bBear Talknews and information from university health Serviceswinter 2003

Tang Center

Tang Center CelebratesTenth AnniversaryUniversity Health Services is celebrating itstenth anniversary in the Tang Center, whichopened its doors in January, 1993. Formerlyhoused in Cowell Hospital, located where theHaas School of Business now stands, UHS hasenjoyed a full decade of residing in the mod-ern building designed especially for its multi-disciplinary approach to health care.

Youre wondering how the Tang Center got itsname? After the Tang Family, whose corner-stone gift was part of about $7 million con-tributed by alumni and other supporters forthe construction of the building.

Inside:

Advice on callingthe advice nurse

How anxious istoo anxious?

Profiles of threestudent healtheducators

See Ask the Expert, pg. 4

www.uhs.berkeley.edu

Q: I spent a lot of money on ergonomicequipment and my hand still hurts . Whatsgoing on?

A: There may be two things going on. First,Posture! Posture! Posture! Your mother wasright!!! No matter how good your equip-ment iseven if it is set up specifically foryouif you have poor posture or dont takebreaks, you are at risk for pain or injury. Sec-ond, there is a lot of ergonomic equipmentout there with no rules or regulations aboutwhat is called ergonomic. Just becausesomething is labeled ergonomic doesntmean it is right for you or your body type.The best equipment allows you to maintaingood posture. The primary things to remem-ber are: shoulders relaxed, back straight, wristsneutral, and limited reaching.

Q: My laptop is great. I take it everywhere.Is that OK?

A: Laptops are convenient; however, theypose a couple of hazards. Many of you al-ready have heavy backpacks; the laptopsmake them heavier and can create neck orback stress. Also, laptops have small key-boards and screens, making it hard to posi-tion yourself with good posture. We recom-mend that people who use laptops as theirprimary computer get an external mouseand keyboard and use the laptop as thescreen. Also, when using the laptop as ascreen, prop the laptop up on a couple ofbooks to get the screen height toward eyelevel.

Q: I have to work at my computer a fewhours a day. Are there simple exercises forme to do while I am taking a break?

A: Breaks are great!.We recommend takinga break at least every hour for a few minutes.You can find a whole list of exercises on thewebsite [see web address at end of article].A quick exercise that we like is the wall angel.You stand with your back against the wall, walk

ExpertAsk the

My laptop is great.But is it good for me?

New Column!

Tang Center physical therapist Mary Popylisenanswers questions about ergonomics.

Meet Vikash, Quiana, andCandace, three studentswith key roles (page 3).

Bear Talk page 2

feeling anxious?

www.uhs.berkeley.edu

A moderate amount of anxietyin your everyday life is per-fectly normal. It would be un-usual not to feel a bit anxious

before a final exam or oral presentation.In fact, moderate anxiety during thesesituations can be mobilizing, resulting ina better performance.

Anxiety serves a function says SusanBell, PhD, a staff psychologist at UHS. Itis our bodys way of gearing up for a chal-lenge, be it physical, emotional or intel-lectual. Just like pain lets us know wehave a physical problem, anxiety symp-toms are a signal we are under stress.

Anxiety is a problem when it interfereswith our liveseither because it goes onfor too long or because it is so severe thatit affects ones schoolwork, relationshipsor day-to-day functioning.

For example, test anxiety is commonlyexperienced by students. To feel jittery,have lapses in memory and a nervousstomach may be normal for you. However,if you are too anxious to go to the exam,or if your mind consistently goes blankduring the exam and you cant recover,these are signs you should get help.

Anxiety comes in differents formsWe see a variety of anxiety problems inCounseling & Psychological Services,says Bell. Some students have anxiety inspecific situations, such as fear of flyingor performing. Others have a more gen-eralized worry about their future, or theirfamily, or health. Anxiety can also be trig-gered by a traumatic experience.

Some students experience panic attacks,which are sudden episodes of intensefear that come out of the blue. A panicattack is like a false alarm, explains Bell. Itoccurs when the bodys reaction doesntfit the true danger of the situation.

Because of common physiological symp-toms, sometimes it is difficult to distin-guish between a physical illness and ananxiety reaction. These symptoms can in-clude sleep problems, racing heart, dizzi-

A Tang Center psychologist discusses one of the topmental health concerns among Cal students

ness, nausea or stomach pains. Anxietycan show itself by thoughts of losingcontrol or of something catastrophichappening. Other symptoms might in-clude pacing, fidgeting, procrastinationor avoidance of places or events.

What to do?If you know you are prone to anxiety,says Bell, its important keep yourbaseline anxiety level as low as possible.Making healthful lifestyle choices willhelp, such as getting plenty of sleep andeating well.

Its helpful for students to monitor theirown anxiety and develop a personaltool kit of self-care techniques. Thiscould include a deep-breathing relax-ation exercise, or a recreational activity.The key is to figure out what pieces toplace in your kit and when to use them.

