A Series of short subjects

How Much Do You Know About Breast Cancer?

How much do you know about breast cancer? The answer is probably, “not enough.” Because 182,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States, it’s a subject worth learning about. Your health, your life, or the life of a woman close to you may depend on knowing a few simple facts:

Did you know that.....

More than 80 percent of breast lumps are NOT cancerous.
A woman who lives to age 85 has a one out of eight risk of developing breast cancer sometime in her life.
Breast cancer can occur without any warning signs.
The five-year survival rate for breast cancer is more than 90%, if the cancer is detected and diagnosed early.
Modern mammography is a low level x-ray that’s safe when done at accredited centers
Mammography can find breast tumors up to two years before they can be felt.

Progress has been made in treating breast cancer. Many women no longer lose a breast to this disease. In fact, today’s generation of women have a better chance of surviving breast cancer and leading active lifestyles. Finding the disease early is the key to timely treatment.

Women should learn how to do a breast self-exam once a month to detect changes that may signal a problem. Women should also get clinical breast exams from their doctor every year or two starting at age 30 and every year after age 40.

The American Academy of Family Physicians-which represents the nation’s family physicians-advises women over age 50 to get a mammogram every year. Your family doctor may suggest a mammogram every year or two starting at age 40. Depending on risk factors, including family history, your family physician may also suggest a mammogram before age 40.

For more information about how and when to schedule a mammogram or how to do a self-exam, contact your family physician-the medical specialist with the broad training to treat nine out of 10 medical problems in patients of all ages and both sexes. Family physicians are trained in disease prevention. They know how to help patients get the health care services they need, including mammography and checks for breast cancer.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

More health-related information is available on this and many other topics on the World Wide Web from Dr. Gilly's Health Resources Directory and from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Permission is granted to reproduce this material for nonprofit educational purposes only. Written permission is required for all other uses, including electronic uses.

Staying Active When You Have Degenerative Arthritis

Arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joints that affects more than 37 million Americans and comes in more than 100 varieties. The most common form of arthritis is degenerative arthritis (also known as osteoarthritis), which has no cure and tends to get worse over time. However, there are many steps arthritis sufferers can take to remain active and independent.

Degenerative arthritis causes an abnormal breakdown of cartilage. Which is the coating on the ends of your bones where they meet at the knees, wrists, or other joints. Pain, swelling, and stiffness in joints can occur when bits of cartilage or bone loosen and get in the way of normal movement. This type of arthritis is more common in older people because they have been using their joints longer, but it can happen to persons of any age, especially athletes and people whose jobs require then to make the same movements over and over.

Staying active through moderate exercise and keeping body weight within the proper range helps ease the pain and stiffness caused by arthritis. A family physician can suggest a treatment program that may include drugs that you can buy without prescription, such as aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce swelling, or acetaminophen to relieve pain.

Ways to stay active when you have degenerative arthritis include:

Exercise regularly in brief sessions.
Lose weight if you are overweight
Use canes, walkers or splints to protect joints from your weight.
Use aids, such as Velcro fasteners on clothing, lightweight appliances and electrical devices, to reduce unnecessary movements of sore joints.
Avoid lifting heavy things.
Don’t pull on objects to move them-push instead.
Follow your family physician’s suggestions for medications and therapy.
Use heat or cold packs (whichever works and feels better) for 15-20 minutes at a time to ease stiffness or pain.

Some arthritis sufferers don’t want to use a cane or walker because it makes the feel “old,” but a cane properly used can reduce the weight on a sore hip joint by up to 60%!

A family physician can provide more tips to help you deal with arthritis. Family physicians are medical specialists who have the broad training needed to treat nine out of 10 medical problems, including all forms of arthritis.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Eat Fiber-Rich Foods for a Longer, Healthier Life

You don’t need high-priced dietary supplements or fancy breakfast cereals to put more fiber in your diet. Many foods contain dietary fiber which according to medical studies, may help lower cholesterol, as well as prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. To get the right amount of fiber, adults should do the following:

· Eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day.

High fiber fruits include: apples, oranges, pears, prunes, and figs. High fiber vegetables include: potatoes, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Five servings isn’t as much as it sounds. A “serving” of fruit might include: an apple, orange , or banana; ½ cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit; or ¾ cup of unstrained fruit juice. A serving of vegetables could be a cup of raw, leafy vegetables (such as a small salad);or a ½ cup of cooked or raw vegetables.

