by Guest | Mar 14, 2017 | Being Well
Ash Wednesday, March 1st – Start of Lent
Millions of Christians are preparing to celebrate Lent – a time of year that many non-believers may associate with fasting or abstinence.
But there is a lot more to the religious observance than giving up something, as it is regarded as a period of spiritual preparation to grow closer to God in the run-up to Easter.
Certain days are excluded from Lent, and many Christian denominations observe the period in different ways. Here is everything you need to know about Lent – from the meaning behind it to the traditions that many worshippers follow.
Lent takes place every year in the 40 days leading up to Easter, and is treated as a period of reflection and a time for fasting from food and festivities.
It symbolizes the days which lead up to Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, when Christ spent 40 days and nights alone in the Judaean Desert being tempted by Satan.
When does Lent start?
This year it begins on March 1.
The date varies from year to year, starting in either late February or early March.
However, for Eastern Orthodox churches it begins on Clean Monday (February 27 this year), two days before Western churches.
When does Lent end?
There’s no easy answer to this.
For Western churches the 40-day period of Lent ends on Holy Saturday (April 15), the day before Easter.
But the liturgical season of Lent ends two days earlier on Holy Thursday (April 13).
For Eastern churches it ends on April 7, the Friday before Palm Sunday.
What days are excluded from Lent?
Lent lasts 46 days, but Sundays are not included in the overall count.
That means it is observed for 40 days in the run-up to Easter, and is often a time when instead of fasting people will give up certain food and drink such as chocolate and alcohol.
The six Sundays are not counted because each one is seen as a “mini-Easter” celebrating Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
What do people give up for Lent?
Lent is traditionally marked with fasting, abstinence and prayer.
Most believers tend to give up something until Lent ends to “purify” their bodies.
For children it could be something such as chocolate, sweets, television or certain toys, while adults tend to give up things such as alcohol, coffee or smoking.
Some households may give up meat, eggs and dairy products.
Many believers use the time to volunteer at a charity or donate money to a good cause.
by Guest | Mar 6, 2017 | Being Well
By Heather White, MS, Community Health Improvement Coordinator
Columbia-Pacific Coordinated Care Organization
When I first moved to Tillamook County the first place I looked to plug in was a local church. I’ve done this everywhere I’ve lived, as my parents did when the Navy would move us. They later explained why it was so important: being in a faith community gives a sense of belonging that is hard to build elsewhere. What they didn’t know at the time is that they were not only giving me somewhere to belong, they were giving me access to a longer, healthier life.
Even if you aren’t a person of faith, there is a wealth of research surrounding the connection between faith and long life that can be practiced in or outside a church. In the Blue Zones’ initial studies, 258 of 263 people over the age 100 around the world belonged to a faith, and the effect on their physical and mental health was the same no matter the religion or denomination. Here are some of the common principles that experts point to for explanation:
Purpose. Knowing your purpose has an immense effect on mental wellbeing. People of faith tend to be driven by loving and serving God and mankind, striving to be good, and so on. It can be helping people, raising a healthy family, leaving the world better than they found it. Knowing your purpose gives perspective to life’s ups and downs and provides direction, building resilience against trauma.
Meditation and Prayer. Coping with stress can come in many shapes, but taking an opportunity to purposefully “down shift” from the day on a regular basis reduces the effect of stress on the mind, body, and heart. It can even reduce inflammation! When, how, or who with doesn’t seem to make a difference, as long as you are taking a mental pause from the daily grind.
Community. Being around healthy people makes you healthier, too. This simple principle matters as much in faith and mental health as anything else. That does not mean we avoid being in relationship with people who are struggling. The more we can come as community members to a place where we can be together and sharing in our purposes regardless of what we struggle with, the more we share and increase the benefit. People in a church can disagree on theology or politics and still reap the benefits of community. Even better if that church or group regularly comes together in faith and then goes out to serve the broader community together. Outside the church this can be a class, a volunteer group, or like-minded individuals who meet regularly.
Whether Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Wiccan, Agnostic, or Atheist—the benefits of belonging to something greater than yourself are undeniable and key to living a long, resilient life. Do you incorporate these principles into your life? If not, it’s never too late to start! And if you’d like more information, visit tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org and join the Year of Wellness. Peace be with you and Namaste!
by Guest | Mar 6, 2017 | Being Well
By Heather White, MS, Community Health Improvement Coordinator
Columbia-Pacific Coordinated Care Organization
When I first moved to Tillamook County the first place I looked to plug in was a local church. I’ve done this everywhere I’ve lived, as my parents did when the Navy would move us. They later explained why it was so important: being in a faith community gives a sense of belonging that is hard to build elsewhere. What they didn’t know at the time is that they were not only giving me somewhere to belong, they were giving me access to a longer, healthier life.
