Preventing Breast and Prostate Cancer.

20 Dec

Dr. Michael F. Roizen

Co-Author of 4 #1 NY Times Bestsellers including: YOU Staying Young.

The Owner’s Manual For Extending Your Warranty (Free Press)

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do over. It doesn’t take that long, and it isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course in what to do so it becomes easy for you, and for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the  quality and length of your life.

Perhaps nothing scares a woman more than a call back for a mammogram like “you have something suspicious…” Or, for a guy, something like, “I feel something hard where I shouldn’t have” when that digital rectal exam is over. Or being told, “your PSA rose too much this year, we need to talk about a 12 or 14 quadrant biopsy of your prostate.”  So, what are some things you can do to prevent having to hear any of this from your doctor? Two months ago we promised to talk about ways to prevent prostate and breast cancer—and there are five basic principles:

1. Feed Your Immune System and Don’t Stimulate RAS. These days, you don’t have to be a dietitian to know that certain foods will create some serious stimulation of genes (The RAS family is one example) that encourage prostate and breast cancer growth and others that inhibit such genes and growth. Simple carbs, added sugars, added syrups, saturated fats and trans fats are five choices that start, accelerate, and magnify the inflammatory process. These stimulate the RAS family, and promote breast and prostate cancer, and there is no reason to have them around. That donut, that added sugar, that corn syrup, that full-sugared cola, and that chili-drenched hot dog doesn’t just add to your lousy cholesterol, they also stimulate your genes to facilitate cancer growth. We could spend an entire book talking about the fat around our waists (oh, wait, we already did that twice—YOU: ON A Diet, The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management, Revised is the current version). But we also need to spend some time talking about the fat in your diet. Most of us know that dietary fats come in two general forms: Either they’re good for you, or they’re more destructive than tire tread marks on armadillos. You probably know that you should avoid the bad kinds (saturated and trans fats) the way you avoid telemarketers.

Cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, watercress and arugula) and walnuts (not other nuts) inhibit breast and prostate cancers. Ten years from now, we may know a lot more about specific foods for your specific breast or prostate genomes, but these choices are clear ways to help avoid breast and prostate tumors for now.

2. Get Your Clothes Wet. We may not like to see sweat on treadmills or public speakers, but we want to see it on you. While we recommend different kinds of physical activity in different circumstances (including resistance exercise, walking, and stretching). The way to improve immune function is to sweat more than a kid in the principal’s office. In addition to thirty minutes of daily walking to reach 10,000 steps a day, aim for a minimum of sixty minutes a week of cardiovascular or sweating activity—ideally in three twenty-minute sessions—in which you raise your heart rate to 80 percent or more of its age-adjusted maximum (220 minus your age) for an extended period of time. How to do this? We recommend low-impact activities like swimming, cycling, or using an elliptical trainer to get your heart rate up without compromising the quality of your joints in the process (and to change activities, so you don’t get repetitive use injuries from doing the same activity over and over). We also recommend interval training—that is, alternating periods of maximum effort with periods of recovery—for the maximum benefit of your heart. (Check with your health professional beforehand; her or she may want to try it in the controlled setting of a stress test first.) Even doing one minute at the end of every ten with maximum effort can be beneficial.

3. Kiss YOUR Butt goodbye. No we’re not talking about weight, but about tobacco. It’s still the leading cause of cancer. If you don’t smoke but live or work in a smoke-filled environment, that’s still going to age you. We even speak about avoiding living or breathing within 2 blocks of a freeway. Spending just one hour in the presence of secondhand smoke is the equivalent of smoking four cigarettes. Whether the smoke you’re breathing is from your own cigarette or someone else’s, or even from someone else’s water pipe or e-cigarette, it weakens your immune system, and promotes cancer. We have a way to help you—try http://www.EnforcerEcoaching.com (Note: there is a charge).

4. Create Your Backup Plan: Stress is almost as great a cause of heart attacks as tobacco is; but stress isn’t all-bad. It’s what gives you the concentration and ability to finish a project or meet a deadline. But stress can linger around like week-old leftovers and create its own kind of stink. So in periods of high stress, you need to have a plan that works for you. Exercise and meditation work for some people, and both of them will help you manage chronic stress through the release of such feel-good substances as nitric oxide and brain chemicals called endorphins. But in the heat of the moment, at peak periods of high intensity, you should be able to pull a quick stress-busting behavior out of your biological bag of tricks. You can find a great teaching program for this at http://www.clevelandclinicwellness.com (look for “Stress Free Now”). Whatever backup plan you have, practice it daily.