· Eat whole-grain breads and cereals instead of white bread, and brown rice instead of white, refined rice.

Good sources of whole-grain include bran muffins, oatmeal, popcorn, multiple-grain cereals (cooked or dry) and 100% whole-wheat bread. When buying bread, don’t be fooled by claims such as “whole-grain goodness”-make sure the first item listed on the label is “whole wheat.”

· Eat a bran cereal for breakfast.

Check the package label to see how much dietary fiber is in the product. Add ¼ cup of wheat bran (miller’s bran) to cooked cereal and other foods, such as applesauce, casseroles, or meatloaf.

· Eat at least one serving of cooked beans each week.

Finally, drink plenty of water (at least six glasses a day). Don’t worry about some bloating, cramping, or gas when you raise your fiber intake. Start slowly and try different foods over a period of several weeks until you get the mix that’s right for you.

No dietary change will work miracles, but a healthy diet with plenty of fiber is a good start. Consult your family physician-a medical specialist who is trained to provide complete care, including diet counseling, for you and your whole family. Family physicians have the broad training to treat nine out of 10 medical problems, and they know who to help you through the health care maze so you get the health care services you need.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Exercise: Staying With the Program is the Challenge

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “exercise to lose weight, live longer and feel your best.” But how do you find a program you can stick with? The good news is that just 15 to 30 minutes of moderate to brisk exercise-even walking-at least three times a week can make a difference in your life.

Many medical studies show that exercise lowers your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis-a bone-thinning disease. Regular exercise also may lower your risk of colon cancer and reduce some of the effects of aging.

With all of these benefits, why isn’t everybody exercising? Because, it’s hard to start a new habit that doesn’t provide a quick fix. These tips can help you get started on a regular program of exercise, and stick with it:

· Set simple goals. Aim to lose a few pounds, build stamina, or look better in a swimsuit.

· Start slow. Do 10 minutes of light exercise or walk every day. Gradually increase exercises time over a few weeks.

· Keep things simple. Walk or run in your neighborhood, use a gym close to home, or set up home exercise equipment in front of your TV set.

· Pick the right activity. If pumping iron and heart-pounding aerobic workouts aren’t for you, try walking, bicycling or swimming.

· Don’t let bad weather stop you. Walk in a mall, join a health club or use home exercise equipment when it’s too hot or too cold to safely exercise outdoors.

· Don’t get discouraged. It may take many weeks to notice the beneficial changes to your body.

· Listen to you body. A little soreness is okay after you exercise, but pain that lasts may be a sign of injury or too much exercise.

The best form of exercise is the one that you will do and can do. Your family physician can help you plan an exercise program that’s right for you, even if you’ve never been active, have health problems, take medication, are pregnant or over 60. Family physicians are health and fitness experts. They have the broad training to treat nine out of 10 medical problems, and they know how to help you through the health care maze to get the health care services you need.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Making Homes Safer for Young and Old

More children under age 10 die from home accidents than from any single disease. Older Americans are also at a higher risk form home accidents which each year, kill more than 21,000 and injure 25 million Americans of all ages. However, with a little planning, any home can be made safer for its youngest as well as its oldest residents.

Child Safety

Here are a few tips to make your home safer for children.

Keep plastic bags and deflated or broken balloons away from young children.
Cover unused electric outlets with plastic inserts.
Place all medications, cleaning fluids, alcohol, matches, and lighters out of reach.
Use toddler gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
Store firearms unloaded and in a locked place. Keep keys and ammunition in secure places and separate from firearms.
Turn hot water temperature down to 110 degrees or lower. Never leave small children alone in a bathtub.
Be alert for choking hazards, such as toys with small parts that a child can pull off.
Watch for lead hazards, such as peeling paint in homes built before the mid-1970’s.
Throw away that baby walker-injuries from baby walkers send more than 25,000 small children to emergency rooms each year.

Safety Tips for Older Americans

Preventing falls, burns, and other injuries will keep aging relatives safer and may save their lives. Hip injuries from falls are a common cause of disability and death in older adults.

Bathrooms: Install safety bars near the toilet and bathtub. Use nonslip bath mats or area rugs on hard floors.

Kitchen: Place items on low, easy-to -reach shelves. Set up a place to sit while doing kitchen work.

Bedrooms: Rearrange furniture for obstacle free navigation, install night lights, and use nonslip area rugs on hard floors.

Stairwells: Install good lighting and handrails.