Even if you aren’t a person of faith, there is a wealth of research surrounding the connection between faith and long life that can be practiced in or outside a church. In the Blue Zones’ initial studies, 258 of 263 people over the age 100 around the world belonged to a faith, and the effect on their physical and mental health was the same no matter the religion or denomination. Here are some of the common principles that experts point to for explanation:
Purpose. Knowing your purpose has an immense effect on mental wellbeing. People of faith tend to be driven by loving and serving God and mankind, striving to be good, and so on. It can be helping people, raising a healthy family, leaving the world better than they found it. Knowing your purpose gives perspective to life’s ups and downs and provides direction, building resilience against trauma.
Meditation and Prayer. Coping with stress can come in many shapes, but taking an opportunity to purposefully “down shift” from the day on a regular basis reduces the effect of stress on the mind, body, and heart. It can even reduce inflammation! When, how, or who with doesn’t seem to make a difference, as long as you are taking a mental pause from the daily grind.
Community. Being around healthy people makes you healthier, too. This simple principle matters as much in faith and mental health as anything else. That does not mean we avoid being in relationship with people who are struggling. The more we can come as community members to a place where we can be together and sharing in our purposes regardless of what we struggle with, the more we share and increase the benefit. People in a church can disagree on theology or politics and still reap the benefits of community. Even better if that church or group regularly comes together in faith and then goes out to serve the broader community together. Outside the church this can be a class, a volunteer group, or like-minded individuals who meet regularly.
Whether Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Wiccan, Agnostic, or Atheist—the benefits of belonging to something greater than yourself are undeniable and key to living a long, resilient life. Do you incorporate these principles into your life? If not, it’s never too late to start! And if you’d like more information, visit tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org and join the Year of Wellness. Peace be with you and Namaste!
by Guest | Feb 9, 2017 | Being Well
By Heather White, Community Health Improvement Coordinator, Columbia Pacific CCO
Vaccine Exclusion Day across the Tillamook County is February 15th. Are you and your child ready? If you are not sure, you can find age-based requirements on tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org or ask your child’s primary care provider. The basic requirements common to all school-age children in Oregon over 18 months include being up to date on vaccines for:
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis or whooping cough
- Polio
- Varicella or chickenpox
- Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
- Hepatitis A and B
- Hib, a bacterial infection called Haemophilus influenzae type B. This requirement is for children under 5 years of age.
If you do not know if your children are up to date, please call your child’s primary care provider to get your Certificate of Immunization Status or to schedule an appointment for the your child needs. There are other recommended vaccines as well, listed here.
Vaccines can be a touchy topic for a lot of parents and providers alike. There are a lot of conflicting and scary things that get thrown out about vaccines, and it can be hard to know what is right. So here are some important facts about vaccines that might help ease the situation, based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), WIC Works, and publichealth.org:
Truth #1. Vaccine appointments don’t have to be upsetting for your child or for you. There are many suggestions out there for how to ease yours and your child’s anxieties about vaccine visits, but the most important piece of advice is to do what works for your child that allows for the vaccines to happen. If they find them painful, give them an age- and weight-based dose of ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). If they are afraid of shots, they will rely on you to keep them calm. This can be hard-no one likes when their child is uncomfortable! If you are afraid, they will be more so. Have a mental plan on ways to distract or inform them: let them bring their favorite toy if it will soothe them, don’t come too early if sitting in the waiting room makes them nervous, talk calmly to them about what the doctor or nurse is doing and why it’s important, or whatever will help your child most.
Truth #2. Vaccines don’t cause autism, or any other chronic condition. The article which first claimed a link between vaccines and autism was not only retracted and debunked due to serious financial conflicts of interest and violations of ethics and procedures. The true causes of autism remain a topic of research, but several studies have now found that autism develops before a baby is born or receives vaccinations. Repeated studies over the decades have yet to find a single chronic condition that is caused by vaccines. We can have allergies to components of vaccines.