For those who have experienced apanic attackmarked by a group ofsymptoms that can include dizziness,racing heart, perspiring, shortness ofbreath, fear of dying or going crazya variety of prevention techniques canbe helpful. However, once a panic at-tack has started, Bell advises to let it runits course. Reassuring thoughts, such asThis feels awful, but I know it will pass,are helpful during an attack.

While stress and anxiety are a normalpart of being at Berkeley, says Bell, ifthe anxiety becomes severe and persis-tent, theres excellent help. Many stu-dents have found therapy and medica-tion to be very effective.

More info...More info...More info...More info...More info...To learn more about creating youranxiety management tool kit, feelfree to make a clinical health educa-tion appointment at 642-2000, orvisit the UHS Self-Care ResourceCenter. For a consultation with acounselor, call Counseling & Psycho-logical Services, 642-9494.

Calling the

Daytime Service: When UHS is open, adrop-in advice nurse generally is availablein all four primary care clinics Mondaythrough Friday, 8:00-11:45 am and 1- 4:45pm. (When these clinics nurses are un-available and you have an urgent prob-lem, go to the triage nurse in Urgent Care).The nurse can answer your questions, pro-vide self-care advice, and, if necessary,help you make an appointment or directyou to Urgent Care. You may also call theadvice nurse at 643-7197.

After-hours and Night Service: If youbecome ill, injured, or have an urgent con-cern when UHS is closed (evenings, nights,Sundays and holidays during fall andspring semesters), you can call 643-7197for help; in case of a life-threatening emer-gency, call 911. Please be patient: Duringthese hours the advice nurse is not sittingin an office at the Tang Center waiting forcalls. Your call is transferred to the AdviceNurse's home where s/he does not haveaccess to your records or the UHS appoint-ment computer system.

Heres how we can work together:

Let us know who you are. While your callis confidential, it's not anonymous. Pleasebe ready to give your name and medicalcard number; notes about the call will beadded to your patient records the nextbusiness day. Confirming your status as aregistered Cal student or member of agroup eligible to use UHS ensures thatyour registration fees are being used ap-propriately.

advice nurseDid you know that your regis-tration fees pay for the servicesof knowledgeable, friendly, 24-hour advice nurses who giveout health information andadvice at no additional charge?

643-7197

See Advice Nurse, pg. 4

Bear Talk page 3www.uhs.berkeley.edu

Meet three Student health educatorsEach year about 150 Cal students participate in teaching other students about health through several programs at the TangCenter. These student peer educators receive intensive training, give generously of their time and talents, and make a mightycontribution to the campus. On this page are profiles of peer educators from three of these programs offered through theHealth Promotion Unit at UHS.

Student profiles continue on back page

Candace ChengHealth & Sexuality Peer Program

Major: PsychologyYear: JuniorHometown: Hayward,California

What is your role in the Health & Sexu-ality Peer Program? This is my secondyear. Last year I was a peer educator. Thisyear Im a coordinator, working underAmber Stevenson [in Health Promotion],who runs the program. There are four co-ordinators, each of us overseeing a teamof peer educators.

What do the peer educators do? Theyactually work in the Tang clinics holdingappointments with students. They teachother students about sexual health issues.They also become walking encyclopediasfor their friends and other students.

What kind of issues do they talk about?Many students are referred to us beforethey have a pelvic exam. But contracep-tion is another big subject, and so is safersex, sexual assault, or just sex. No subjectis off-limits.

Are most of the clients female? Most ,but not all. A lot of couples come. We doquite a bit of outreach, so the educationis not limited to the appointments. Thereare male peer educators, too. One of theirroles is doing the counseling in conjunc-tion with the weekly HIV testing.

Quiana LaFluerHealth Worker Program

Major: Intended BusinessYear: SophomoreHometown: Fresno, California

What do you do as a Health Worker? Iserve the residents of Ehrman Hall, alongwith another Health Worker. There areover a hundred other Health Workers,serving students where they live. We dohealth education, some counseling andsome first aid. And we refer people to theTang Center.

How do you carry out your work? I findthe presentations we do at hall meetingsone of the most rewarding things we do.Weve led workshops on stress manage-ment and healthy eating. We have alsoshown how to put a friend in the alcoholrecovery position. The sessions are fun,and the residents respond to them. Its agreat way to get direct feedback.

What types of situations have you beenasked to handle? I ve handled a varietyof things, from your basic cuts andscrapes, to burns, aches and pains. I havedone some counseling when people werestruggling with personal issues. I have alsohandled situations related to alcohol, andsafer sex.

What are the challenges? I think the skillIve had to hone is being aware of my sur-roundings. A lot of times the residents

Vikash MishraMulticultural AIDS/HIVPeer Program (MAPP)

Major: Molecular & Cell BiologyYear: JuniorHometown: Germantown, Maryland

What is MAPP? Its a theater group. Wedo plays for other students. Youve heardof Sex Degrees of Separation? Thats ourproduction this semester. [Fall 2002]MAPP is really about outreach to peopleof color, educating them about HIV andAIDS and how it affects people differently.But we do it through theater.