Outdoors: Make sure walkways are in good repair. Encourage older relatives to walk during daylight and in good weather.

Remember that you childproof a house because children don’t know what’s safe; but you elderproof a house so an adult can continue to function safely and independently.

For more safety tips, consult a family physician-the medical specialist trained to provide complete care for patients of all ages. Family physicians are trained to treat nine out of 10 medical problems, and they know how to help you get the health care services you need.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Skin Cancer: Tips to Keep Your Hide From Harm

Medical experts continue to track the rise of malignant melanoma-a type of deadly skin cancer that was once rare but is now increasing faster than any other type of cancer in the United States. Last year alone, more than 600,000 cases of skin cancer were reported. The good news is that death rates from skin cancer. Including melanoma, are small-9 out of 10 cases are cured.

Sunlight is the most common cause of melanoma skin cancer. People at the highest risk tend to have fair skin, red, or blond hair and light-colored eyes; are easily sunburned; or spend a lot of time outdoors. Any form of tanning, whether it’s from the sun, a sunlamp or tanning bed, can significantly increase the risk of skin cancer.

Skin cancer often shows up as an irregularly shaped or multi-colored mole. Use “ABCDE” rule to decide if a mole is suspicious.

A is for asymmetry: does the right half of the mole look different than the left half?

B is for border: does the mole have jagged or blurry-looking edges?

C is for color: does the mole get darker or have multiple colors?

D is for diameter: is the mole larger than ¼ inch?

E is for elevation: is the mole raised above the skin or does it have an uneven surface?

Other warning signs are: a mole that bleeds, grows fast, is scaly, won’t heal, or itches.

Prevent skin cancer by limiting your time in the sum and by never using a sunlamp or tanning bed. If you must work or play in the sun, follow these tips:

Limit exposure, especially from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Wear a hat that shades your forehead, ears, nose, and cheeks
Wear tightly-woven clothing to block the sun’s rays.
Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher for extra protection. Caution: no sunscreen totally protects you from the sun’s harmful rays-try to limit your time in the sun.

Your family physician is a medical specialist whose broad training includes diagnosing and treating many skin disorders. Family physicians are trained to treat people of a11 ages for 9out of 10 medical problems, and can help you spot skin cancer and reduce your risks of getting it.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Three Simple Steps to Stop Smoking

By now, you’ve read or heard about medical studies that target cigarette smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. You may also have heard that second-hand tobacco smoke effects the health of many non-smokers. Overcoming the physical and mental addictions to smoking isn’t easy but working with your family physician on a plan to quit will put you on the road to a healthier, smoke-free life.

Step One: Plan.

Set a date to stop smoking. Write down the reasons you want to quit.
A few days before your quit date buy only one pack of cigarettes at a time, smoke less each day, stop inhaling as deeply, delay lighting up the next cigarette, and find another smoker to quit with you.

Step Two: Stop smoking!

Change the daily routines connected to smoking. Take short walks or drink diet sodas on work breaks instead of smoking. Drink hot tea instead of coffee in the morning or after a meal.
Tell friends, family, and co-workers that you’ve quit and what kind of help you want and don’t want from them.
Recognize the signs of nicotine withdrawal, such as food or cigarette cravings, edginess, coughing and headaches.

Step Three: Stay stopped.

Change daily routines.
Drink less alcohol.
Start exercising.
Keep healthy, low fat snacks around.
Take it one day at a time. Keep trying.

Don’t let tension or stresses start you smoking again. Go for walks, make new friends, get involved in new activities. When the nicotine urge hits hard, go to a movie, drink a glass of water, or call a friend.

Your family physician is a medical specialist trained to provide complete care, including help to kick the tobacco habit. No matter how many times you’ve tried to quit before, your family physician can help you get on the road to better health by helping you break the smoking habit.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Vaccinations: Preventive Medicine for Kids and Adults

Immunizations aren’t just kid stuff. Adults also need protection against infectious disease. Yet, surveys find that most American adults, and many children, fail to get the recommended shots that protect against tetanus, hepatitis B, and other possibly fatal diseases.

Before we had vaccines, smallpox, polio, and other diseases swept through the world’s cities and towns killing or crippling thousands. Small pox has been conquered. Polio is controlled. Yet, each year thousands of Americans suffer measles, tetanus, and other infectious diseases that could have been prevented by a timely vaccination.

Staying in touch with your family physician will help ensure that you and your family get the full benefit of theses safe and effective preventive health measures.

