Did You KNOW?

Diarrhea isn’t always what you think it is? Sure you can get diarrhea from travelling, drinking the water in Mexico, and food poisoning … but diarrhea can also be a symptom of colon cancer, as well as constipation, rectal bleeding, and unexplained weight loss.

It’s March and it’s almost springtime and that means it’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. You may think colon cancer is just a disease of old men. Well ladies and gents it’s not! In the US 1 in 20 people will develop colon cancer in their lifetime.  And this year alone more than 50,000 people will die from colon cancer. The current recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is to start screening for colon cancer at age 50. Ok so YOU may not be 50 yet, but I’m sure someone in your life is! And if you’re African-American you should start screening for colon cancer and get your first colonoscopy at age 45! If you are having any issues, or have a family history of colon cancer let your doctor know because you may need screening earlier.

Don’t be afraid to have a colonoscopy because it can save your life … The prep is the worst part, and all it really is, is simply drinking a little liquid and staying close to the bathroom. OK even if it’s not time for you or someone you love to have a colonoscopy there are still ways you can decrease your chances of getting colon cancer.

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Be physically active and exercise
• Limit the amount of red and processed meat you eat.
• Eat at least 3 cups of fruits & vegetables every day.
• Pass on refined grains and opt for whole grain products.
• If you drink alcohol, limit the amount to 1 drink/ day for women, 2/ day for men.
• Don’t smoke cigarettes

Because of early detection more than 1 million people in the US are colon cancer survivors. Colorectal cancer almost always starts with a small growth of colon tissue called a polyp. If polyps are found early, doctors can remove them during a colonoscopy and stop colorectal cancer before it starts making colon cancer preventable!

So why not get checked now, it’s a great time since March is colorectal cancer awareness month.

Wishing you good health

XO

Dr. V

 

 

 

Heart Disease doesn’t affect just old men and women! Every year more than 9,000 US women under 45 years of age suffer a heart attack. 

February is Heart Health Awareness month and the American Heart Association has done a great job getting the word out to people that heart disease isn’t just a disease that affects men, but also women. BUT, most people still think heart disease is an issue for AARP members or senior citizens, which is NOT true! Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women. And although heart attacks are less common in women under the age of 50 when they do occur women are 2x more likely to die in the hospital than men.

American women are 4-6 times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer and heart disease kills more women than ALL cancer combined.

For many years research in the medical community focused on men and cardiovascular health. Therefore, it is no surprise that more than 50% of women do not know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death of women, let alone know what healthy values are for their own blood pressure and cholesterol. The American Heart Association reports 90% of women already have one or more risk factors for heart disease which include:

high blood pressure       high cholesterol        smoking family history          low level of physical activity

You may not have heart disease now, but prevention and good living can help ward off heart disease later. Most women are too busy taking care of everyone else in their lives to take a moment for themselves. It’s necessary to stop running, be still, and tune into what’s going on with your own body!

Learn the warning signs of a heart attack, because when symptoms start every minute counts.  I’d rather wait and know what’s wrong than rush to the hospital.  BAD idea!!! About half of deaths from a heart attack occur within 1 hour of the onset of symptoms and before the person even reaches the hospital. When symptoms start DON’T WAIT CALL 911! How quickly should I act? If you have symptoms, call 911 immediately. Don’t wait more than 5 minutes. If you wait too long some treatments may not be available to you to restore blood flow to the heart.

Warning Signs & Symptoms Women Commonly Experience:

When having a heart attack women don’t always experience the same chest clenching pain or “elephant standing on my chest” feeling like men.  Many heart attacks start slowly, with mild chest discomfort or pain. Read below for other common warning signs of a heart attack women experience:

1. Chest discomfort: often in the center of your chest or left side that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and then comes back
2. Chest pressure, squeezing, fullness, sharp or gnawing pain, or even heartburn
3. Tiredness or odd “blah” feeling
4. Discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck
5. Shortness of breath
6. Sweating
7. Nausea
8. Light-headedness

Check out the American Heart Association’s website for the Go Red for Women Campaign.  Even though you’re busy you’re not too busy to take care of your heart!

