Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 31

3d TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1999 TIMES i fi Drug may not be culprit in impotence His message transcends death By JOE GRAEDON and TERESA GRAEDON THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY By SUE LANDRY TimM Staff Writer Timet filM (1999) V. JANE WINDSOR The morning Bryan died, the Curtis family banded together at the hospital. v. The lung cancer took Bryan Lee Curtis before he could know that his efforts to save others from the same fate had not been in vain. He had wanted to tell the world how the cigarettes he smoked for 20 years were killing him.

He wanted kids to see his emaciated, cancer-ridden body in the hopes it would scare them enough to keep them away from the smokes. He died not knowing that his story would circle the world, serving as inspiration for people trying to quit and thinking about quitting. Bryan's mother, Louise Curtis, was deluged with phone calls the day the St Petersburg Times printed a story about Bryan along with pictures showing how the cancer took his life just two short months after finding out he was il Calls poured into the Times, too, from people saying they planned to send the story to friends and relatives, hoping it would convince them to quit smoking. One woman told Louise Curtis mat she had been shopping at Tyrone Square mall and heard others talking about Bryan's story to the restaurant there. A neighbor who was still smoking after open heart surgery told her Bryan's story convinced him it was time to quit "It really had an effect" said Louise Curtis, who spent some of the last few weeks of her son's life trying to convince television and newspaper reporters to tell about Bryan.

"He just kept saying, 1 think anybody who could see me would be willing to give up those she says. He was 33, healthy and strong, when he found out he had an aggressive form of lung cancer. He turned 34 a month later and died a month after that bald, emaciated and looking dozens of years older. Someone posted Bryan's pictures and his story on a quit-smoking Web site where people trying to kick the habit share messages and encouragement From there, it has been sent around the world. Others are sharing it on Web sites and Question: Yd like to know why I have difficulty in getting and maintaining an erection.

The blood test I had recently was good. My heart is also good My blood circulation is perfect, and my cholesterol is 106. I recently read in a magazine that if blood circulation is good and cholesterol is low, I should never have any problem getting an erection. I am 81 years old and have been married 54 years. Until last month, I had sex every three days.

I wonder if if my age or the blood pressure pills. Answer Congratulations on your good health. Sex every three days for more than 50 years could be some kind of record. Impotence may be caused by factors other than circulation. Nerve damage, psychological issues, high blood pressure itself or side effects of many kinds of medication may tribute to erectile dysfunction.

Please discuss this issue with your physician. He may be able to prescribe different drugs that would be less likely to interfere with your erections. Do not discontinue your medicine without your doctor's supervision, since that could be dangerous. We are sending you our "Guide to Drugs That Affect Sexuality" and "Treating which discuss drugs that can cause difficulties and alternatives that are less troublesome. Anyone who would like copies, please send a $2 check or money order with a long (No.

10), stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Graedon's People's Pharmacy, No. YP517, PO. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. If changing your medication isn't appropriate, there are several successful treatments for impotence. You and your wife should be able to enjoy this part of your relationship again.

Drug interaction Question: I was recently prescribed Septra for a urinary tract infection. Two days after starting, I had a bad nosebleed. Because I take Coumadin, I called my cardiologist immediately. His office ran a blood test while they were treating the nosebleed. My values were very elevated.

Why didn't my gynecologist warn me about this interaction? Answer There are two possible explanations. Perhaps your gynecologist didn't know you are on Coumadin. Make sure that each doctor writing prescriptions for you has a list of all other medications you take. You may have given the gynecologist such a list, but perhaps the doctor was not aware of the interaction. Although this combination can cause life-threatening bleeding, not everyone knows about it To protect yourself, ask both the physician and the pharmacist to look up possible interactions before you start any new medicine.

No guarantee Question: For several years my husband and I have been taking enteric-coated aspirin. We understand that these dissolve in the intestines rather than the stomach, thus avoiding the danger of ulcers. Is this a misconception? Is there some other reason why enteric-coated aspirin is not more frequently recommended by professionals? Answer Enteric coatings do keep aspirin from dissolving in the stomach. This reduces irritation caused by the aspirin tablet itself. But once aspirin is circulating in the bloodstream, it can have an indirect effect on the stomach.

Aspirin relieves pain and inflammation by blocking hormonelike chemicals called prostaglandins. These same chemicals protect the stomach lining. When they are depleted by aspirin or other arthritis drugs, irritation, heartburn and ulcers can result That is why even enteric-coated aspirin, when used regularly, is no guarantee against digestive problems. Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert.

