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Posted by Gansta Marcus on November 2, 2015 at 4:22pm
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"The Wrap-Up Magazine" would like to introduce to you the top 5 "Truth" momnets in life presented by the website. "The Truth" is that this all becomes much clearer once you understand that there is a very twisted philosophy behind what we are doing. Check out these post below as "The Wrap-Up Magazine" let you in behind closed doors into their heads.
Our Kids In Public Schools
I do not like the idea of my kid going to public schools. If you are parents who can not afford to send your kids to private schools, then public schools is what you have to settle for. In these day's, public schools is bad for children...MORE (CLICK HERE)
Talking To Kids About Sex
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I was never mentored as a child about sex, so I feel this is my opportunity to help the young teens know what is to come. I understand that my folks could have indeed done better with the subject of my body and sex education. It saddens me when I hear ridiculous tales and riddles parents tell their children these days on the matter of sex...MORE (CLICK HERE)
Why Kids Should Not Use Social Media
Why%2BKids%2BShould%2BNot%2BUse%2BFacebook.jpg I don't know what has happened to the world and the internet, but something or someone needs to help make a change. With so much nudity and profanity going on, do you really want your kids exposed to this society? When the internet gods created internet, maybe they didn't realize that one day, kids would use Facebook to smother themselves...MORE (CLICK HERE)
The Differnce In School Systems
The%2BOther%2BSide%2BOf%2BThe%2BSchool%2BSystem.jpg Its sad to say, but there are differnt levels of schools teachings in our system. The upper class and lower class which is such discribed as private or public. Students and teachers from all three schools will showcase their talents through technology...MORE (CLICK HERE)
What Happened To Our Youth
dont%2Bwork.jpg People say they can't find jobs, but here at "The Wrap-Up Magazine" think thats a lie. Our "Youth" don't belive in working. Conservative Republicans have officially made it their mission to end food stamps as we know them. Is the economy to blame? Or are personal choices at fault?..MORE (CLICK HERE)

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Statistical Cancer Facts for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

Posted by Ka ‘Ahahui Lā‘au Lapa‘au on April 24, 2009 at 1:00am
Cancer is obviously a very serious disease - the information posted below is not meant to incite fear, but rather to educate and empower; La'au Lapa'au provides comprehensive curative programs for all types of cancer. If you are interested in obtaining more information, please contact the 'Ahahui La'au Lapa'au.NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS & CANCERSTATISTICAL CANCER FACTS FOR NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERSNATIVE HAWAIIANS:- Native Hawaiians had the second highest overall incidence rate of cancer, and the highest age-adjusted cancer mortality rates in Hawaiiwhen compared with other ethnic groups. Cancers of the lung and bronchus, prostate, colon and rectum, and stomach, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are the five most frequently diagnosed cancers for Native Hawaiian males; for females they are cancers of the breast, lung and bronchus, colon and rectum, corpus uteri, and stomach. (6)- Hawaiian women living in Hawaii have a mortality rate 2.6 times higher than the general state population, and a national breast cancer incidence rate placing them second among all US women. (7,8)- All-site cancer mortality rates for Native Hawaiians, the largest of the Pacific Islander populations, are the second highest of all racial/ethnic groups (207.2 per 100,000 population), and closely rival those of African Americans (209.8 per 100,000 population). (8)- Native Hawaiians have the third highest breast cancer mortality rate in the nation and the highest breast cancer mortality rate in the state of Hawaii. (8)- In Hawaii, when compared with the four other major ethnic groups (Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese and Filipino), Native Hawaiian women had the highest cancer mortality rates for all cancers combined, and for cancers of the lung, liver, pancreas, breast, cervix uteri, corpus uteri, stomach, and rectum. Native Hawaiian males ranked highest for all cancers combined, and for cancer of the lung, liver, and pancreas. (8,9)- Native Hawaiians have the highest mortality rates in the Nation for cancers of the corpus uteri and stomach; second highest mortality rates in the