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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1988-06-15, Page 1CELEBRATE IN 1988 LUCKNOW'S-130th CELEBRATION JUNE 30 - JULY 3, 1988 `PUBLISHED IN LUCKNOW ONTARIO Wednesday, June 15, 1988 Megan's life is easier thanks to the two Rons By Pat Livingston Megan Trachsel of Lucknow recently returned from a visit, for assessment, to the Montreal Shrine Hospital thanks to the efforts of Ron Forster and Ron Cross. Both 'gentlemen are members of the Bluewater Shrine Club. Megan, who will be five in August, was born with spina bifida, a serious defect that left her paralyzed from the navel line down. She is the daughter of Margaret MacPherson-Trachsel. Spina bifida (myelomeningocele or menigomyelocele) begins its formation in the latter part of the first month of pregnancy and does not allow the spinal cord of the child to form properly. Normal- ly at this stage of pregnancy, the spinal cord forms into a straight column, first covered by a membrane and then by bony spines. - When spina bifida is present, the mem- brane pouches out to form a sac at a point along the back. This membranous sac prevents the spine from forming properly, and the spinal cord eventually grows into a sac instead of following the straight column. Since the spinal cord does not form in the normal way, the nerves coming out of the spine below the sac are improperly attach- ed to the spinal cord and thus to the brain. All the nerves in Megan's lower back were affected by the condition. Several surgeries Shortly after her birth, Megan under- went several surgeries. The defective spinal cord with its nerves were read- justed and skin was grafted over the spot on her back. A 'shunt' was inserted to allow the cir- culation of fluid from the brain to other parts of the body. Over the last three years, this determin- ed wee girl has undergone more surgery. She has had tendon releases done on both feet, which were again individually repeated. As new techniques are developed, the tendon release surgery lasts for longer periods of time. A bilateral ureterstomy was also per- formed on young Megan. This surgery disconnects the tubes from the bladder and brings them straight to the surface taking all pressure off the bladder and allowing her to urinate straight from the kidneys. Daily physio ,1 daily regime of physiotherapy is per- formed by Megan's mother Margaret to prevent the muscles in her lower body from tightening up. During her recent visit to the Montreal Shrine Hospital, the assessment recom- mended that Megan have surgery on her hips and knees to release the tendons; a bar inserted into her back to straighten it and also a reverse ureterstomy. June 16 will see Megan and Marg travel to London to meet with Megan's doctors in the Thames Valley Children's Centre to discuss and evaluate the recommenda- tionsmade by the Shrine Hospital staff. Megan is currently attending the Turn to page 3 • Enthusiasm is high The Celebrate in '88 Lucknow Reunion is just two weeks away now and already en- thusiasm is running high in and around the village. The executive of the planning com- mittee and been seen parading around town in their "reunion long -johns" and store owners are gearing up to put on their best for the celebrations. This week we received a request from the entertainment committee to solicit "nominations" for the Dunking Tank, so if you have someone you would like to get a little revenge on, this is the perfect time. Nominate them for the Dunking Tank by dropping off their acane at the Sentinel of- fice or to Delores Cross. Car show Another part of the extensive festivities planned for the Reunion Weekend is the Classic and Custom Car Show. Cars will line up for inspection on Saturday, July 2. There is no. entry fee for this show. Categories include pre -1929's up through the 1960's. Trophies will be presented in a variety of categories. Pre -registration for the car show will be at Jim Boyle's shed starting at 11 a.m. You also have an opportunity to enter your classic or custom car in the parade. All cars will be on display at the Community Centre parking lot. If you require further information, con- tact the Pecks at 528-3308. In addition, dances for all ages will be held throughout the weekend. Be sure to find out all the whens and wheres by pick- ing up the Offical Reunion Program available from most local businesses. �. "777^'. F.r�.,-:«..J.'•� '. 4.r .'�. t�� � ~!A � �� �..-...,i-1... _«. �-•' �... �;.d �...n.n.,..a;..t.»d.