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, I . February 2000 Features Ho~ accurate is the groundhog's shadow? By Mary Beth Ponik Staff Writer Did you know the most famous predictor of winter's end is a groundhog named Punxsutawney _Phil? • For all but one day a year, Phil resides in a climate-con- , trolled home at the· Punxsutawney Library in Pennsylvania, Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, is his BIG_ day. According to the Punx- sutawney Chamber of Commerce, on that morning Phil is placed in a heated bur- row under a simulated tree stump on stage at a place called Gobbler's Knob before being pulled out at 7:25 a.m. to make his prediction. The story goes that on this day the groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter of hibernation to look for his shadow. If he . sees his shadow, the groundhog con- siders it an omen of six more· weeks of winter weather and returns to his hole. If the day is cloudy and shadowless, the groundhog takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground. The Punxsutawney Cham- ber of Commerce reports that since 1886, the groundhog's seasonal forecasting accuracy is low. Phil's winter predic- tions have been correct only 39 percent of the time. This groundhog tradition stems from similar beliefs of early Christians in Europe and their observance of Candlemas Di;ty. For tenturies the cus- tom was to have clergy bless candles and distribute them to . the people. This day marked portrayed in the media. ~s a milestone in the winter, and far as the groundhog's shadpw the weathe~ was impo~tant. predicting the length of win- According to the Christian tra- ter, though, I don't believe it." dition, if Candlemas Day was ACC and SAC stud~nt cloudy, winter was al;nost Catherine Gilmet said, "My over. However, if Candlemas husband's birthday is on F~b. Day was fair, the winter was 2 so I'm always aware of ,the . considered only half ov~r. day' and. whether the ground- Denise Bazzett, ACC my- 1 hog sees his shadow, but, I thology instructor, considers don't put much weight into the the Groundhog Day story a;prediction." legend because it is at least partly fictional yet told as if it were true. "The origins of the story could possibly go back even before the Candlemas Day ob- servances to some actual early myth regarding the seasons and/or fertility," Bazzett said. "I think there may well be a way to determine the season using an animal's shadow, but not by the simplistic way it's Despite his poor tra~;k record since the first offic;i~l. Groundhog Day in 18~_6, Punxsutawney Phil's popular- ity has sky-rocketed. 'J'.h_e early observances of Phil's predictions· in the late 1880s were conducted in priv~~e wooded areas neighbor~IJ.g Punxsutawney. According ~o the Punxsutawney Chambe~ of Commerce, today's Feb ~ -2 event attracts tens of th9t;1- sands of curious visitors· to Gobbler's Knob awaitiJl:g Phil's appearance. Herbal supplements can cause serious health risks According to WGKi FOX have been used for centuries, 33 meteorologist To,d<l throughout the world. In the Simcox, the validity ~o f United States, herbal medicine Punxsutawney Phil's pi;edi~- By Lauren Beckeney Staff Writer · lf you are _using an herbal supplement as part of a New Year's resolution to achieve a healthier lifestyle, consider this: what you don't know can hurt you. According to the editors of Consumer Reports, herbal supplements are hot commodi- ties that have generated $1 bil- lion in revenue for many com- panies in 1999, alone. In ~1 re- cent poll of 400 readers sur- veyed by Good Housekeeping magazine, 60 percent of con- sumers who use herbal supple- . men ts, never share this infor- mation with their family phy- sicians. Of those surveyed, 61 percent believed that herbal supplements were beneficial and noticed a marked improve- ment in their overall health. ln order of popularity, the top grossing herbal supple- ments for 1999 were: echinacea, ginseng, ginko biloba, garlic, St. John 's Wort, goiLknseal and saw palmetto. St. John's Won, according to herbalists , has properties Lhat effecLi vely combat depression. Another herbal supplement, ginko biloba, is said to improve memory as well as mental alertness. Dieters have become an important target group in the business of herbal supple- 111e11ts. The year 1998 saw Lile Food and Drug Adminislration ban the weight-loss combina- tion known as "fen-phen" (f enfleuramine/phentermine) from pharmacy shelves due to the risk of potential heart valve µamage and a condition known as primary pulmonary hyper- tension, or PPH. Panicking dieters, desperate to keep weight off that had been lost with fen-phen, flocked to herbal supplements containing ma huang, a puwerful bronchodialator that not only elevates blood pressure, but increases heart rate. Some herbal supplements have the polential to interact with prescription medication. A good example of a poten- tially deadly interaction in- volving herbal supplements, according to Consumer Report magazine, is with the prescrip- tion'drug Coumadin and ginki biloba. The combination has the potential to cause severe internal bleeding when taken in tandem. Ginseng should not be used with any medication used to treat diabetes as it has the pote11tial to cause blood sugar levels to dip dangerously low. Echinacea should not be used with drugs Lhat suppress Lhe immune sys tem, as it may ren- der Lhose drugs less effective. Many consumers wonder: how can something natural harm us? Some herbal supplements, because they are naturally oc- curring, may contain pesti- cides, Often ,it can be diffi- cult to deteni1i11e which herbal supplements are safe and , which have Lhe potential to do us harm. ln some instances, consumers have been unaware of an allergy to a supplement until it is taken. And, like pre- · scription medications, combin- ing some herbal supplements has been known to be lethal. So-how