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Athens CHIP program aims for healthy hearts |
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This story can also be found on the publication's website.
By ARIAN SMEDLEY
Athens Messenger contributor
ATHENS — How do you change a lifetime of bad eating and exercising habits? It’s all about choosing to break the cycle, say local health professionals. Easier said than done, right?
Maybe it’s not so difficult with the right guidance and support. At least, that’s what health professionals are hoping, as they start Athens’ first CHIP program.
The Coronary Health Improvement Project isn’t a diet; it’s a “community-based life-style intervention program” designed to reverse chronic illnesses like type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heartburn, high cholesterol and depression, according to the website http://chiphealth.com.
Participants are encouraged to eat fewer animal products and more “foods as grown” — in other words, eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds in as close to their natural state as possible. It’s recommended that processed foods and animal products be treated as condiments.
That might be hard to swallow for many in the U.S., where a burger with fries is considered the quintessential Americana cuisine. But according to the physicians behind this program, it’s the Western way of life that has led to our current predicament; chronic diseases account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Southeast Ohio is hardly immune. A recent study, which didn’t include Athens, conducted by the Appalachian Rural Health Institute found the number of people with chronic diseases in area counties exceeded national rates. And it’s only getting worse.
But there is good news. The CDC also says the majority of these conditions are lifestyle related, meaning they can be reversed with changed habits.
“These diseases were practically unheard of 100 years ago,” said Lynn Anastas, vice president of community relations at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, where the program will take place. “It’s pretty scary to know that we’re doing this to ourselves. But we’re letting people know they have the power to change, and that they have a bright future ahead.”
Participants don’t necessarily have to become vegetarians. In fact, they’re encouraged to shape the diet to their preferences. With the continued support even after the program is complete, it’s an ideal program for someone who is serious about making changes in his or her life but who needs help with the first few steps, said Tom Kostohryz, chairman of the steering committee for Live Healthy Appalachia, a local nonprofit that has organized the program.
“It’s about making better choices,” he said. “You learn about the body, how it breaks down food and how it replenishes itself through nutrition and exercise.”
The program was founded by cardiovascular epidemiologist Dr. Hans Hiehl, director of the Southern California-based Lifestyle Medicine Institute. Since the first workshop in 1988, 50,000 individuals worldwide have graduated from the program. In 2009, the New York Academy of Medicine listed CHIP among the top community programs that had measurable results.
Athens’ 45-day program will be hosted at O’Bleness starting in April. The first of several free half-hour information sessions is taking place today at 7 p.m. in the Athens Community Center, with five more slated in March at the hospital.
Amy Fullmer of Parkersburg was in the first CHIP program in that area in 2009. She said the lessons she learned, including how to eat more and weigh less, helped her and her husband.
“We both lost weight, lowered our blood pressure,” she said via e-mail. “My husband’s diabetes threat was lowered and my cholesterol and triglyceride numbers came down — two real success stories.”
She said the camaraderie from the alumni meetings is a plus. In fact, their next meeting will be at Casa Nueva in Athens because they have deemed the menu items CHIP-friendly.
The information sessions will explain the details of the program, like the frequency and the length of the classes and the required materials. The cost of the program is $295 for individuals and $445 for couples. This includes health screenings at the beginning and at the end of the course, two lifestyle evaluations, personalized counseling, 16 lectures, a textbook and workbook, a cookbook, food demonstrations and samples, and regular alumni support meetings. Partial scholarships will be available for those who qualify.
March information sessions, which will be held at the hospital’s lower level conference room 008, will be: March 1 at 5 p.m., March 3 at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., March 9 at 1:30 p.m. and March 11 at noon.
This program is just one facet of Live Healthy Ohio, which has partnered with several local organizations to work toward improving the health and well-being of people in the area.
Other programs include “Food is Elementary,” which instructs local educators how to teach healthy eating habits to grade-school children, and grocery store tours to promote heart-smart shopping. Several other projects are being planned. In May, the group will invite nationally recognized experts to speak at the Appalachian Health Summit to Reverse and Prevent Chronic Disease.
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Resume glance
Full resume
Current Position
Comms./Event Consultant
IPAC
Athens, Ohio
Dec. 2011 - present
Work History
Comms. Consultant
IPAC
July 2011 - Sept. 2011
Freelance Journalist
Athens, Ohio
Dec. 2010 - July 2011
Editor, Social Media Center
The Associated Press
Feb. 2010 - Nov. 2010
Editor, Production Center
The Associated Press
Sept. 2008 - Feb. 2010
Editorial Assistant
The Associated Press
Oct. 2007 - Sept. 2008
in multimedia
Multimedia Intern
The Associated Press
June 2007 - Sept. 2007
Web Intern
The Athens NEWS
Jan. 2007 - May 2007
in reporting/writing
Web Correspondent
Scipps College of Comm.
Sept. 2005 - June 2006
Contributor
The Athens Messenger
Jan. 2004 - Aug. 2005
in editing
Editing Intern
The Athens NEWS
Sept. 2005 - Nov. 2005
Education at OHIO
B.S. Journalism
B.A. Spanish
Graduated w/ honors '07
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