-'"1 Flying the Blue Ribbon £` The Lucknow Sentinel is a winner. The statement can be made following the an- nouncement of the Canadian Community 9 Newspapers Association's (CCNA) 1988 Better Newspaper Competition award winners. The CCNA has awarded the Lucknow Sentinel a Blue Ribbon in the General Ex- cellence category. This honour means the Sentinel was judged to be in the top third of each class awarded this year for papers of similar circulation figures. The honour allows the Sentinel to "wear a Blue Ribbon logo" on its front page for the next twelve months. "We are, of course, accountable to our readers and this award proves to us that we are doing the job," said Pat Livingston, the Sentinel's General Manager. "The Blue Ribbon on our front page shows our readers we are one of the best community newspapers in Canada." While the staff at the Lucknow Sentinel is proud to have been chosen for this honour by a national association, we know that the largest room in the world is room for improvement. It is our goal to continue to work hard at improving our product and to be able to keep the Blue Ribbon flying on our front page for many years to come. 404 PER COPY! Herbalist David Carroll, at right with a handful of plantain leaves, discusses the problem of finding leaves without insect holes in them. The group he's addressing were among the participants in a weekend workshop on backyard herbs held near Dungannon last Sunday. (Bill Henry photo) Finding bakyard medicine By Bill Henry Herbalist David Carroll introduced several area families to backyard medicine on the weekend. Dandelion leaves, walnut bark, bloodroot, wild ginger, catnip and other common . plants have both food and medicinal uses ranging from relieving insect stings or stomach distress to treating cancer, says Carroll. A partially self-taught herbalist, who also learned through correspondence with a B.C. Mohawk Indian medicine woman, Carroll teaches parttime at Toronto's Ontario Col- lege of Naturopathic Medicine. He spent the weekend showing beginning herbalists here how to find, identify and use some common weeds, and how to avoid poisonous ones. "The more education people have, the more knowledge they have that makes them able to make choices wisely, in all aspects of life," says Jane Hoy, who organized, and whose family hosted, the weekend workshop at their home near Dungannon. Hoy views the new knowledge as adding to her family's options for treatment, but not as a substitute for conventional consultation with a physician. Barbara Glousher says the workshop was especially good for children, who were able to see plants such as plantain picked, crush- ed and used immediately to soothe cuts and insect bites. Later, an ointment was made by cooking the leaves for two hours in vegetable oil at 200 degrees, straining the oil and adding bee's wax. "It's just been a really amazing learning experience for all of us," says Glousher. The group spent much of Saturday and Sunday scouting fields and hardwood forests. Carroll says he had seen the site in winter and had a good idea which of about 150 medicinal herbs he is familiar with would likely be there. But there are always surprises. "I even found a plant that I didn't know, which was great. It even has a use," he says. "It was really surprising because it was the first plant we saw." Among others they found were; Wild Ginger: a very common plant found in hardwood forests all across Ontario. Grows in patches of up to 100 plants. Hot, pungent taste. A broad spectrum antibiotic used for fevers, flu, infection. Will also relax the smooth muscles of the abdomen, reliev- ing colic in babies. Dandelion: common everywhere. Bitter properties stimulate the body's immune sytem, increasing white blood cell produc- tions. Use for fever, flu. Increases gastric juices aiding digestion if taken before large meals. Black walnut: bark and leaves brewed as tea can be used as anti -fungal treatment for athlete's foot, ringworm and other rashes. Soak cloth with tea, place on skin, wrap in plastic and leave on overnight. Catnip; tea used as nightime sedative, also relieves infant colic and other intestinal distress. Like anything medicinal, Carroll says .herbs should be used in moderation and not taken over extended periods of time. "That's a fairly important part of all this;" he says. "Herbs can be taken to ex- tremes, and they can be harmful" He also cautions against purchasing some herb remedies, since there are currently' few government requirements against cultivating herbs while using pesticides or herbicides. Instead, he said cultivating your own or• harvesting from the wild assures against such contamination. But Carroll also urges herbalists to prac- tice conservation, harvesting only what they need, preferably after the plants have reproduced, "perhaps even taking steps to assure that germination takes place." While much of the workshop stressed the medicinal aspects, Carroll also showed par- ticipants about some edible plants and talk- ed a little about the spiritual apsects of us- ing nature for health. "It's all right there for us to use," agrees Hoy, "And it all comes just in the time of year when we need it." For Carroll, lives in Alliston and often lec-, tures on various aspects of herb use as well as teaching in workshops and in the classroom, it was the third trip to the Goderich area. Judging from the response last weekend, Hoy says it's likely he'll be back.