Nation for all-cancers combined and for cancers of the lung, pancreas, and ovary; and the third highest mortality rates for breast cancer as seen in disaggregated Asian/Pacific Islander cancer data. (9)- For Native Hawaiian males, mortality rates (1976-1990) have increased 62% for all cancers. (10)- By site, the largest increases between 1976 and 1990 in mortality rates for Native Hawaiian males occurred in cancers of the colon (228%), rectum (117%), pancreas (83%), lung (74%), and prostate (117%). (10)- For Native Hawaiian females, mortality rates increased 123% for all cancers combined between 1976 and 1990 and for all cancer sites listed, particularly for cancers of the colon (134%), liver (135%), lung (293%), breast (158%), and corpus uteri (313%). (9)- Native Hawaiian women have the highest incidence and mortality rates of endometrial cancers for all US women. (8)- The percentage of Native Hawaiian males and females who die from pancreatic cancer each year is actually greater than the percentage of Native Hawaiians who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. This implies that for many Native Hawaiians, pancreatic cancer is found only upon autopsy. (8)- While Native Hawaiian males and White males and females all have lower mortality rates than incidence rates for lung cancer, the lung cancer mortality rate for Native Hawaiian females is 2% higher than the incidence rate for lung cancer. (5)- Native Hawaiian males and females both show higher incidence and mortality rates than Whites for lung cancer - the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. This same phenomenon is observed with colorectal cancer for Native Hawaiian men aged 55-69, and pancreatic cancer (overall), which accounts for only 2% of new US cancer cases but is more likely to lead to death than any other cancer. (8)- Overall, Native Hawaiian females have lower cancer incidence rates but higher mortality rates than their White counterparts. For example, although their uterine cancer incidence rate is lower than that for White females, Native Hawaiian females have a disproportionately higher uterine cancer mortality rate than do their White counterparts. (8)- For Native Hawaiian males, incidence rates for liver and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are lower than that for their White counterpart, but mortality rates for these cancers in Native Hawaiian men exceed that for White males. (8)- Once diagnosed with cancer, outcomes are poorer for Native Hawaiians as indicated by a 5-year relative survival rate that is 18% lower than Whites and 15% lower than US (all races) for all cancer combined. With the exception of cancers of the stomach and ovary, Native Hawaiians had lower 5-year relative survival rates for 12 other cancer sites when compared to US (all races). (9)US ASSOCIATED PACIFIC ISLANDERS:- For American Samoan males in Hawaii, the most common cancer sites are the same sites as for those in Los Angeles, whereas for females the most common cancer sites are breast, uterus, blood, cervix, and thyroid. In Hawaii, when compared with Native Hawaiians, American Samoans have a higher age-adjusted, site-specific relative risk for cancers of the nasopharynx (especially males), liver, prostate, thyroid, and a lower relative risk for cancers of the colon, rectum (especially males), lung (especially females), and breast. Compared with whites diagnosed with cancer in Hawaii, American Samoans have a higher relative risk for cancers of the nasopharynx (especially males), stomach, liver, lung (especially males), uterus, thyroid, and blood, and a lower relative risk for cancers of the colon, skin, breast, testes, cervix, bladder (especially males), and lymph nodes. (11,12)- Marshallese Islander females have higher breast and cervical cancer rates that are 5 and 75 fold, respectively, compared to overall US rates.(13)- A study of death certificates in Guam from 1971 to 1995 revealed that lung cancer accounted for one-third of all cancer deaths. (14)- With the exception of the Federated States of Micronesia, all the Pacific jurisdictions (Republic of Palau, Guam, American Samoa, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas) listed cancer as one of the top three causes of death. (15)- Age-adjusted, sex- and site-specific cancer incidence rates were higher in virtually every category in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) compared with the US for the period 1985-1994. RMI lung cancer rates were 3.8 times higher in males and 3.0 times higher in females, cervical cancer rates were 5.8 times higher, gastrointestinal tract rates were 1.9 times higher in males and 8.5 times higher in females, breast cancer rates were 1.4 times higher, urinary tract rates were 5.8 