They can be reached by e-mail at PHARMACY mindspring.com or in care of the Times, RO. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. of fellow quitters he met online. He had smoked nearly three packs a day for 28 years.

"If a powerful tooL" he said of Bryan's pic- tures and his story. "When you see that, you think this could be you." Louise Curtis just wishes her son could know the impact his story is having. "My granddaughter said everyone at work was talking about the story," Louise Curtis said. "Her boss called over 20 of her friends and told them to read the story and quit smoking." Bryan died before the story was published. But Louise Curtis said his dream is coming true.

"If it will help anybody, I am just so glad," she said. "I just thank God that it might help some- -body." She knows how hard the battle can be. She has smoked most of her life and is struggling to quit because of Bryan, but finds it difficult at such a stressful time. Tm trying so hard," she said. "Every time I think about smoking, I push those cigarettes to the side and say, No.

You killed my If you missed the original story about Bryan Lee Curtis, "He wanted you to know which appeared June 15, 1999, you can find ft on the St Petersburg Times Web site, http:www.sptimes.com. Curtis family photo In March, Bryan Lee Curtis and Bryan Jr. were making the most of the little time they had left together. sending it to friends and relatives. "That young man did a really fine thing," said John Polito, a 44-year-old lawyer from South Carolina who quit smoking a month ago with the help Quitting from 1D -ft j) hnp.www.

Bplimes.com Web resources Here are some of the quit-smoking Internet sites that have bulletin boards where people can exchange messages. They also have articles and other resources to help people trying to kick the habit. The QuitNet (http:www.quitnet.org) Operated by Join Together, a non-profit resource center at the Boston University School of Public Health focusing on substance abuse and gun violence. Quit Smoking Support (http:www.quitsmokingsuppott.com) Started by ex-smoker Blair Price, this site offers a wide range of resources as well as a bulletin board. The Quit Smoking Co.

(http:www.quitsmoking.com) A company that sells products to help people quit and also provides resources and a bulletin board. The No Smoke Cafe (http:clever.netchriscowwwboardindex.html) A bulletin board only. Kids need protection from the heat, too By PATRICK J. BIRD KEEPING FIT organization that helps support the site. "The traffic is immense," she said.

"And thafs without any marketing or promotion." Suzzanne Hennig has smoked half her life, since she was 15, and picked up her first cigarette because "it was the cool thing to do." She quit three times but always went back. This time, she is finding help online through the Quit Smoking bulletin board. "You just don't feel so alone," said Hennig, who lives near Ontario. "Yesterday, there were a whole bunch of people who were having a bad day. I was back on this morning and they aS seemed to make it through." Users say the computer support groups offer a lot that can't be found among family and friends or to traditional community groups.

You can post anonymously so people feel they can say things they might not say to friends. If there when the urge hits; you don't have to wait until the meeting time. And there are lots of people facing the same problem. "This is immediate. This is 24 hours a day," Hennig said.

"If Tm having a really bad 'nic fif and if 2 a.m., I can get on there and I can read somebody else's post and I can put one on." Sometimes there's even someone else up at 2 a.m. who might want to talk. Most of the quit-smoking sites have chat rooms, too, where particir pants who are signed on at the same time can talk to each other directly. Debra Hall remembers one night to a chat room when everyone was exchanging song lyrics to pass the time and keep themselves thinking about something other than a cigarette. "If like being to a room with people talking and reminiscing," said HalL who lives near Fort Lauderdale and had been smoking as much as two packs a day before she quit a month ago.

"Even on the bad days, the worst days, going to the Internet was my savior, talking to other people." Hall is 43 and has smoked since she was 15. Even her job as a registered nurse wasn't enough to convince her to quit She decided she needed to stop after she started having panic attacks, which can be set off by nicotine. Like many people trying to quit these days, Hall had some help. She used nicotine patches. Other use medications now available.

But breaking the addiction still is very difficult, and Hall says the support from others she found through her computer was a tremendous help. "I don't think I could have made it without it" she said. Justice from 1D professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who serves on the NCAA's Initial Eligibility Committee. Zero tolerance for weapons at middle and high schools requires no more justification than the shootings at Columbine High School, where 15 people died. Yet well-intentioned efforts to make life secure and fair able to crack down on immigrants.