5. Add A Helper, and Avoid A Bad Actor. 1st helper, 162 mg of aspirin. We recommend half a regular aspirin or two baby aspirins (162 milligrams total) every day if you’re a typical man over thirty-five or a woman over forty. Why? Many studies of primary prevention have shown that two baby aspirins decrease the risk of breast cancer by 40+ percent, and nine other cancers (colon rectal, esophageal, liver, prostate –what is good for the breast is usually good for the prostate, and visa-versa, etc). Aspirin has risk, so check with your health professional before you begin. You can reduce potential gastric discomfort by drinking a half glass of warm water before and after taking aspirin; the pills dissolve faster in warm water and are less likely to cause stomach irritation and ulcerations and bleeding.  Avoid more than 600mg a day of calcium in supplements. They are associated with increased prostate cancer (and as we said above, what’s usually bad for the prostate is also bad for breasts). You want to get your calcium (you need about 1200 mg a day) mainly from foods.

Thanks for reading.

Young Dr Mike

NOTE: You should NOT take this as medical advice. 

This article is of the opinion of its author.

Before you do anything, please consult with your doctor.

You can follow Dr Roizen  (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories  of the week) on twitter @YoungDrMike. 

Feel free to continue to send questions to youdocs@gmail.com. You can follow Dr Roizen on twitter @YoungDrMike (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories of the week).  The YOU docs have a new web site: YOUBeauty.com  and its companion BeautySage.com the only site we know of where you can find skin products proven to meet the claims (opened for business on June 1st, 2012), and a new book: YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens.

Michael F. Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His radio show streams live on http://www.healthradio.net  Saturdays from 5-7 p.m . E-mail him questions at YouDocs@gmail.com.   He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including : YOU Staying Young and YOU: The Owner’s Manual. He is Chief Medical Consultant to the two year running Emmy award winning Dr Oz show– The Dr Oz show is #2 nationally in daytime TV.  See what all the fun is about, and what he, The Enforcer, is up to. Check local listings or log onto DoctorOz.com for channel and time. And for more health info, log onto youbeauty.com anytime.

Does Neck Surgery Improve Long-Term Outcomes?

20 Dec

How many times have you heard, “I have a pinched nerve in my neck and have to have surgery.” Though there certainly are cases where surgical intervention is required, surgery should ONLY be considered after ALL non-surgical treatment approaches have been tried first (and failed). It is alarming how many cases of cervical radiculopathy (i.e., “pinched nerve”) end up being surgically treated with NO trial of non-surgical care. Hence, the focus of this month’s article will look at research (“MEDICAL EVIDENCE”) that clearly states neck surgery DOES NOT improve the long term outcomes of patients with chronic neck pain.

Chronic neck pain (CNP) is, by definition, neck pain that has been present for a minimum of three months. This category of neck pain is very well represented, as many neck pain sufferers have had neck pain, “…for years” or, at least longer than three months. Depending on the intensity of pain and it’s effect on daily function, many patients with CNP often ask their primary care provider, “…is there anything surgically that can be done?” The desire for a “quick fix” is often the focus of those suffering with neck pain. Unfortunately, according to recent studies, there may not be a “quick fix” or, at least surgery is NOT the answer. The December 2012 issue of The European Spine Journal reports that spine surgery did NOT improve outcomes for patients with CNP. Moreover, they pointed to other studies that showed some VERY STRONG REASONS NOT to have spine surgery unless everything else has failed. One of the reasons was a higher hospital readmission rate after spine surgery. Another reported that most studies on surgical vs. conservative [non-surgical] care showed a high risk of bias, suggesting the research on surgical intervention was biased in the research approach used. They further reported, “The benefit of surgery over conservative care is not clearly demonstrated.” It is important to point out that the research analyzed studies that included patients with and without radiculopathy (radiating arm pain from a pinched nerve), and myelopathy (those with pinching of the spinal cord creating pain, numbness, weakness in the legs, and/or bowel / bladder dysfunction).

In February of 2008, the Neck Pain Task Force published overwhelming evidence that research supports the use of cervical spinal manipulation in the treatment of both acute and chronic neck pain with or without radiculopathy. Bronfort published similar findings in 2010 in a large UK based study that looked at the published evidence supporting different types of treatment for various conditions. They found cervical spine manipulation was effective for neck pain of ANY duration (acute or chronic). Chiropractic utilizes manipulation, manual traction, mobilization, muscle release techniques, home cervical traction, exercise, as well as a multitude of physiotherapy modalities when managing patients with CNP. Given the overwhelming research evidence that surgical intervention for CNP is NOT any better than non-surgical care, the greater amount of negative side-effects, and the obviously long recovery time post-surgically, chiropractic treatment of anyone suffering from CNP should be tried FIRST.

We realize that you have a choice in where you choose your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for neck pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

Whiplash “Anatomy.”

