PULSE HELPING THE WORLD STEP BY STEP.

Byline: Mariko Thompson

In the developing countries that Operation Walk visits, education often has to precede operations.

Operation Walk, a volunteer medical organization created by Dr. Lawrence Dorr of La Canada Flintridge, provides free hip and knee replacements to patients in eight countries, including Russia, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines and Mexico. But when Dorr first visited Nepal three years ago, the patients recruited by the hospital were frightened. They had never heard of joint replacement surgery.

``They didn't have any idea what this operation was,'' said Dorr, also the founder of the Arthritis Institute at Centinela Hospital in Los Angeles. ``The doctors had classes to educate the patients. They had no point of reference.''

The volunteer team performed the surgeries on three dozen patients in Nepal. Once people saw how the surgery improved mobility in those patients, the fear dissipated. Operation Walk will return to Nepal in January, and all the surgery slots are filled, Dorr said.

``It's been very thrilling and satisfying,'' he said. ``For these people, the operations are a miracle that drops out of the sky.''

Dorr started Operation Walk 10 years ago, after conducting a seminar on joint replacement surgery in Russia. The surgeons expressed gratitude for the tools and the training. Patients were grateful for a treatment that would reduce or rid them of their pain.

The organization now has teams in Indiana and Colorado and has operated on more than 300 patients. Operation Walk raises funds to send a 40-person team of doctors, nurses, physical therapists and anesthesiologists on each trip, along with all necessary supplies.

``We really take everything with us, down to the last bandage,'' Dorr said.

Operation Walk also is held in Los Angeles periodically to help uninsured patients. Dorr plans to cap the number of countries served at 10, with return trips planned every three years.

``Education is a big part of it for us,'' Dorr said. ``We want to leave some knowledge behind so they can do a better job with their patients. Within three years, there's always new knowledge.''

PRIMER ON ENDOMETRIOSIS: Endometriosis, a disease often striking girls and women in their reproductive years, can be elusive to diagnose. Though associated with severe pain during menstruation, some women with the condition have no symptoms at all. Mary Lou Ballweg, founder of the Milwaukee-based Endometriosis Association, will speak about the disease and launch her new book at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Harvey S. Morse Auditorium at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The book, ``Endometriosis: The Complete Reference for Taking Charge of Your Health'' (McGraw-Hill; $17.95), discusses medical treatments, nutritional and alternative therapies, and the latest research. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Visit www.endometriosisassn.org for more information.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: UCLA will host a symposium on genetically modified foods and their potential influence on medicine, society and the world's food supply at 9 a.m. Friday at UCLA. Called ``Food for the Future: Genomics of Bioengineered Food,'' the event will explore how plants are modified to enhance nutritional content, the potential of foods as vaccines, government efforts to regulate the bioengineered food supply and more. Cost is $65 for the general public. For more information, call [phone] or visit www.research.medsch.ucla.edu/keck.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Dr. Lawrence Dorr: ``It's been very thrilling and satisfying. For these people, the operations are a miracle.''

(2) MARY LOU BALLWEG

(3) no caption (book: ``Endometriosis: The Complete Reference for Taking Charge of Your Health'')