2 free health events scheduled for this weekend

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2 free health events scheduled for this weekend

By Sondra E Z Hines – August 24, 2011

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Sondra E. Z. Hines, AILT, is an adjunct professor of health & wellness and is certified to teach group fitness exercise and Zumba. Wednesday Wellness - Fitness News You Can Use is a weekly feature on Qcitymetro.com. Email: sondraezhines@yahoo.com.

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FREE Health Events
Berean Seventh Day Adventist Church holds it annual Community Health Explosion, a free weekend event, from Friday, Aug. 26, to Sunday, Aug. 28. The church is located at 1801 Double Oaks Road in west Charlotte. Although I’m not a church member, I’ve attended previous events, and it’s worth the drive. The schedule includes a free exercise session, free teen health session, free blood pressure checks, free pap smears, free prostate exams and a free dental workshop. All events are open to the public. Although not free, I recommend the always-popular healthy cooking class. The cost is $10, and registration is required. For more event details (or to register for the cooking class), call 704-377-6313. Another free event is the inaugural Charlotte Vitality Challenge, Saturday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Johnson C. Smith University. The event will have food, fitness classes and loads of health-related information. Attendees are requested to register. Read more here: http://www.buckapound.com/vitality-challenge-charlotte-kickoff
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Heartwarming News
A few hospitals have reason to stick their chests out. New national data indicates that heart attack victims now receive treatment faster, resulting in more lives being saved. Locally, Carolinas Medical Center and Presbyterian tout a treatment time of 90 minutes or less. "Americans who have heart attacks can now be confident that they're going to be treated rapidly in virtually every hospital of the country," said Yale cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz. The study, published online by an American Heart Association journal, Circulation, was reported in the Associated Press. Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/23/2546299/hospitals-save-hearts-faster-study.html#storylink=misearch
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Low-cost Dental Care
Last weekend, I joined approximately 1,300 volunteers at Charlotte’s first-ever free dental clinic at the Charlotte Convention Center. More than 2,000 patients received free dental care at the event, which was sponsored by N.C. Mission of Mercy. For those who couldn’t make it, Central Piedmont Community College may offer an affordable option. The school operates a dental hygiene clinic. According to the schools website, services include: oral cancer examinations, x-rays, prophylaxis (cleaning), fluoride treatments, oral hygiene instruction, pit and fissure sealants, nutritional counseling and cleanings. The cost is only $20. However, you must attend a screening. For more details, current screening hours and appointment times, call, 704.330.6704.
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Baby Got Back
Actor Boris Kodjoe gets lots of attention. Blessed with good looks and a chiseled physique, ladies swoon over this towering hunk … until now. Kodjoe is getting unwanted attention for a recent tweet referencing a dream: “Like a baby. Had nightmares though about 300 pound women in thongs gnawing on chicken wings while grinding on me. Scary." Because many of Kodjoe’s 77,000-plus Twitter fans are black women, many sisters took the comments personally and tweeted angry rebuttals. The actor quickly responded: "I love 'thickness'. And I love a woman who loves herself. And loving yourself is being healthy," he explained, making reference to wife Nicole Parker (also on Twitter) in his comments. "You all know @nicolearip and I are all about health. And we as a community have to be more conscious of our health. The numbers are shocking." Kodjoe also referenced a U.S. Department for Minority Health report stating that four out of five black women are considered overweight or obese according to the standard Body-Mass Index. Did Kodjoe go too far, or is he merely exercising freedom of speech? Share your feedback in the comment section below.