20 Dec

To better understand Whiplash, let’s take a look at the anatomy and what is actually injured in a whiplash injury.  Our spine is basically a long chain made up of blocks that are larger at the bottom and smaller at the top. This means the low back vertebra are huge compared to the neck vertebrae. The vertebrae fit together in a way that “locks” them together by the small joints in the back called “facets” and in the front by the disks. These joints function as shock absorbers between the blocks or “vertebral bodies.” Also in the front, there is a tough piece of tissue called the “anterior longitudinal ligament” that provides a barrier so that when the neck is bent backwards (into “extension”), it becomes tight and stops that movement so it doesn’t over-extend, which could fracture the small facet joints in the back.

There are ligaments, or tissues that hold bone to bone, in the back of the spine that connect between the “spinous processes,” or bony “bumps” in the middle of the back. These ligaments check or stop excessive forward motion of the neck during whiplash. Joint capsules surround joints, which we all have seen when we separate a chicken leg from the thigh. Remember how smooth and shiny the end of the chicken leg is? That smooth surface at the end of long bones is call “hyaline cartilage”, and it allows for slippery gliding between the ends of our bones when we move any joint, including our fingers, wrists, shoulders, hip as well as the facet joints of the spine. Joint movement is facilitated by the presence of an oily substance called “synovial fluid” which acts like a lubricant for the joint allowing for pain-free movement.

A “sprain” occurs when we damage a joint capsule or a ligament, or when the muscle or its attachment (tendon) is injured. These are graded as mild, moderate or severe, or grades 1, 2,or 3, with grade 3 being the worst at 75% or greater tearing, and healing takes progressively longer with each grade.

During a whiplash injury, the classic rear-end collision results in over stretching of the ligaments in the neck, and tearing can occur (sprain, grades 1, 2 or 3). If one of the nerves gets pinched, then numbness, pain, and/or weakness can occur, radiating down the arm to a specific location. When this occurs, the long-term prognosis is worse. Concussion can also occur if the brain is slammed against the inside of the skull. Chiropractic adjustments, when administered early, yield the best results for treating whiplash, according to many studies.

We realize you have a choice in where you choose your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for whiplash, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

 

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Reduce Obesity with the 5 Meal Pattern.

17 Dec

New research from Finland has added even more evidence to what a lot of doctors, nutritionists, and fitness experts have known for a long time.  According to a population-based study of more than 4,000 people, eating five meals a day helps fight obesity, even in those with a genetic predisposition for obesity.  The meals were  breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks.  The information use in the study was collected starting in utero and continued until the age of 16.

According to Science Daily: “A regular five-meal pattern was associated with a reduced risk of being overweight and obese in both sexes and with a reduced risk of abdominal obesity in boys.  Moreover, the regular five-meal pattern attenuated the BMI-increasing effect of the common genetic variants.  Conversely, skipping breakfast was associated with greater BMI and waist circumference.”

Also, the weight and health of a child’s parents matters a lot.  If either the mother or father is obese before pregnancy, it was a clear risk factor for the child to be obese during adolescence. If both parents had a BMI of 25 or more throughout the 16 years of the study, the risk of obesity of the child was much greater.

BMI is Body Mass Index and is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.  “Normal” BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, underweight is <18.5, overweight is 25 to 29.9, and obese is >30.  There has been quite a bit of controversy over the use of BMI because it may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have muscular builds and it may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.

What Mothers do that Increases the Rate of Bipolar Disorder in Their Children…

Smoking during pregnancy is known to contribute to significant problems in utero and following birth, including low birth weight and attention difficulties.  Now, a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry finds, “After adjusting for potential confounders, offspring exposed to in utero maternal smoking exhibited a twofold greater risk for bipolar disorder… Prenatal tobacco exposure may be one suspected cause of bipolar disorder.”  Like almost all studies, the researchers report that more research needs to be done to rule out other factors.  But, no one needs more research to know that smoking is bad for you and your children both before and after they are born.

Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal and maintain the pain free body you deserve.

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Lack of Sleep Can Cause Weight Gain.

17 Dec

One of the more profound ways lack of sleep promotes weight gain is by influencing the hormones that control both hunger and satiety.  For instance, chronic sleep deprivation raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  Cortisol tells the body it needs more energy to meet the demands of stress, which causes an increase of hunger and cravings.

Lack of sleep also increases grehlin, a hormone that promotes hunger and fat storage.  Sleep deprivation also decreases leptin, the satiety hormone that tells you when you’ve had enough to eat.  So in a double whammy, lack of sleep both increases hunger and inhibits the ability to feel full.  The result is a natural inclination to eat more and more frequently.

Unfortunately, weight gain due to sleep deprivation doesn’t only happen slowly over time.  Just a few nights of sleep deprivation can pack on pounds.  Sleep deprivation makes fat cells less sensitive to insulin, the hormone that ushers glucose into cells so they can produce energy.  In effect, it makes a person more insulin resistant, which is a stepping-stone to obesity and diabetes.

