Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 22, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Magazine focus editor Brian Cole 1697-7044 h 81 Winnipeg june 22,1997 sunday free press a7 Humphrey was a real dog Good old Dawg not for the �?T90s the phrase a a dogs life Means something else in the �?T90s. Now that the dog Days of summer Are upon us in be been thinking about Humphrey a lot. Humphrey was my dog Back in the �?T60s. And he was a real dog. There were real dogs up until some time in the Early �?T80s. But City dogs today Are not so much dogs As Well members of the family. And that Sall right after All our family has a Sweet Little dog. His name is Lewis. As i write this Lewis is stretched out in a Patch of sunlight in the Kitchen contentedly chewing on a Small piece of rubber shaped like a shoe. Around his neck he wears an edwardian Collar one of those plastic Cone shaped devices you see around the necks of sheepish looking dogs and cats. The temporary Collar prevents Licking and biting at stitches or skin ailments. Watching Lewis i remember Humphrey. Although we had Many pets while i was growing up Humphrey held a special place in my heart. Maybe because i found him More dead than alive one Bleak frigid february night Well after Midnight. He was huddled on our porch a the Only one on the Street with a Light on a when i opened the door to usher out a Friend. The half grown dog was starving crawling with vermin and his Heinz 57 body showed the fresh wounds and old scars of Many beatings. We never found out where he came from or what had happened to him Only that he was terrified by certain whooshing sounds and of men wearing gloves. I took him in gave him a few wieners and let him sleep on a piece of carpet in the Back Hall. The next Day we cleaned him up and started calling him Humphrey for reasons that escape me now. He never left. But he did come and go All Day and sometimes All night Long although he usually turned up at the Back door As we were scraping the supper leftovers into the dented aluminium pie plate that became his food dish. I saw him drink from puddles and ditches and the River at the end of our Street. He also swam in the River during warm weather and he smelled a no he stunk but it seemed an of Normal Doggie smell. Humphrey knew All the Back roads and detours of our neighbourhood and probably far beyond. Often while Riding my bicycle blocks and blocks from Home Humphrey would appear seemingly out of nowhere. Ears blown Back Tongue lolling and Mouth open to show a Black gummed Grin of pure Joy head run alongside me until head had enough and then turn into a strange Yard or Down a Lane. Humphrey had a Long Independent and Happy life. Lewis has a Happy life too but it is totally different than Humphreys. I suspect that it is not even a dogs life. Lewis is cuddled and spoken to in High breathless voices. He has Learned the proper manners for behaviour suitable to our Home a no jumping on guests no biting during play sessions Barking to a minimum offer a Dainty Paw when desiring a treat sit Down and stay. He has his own Matching set of food and water bowls. He is brushed nightly and gets bathed regularly with scented dog shampoo. He has special chevies to keep his Teeth clean and his breath fresh. His Long hair is trimmed and his toenails Are clipped. He has a number of toys. At night he sleeps on my Middle child a bed. He goes for car rides to get ice Cream after supper. He thinks he is one of the Hole Man children. I done to know what Humphrey thought but recalling his Paw twitching nose and ear quivering naps the ones with sudden muted yips and growls i suspect he had primal dreams. Dreams of running with packs of foraging and tracking of winning Battles Over territories and females. Nobody followed Humphrey Down the Street with a scoop and plastic bag. He could Romp and cavort freely with neighbourhood dogs without anyone calling to press paternity charges. Humphrey reminded me of a Cowboy from the past one of those old Silver screen idols. He did what he had to do out there on his own. Found food when he was hungry slept when he was tired. Sometimes picked fights sometimes got beaten and came Home bloody a once losing part of an ear to a German Shepherd a but never complaining. So on this dog Day afternoon ill keep Lewis inside. I worry about the heat and mosquitoes although Lewis obediently takes his heart worm Pill on the first Day of each summer month. I might drop in to my local pet store later where they have a Sale on dog Chews. I think ill get Lewis a few shaped like Bones. We done to eat much meat so there Are never any real one. Lewis is great. But he a a �?T90s kind of dog. Humphrey he have been caught dead in an edwardian Collar chewing on a fake shoe. He belonged to a Breed that no longer exists. He was one Good old Dawg. Slice of life is a weekly column featuring Manitoba writers. Linda Hole Man s latest Book is Promise song a historical novel for Young to the editor vitamins part of Good health i just had to write and take exception to your consumer watch piece on Page a2 free press june 14. In it you refer to a study which concluded that two vitamins a and e were unable to prevent a second heart attack from occurring in 50-year-old male smokers who had already had one heart attack. I would suspect that these test subjects were at a very High risk for having a second heart attack and that this was a classic example of too Little too late or of Locking the barn door after the horses have fled. Based on the results of this study concerning Only two vitamins what about the rest of the approximately 60 nutrients our bodies require on a daily basis you state that there is a no health Benefit from taking Vitamin quite the sweeping generalization. It would be interesting to know what the results of the study would have been had All the required nutrients been provided in proper amounts instead of just the two. It is also implied that supplements Are offered As an alternative to eating fruits and vegetables. Supplements Are just that supplements not replacements for our everyday diet. The Over processing of foods and the Mineral depleted soils in which our produce is grown along with the fast paced stressful lives we Lead today make it impossible for us to obtain All the nutrients our bodies require to function and maintain optimal health from the foods we eat. Supplements Are absolutely essential i done to mean to say that we should All run Down to the Corner store to Purchase a bottle of Vitamin a selenium or the latest fad supplement simply because we read a study showing it May be beneficial in preventing degenerative diseases. The elusive a magic Bullet that we seek for health anyhow to reach us the free press welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed name address and Telephone number. Names will be published but not addresses. All letters May be edited for style and length. Short