Lawmakers are waking up and see-tog some of this went too far." The mother stopped for shoplifting in Atlanta, Olufolake Olaleye, says she was trying to exchange baby clothes six years ago when she was charged with shoplifting. She told the Atlanta Constitution that she pleaded guilty because it seemed the easy way out of a situation she did not understand. Then changes to immigration law in 1996, applied retroactively, made her 12 months' probation a deportable conviction. She applied for citizenship but instead was ordered to Nigeria Along with hundreds of other toevitably trip over their own rigidity. The NCAA test score requirement was challenged by four African-American athletes, who Question: My kids, ages 7 and 9, are very active and will be attending tennis and soccer camps during the height of the summer.

I see a lot about adults and heat problems but little about children. My husband says this is because their young bodies can handle the heat and humidity better than we can. Is this true? Answer Although there is no specific data showing that children overheat more easily than adults, extra caution is required. To begin with, children get hotter quicker, for several reasons. They have a higher metabolic rate, a faster-running motor.

So.hey generate a greater amount of body heat for a given level of activity. In addition, children have up to a third more body surface area for their size than adults. Like a larger solar panel, they collect heat faster. And being shorter, children are more exposed to the full intensity of the heat radiating from the tennis courts, synthetic tracks, sand, asphalt and concrete, where the surface temperature can easily be 120 to 140 degrees on a hot, sunny day. In addition, the heat generated by the exercising muscles of children is not as efficiently conveyed to the surface of the skin for release into the air.

This is because, relative to grown-ups, they have less circulating blood to absorb and transport the heat and they have smaller, weaker hearts to pump the blood. Children also sweat less. Their sweat glands are smaller, and their physiological heat-regulating mechanisms are still not fully developed. The evaporation of sweat is our major source of heat loss during exercise, so this is quite significant Besides the dangers of summer heat there are, of course, the sun's destructive ultraviolet rays. UV rays can damage the fast-growing cells lining sweat ducts of children.

This can limit the sweating rate. And cumulative exposure to the sun, as we all know, can lead to skin cancer and the premature aging of skin. Precautions. Here are some recommendations that can keep your youngsters active yet safe to the summer heat and sun. Standard attire should be tight-knit loose-fitting and lightweight clothing, along with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses (or goggles in swimming) that block both UVB and UVA rays.

The same UV rays that burn the skin can, over time, damage the eyes. Non-essential equipment such as sweatbands, bandannas and gloves should be minimized to decrease heat storage and production of body heat About 30 minutes before beginning an activity, children should drink until not thirsty and then drink an tional 8 ounces. Also, all exposed skin should be slathered with sunscreen that has at least a 15 SPF (sun protection factor) The higher the SPF the better, provided it does not cause skin irritation. A tan provides zero protection from the destructive rays of the sun. Provide time for the body to adapt to the heat For at least the first few days of initial, prolonged exposure to the heat organized, vigorous activity should be limited to 20- or 30-minute sessions separated by five- to 10-minute timeouts.

Remember, because humidity can significantly reduce evaporation cooling, a highly humid but mildly warm day can be more stressful than a hot dry one. During every 15 to 20 minutes of activity, each child should consume 8 to 12 ounces of liquids. This is a must thirsty or not Thirst is not a good early warning system for fluid needs. Have liquids easily available to a shaded area. Water is sufficient But the taste of sports drinks, diluted fruit juice and the like can encourage children to drink more.

Also, for activity that lasts an hour or longer, commercial beverages can provide protection against the loss of excessive salt potassium and carbohydrates. Avoid caf-feinated and highly sugared as well as very cold beverages, which can cause stomach cramps. Every hour or so, have a sunscreen reapplication session. Most brands, even those that are "water-resistant" or "waterproof," must be reapplied. Remember, a T-shirt provides an SPF of about 15, depending on color and weave, but its protection can decrease by a third when wet And don't be fooled by clouds.

Up to 80 percent of the UV rays can penetrate thin cloud covers. After the activity, hydration should continue for at least an hour or so by drinking 8 to 12 ounces of liquids. Again, a must Finally, know the basic signs of heat illness: heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headaches, nausea or vomiting, and fainting. If any of these signs appear, the youngster should be taken to an air-conditioned or shaded area and efforts should be made to help cool off the victim's body for example, cool shower, spray with a garden hose, sponge-down with cool water, massage gently with ice. And do not hesitate to call 911 for emergency assistance.