Truth #3. Your child’s immune system can handle all of the vaccines in the number of visits the CDC recommends. Our bodies are amazing! Based on the number of disease-fighting cells called antibodies in the blood, your child could theoretically have 10,000 vaccines at one time and not overwhelm their immune system. This includes infants! The schedule designed by the CDC is based on a lot of research on how to get as many kids safely immune to illnesses as possible. The obvious exception to this is children whose immune systems are compromised by cancer or other specific illnesses. Sometimes after vaccines your child may show symptoms of being ill: a low-grade fever, discomfort, etc. This is because it is the vaccine working, by causing our immune systems to respond to it and then build immunity to the diseases. Not because of the disease itself.
Truth #4. Vaccines don’t contain unsafe toxins. The idea of something being a “toxin” is based more on how much a human body can tolerate before it makes someone sick. People tend to have concerns over chemicals like mercury or aluminum. There are chemical-specific amounts of either that would be considered toxic, but vaccines contain levels that are safe, and nowhere near toxic. In fact, some of the chemicals most touted as being harmful are actually naturally produced by our bodies or ingested from our foods safely at higher levels than exist in our vaccines.
Truth #5. Vaccines are far safer than “natural immunity.” Vaccines are developed to reduce our chances of dying from diseases. That’s why so many of the diseases prevented by vaccines are no longer common in this country. Yet in Oregon and other states where vaccination rates are lower there are many more outbreaks and deaths due to diseases like measles, whooping cough, chickenpox, and other illnesses. And all of those illnesses are far more deadly to groups of people that can’t be vaccinated such as infants, older adults, and children with compromised immune systems. For example, the risk of dying from an allergic reaction to the measles vaccine one-in-one million, but the risk of dying from the measles if you get the measles and have not vaccinated is 1 in 500. That’s a huge difference.
Truth #6. Community immunity is vital to protecting our children. Community immunity—also referred to as “herd immunity”—is when enough of a group of people are immunized that even those who can’t vaccinate are protected from the illness. The needed percentage of people for this to work is very high, but slightly different for each vaccin. In Oregon, we routinely fall far below those levels. This means that so many people are relying on so few other people to vaccinate that we are all at a higher risk of getting sick. Like many other things in life, our community is healthier when we do our part to protect our kids.
by Guest | Feb 3, 2017 | Being Well
By Emily Fanjoy, Safer Futures Project Coordinator, Tillamook County Women’s Resource Center, emily@tcwrc.net
February is focused on healthy teen relationships to prevent Teen Dating Violence. Parents, educators, coaches, medical providers, church and community groups, and teens themselves can all have a positive impact on reducing teen dating violence when they educate themselves about the dynamics of healthy vs. unhealthy relationships. For adults in particular, talking about healthy relationships can be daunting because, in spite of years of experience, most of us do not see ourselves as relationship experts. To set you up for success, below is important information about teen dating violence, prevalence and health effects, as well as resources that can help you talk with adolescents, friends, and family members.
Teen dating violence is far more common than you might think. It’s important to note that it occurs in both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, and any gender can choose abusive behavior. The CDC reports that approximately one in 10 high school students has experienced physical violence from a dating partner in the past year and one in 4 adolescents reports verbal, emotional, physical or sexual dating violence each year. In every class of 20 students in our local middle and high schools, 2-5 students are being affected by teen dating violence, like being a teen isn’t hard enough?
Teen dating violence is a pattern of power and control behaviors used by one partner to gain and maintain control over the other partner. The behaviors are selective, intentional, and generally increase in severity over time. The tactics may include name calling, extreme jealousy, isolation, pressure and coercion, constant texting and monitoring, reproductive coercion, and physical and sexual abuse. Violent behavior often begins between 6th and 12th grade, and 72% of 13 and 14-year-olds are “dating”. Teen dating violence has profound social, emotional, and health consequences for individuals suffering abuse. Teen dating violence starts early and can last a lifetime.
Here’s the thing, lots of adults talk to their kids about sex, drugs, and alcohol. While these are important topics, it’s equally important to talk to them about healthy relationships. Why? Because violent relationships in adolescence puts victims at higher risk for substance abuse. Physically or sexually abused teens are 6 times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to contract an STI. Relationships affect health not just in terms of substance use and reproductive health. Anxiety, depression, and eating disorders are all potential outcomes of abusive relationships. Half of youth who are victimized by dating violence and rape attempt suicide. It is imperative that we talk to youth about healthy relationships.