letters Are less Likely to be condensed. Please address letters to letters to the editor Winnipeg free press 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Letters can be sent to our fax number 697-7412. Letters May be submitted through the internet at letters @ free press. My. Ca. Letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be signed but must include Home address and Telephone number. Longevity does not exist. No single nutrient is More important than the next one they All work together in Harmony. What each of us needs is a Complete and balanced nutritional system including vitamins minerals and antioxidants. A Multi Vitamin once a Day just does no to Cut it. Degenerative diseases such As cancer and heart disease do not occur overnight but Over a lifetime of poor diet and lifestyle choices. You do not feel heart disease As it slowly clogs your arteries. The first indication of heart disease in most cases is pow a a heart attack. Unfortunately 30 per cent of first heart attacks Are fatal. It is much simpler and far less expensive to maintain Good health than it is to regain it once it has been lost. Nutritional supplementation along with a High Fibre Low fat diet and moderate regular exercise is the proactive approach to health care. Nick Hybschman has benefits the health Protection Branch has now approved Dep Provera for con. Trace Tive use after an extensive review by an Independent expert committee that believes that the benefits to Canadian women far exceed any concerned risk. Therefore All health care providers must ensure that those women considering any method of contraception including Dep Provera Are offered information regarding the risks and benefits. Why is columnist Penni Mitchell so surprised that some women taking Dep Provera May develop Side effects such As nausea diarrhoea depression stomach cramps weight gain irregular bleeding Etc if one looks at the list of Side effects in the compendium of pharmaceuticals and specialities which lists All drugs approved by health Canada the list of potential Side effects of these drugs fill a whole textbook. In particular the Side effects of Oral contraceptives intrauterine devices contraceptive foam and other Barrier methods fill several pages. All methods of contraception have Side effects. Proper patient selection counselling and monitoring by health care professionals is important to ensure the proper use and continuing use in order to improve effectiveness. Dep Provera does not increase a woman Schance of developing cancer. To suggest that it increases the risk of breast cancer and uterine cancer in women based on animal data is incorrect. Dep Provera has been used for years by women who have recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. Oral contraceptives which contain both oestrogen and Prog Estagen similar to Dep Provera As Well As Provera used in hormone replacement therapy decrease the chances of developing cancer of the uterus by up to 50 per cent. The results of a world health organization study involving More than 12,000 women on Dep Provera lancet october 1991 provide Assurance that women who have used Dep Provera for a Long time and who initiated use Many years previously Are not at an increased risk of developing cancer of the breast. There is a very Small group of women who Are predisposed to developing breast cancer Early in life who May have their breast cancer earlier if they use any or contraceptive or Dep Provera for Short periods of time. Otherwise the Overall risk in the general population is not increased. The Oral contraceptive decreases the incidence of ovarian cancer by up to 50 per cent probably by decreasing ovulation which traumatized the ovary. It is suggested that Dep Provera would also do the same. One can conclude that Dep Provera could decrease not increase the Overall Chance of developing cancer. Some women using Dep Provera for prolonged periods of time May decrease their Bone density. This is related to the fact that most women do not ovulate and May have Low oestrogen Levels that can Lead to a decrease in Bone density and other symptoms of Low oestrogen such As vaginal dryness Etc. It is important to note that these women do not have osteoporosis and that this drop in Bone density does not increase their risk of fracture. Once Dep Provera is discontinued the Bone density returns to Normal very quickly. What is Mitchell did not state is that breast feeding women also have Low Levels of circulating oestrogen which can Lead to a decrease in their Bone density. More important there is a Large number of women who have Low circulating Levels of oestrogen secondary to weight loss voluntary or involuntary excess exercise smoking anorexia Etc. These women Are Ata significant risk of developing osteoporosis As they move towards the menopause and they Are at significant risk of fracture and death As they age. Is Mitchell suggests that Dep Provera causes a temporary sterility for at least three sterility suggests that there is an absolute Factor preventing Conception in either the male or female. Women taking Dep Provera do not become sterile. Some of them May indeed have a delay of ovulation for up to three to six months after stopping however by nine months their chances of conceiving Are the same As that of the general population. This May not be a disadvantage but actually an advantage to those women using this method of birth control who Are very Fertile and who would like to have better control Over their Fertility. With proper informed consent and vigilant planning a woman could use Dep Provera As an excellent method of family spacing. We appreciate is Mitchells concern regarding the coercive use of Dep Provera As Well As the Many sociocultural issues related to its use in the past and its current use in Canada and various countries throughout the world. On the other hand Dep Provera has been approved in More than 90 countries including the United states great Britain and All of Europe. Its ongoing safety record has been reassuring. Dep Provera is not and should not be used As a first line contraceptive. With collaborative planning Between women and their healthcare providers a a prescription for contraceptive Choice and reproductive Freedom will be ensured. Is. Boroditsky my Beth Brunsden Clark in Winnipeg Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 a Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Rudy Redekop / publisher a Mati Rudy Redekop free press. My. Ca Nicholas Hirst / editor Brian Cole i editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown / circulation sales and marketing Ian Cummins technology Laurie Finley advertising Verne Kalichuk human resources Glenn Williams / finance and administration a 1997 Winnipeg free press a division of . Newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council vol 125 n0168 the proper use of vitamins combined with healthy diet and lifestyle can be beneficial ;