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What’s happening in the area

County council

officers elected

American Legion Auxiliary Jefferson County Council has new officers for the 2013-14 year.

They are: president, Sheila A. Ksiazek-Lee; vice president, Sharon Baricska; secretary, Pat Logsdon; and treasurer, Sharon Morris.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Mingo Junction American Legion Post.

All members with paid-up dues are welcome.

Harrison hospital

workshop detailed

Dr. Porsche Beetham, board certified in family medicine, will present a program on the prevalence and complexity of autoimmune diseases during a workshop to be held in Harrison Community Hospital’s cafeteria on Sept. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments are served, and reservations are not necessary.

The workshop is open to everyone. The free educational sessions are held the first Thursday of each month and feature physicians, dieticians and other health care professionals covering a variety of topics, including diet and nutrition, exercise and flexibility, women’s health issues and other health topics.

Autoimmune disease is a broad category of related diseases in which the person’s immune system attacks the body. The immune system’s role in health is to protect the body by producing antibodies that respond to invading organisms such as bacteria and viruses. Autoimmune disease occurs when these autoantibodies attack the body’s own cells, tissues and organs.

Compared to men, females are 75 percent more likely to be affected by autoimmune disease that can shorten life expectancy. Once a person develops an autoimmune disease, the odds of developing another are greatly increased. Autoimmune disease facts include:

  • There are more than 100 known autoimmune diseases.
  • One in five Americans or 20 percent of the population has an autoimmune disease.
  • Autoimmune disease is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in female children and women in all age groups up to the age of 64.
  • Researchers have found “family clusters” of autoimmunity. Individuals with autoimmune diseases often find that other members of their family also have these diseases.

Some examples of autoimmune diseases include: systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, hyper and hypothyroidism, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and Celiac disease.

Lupus health program

activities announced

The Lupus Support Group meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 9 at the YMCA Wellness Center, 3151 Johnson Road, Steubenville.

The meeting will feature an exercise center and health program tour.

On Sept. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be a Neighborhood Community Development Center line dancing class at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, 905 Market St., Steubenville, instructed by Trina Lawson with Tonya Hampton speaking on the topic of “How Lupus Has Changed My Life.”

The lupus programs are sponsored by Urban Mission Ministries/NCDC and funded by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

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