times higher in females, oral cancer rates were 3.4 times higher in males and 1.5 times higher in females, thyroid cancer rates were 7.2 times higher in females, and liver cancer rates were an alarming 15.3 times higher in males and 40.0 times higher in females, compared with US rates. (15)- Although cancer deaths may be underreported because many Guam residents die away from home, cancer was the second leading cause of death for the years 1988-1990 and accounted for 15% of all causes of death. (16)- For the years 1989-1991, 61% of cancer deaths occurred in the Chamorro and Pacific Islander populations of Guam. Among Chamorros, the leading site was lung cancer (37%) followed by oral cavity, breast, cervix, and colorectal cancers. Men experienced considerably higher cancer mortality rates than females, and the majority of cancer deaths occurred in persons 60 years of age and older. (17)- A review of data from the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas revealed that the mean age-adjusted incidence rate for cervical cancer was nine times higher for Chamorro females (69.1/100,000) than for US Whites (7.5/100,000). For Carolinian females (151.1/100,000) the rates were 20 higher than for US Whites. (18)- In the Republic of Palau, among both men and women combined, the age-adjusted cancer incidence rate is 177.4/100,000, 201/100,000 for males, and 172.1/100,000 for females. (19)- Among the Department of Energy defined population exposed to radioactive fallout from US atomic bomb testing in the Marshall Islands, thyroid adenomas and cancer began appearing 10 years after exposure and became an acknowledged major long-term medical problem. From 1954 through 1994, 56 thyroid tumors have been identified, and of these 17 were malignant. (20,21,22)- The site-specific cancer incidence (all cancers combined) from 1985 to 1994 for Marshallese males and females is 563.2/100,000 and 883.0/100,000, respectively. The most commonly reported cancers in Marshallese men are lung and bronchus, liver, oral cavity, prostate, and digestive system cancers. For women, they are cervix, breast, lung and bronchus, urinary system, liver, and thyroid cancers. The age-adjusted sex and site-specific cancer incidence rates have been noted to be higher than the US rates for virtually every site in the Marshallese population. (13)- Data drawn from American Samoans living in Hawaii and Los Angeles County in California revealed that American Samoan males were ten times more likely to have nasopharyngeal cancer, seven times more likely to have liver cancer, and three times more likely to have stomach cancer than their White counterparts. (12)- The five most common cancers in American Samoan males in Los Angeles are lung, prostate, stomach, blood, and liver. For American Samoan females, the most common cancer sites are breast, lung, cervix, uterus, and stomach. (12)- The most common cancers in Palauan males are prostate (78.2/100,000), lung and bronchus (38.3/100,000), liver (35.5/100,000), and oral cavity and pharynx (20.8/100,000). For Palauan females, the most common cancers are cervix (38.4/100,000), breast (25.0/100,000), uterus (18.6/100,000), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (18.3/100,000), and lung and bronchus (13.1/100,000). (19)- The five most common cancer deaths for males in the Republic of Palau are liver (47.2/100,000), lung and bronchus (27.9/100,000), prostate (15.4/100,000), and oral cavity and pharynx (3.5/100,000). For females, the five most common cancer deaths are cervix (20.0/100,000), lung and bronchus (16.3/100,000), breast (11.3/100,000), uterus (8.5/100,000), and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (2.1/100,000). (19)- Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. (20)Additional facts and information on Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander populations can be found at http://iccnetwork.org/cancerfactsREFERENCES:1. Honolulu Star Bulletin. Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders tallied. 2001 March 13; pg.1.2. US Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census. We the American Pacific Islanders. Washington, DC.: US Government Printing Office, 1993.3. Institute of Medicine. Feasley JC, Lawrence RS, editors. Pacific partnerships for health: charting a course for the 21st century.Washington DC.: National Academy Press, 1998.4. State of Hawaii, Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Native Hawaiian Data Book. Honolulu; 1999.5. Shinagawa SM, Kagawa-Singer M, Chen M, Tsark J, Palafox N, Mackura, G. Cancer registries and data for “Asian Americans” and “Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders”: What registrars need to know. Journal of Registry Management 1999; 26(4):128-141.6. Chu KC. Cancer data for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian American and Pacific Islander Journal of Health 1998; 6(2):130-9.7. Look MA, Braun KL. A mortality study of the Hawaiian people 1910-1990. Honolulu (HI): The Queen’s Health System; 1995; 10-11.8. Miller BA, Kolonel LN, Bernstein L, Young JrJL, Swanson GM, West D, Key CR, Liff JM,Glover CS, Alexander GA, et al., editors. Racial/ethnic patterns of cancer in the United States 1988-1992. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 1996. NIH Pub. No. 96- 4104. Available from: URL: http://www-seer.ims.nci.nih.gov/Publications/REPoC/9. Tsark J. Cancer in Native Hawaiians. Pacific Health Dialog 1998; 5(2):315-27.10. Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. Hawaii Tumor Registry Data Report. Honolulu HI, 1998.11. Hughes CK, Tsark JU, Kenui CK, Alexander GA. Cancer research studies in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Ann Epidemiol 2000; 10(8 Suppl):S49-60.12. Mishra SI, Luce-Aoelua P, Wilkens LR, Berstein L. Cancer among American-Samoans: site-specific incidence in California and Hawaii. Int J Epidemiol 1996; 25(4):713-21.13. Palafox NA, Johnson DB, Katz AR, Minami JS, Briand K. Site specific cancer incidence in the Republic of the Marshall Islands Cancer 1998; 83(S8):1821-4.14. Haddock RL, Naval CL. Cancer in Guam: a review of death certificates from 1971-1995. Pacific Health Dialog 1996; 4(1):66-75.15. Institute of Medicine. Haynes MA, Smedley BD, editors. The unequal burden of cancer. An assessment of NIH research and programs for ethnic minorities and the medically underserved. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1999.16. Bach F. Cancer registration in Guam. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, 1992.17. Department of Public Health and Social Services. Annual Statistical Report. Office of Vital Statistics, Department of Public Health and Social Services, Territory of Guam, Agana, 1993.18. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Health (CNMIDPH). Annual Public Health Progress Report 1995. Saipan, 1995.19. Republic of Palau Ministry of Health, Bureau of Public Health. Annual Report 1997. Koror, 1998.20. Bureau of Health Planning and Statistics. Marshall Islands Vital and Health Statistics Abstracts 1992-1996. Majuro: Ministry of Health and Environment; 1997.21. Cronkite EP, Bond VP, Conrad RA. Medical effects of exposure of human beings to fallout radiation from a thermonuclear explosion. Stem Cells 1995; 13(Suppl 1):49-57.22. Howard JE, Vaswani A, Heotis P. Thyroid disease among the Rongelap and Utirik population—an update. Health Phys 1997; 72(7):190-8.Information provided by theIntercultural Cancer Council1720 Dryden, Suite PMB-CHouston, TX 77030(713) 798-4617 • (713) 798-3990 (FAX)Email: info@iccnetwork.org • Website: http://iccnetwork.org
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Health Statistics - Native Hawaiian Data Book 2006

Posted by Ka ‘Ahahui Lā‘au Lapa‘au on April 26, 2009 at 9:10am
The PDF document below provides statistics from 2006 about the state of Native Hawaiian health in Hawai'i as compared to other ethnic groups. It is an enlightening, useful resource and reference - and we were taught that epidemic illness was a thing of the past! It also contains contacts for healthcare systems/practitioners on every island who focus on native health issues. The ‘Ahahui Lā‘au Lapa‘au may also be a helpful resource. Please join our group and add us as a friend. E mālama pono kākou.OHA DataBook 2006 - Health.pdf
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Wai'anae has more diabetes cases than rest of state, by far

Posted by Ka ‘Ahahui Lā‘au Lapa‘au on April 26, 2009 at 8:56am
Wai'anae has more diabetes cases than rest of state, by farTuesday, September 9, 2008By Will HooverAdvertiser Staff WriterThe Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center sits at the epicenter of Hawai'i's diabetes crisis.As the primary medical facility in this disadvantaged region, it treats more Native Hawaiians than any other facility — and diabetes among Hawaiians is four times the national average. At the same time, the number of all adults on the coast with diabetes is double the statewide rate.The Wai'anae Coast also leads the state in the percentage of residents who smoke, have high blood pressure, don't exercise, and are obese — all of which compound the diabetes epidemic.The result, says Dr. Stephen Bradley, associate medical director for the center, is a catastrophic surge in people of all ages and races with diabetes on the coast. The costs are diminished lifestyles, shorter life spans and an overburdened healthcare system, he says. But as bad as things are here, Bradley knows they could