can consumers protect themselves? lf you take prescription medication and want to use an herbal supplement, discuss it with your physician. They know your personal medical history and can best advise you. It is important to remem- ber that the business of selling herbal supplements is just that: a business. Ualike prescription and over the counter medica- tions, herbal supplenient~ are not regulated by the FDA, Because this is true, there are no real standards to assure safety or quality. To put it blunlly, _as consumers, we "fly blind" when we purchase herbal supplements in that there are no assurance of any- thing in this lucrative market. (tu4,t~I# 6711,a,11t,l,e'} '}11,4,tfJ/,e 74.e r,,,,""" . s,~,,,e 2236 US 23 South Alpena, MI 49707 Ph. (517) 354-2171 Fax(517)356-6606 PBOTO PROCESSING WITH NEXT DAY SINGLE PRINTS How do I know which herbal supplements may be hazardous to my health? Recently, the FDA re- ceived several reports regard- ing supplements that may be responsible to adverse reac- tions in some consumers, They are: yohimbe, ma huang, chap- arral, comfrey, germander, jin bu huan, lobelia, and any preparations containing the combination of magnolia and Stephania. Herbs and herbal medicine. is in its infancy, but research conti,iues. In 1999, the Na- tional Institute of Health ere- tions is definit~l.y questionable. "I, like most people, chec).<: ated the Office of Alternative out the groundhog predictions, Health, and operates under the but I don't buy into it," Sime.OJ( auspices of the NIH. said. "I think it's just·, ~a novelty ... something for people While it may be tempting to medicate with herbal supple- ments, health and well-beino is 0 best left .to the professionals. to talk about. . The way weather has been lately,: .it could. change no matter what the groundhog se~s or doesn~t see." Proper treatment can help diabetic~ live long, productive lives By Patrick Moore Contributing Writer There are three types of diabetes that can be classified as type one, type two, and ges- tational mellitus. All of these are a form of diabetes and can have serious effects on the hu- man body if left untreated. Even though diabetes is a seri- ous disease, diabetics can live long and productive lives. The first type is type one, formally known as juvenile, diabetes ( even though adults can get it too.) People with type one and type two did not catch this disease from another person. Instead, this disease is caused by damage to the pan- creas. The pancreas is• a vital organ which contains beta cells. Beta cells produce insu- lin, a hormone that _helps glu- cose (sugar) enter a cell. Sometimes, beta cells die. This means a person's pancreas no longer produces insulin. There are different reasons a person's beta cells have died, but for most people with type one diabetes, the immune sys- Lem makes a mistake. and kills a diabetic's beta cells, And without beta cells, the pancreas will no longer produce insulin, which°- in turn will allow glu- cose (sugar) to build up in the blood. When glucose builds up in the blood, it can cause two kinds 0f pr0bk111s. One, the cdls 01° a diabetic will :-.Lan Lo :-.tt.irw fur energy causing the person to feel tired and slug- . gish. Next, high glucose lev- els over time can hurt a diabetic's eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart. . A typ·e one diabetic must . take insulin either through in- jections or insulin pump. A diLtbetic must also change his or her eating habits. A good diet is critical for the diabetic. Diab~tics must eat a diet low in fat with moderate amounts of protein and high in complex carbohydrates like those found in beans, bread and rice. This kind of diet pertains to bot!'). type one and type two. Exercise is another part that is very important to a dia- betic. It does not matter whether he or she has type one, type two or gestational diabe- tes. A person with diabetes must stay active as possible because Lhis is another way the cells Lake in glucose. If Lhedia- betic is not used to exercise,· they should try a five-minute walk. Even something as simple as riding a bike can lower a person's blood glucose level. , The second kind is type two diabetes. This is where -the person's body produces little insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. A person with type two diabetes does not require insu- i \'\7 IY<r;, ~ ~~~- ~""-_j.._.;·- · but who have high blood sugar levels clurin° preanancy a're "" 0 said to have gestational diab'e:. tes. Doctors don't know what . causes this type of diabetes, but they have some clues. 'A woman's placenta, whic-11 holds the baby in place while he or she grows, contains hor- mones . These hormones which help a baby grow al~o interfere with the normal ac~ tion of i1~sulin in the m~ther~s· body. This is called insulin re: sistance. According to ti,~ American Diabetes Associa .. tion. ··Pre~nant women who ' ~ ' lin shots, but may need to take are 25 year:-. or older, were. a pill such as Diabeta. Once overweight before they b1:7, the diabetic starts taking came pregnant, have a family Diabeta, his 6r her blood sugar history, and who are Hispani<;, will go down. This does not · African, Native, Asian Amerl~' mean the pers011 is cured. As · can, or a Pacific lslande.~ with all diabetes, there is 110 should be screened for gesta-~ cur~, but proper dkL, exercise tional diabetes betweeri the 241.1~ and medication can control it. and 28111 weeks." The last category is gesta- If a person suspects he ar: tionul diabetes. Gestational she might have diabetes, it',s, diabetes affects abou.t 4 percent ve1•y important to seek the f-ld", of all pregnant women, vice of a doctor us soon as pos- 135,000. cases u year, accord- sible. Even though diabetes i~ , ing to the American Diabetes a serious disease, most cliabet,- Assoc iation. Women who ics live long, he.LI thy a_nd pro_- li.ave never had diabetes before dudi ve Ii ves .