Excellence Awards is a statewide program to recognize and honor excellence in nursing practice. The New Mexico Nursing Legends Awards pay tribute to retired New Mexico nurses who have had a lasting impacting on the nursing profession in the state. Being selected for this award is a reflection of the respect and appreciation Mrs. Kiger has attained for her accomplishments as a nurse.

s Carolyn Lofgren, Board alternate, would like to announce the addition of two new American Indian women to the DHHS Minority Women's Health Panel of experts:

Wehnona St. Cyr, Omaha, from Winnebago, Nebraska
Agnes Attakai, Navajo, from Arizona

The addition of these women to this group make a total of six Indian women for around the country. We maybe few, but we speak with a strong voice as American Indian women.

These American Indian women have already become active members by contributing to the planning and evaluation of the upcoming DDS Women's Health Summit August 23-26, 2007 in Washington, D.C.

Women play many important roles throughout their lives—daughter, mother, and friend—but no relationship is as unique as the one between two sisters. Sister Study researchers hope the sisters of women with breast cancer can play another important role by helping discover how our environment and genes affect our chances of developing breast cancer.

The Sister Study is a nationwide effort, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to learn about environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer. Women ages 35 to 74 are eligible to join if their sister (living or deceased), related to them by blood, had breast cancer; they have never had breast cancer themselves; and they live in the United States or Puerto Rico.

The Sister Study is particularly committed to enrolling women in every state, and from all backgrounds, occupations, races and ethnicities, so the study results represent and benefit all women. The women enrolled in the Sister Study look like many of our relatives, friends, and co-workers. They may even look like you.

Of the more than 30,000 women currently enrolled, here are a few who are making a difference in breast cancer research. Retiree Cruz Mireles, 58, joined because her sister is a breast cancer survivor. Jean Peelen, 65, a government retiree and senior model enrolled and helps spread the word about the Sister Study because one sister is a breast cancer survivor and another died as a result of the disease. Also, Donna Castleberry, 46, who works in a busy Los Angeles advertising firm, and Barbara Moore, 57, an on-the-go Labor Relations Specialist for AFSCME did it because their sisters died of breast cancer, before they even reached the age of 50.

The study needs to enroll 50,000 women by the end of 2007, and with your help, it can.

“Many women have heard about the Sister Study, but they haven't signed up yet, and we really need them now,” said Dale Sandler, Ph.D., Chief of the Epidemiology Branch at NIEHS and Principal Investigator of the Sister Study. “Doctors know very little about how the environment may affect breast cancer, that is why the Sister Study is so important. We hope women will make that call today,” she added.

Organizations in partnership with the Sister Study include the American Cancer Society, the Intercultural Cancer Council, the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health, Sisters Network Inc., Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization.

The Sister Study is available in English and Spanish and can be done from home when it is convenient for women. To learn more about the Sister Study, visit the web site www.sisterstudy.org, or for Spanish www.estudiodehermanas.org. A toll free number is also available 1-877-4SISTER (877-474-7837). Deaf/Hard of Hearing call 1-866-TTY-4SIS (866-889-4747).

On April 22, 1970, Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator
from Wisconsin proposed the first nationwide
environmental protest “to shake up the political
establishment and force this issue on to the national
agenda.” He later said that he knew it was a gamble,
but it worked. He felt the issue of environment needed
to be addressed as soon as possible as Americans
during this time were consuming massive quantities of leaded gas, and industries had few legal consequences for polluting water, air and land.

Since then organizations nationwide have held rallies, events, and ceremonies to raise awareness about pollution’s affect on the environment. Recently, the matter of global warming has been pushed to the forefront of environmental issues. Global warming is not a normal occurrence. The earth is naturally kept warm by carbon dioxide and other gases that get trapped by the atmosphere, allowing the planet to be habitable. Unfortunately, with the excessive burning of fossil fuels, and the clearing of trees, the level of carbon dioxide has increased leading to a rise in temperature, one that is a direct consequence of human activity. This increase in temperature has caused the level of disastrous storms to rise and glaciers to melt.

Former Vice-President Al Gore, has made it his personal mission to raise awareness on this issue through his book and the movie An Inconvenient Truth. He uses compelling evidence to inform the public about dangers of global warming to the entire human race. For more information regarding An Inconvenient Truth please visit: http://www.climatecrisis.net/

There are several ways for everyone to observe Earth Day everyday in various simple ways, most of which are beneficial to you as well: save energy, use less water, reduce/reuse/recycle, and safely handle household toxic wastes. Below are some surprising and easy ways to do this:

Save Energy
s Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
s Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven).

Use Less Water
s Don't let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
s Take short showers instead of tub baths.

Reduce
s Buy permanent items instead of disposables.
s Buy products with less packaging.

Reuse
s Clean out juice bottles and use them for water.
s Use empty jars to hold leftover food.

Recycle
s Recycle paper (printer paper, newspapers, mail, etc.), plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. If your community doesn't collect at the curb, take them to a collection center.
s Compost food scraps, grass and other yard clippings, and dead plants

Handle toxics properly
There are several common, everyday household items that we would find very difficult to give up; batteries oils, cleaners, and paints. The best thing to do is to give any leftover reusable items to someone else for their use. More information is provided at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/reduce.htm#hhw

For tips on ways to observe Earth Day everyday or for events in your area visit:

The following true or false statements test what you know about sleep. Upon completion click on the link to read the answers and explanations.

1. Sleep is a time when your body and brain shut down for rest and relaxation.

2. If you regularly doze off unintentionally during the day, you may need more than just a good night's sleep.

3. If you snore loudly and persistently at night and are sleepy during the day, you may have a sleep disorder.

4. Opening the car window or turning the radio up will keep the drowsy driver awake.

8. The body has a natural ability to adjust to different sleep schedules such as working different shifts or traveling through multiple time zones quickly.

10. More people doze off at the wheel of a car in the early morning or mid-afternoon than in the evening.

Some everyday activity can help burn extra calories. The approximate
amounts of calories burned for a 150-200 lb person (calories per hour):

General Gardening: 324-432
Mowing Lawn: 324-432
Dancing: 317-388
Raking Lawn: 288-384
Sitting: Reading/watching TV: 81-108
Sleeping: 45-60
10-minute walk (2mph): 31-38
20-minute walk (2mph): 62-71

- Clear your exercise plan with your doctor;
- Wear comfortable shoes that fit well; and
- Pick a level route, free of debris or holes that could cause falls

DOS

DON’TS

Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day