A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that drivers who use cell phones (even if they’re hands-free) are four times more likely
to have a collision while they talk.
By Gail Graham
Columnist
MIAMI DOLPHINS 2003 DRAFT PARTY
Talk about popular! It was all I could do to even get near the Miami Dolphins’ 2003 Draft Party and final cheerleader auditions that started on Saturday morning and
went on all day at the Aventura Mall’s Center Court.
They don’t have cheerleaders in Australia, so this was something I really wanted to see. I thought I’d go late and avoid the rush, which was a bad move, because by 2
p.m. there were more no parking spaces, anywhere.
By the time I’d left my car north of the library and made my way through the downpour, people were lined up six deep in the Center Court, waiting for the girls to come
back out and strut their stuff. Other fans were watching Dolphin replays on huge video screens, or were taking advantage of the opportunity to obtain their favorite Dolphin player’s
personal autograph on miniature plastic football helmets, photographs, banners, shirts, or programs.
Event managers in black T shirts were herding the crowd like sheep dogs, and, finding myself unable to see anything other than the backs of people’s heads, I resorted
to riding up and down the escalators, which at least gave me a view of the stage. Finally, a blast of music throbbed over the loudspeakers, drowning out everything. And there were the
girls, clad in bikini bottoms and tight little tops, on stage in a group of six doing a dance routine that lasted just 30 seconds before the next group came on. Great stuff. And a happy,
party atmosphere that really brightened up a wet Saturday afternoon.
LOOK, MA! NO NEEDLES!
Acupuncture without needles? It doesn’t sound possible.
“Actually, we do use the needles,” explains Vladimir Turovsky, doctor of Oriental Medicine. “We just don’t insert them into the skin. It’s a Japanese technique,
acupuncture without needling.”
Vladimir’s Center for Integrative Medicine has just opened in Sunny Isles, offering patrons a comprehensive approach to health and wellness.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture is based upon the idea that vital energy, or qi, circulates through the body along primary and transverse meridians that are associated
with specific organs. Sickness is caused by blockages or excesses of this energy, which can be adjusted by the insertion of incredibly slender needles at critical points. It all sounds
very unlikely, but when I was in China during the early 1980s I was allowed to witness a hysterectomy done under acupuncture. It was quite amazing. The Chinese patient was awake, and lucid
throughout the operation, but was clearly in no discomfort whatsoever.
Japanese acupuncture utilizes the same principles as its Chinese model, but Japanese practitioners merely place the needles against the surface of the skin. “It’s much
more intensive, and requires concentration and great sensitivity,” Vladimir said, adding that this type of acupuncture is particularly good for treating babies and children who suffer from
allergies, colds or night fears, and might be frightened at the prospect of needles.
Vladimir learned the technique from the Japanese Medical Association in West Palm Beach. “This was something that the Japanese originally taught blind people.
Acupuncture and massage were traditionally done by the blind in Japan. The training integrated them into the society, and it was also found that blind people had a high degree of
sensitivity in their hands,” Vladimir said.
Acupuncture can be beneficial in the treatment of many types of head, back and arthritic pain, as well as emotional problems like depression and anxiety. “You hear
people say that it’s just the power of suggestion, but some veterinarians use acupuncture, and get good results. A little dog doesn’t know that he’s supposed to feel better when someone
pokes a needle into him, but he does. That’s more than just the power of suggestion,” says Vladimir.
In addition to acupuncture, the Center for Integrative Medicine offers other naturopathic services including herbology, homeopathy, nutrition counseling, physical
rehabilitation, weight management, massage and aromatherapy. They’re located at 17050 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles, just inside Gold’s Gym. For more information, call 305-949-3303.
CELL PHONES CAN KILL YOU
You see them on the road, and in parking lots, yapping away on their cell phones as they drive, oblivious to traffic lights, pedestrians and other vehicles. They’re a
menace to themselves and everyone else. There ought to be a law. But there isn’t, although a year ago there was an attempt to pass an ordinance making driving while talking on a hand-held
cell phone illegal in Dade County, according to the Aventura Police Department. Unfortunately, it didn’t pass.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that drivers who use cell phones (even if they’re hands-free) are four times more
likely to have a collision while they talk. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that what it calls driver distraction contributes to between 20 and 30
percent of all crashes. Cell phones, say the NHTSA, are a major distraction, because they are a cognitive distraction. They take your mind off what you’re doing, and when you’re driving a
car, that can be fatal.
Nobody’s arguing. According to a survey released by the Insurance Research Council, 83 percent of the cell phone owners who responded agreed that calls were
distracting, and increased the likelihood of accidents. Nonetheless, overall use of cell phones while driving increased by 30 percent between 1997 and 2000.
Over 137 million Americans subscribe to wireless phone services. And the NHTSA estimates that 73 percent of them use their phones while driving. The Harvard Center for
Risk Analysis suggests that drivers talking on cell phones cause over 2,500 deaths, 500,000 injuries and $1.5 million worth of property damage every year.
Interestingly, the younger you are, the more likely you are to come to grief. Studies conducted by Ford revealed that older drivers are generally better at what’s
called multi-tasking, which means doing several things at once. The Ford simulation study found that younger drivers using cell phones were significantly more likely to be distracted than
older drivers.
Although New York is the only state to ban hand-held cell phone use while driving, Florida is among 17 states that require police to include information about cell
phones in accident reports. “It’s a start,” said the Aventura Police Department. “It shows that someone’s at least trying to keep an eye on the problem.”
Contact me at gailgraham1@juno.com.
