News in brief

By Times staff

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 25, 2000

Museum adds senior discount days

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Florida International Museum will be holding Senior Discount Days now through Aug. 31. Admission on Thursdays only will be $7.95 for those 65 and older. Regular senior admission is $12.95. The museum is now the home of a private collection of Kennedy artifacts. For information, call (800) 777-9882.

Colonel awards seniors who aren't 'retiring'

Kentucky Fried Chicken is doing a nationwide search for America's most spirited seniors. The fifth annual Colonel's Way Award competition will reward seniors 62 and over for simply refusing to act their age. One national winner will receive $10,000 and a trip for two to the World Chicken Festival in London, Ky.

The nominator of the national winner receives $1,000 in cash and prizes. State finalists will receive $100 in cash, $50 in KFC gift certificates and an award certificate. To nominate an active senior, write a 250-word essay highlighting the vitality of an individual age 62 and up who has redefined the term "Golden Years."

Essays can be submitted online at http://www.kfc.com or mailed to Colonel's Way Award, 200 E Randolph, 63rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60601. All entries must be submitted online or postmarked by Aug. 20. Seniors may not nominate themselves. Winners will be notified in September.

Group dining offers food and fellowship

Pinellas County seniors 60 and older can enjoy a hot meal in the company of friends at 20 different dining locations throughout the county. The Neighborly Senior Services Group Dining program offers seniors one hot meal each day, Mondays through Fridays, a place to socialize and activities including free health screenings, bingo, singalongs, cards, games, exercise, nutrition programs and more. Nominal donations are appreciated. Free transportation can be arranged. For meal times and locations, call (727) 540-0919.

Macular degeneration study seeks participants

Alcon Research is looking for men and women over 50 who have been diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration to help in a clinical study. The trial will study a new drug in combination with Visudyne therapy.

All participants must sign a consent form, complete a screening and be fully evaluated at the study site. Those interested in participating in the trial, call (813) 875-6373 ext. 236.

Feelings about stress change over the years

Feel as though you're having a nervous breakdown?

Significantly more Americans are experiencing this feeling -- that scientifically imperfect but enduringly popular term used to describe neuroses, stress and anxiety -- than 40 years ago, according to researchers who analyzed three large national mental health studies conducted in 1957, 1976 and 1996.

The reasons people cite as the cause of their distress also have changed over time, according to a report published in the July issue of the journal American Psychologist.

In 1957, 19 percent of those surveyed said they had at some time felt as though they were having a breakdown. The chief reason cited was health problems they or their families were experiencing. Of those who sought help, 44 percent turned to physicians.

By 1996, 26 percent of those surveyed said they had felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but only 18 percent sought help from a doctor. Another 18 percent turned to nonmedical sources of help, including psychologists, social workers and counselors. (In 1957 this group was used by fewer than 1 percent of those seeking aid.)

In 1996 the primary causes of an impending breakdown were interpersonal problems: separation or divorce, marital strife or "troubles with members of the opposite sex."

The researchers found that although Americans in general seemed more willing to admit feeling seriously stressed, certain demographic factors increased the likelihood of feeling an impending breakdown: being a white woman, having no religious affiliation, having children, being unmarried, being under 40 and having a lower family income.

The researchers, all from Indiana University, asked participants in the 1996 survey to describe what they meant by a nervous breakdown and asked them to describe the characteristics of a mentally ill person. This question was not asked in 1957 or 1976, when only the term "nervous breakdown" was used. They found that those polled viewed "nervous breakdown" as descriptive of neurotic and mood disorders while mental illness was associated with more serious problems, such as psychotic, antisocial or violent behavior.

It is ironic, the researchers note, that at a time when doctors are expected to take a more active role in mental health care, Americans increasingly are turning to informal sources of assistance, such as friends, support groups and non-physician professionals.

Guide to women's health is available

The National Women's Health Resource Center, a non-profit organization, has published a "Women's Guide to Health," a manual featuring information on such topics as visiting the gynecologist for the first time, mental health and hormone-replacement therapy.

For a free copy of the guide, write to NWHRC, 120 Albany St., Suite 820, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; call toll-free (877) 986-9472; or e-mail info@healthywomen.org.

Healthy eating for kids -- without microwaves

If you think microwaves are indispensable in the kitchen, then Sherry Null's new book, Healthy Cooking for Kids: Building Blocks for a Lifetime of Good Nutrition (St. Martin's Griffin, $14.95), is not for you or your family. Null, a longtime chef and the daughter of health author and New York radio host Gary Null, doesn't provide any specific research citations but nonetheless swears off microwaves -- especially for food for children's use or consumption -- for four reasons:

1. Operating a microwave can generate a magnetic field of about 3 milligauss (mG) in a radius of 8 to 12 feet. Fields of 2 milligauss, in some studies, she writes, have been linked to cancer.

2. Microwaves can produce free radicals in food that can adversely over-oxidate cells in the body.

3. Microwave seals wear with age and use, which can leak with exposure to microwave radiation.

4. Microwave ovens can cook foods unevenly, leaving cold spots and potentially dangerous bacteria in raw or undercooked eggs, beef and pork. Plus, hot spots can burn the mouths of children or adults.

Null devotes the early chapters of her book to safe food and drinking water, then moves to valuable why-eat, how-to-select, how-to-cook sections on grains, legumes, sea vegetables, sprouts, nuts and seeds, fats and oils, natural sweeteners. A chapter navigates the tricky business of feeding a child with allergies.

Part two of the book is devoted to recipes in eight categories: juices/shakes/drinks, breakfast foods, sandwiches/spreads/ snacks, soups, salads/salad dressing, entrees, pasta and dessert. There are about 150 recipes in all.

The recipes are easy to follow, and Null recommends getting the kids involved provided the adult is able to supervise. Distractions can lead to accidents, she warns.

The book finishes with some handy appendices. In charts and lists, Null suggests party themes and menus, optimal food combinations, menu plans and individual food nutrient values (you see the best foods for vitamins, minerals, more). She even offers a listing of natural food wholesalers and local physicians who specialize in pediatric allergies, family health and environmental medicine.

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