XO

Dr. V

Did you know cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States? Since the development of the Pap smear by Dr. Papanicolaou (a fellow Cornellian) the number of diagnosed cases and deaths from cervical cancer has exponentially decreased. However, it has not disappeared. January is cervical cancer awareness month; so let’s get smart about cervical cancer.

1) You may not even know you have cervical cancer: Because it may not cause signs and symptoms. Advanced cervical cancer may cause bleeding or discharge from the vagina that you don’t normally experience such as after sex.

2) Cervical cancer is caused by an STD. Most cervical cancers are caused by HPV. It’s the same virus that causes genital warts. HOLD ON! Before you get worried, there are many types of HPV, more than 80 and not all of them cause cervical cancer. That’s why it’s important to have regular Pap smears because the test looks for abnormal cells in the cervix that may be cancerous or pre-cancerous. And even if your Pap test comes back abnormal – DON’T FREAK OUT – there are many reasons why the results might be abnormal. It doesn’t mean you have cancer.

3) Smoking can increase you risk of cervical cancer. Other risk factors for cervical cancer include illnesses that compromise your immune system such as HIV, using birth control bills for more than 5 years, multiple sex partners, as well as giving birth to more than three children.

4) Two screening tests can help prevent you from getting cervical cancer: The Pap test – which looks for atypical cells in the cervix and the HPV test – which looks for the virus that causes these cell changes. The most important thing you can do to help prevent cervical cancer is to have regular screening tests.

5) If you get the HPV vaccine you still need to be examined by your doctor and have regular Pap tests. Start getting Pap tests when you become sexually active or by the age of 18yrs. The CDC recommends women aged 21-65 get regular Pap tests even if you think you are too old or not having sex anymore.

No woman should die from cervical cancer, because it’s preventable and treatable. Talk to your doctor about getting regular screenings for cervical cancer with a Pap test. And if you can’t afford one you can get one for free by visiting: http://www.nccc-online.org/index.php/paptest

Wishing you great health,

Dr. V

 

It’s the holiday season and that means holiday parties and libations! Millions of us will be on the road more than usual while we shop for gifts, and drive to and from holiday parties this year. Sadly, although we have all heard of MADD and the devastating impact driving drunk has on people’s lives millions of people continue to drive drunk, drugged, or distracted. And even in 2010 1.5 million Americans were arrested for driving under the influence (DUI).  In 2011 every 53 minutes someone was killed in a drunk driving crash. And every 90 seconds, someone was injured. December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month and this month you can help prevent drunk and drugged driving injuries and deaths. Every year thousands of people die due to drinking or drugged driving, and many innocent lives are shattered. Studies have shown the highest percentage of drunk drivers are those between the ages of 21 to 24 (34%), followed by ages 25 to 34 (30%).  Interestingly, drunk-driving deaths dropped 2.5% nationwide last year but even one death is still too many.  How does your state measure up?  Here are a couple of facts: Texas had the greatest number of deaths, 1,213 and Washington D.C. the least 8.

We’ve all heard of drunk driving and heard of M.A.D.D (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) but what is drugged driving? Well it is driving while using any mind-altering substance – whether that be prescription pills or marijuana. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Roadside Survey “more than 16% of weekend, nighttime drivers tested positive for illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs, and more than 11% tested positive for illicit drugs.”

What drugs do you ask contribute to accidents? Great question. Studies and ER (Emergency Room) visits have shown that alcohol and THC, (tetrahydrocannabinol -the main component of marijuana), are the most commonly found substances in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor crash victims’ blood.  Other drugs that have repeatedly shown up in high levels in toxicology tests are: cocaine, benzodiazepines prescribed for anxiety or sleep, and opioid pain relievers. This means that even if you have a prescription for a medication and are under a doctor’s supervision it’s important to remember that drugs that have sedative effects like Percocet, Vicodin, Xanax, and Ambien are powerful and can have lasting effects.