Do you think you reach your audi-ences? I would say yes. They relate to it.Usually were performing for other collegestudents, but sometimes we have highschool and even junior high school audi-ences, and they seem very interested.Some have very little knowledge of HIVand AIDS. I think we present the informa-tion in a way that seems real.

Do you have a background in acting?Not really! I was the wizard in the Wizardof Oz once. And I like to dance. Last year Iwas in Dance Movement [Cal dancetroupe]. Its one of those things wheresome people are better actors than oth-ers, but the more performances you do,the better you all get at it.

What do you get from this? Some of therewards are unexpected. I didnt know

ask the expert(from page 1)

www.uhs.berkeley.edu

your feet out one foot and flatten yourlower back into the wall. Next, put your up-per arms and back of your forearms andwrists against the wallthe stick em upposition. Gradually slide your arms over-head, keeping them back against the wall.You may feel a stretch in your chest andpressure in your mid-back. Hold for five toten seconds and do three times.

For additional information check out:www.uhs.berkeley.edu/healthinfo/edhandoutsindex. htm and look at thecategories under Computer Health andErgonomics.

how much Id learn. You might think youknow a lot about a subject, but what isknown about [HIV/AIDS] changes all thetime. I also wondered how Id fit in onemore thing, but MAPP is a good outlet. Itssomething fun with a purpose.

What are your plans for the future? If allgoes well, I hope to be a pediatrician.

Vikashs career goals include practicingmedicine in rural India. He spent last summershadowing a pediatrician in India, near thesmall village where most of his relatives live.

How do the peer educators become soknowledgeable? You wouldnt believethe training. I walked into this with verylittle knowledge. I had virtually no sex-ed in high school. So I couldnt imaginehow I would learn everything. But at thebeginning you go through a whole weekof training, and then you attend a two-hour seminar every week throughoutthe year. Members of the class do spe-cial study projects and present them, soyou cover a wide breadth of topics. Ascoordinators, we participate in planningthe curriculum.

What character traits are needed forthis job? Well, you need to have an openmind, of course, and be non-judgmental,but these are also traits you develop inthe training. Enthusiasm, dedication, anda willingness to learn are good, too!

A career as an OB-Gyn is on Candacesradar screen, but public health is creepinginto the picture.

wont come to you and tell you theres aproblem. So as a Health Worker you haveto be constantly aware of whats going on.Sometimes things jump out at you, butother times its subtle. When we sense aconcern, we try to address it right away.

What have you learned? Where should Ibegin? I have learned to be completely ac-cepting of peoples choices and their rightto make their own decisions. I have learneda lot about how people relate to one an-other. I have learned what it feels like tohelp people in a completely different ca-pacity. Im learning what I can and canthandle. And Im learning a lot about timemanagement!

What do people not know about you?Well, I play the clarinet and in high schoolI was very active in theater.

Have you considered becoming a mem-ber of MAPP? I am a member of MAPP!

In fact, Quiana was in MAPP last year, andthis year serves as a MAPP coordinator.

The peer education programs atUHS will be recruiting for the 2003/2004 academic year starting inFebruary. Please go the the UHSweb site (See students/health pro-motion/peer education) for moreinformation about the individualprograms and application process.

Tell us what's going on. Be prepared togive a concise but detailed summary ofyour symptoms and concerns (somestudents find it helpful to jot them downfirst). The nurse can't see you, so in orderto make a proper assessment, the descrip-tion of your symptoms, including whetheryou are running a fever, is very important.

We can help with the next step. Nomedical person can fully diagnosesomeone without seeing them in per-son; an advice nurse makes recommen-dations based on a limited amount ofinformation. After listening to yoursymptoms, the nurse will advise you onwhat to do next, such as going to AltaBates Hospital Emergency Room, orcoming to the Tang Center for an ap-pointment when it re-opens.

Sorry, no appointments made. Theafter-hours advice nurse is at home anddoesn't have access to the UHS appoint-ment system. Thus, even if the nurse ad-vises you to make a medical appoint-ment at the Tang Center for the next day,s/he can't make the appointment for

you during the call. You'll need to call 642-2000 after 8 am the next business day.

Lab results during business hoursonly. Please remember that the after-hours and night service is for urgent is-sues only. For routine lab and x-ray re-sults, please call the clinic during regularbusiness hours.

Wait on a prescription. Depending onyour symptoms, the nurse might suggesta self-care program that includes an over-the-counter medication, but an advicenurse cannot usually order or call in a newor refill prescription to a local pharmacy.

Call on your own. Try not to call on be-half of a friend or roommate; the advicenurse needs to talk directly with the per-son with the questions in order to givethe best possible advice.

Busy, and happy to help. This is a verybusy service. The nurses do their best togive complete and accurate medical in-formation. We appreciate your patienceand support.

Advice Nurse (from page 2)

Vikash Mishra(from page 3)

Quiana LaFluer Candace Cheng

Wall angel

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