Centinela Freeman Teams with Church for Diabetes Care

June 2006

Health be with you, says Inglewood church
 
By Lee Peterson
DAILY BREEZE

With the relatively high rate of diabetes among blacks in the U.S., it makes good sense to hold health fairs at churches serving the black community.

And the pastor at one Inglewood church wasn't going to leave such an event to a quick announcement of health screenings after the benediction, as the congregation was on its way out the door.
 
Instead, when Faithful Central Bible Church got together with the local hospital to offer church members health information focusing on diabetes prevention and care, Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer made it the topic of his sermon.

"Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit," Ulmer said. "I've done whole messages on it."

Hoping to become "the healthiest church in Los Angeles," Faithful Central has teamed up with Inglewood's Centinela Hospital Medical Center and its community foundation to offer church members the health education and services that might help achieve that goal.

For too long, Ulmer said, there's been a kind of compartmentalization, where the community doesn't see the church service as the place to talk about health and wellness. But Ulmer said the church, which draws about 7,000 members a week to services at the Forum, decided this year to take a holistic approach, to emphasize the importance of staying healthy, in being able to do what God wants you to do.

If there is any reluctance in the black community to seek out health screenings and follow-up medical care, Ulmer said he's trying to address that. If there are trust issues, he said he wants to see that trust restored.

Among blacks over 20, 13.3 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 8.7 percent of whites. Diabetes is a condition where an imbalance in the natural hormone insulin causes dangerous blood-sugar levels. Unchecked, the condition can lead to heart disease, blindness and amputations.

Ulmer's father died of complications of diabetes, after he lost his eyesight and both legs.

The church has had a health expo attended by several hundred of its members, but the efforts aren't going to stop there.

"We're not so much concerned about putting on an event as putting on a movement," Ulmer said.

His church, as well as other churches, synagogues, temples and mosques, he said, can play an important role in preaching the gospel of good health, by helping their members get information and screenings that could save their lives. It's not just about diabetes, but all aspects of health and wellness.

Dr. Etie Moghissi, director of the diabetes program at Centinela Freeman, said the key to the success of the program will be in the follow-up, to convince church members to take that step in acting on the information they receive.

"This is just the beginning of the answer. Even if you know you are really at risk, it takes a lot of reinforcement to do something about it," Moghissi said.

"Screening alone does not help if you do not do the follow-up," she said.

This program also will be of service to those who already have been diagnosed with diabetes.

"We know from the national statistics that only one-third of individuals who have diabetes reach the goals that are set for their blood-sugar control. Two-thirds do not reach the goals," Moghissi said.

If people can hear from both their doctor and their pastor that they need to maintain their health, then there's a better chance of them doing so, both Ulmer and Moghissi say.

Moghissi said the approach is one that focuses on the positive: "You have diabetes and that's not your fault. Now we can help you get it under control."

Just as the church relishes the chance to broaden the message of a healthy spirit to include a healthy body, Moghissi said it's nice to see the medical community's efforts stretch beyond the simple day-to-day care of people.

Eventually, Centinela Freeman will reach out to other churches. The three-hospital system's two Inglewood campuses are in the midst of a large Latino and black community, and those are the two groups most at risk for diabetes.

TM may benefit heart

Heart disease patients who used Transcendental Meditation were able to lower their blood pressure and insulin resistance, researchers found.

The 20 minutes of meditation, twice daily, seemed to help the individuals better tolerate stress. Researchers said that subjects who were instructed in TM performed better in certain physiological tests than subjects given more traditional health education for heart disease patients.

The tests of blood pressure, cholesterol levels, insulin resistance and the like are used to judge if a subject has "metabolic syndrome," a condition linked directly to a higher risk of sickness and death from coronary heart disease.

Past studies also have found that Transcendental Meditation is effective in lowering blood pressure.

TM's ability to improve the body's response to stress seems similar to the benefits of exercise, researchers said.

Researchers said the "epidemic" of metabolic syndrome is undoubtedly fed by a lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits and obesity, but that stress seems to play a role as well. If larger TM studies can confirm that meditation lowers that stress, the technique could be useful for people at risk for heart disease.

Participants in the study used TM or received health education for four months. There were 103 patients enrolled at the start of the study, and 84 completed it.

Send comments to lee.peterson@daily breeze.com or to Medical Notebook, Daily Breeze, 5215 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503-4077.