You can make a difference, and you’ve got resources. An excellent website for adolescents and supporting adults alike is loveisrespect.org. This comprehensive resource offers information on how to get help for yourself or others. It talks about dating basics, defines abuse, and gives tools to work on healthy relationships. Additional resources can be found at thatsnotcool.com and futureswithoutviolence.org. Locally, contact Tillamook County Women’s Resource Center to learn more or request a speaker, 503-842-8294.
by Guest | Jul 5, 2016 | Being Well
By Nathan Rogers
I am what most would consider a kind person — reasonable and compassionate. Some might even say I am caring. I have the privilege of getting to go to work and serve vets every day whether it be a simple conversation over the phone, a face to face meeting in my office, or the rare honor of being trusted in their home. I hate to say it that even in my capacity I have been prone to allowing stigma and stereotypes at times steer my thought process and opinions. These thoughts were especially prevalent when considering the homeless community.
You have all seen them. They are out there with their signs. Some read “will work for food,” ”hungry need help,” “can you spare a few dollars…car broke down.” I used to be that guy thinking to myself that they must have done something bad to end up in their current situation. Perhaps they had a drug addiction. Maybe they had a drinking problem? Perhaps they were the “weak, lame, and lazy” just not wanting to get a job. For some reason, karma was dealing them this hand. You need only hear their story and really listen to change your heart and your mind.
It wasn’t any particular manner of special day in January, perhaps a little warmer than usual but not anything you would expect to change your life. I was heading to Lincoln City to meet with a good friend and his group of vets and talk about the company I work for and the program we provide. I was excited and irritated at the same time because traffic was difficult and I was being inconvenienced by slow moving vehicles. As I moved through Lincoln City, I caught a brief glimpse of a shopping cart flying both an Army and an American Flag…I instantly knew that had to be a veteran. As per my usual I veered over to investigate and see if he/she was okay. As I pulled up there was a veteran sleeping in a sleeping bag on a tarp in just the perfect dry spot with a bit of sun. I departed with the intent to return with some food and quietly leave it by him. Little did I know this was going to be a chance encounter that would completely change my paradigm of thought and bolster my passion for what I do.
I had gotten a meager meal for him, a bag of McDonald’s cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches. As I pulled back around the building he was up and had all of his gear already stored in his ruck sack and placed neatly in his cart. I rolled down my window and offered him the bag of food, and not only did he take it but insisted I sit and stay for a bit. I parked my car and after a firm handshake, he introduced himself as Jeffrey. His hair was neatly combed, he was physically fit, and surprisingly well-spoken. He thanked me for the food and insisted I “break meal with him as a brother”.
We began to talk and he told me he had been an infantry officer in the Gulf War and had the rank of Captain. He had gone to an Ivy League school for Political and Military Science and had a Master’s degree. He told me how he used to be in senior management at a lumber distributor. He told me he missed his wife and children…he wondered what they looked like now and if they still thought of him. His infectious laughter and smile dwindled into a stoic and contemplative face. A long silence passed. He mused about old buddies and his “better” military days…he wished he could go back to something that made sense.
Jeffrey became quiet and his eyes welled up. He said “I have not always been like this you know, but life has a way of humbling you and bringing you back to Earth”…”The divorce came out of left field; I thought we were happy”. He told me how he started dreaming about a close friend he had lost in the military and it had drove him to drink. “Losing a friend is sad,” he said “Losing a brother…that will change your life.” He blamed himself for not “being there.” Jeffrey had not only lost a close friend to PTSD related suicide but also discovered the body of his friend…he never got over it. The trauma drove his drinking, his bad dreams, and created a gradual rift in his marriage. He said at first he fought with his wife of 19 years, then he didn’t care, then he ceased to exist to his family altogether as he crawled into the bottle and escaped into depression and defeatism. The last thing he told me was “I signed the papers and gave them everything…they were better off without me.” Now he lives on the street so he can be left alone and so he can leave others alone.
“Well I gotta be going,” Jeffrey said as he hurriedly departed. I was curious about this pressing engagement causing the need of a hasty evac but in the interest of intuition I left him to his business. No sooner had he come into my life than he departed. It was the strangest thing. He simply gathered his things, shook my hand, and left. There I sat, my perception of the homeless completely shattered. Here was someone that had it all, a family, an education, and a lucrative job — torn asunder by his PTSD and bad memories. It wasn’t Karma, he wasn’t evil, he wasn’t weak, lame, or lazy … life just happened. He wasn’t asking for a handout or a hand up, nor did he demand my respect or approval. To this day, I can see his face and hear his story ring out in my head. Perhaps you have had the idea that a homeless shelter will drive down your property value or “they” might inconvenience you. Maybe you have quietly thought “not in my backyard”. Just remember they are people, and just like you they have a story. Take a minute to listen, it could change your mind maybe even your heart. Until then may you stay blessed and Semper Fidelis.