get worse."There is an enormous number of undiagnosed diabetics out there," said Bradley, who worries that the epidemic could expand beyond the center's current 26,000 annual patient load and overwhelm its $38 million annual budget.Holding back the tsunami is the job of the health center, and it does so with a comprehensive array of tools that are as much down home as high tech.To be sure, the center offers the latest in clinical and medical services. But on any given day, patients might go on a supermarket tour where they learn how to choose healthy foods, visit a farmers market sponsored by the center, watch a cooking demonstration or work out in the center's gym.Still others might get a visit at home from a community health worker."Our philosophy is to treat folks in the most complete way possible regardless of their ability to pay," said Bradley.The center has focused on a two-fold preventive approach: keeping younger patients who don't have diabetes from getting it, and stabilizing patients who do have diabetes so it doesn't progress to debilitating and costly related disorders — kidney failure, blindness, leg amputations, strokes, obesity, or nerve and heart disease.Diabetes Police PatrolTusi Taumua, 50, playfully refers to herself as "The Wai'anae Diabetes Police Patrol." Actually, she is a diabetes education specialist and one of the center's traveling community health workers.With the facility's number of primary diabetes patients reaching 2,000 and rising, Taumua's workload can be heavy. On any given day she visits eight to 10 patients, sometimes more. These are home visits, and sometimes home is a tent on the beach.It doesn't matter to Taumua.A recent session at the home of Junedale Pakele on Hokuukali Street in Wai'anae was typical.Pakele, 62, was referred by her doctor because the patient's average daily blood sugar level was dangerously elevated. The doctor hoped that if Pakele better understood how diabetes affects her body, her self-management of the disease might improve.Although Pakele had a vague comprehension of diabetes, she was confused about the specifics, as well as her insulin injection procedures. Taumua outlined in simple but specific terms the causes and effects of diabetes, and the details of using insulin."Your body can adjust to having abnormal blood sugar levels for a long time," Taumua told Pakele as the two sat at a table on the patio. "The problem is that it's eating at you. The longer your blood sugars are high, even though you feel OK, the more it's not good for you."Taumua explained that the pain and numbness Pakele now feels in her legs and feet are the lasting effects of her high sugar levels throughout the past decade. Unchecked, the problems would only magnify.The better wayTaumua's initial visits can take up to two hours, with follow-up chats lasting from 45 minutes to more than an hour. Taumua bases her responses on the patient's questions and concerns, patiently reiterating her responses as many times as necessary."I don't often tell them, 'OK, you need to do this,' but I suggest that this may be a better way of doing it. It's easier for them to grasp when you do it that way."Part of Taumua's job is to explain practical and affordable ways in which patients can manage their diabetes in order to lower and maintain their average sugar levels. For example, when Pakele mentioned that Spam is one of her favorite foods, Taumua suggested boiling, not frying, a smaller portion of Spam, dicing it and mixing it with, say, cabbage and possibly other vegetables in a soup."It's not what you eat, it's how much of it you eat," Taumua told her. "Smaller portions are better."Taumua has diabetes herself. She says she tries to be diligent about managing it to set a good example."But, I'm like everybody else who likes to eat everything," she said with a laugh. "At least I know when I should really not be doing it.""Not doing it" however, goes to the heart of the diabetes dilemma in today's complex society, said Mary Francis Oneha, the center's Quality and Performance director."It's not as simple as 'Well, just do it — go and exercise this much and eat this type of food and it will be OK,'" she said."It's being able to get the right foods, having the money to get the food; it's what's easy to get that stretches the funds the furthest, and being motivated to exercise, and getting the right type of exercise that will work."Add to that time demands, work schedules, family obligations, personal problems, financial difficulties, and it's not hard to understand why so many people develop diabetes and are unable to manage it, she said.Lisa Zick-Mariteragi, nurse practitioner at the center, spends much of her time trying to help diabetes patients break down barriers