Patrick J. Bird, dean of the College of Hearth and Human Performance, University of Florida, draws on a data base of more than 3,800 medical, hearth and fitness journals in preparing answers to questions in his column. Write with questions to Dr. Bird, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. immigrants who have legally lived and worked to the United States for years, mm Olaleye faces deportation under a law intended to kick out danger scored too low to play as freshmen.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter struck down the requirement to March as racially discriminatory, and college officials are once again debating how to more fairly weigh grade point and test score against shot percentage. The lack of flexibility to a wave of immigration ous criminals. "If a panic response," says UCLA philosophy professor Barbara Herman. "There's a variety of (situations) to which poli when a bottle of wine, along with pillows, dishes and other household goods from a family move the night before, was found to her car to the school parking lot The school finally permitted Farkas to make up her exams and graduate if she passes.

"But they put to the computer that I had alcohol," says Farkas. Tve never been in trouble. This was a blow." Despite phone calls from other parents and a petition signed by more than 100 classmates on Farkas' behalf, principal John Nicely says he is comfortable with the unbendable rule. "Of course each case is a little bit individualized, but how are you going to believe one person and not the other?" Nicely says. "I do like zero tolerance because the student is the one accountable, and we don't have to be put to a position of trying to decide who's telling the truth." In the Pensacola case, a decision is pending.

Principal Norm Ross says all students are given a copy of the school handbook, and it includes that type of nail clippers as a prohibited item. He says he needs no coaxing to enforce zero tolerance: A 17-year-old girl died a few years ago after being stabbed to the throat with a pocket-knife by another student on a school bus. If a rule holds out the promise of stability to an unstable world, skeptics say, it also sacrifices distinctions. Last December, U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner declined to consider only sentencing guidelines when confronted with an African-American defendant Massachusetts resident Alexander Levtoer admitted to driving drunk and firing his handgun into the air.

His prior record warranted a sentence of up to five years. But Gertner handed down shorter time because she believed his history of minor drug and dri- ving charges indicated that he was a victim of racial targeting. Even justice as straightforward as Bush's 25 years to Me for a criminal who injures or kills someone with a gun is not pure, critics say. In California, early studies suggest that as many as 100 percent of the people sentenced to 20 years for a gun crime to Los Angeles were mtoori-, ties. Defendants with money will continue to beat the system, critics say.

"If not the judge deciding, if the prosecutor. The unspoken truth of mandatory sentencing is it forces plea bargaining and puts the whole honesty of the system at risk," says Andrew Good, a criminal and civil rights lawyer in Boston. Good says "invisible" decisions are made before cases get to court, and the judge's hands are tied to rectifying bad ones. There will always be a need for standards. The NCAA, no matter how it restructures admission standards for freshmen, must have a standardized test because high school grades can be highly inflated from school to school, from rural to urban districts.

If Florida wants to measure the success of its public schools statewide, some sort of test for students is indicated. The United States cannot reward criminals with the privilege of U.S. residency. But some say society's willingness to wield the same rule in every situation points to a darker flaw. Says UCLA's Herman: "I think ifs connected to our unwillingness to open the social dialogue there's too many things we're not allowed to talk about" Bok, the former Harvard presi- dent says it is personal "I think we're afraid to think important decisions are being left to the judgment of other human beings who don't think the way we do." cymakers see a loss of control and a tremendous urgency to do something." Rare would be the parent who laws passed by Congress during the past five years is now prompting hearings to the capital to amend them argues against swift 5- retriDunon ror drugs ana Ironically, discretion, when retained, was taken from judges.

Instead, in its zeal to hunt down illegal visitors, U.S. immigration put the equivalent of a clerical worker to a position to decide the monumental: Whether the immigrant who steps off a plane and asks for asylum may or may not stay. "We liken it to toll booth operators making life or death decisions," says Angela KeDey, deputy director of the immigrant advocacy group National Immigration Forum. "There was an overreach on Congress' part where it became fashion weapons at school. But to a series of recent incidents to districts across Florida, parents say their children are falsely accused and plead for common sense.

Darryl Beaton, the father of the 15-yearold Pensacola High School sophomore who lent her nail clippers to a friend to Spanish class and may be suspended for a year as a result wants to know when pencils will be banned to the classroom. At Tarpon Springs High SchooL Renata Farkas missed her senior prom and nearly her graduation.