So how can YOU prevent debilitated driving?

1)   If possible use public transportation

2)   Have a designated driver set BEFORE you start partying

3)   Don’t serve minors – even at home

4)   Have a last call – stop serving alcohol an hour before your party ends

5)   Offer non-alcoholic drink options to your guests

6)   Be flexible – and offer guest to stay with you if they are unfit to drive home

7)   Keep cab fare on you or consider taking Uber

8)   Stay off the phone.  Be alert especially at night

9)   Don’t send or read texts while driving

 

Remember buzzed driving is drunk driving.. whether it is alcohol or drugs.

Be safe and have a wonderful holiday season.

XO

Dr. V

 

It’s commonly known as “the suga” but Diabetes is anything but sweet. Almost 26 million Americans have Diabetes and 7 million don’t even know they have it. Even scarier 79 million Americans are pre-diabetic, meaning they are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Testing for diabetes is especially important because early in the disease diabetes may have no symptoms.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, so get your blood glucose level tested! Early testing helps health care providers not only find and treat diabetes before complications occur but also finds and treats prediabetes – which can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing. The bests test for diagnosis and control of diabetes are the blood glucose test, and the Hemoglobin A1C blood test. If you have diabetes keep your blood glucose controlled because, if blood glucose levels go uncontrolled, it can lead to complications that affect every part of the body from the brain to the toes. So stay healthy and keep your sugar in check!

Did you know?

• Exercise can actually increase your blood sugar? Check your sugar 30min before and immediately after workouts.

• Drinking alcohol even 2oz can cause dangerously low blood glucose levels in a diabetic person.

• High glucose levels can prevent you from “getting it up” in the bedroom.

• Obesity is the #1 risk factor for diabetes.

• 79 million people in the US have prediabetes and are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.

• Having a family member with Type 2 diabetes increases YOUR risk of diabetes.

• Infected gums can lead to bacteria in the bloodstream and can damage heart. Visit your dentist every 6 months.

• Numbers don’t lie (although you may tell your doctor differently) HgbA1c levels reflect blood glucose control over the past 3 months. If you have diabetes aim to keep your HbgA1c < 7.

 

XO

Dr. V

Breast cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in women behind lung cancer. It’s astounding but 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. And the most significant risk factors for breast cancer are simply being a woman and getting older. While 77% of breast cancer is found in women over 50 years old more than 50% of women who have breast cancer have NO identifiable risk factors except gender and age.

The World Health Organization reports 1.2 million women globally are diagnosed with breast cancer each year; and more than 200,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Currently there are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Don’t forget to wear PINK in support that NO woman should die from breast cancer! When found early it is a treatable disease. And the gold standard for early detection is a mammogram. For many millions of women in the U.S.  a mammogram is FREE. Click here to see how you or someone you know can get a free mammogram.  http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dcpc_Programs/default.aspx?NPID=1

Breast cancer is not a single disease, but a family of diseases with different subtypes. Some of these subtypes are more aggressive than others. Breast cancer is less common in younger women such as those in their 20s and 30s but usually in this age group it is more aggressive and sadly the survival rates are lower. Unfortunately we are seeing a greater number of cases of young pre-menopausal women with breast cancer surfacing and many of these women have the more aggressive forms of breast cancer. Research is being conducted now to determine the genetic basis between these aggressive types of breast cancer. As a young woman make sure to do your part to prevent breast cancer by:

1)    Educating yourself about your family history & risk for breast cancer

2)    Getting yearly clinical breast exams by your OB/GYN or family doctor

3)    Doing monthly self breast exams –  familiarize yourself with your breasts

Now there are components of lack of access to medical care, nutrition, personal habits, and environmental exposure that can increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.   But most importantly you should KNOW YOUR body better than anybody else does. Know what’s normal for YOU and what’s not!

Remember the KEY to SURVIVAL is EARLY DETECTION and TREATMENT!

XO

Dr. V