Children

Babies between birth and 15 months of age should be immunized against:

hepatitis B, a serious viral infection of the liver;
haemophilus b, a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis-an infection of the tissue around the spinal cord or brain;
diphtheria, tetanus (lock jaw) and pertussis (whooping cough);
polio
measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles): and
chicken pox-a new vaccine recommended by public health authorities and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Adults

Many adults don’t know that they, too, need regular vaccinations. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that adults get:

a tetanus-diphtheria booster shot every 10 years;
flu shots every fall (if over age 65 or if suffering from chronic lung diseases such as asthma or chronic bronchitis); and
other vaccinations as your family physician suggests to protect you against pneumonia, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella.

Family physicians are medical specialists who take care of you and your family. They are trained to treat 9 out of 10 medical problems and can help you get the health care services you and your family need, including vaccinations.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Think Weight Control, Not Weight Loss

Fifty million Americans will go on diets this year, spending some $30 billion on diet programs and products. Some will lose a few pounds. Only a few-about one out of 20-will keep the lost weight off in the long run. Before you tackle another weight loss program, consider these facts:

Any claims that you can lose weight with little or no effort are false.
Very low calorie diets or fasting can be risky and should not be attempted without a doctor’s supervision.
Fad diets that call for radical departures from normal eating habits rarely work in the long run.
The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits.

Ten effective weight control changes suggested by family physicians are:

Exercise more.
Commit to lose weight by signing a contract with your doctor, your friends and yourself.
Keep track of calories and the fat content of what you eat to make sure your diet is balanced.
Notice if you tend to eat more when stressed or bored.
Eat three well-balanced, normal sized meals a day that include the four food groups (bread-cereal, vegetable-fruit, dairy, and meat or meat alternatives.)
Before food shopping, make a healthy food grocery list and stick to it.
Give away “high-risk” foods (high fat, high salt, high sugar) to skinny friends or to a food bank.
Start new eating habits-eat only at the table, eat slower and put leftovers away before you sit down to eat.
Cut down the fat in your diet. Bake, broil, boil, or steam instead of frying. Try to limit total fat intake to 30% per day (not necessarily per food item).
Plan to take weight off slowly - track your progress on a chart.

Finally, ask your family physician if you might have other health problems that cause you to gain too much weight. Family physicians are trained to treat 9 out of 10 medical problems and can help you design the weight control and exercise program that best meets your needs. Teaching patients how to lose excess weight and staying healthy are part of the family physician’s commitment to promoting good health and preventing disease.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.

Tips on Dealing With Stress

Believe it or not, there are times when stress is good-such as when you have to dodge a speeding car or leap from a burning building. After all, your body’s instinct to defend itself - also known as “fight or flight” - is the source of your stress reaction. However, it can lead to health and mental problems when it is triggered too often or too easily by day-to-day events in your life.

The many signs of stress may include anxiety, back pain, stiff neck, constipation, depression, diarrhea, insomnia, headaches, heartburn, upset stomach, shortness of breath and weight gain or loss. A family physician can help you recognize stress and figure out what in your life is causing it. Your family physician also can help uncover any hidden, and potentially serious, health problems that cause stress-like symptoms.

Since you can’t always avoid stressful events, people, or situations, you may find it helpful to try the following steps:

Stop worrying. You can’t control some things, like the weather.

Take control. Set realistic goals for yourself and rank them. Place the highest priority on things that you must do and like to do.

Assess. Why do some things upset you so easily?

Talk. Share concerns with close friends and family. Try to solve conflicts with other people.

Ask for help. Friends, family, and professionals can help.

Escape. Get away from daily stresses through leisure activities, such as hobbies, sports, reading, or social events.

Pace yourself. Don’t overbook your life and don’t let others overbook it for you.

Exercise. Release pent up energy and get in shape at the same time.

What’s missing from this list? Medication. That’s because stress reduction is a personal skill-it doesn’t come in a bottle or a pill. Just like riding a bicycle or playing the piano you can improve your ability to cope with stress through training and practice. Some of the techniques to deal with stress include: meditation, relaxation training, stretching, and deep relaxed breathing.

Ask your family doctor for advice on treating or recognizing the symptoms of stress. Family physicians are medical specialists who have the broad training to treat nine out of 10 medical problems, including stress. Your family physician also knows how to help guide you through the health care maze to access the health care services that you need in the most efficient and economical manner.

This information provides a general overview on this subject and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and how to get more information.