to controlling disease.It's an uphill battle. Yet she sees hope. Her task is to present options and help patients make informed decisions."I tell my patients, 'You can ignore diabetes, but it will never ignore you,' " she said. "I find that when you respect people they end up making good decisions. This is an incredibly resilient community."decision-makingStill, making good decisions can be a formidable task, say Arnold and Leilani Ujimori of Ma'ili, who both have diabetes. For more than a decade the two have worked with center health providers to manage their disease — with mixed results.In the beginning, both say, they were in denial. Later, between raising a family and work, proper diet and rigorous exercise seemed out of the question.Now that they've reached the consequences stage of the disease, Arnold Ujimori, is ambivalent."I just take it in stride," said Ujimori, 51, who began giving himself insulin injections for the first time in late July. "I'm still obese, I still smoke, and I still like a drink."He admits he's done poorly when it comes to self-managing his disease. Being laid off from his plumbing job this summer has only made matters worse, he said.His wife, on the other hand, gives her own self-management effort better marks."I've been where he is," she said. "I had to go on insulin. I was taking shots two times a day."That was two years ago. Since then, she has shed more than 20 pounds through exercise and improved diet. As a consequence, she no longer needs insulin injections.Managing her diabetes remains tough, she stressed, and there's room for improvement. Still, she's pleased to be heading in the right direction.Even her husband has felt a tinge of motivation. For him, insulin injections were the wake-up call. He's talked of working out at the Comp Center gym, and paying attention to the personal trainer and nutritionist there. His goal is to eventually no longer need insulin shots.irony of exerciseOne irony associated with the diabetes crisis, said Richard Bettini, the center's chief executive officer, is that health plans are leery of paying for diet and exercise programs. Yet diet and exercise offer the best hope for bringing the epidemic under control, he said."You can give people expensive drugs to control their diabetes," said Bettini. "Or, you can get them walking and exercising and eating the right foods. That way you keep them out of emergency rooms and hospitals."To change the health plan status quo, the facility has pioneered an Innovation and Design Center dedicated to finding ways of developing diet and exercise programs that have positive, measurable outcomes.Once results can be guaranteed, health plan providers will be motivated to provide coverage for diet and exercise because it could save them money, said Bettini."That's the wave of the future."In the meantime, success against diabetes on the coast is measured in tiny steps, said Bradley."Can we get our diabetics healthier in the sense that they're not doing further damage to their organ systems?" he said. "If we can stem that a little bit by whatever we're doing — medically or nutritionally — that's a success."And if we can get some of the community aware, educated, fed better and more fit, we feel that is also successful. Because those individuals will probably not go on to develop a diabetes at a later age."At a glanceWhat: Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health CenterAddress: 86-260 Farrington HighwayEmployees: Approximately 500Annual budget: $38 millionNumber of patients annually: 26,000Programs: In addition to offering clinical and medical services, it sponsors a local farmers market, provides registered dieticians, nutritional classes, supermarket tours, a workout gym, a gardening program, cooking demonstrations, two nutrition and exercise programs for kids, and manicured walking trails (with shade trees and information kiosks stationed along the brick-laden pathways).Where to call: For information on diabetes programs call 697-3558The state's highest percentage of adults with diabetes — 15.2 percent (more than twice the statewide rate)Lowest percentage of residents with a "healthy weight" at 26.6 percentHighest percentage of obese residents statewide at 42.6 percentHighest percentage of residents who reported no leisure time physical activity at 27.7 percentHighest percentage of smokers in state at 26.2 percentHighest percentage of residents with high blood pressure at 32.1 percentO'ahu's lowest percentage of residents with health insurance at 87.1 percent.Source: State Department of Health's Behavior Risk Factors Surveillance System surveys for 2005-2007Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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