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A Quick, Easy, and Fun Way to Boost Your Immune System.

17 Dec

Few would disagree that raising children is more difficult today than ever before. Many people believe the world has become much more complex and children are exposed to many things much earlier in life than their parents would like them to be, if at all.

It’s not uncommon for young kids to surf the net unsupervised and see things not meant for young eyes.  When not online, children often watch hours and hours of adult-oriented programs on countless TV channels.

Even when children are not exposed to adult content, marketers have the ability to reach them in many different ways with increasing frequency.

One example is the use of superstar athletes to sell them products.  When athletes are used to sell sneakers and apparel, the only danger is to your bank account.  But, other products hawked by the top pros are not so harmless…

A study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, and published in the November issue of Pediatrics, shows that a majority of food and beverage brands endorsed by professional athletes are for unhealthy products like sports beverages, soft drinks, and fast food.

Researchers selected the top 100 professional athletes based on their endorsement value according to a 2010 report in Business Week.

According to Yale News: “Of the 512 brands associated with these athletes, food and beverage brands were the second largest category of endorsements behind sporting goods. We found that LeBron James (NBA), Peyton Manning (NFL), and Serena Williams (tennis) had more food and beverage endorsements than any of the other athletes examined.  Most of the athletes who endorsed food and beverages were from the NBA, followed by the NFL, and MLB.”

The top three athlete food endorsements came from:  #1 sports drinks, #2 soft drinks, and #3 fast foods. One thing is shocking:  Of the 46 beverages endorsed, 93% received

ALL of their calories from added sugar.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Marie Bragg, writes, “The promotion of energy-dense, nutrient-poor products by some of the world’s most physically fit and well-known athletes is an ironic combination that sends mixed messages about diet and health.”

The researchers also opined that professional athletes should be aware of the “health value” of the products they are endorsing and use their star status to sell healthier products.

Here is one issue that was not raised in the study: Are these athletes telling the truth?  Do they actually eat this junk food and drink this sugar?  Is it really something that helped them become some of the world’s greatest athletes?

Clearly, this is a difficult issue for parents trying to raise healthy children.  Do you tell your children that their sports idol is probably not telling the truth and only saying he or she eats those products just to make money?

Even if they actually do eat or drink what they endorse, it is nearly impossible for adolescents to understand that sometimes people succeed in spite of something they do, not because of it.

Did LeBron James really become one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived by eating fast food burgers, donuts, and drinking sugar-filled soda?  Who knows?  But we do know this, according to Forbes, he gets paid $42 million a year in endorsements, and a chunk of that is from companies selling fast food, donuts, and sodas.

But the real question is:  If he actually does eat and drink this junk, how good would he be if he didn’t?

An even better question is:  As a parent, what’s the best way to counteract all that star power and expert marketing?

There is no perfect answer, but two things will help:  (1) leading by example, and (2) communication.

The only person you can really control is yourself.  Choosing to eat healthy, exercise, reduce stress, and be an honest, ethical person is not only one of the best things for you, but it is one of the best things you can ever do for your children.

If you are stressed out about all this, or life in general, here is a great way to reduce stress NATURALLY…

Research has clearly shown that stress is a serious health problem.  It can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain, and diabetes.

In other words, it makes you age faster, look older, and shortens your life.  The best possible scenario would be to eliminate all stress from your life, but everyone knows that is impossible.

That’s why is it so important to learn to deal with and manage stress in a healthy way.

One of the biggest problems with stress is how it affects sleep.  Getting the proper QUANTITY and QUALITY of sleep is one of the most important aspects of staying healthy.

Sleep is when your body and mind repair and rejuvenate. Many studies have shown how devastating not getting enough quality sleep can be on the mind and body.

Here’s where it gets good:  Most people think they simply do not have enough time to get enough sleep.  But, in most cases, it is the quality of sleep that is hurting them, not the total hours.

Those who have the ability to relax and enter deep sleep need much less sleep than those who are stressed and hardly ever reach deep sleep. This is one reason so many people practice meditation.  Experts at meditation say they can induce a state of relaxation that achieves in minutes what most people cannot after hours of restless sleep.

Now a recent study from Loyola University says there is another great way to relax and reduce stress.  According to the study, taking a walk is a great way to relieve stress and taking a walk in the woods or in nature is much better for reducing stress and improving health.

According to Dr. Aaron Michelfelder, Professor of Family Medicine at Loyola University, “When we get to nature, our health improves, our stress hormones rise all day long in our bloodstream and taking even a few moments while walking to reconnect with our inner thoughts and to check in with our body will lower those damaging stress hormones.  Walking with our family or friends is also a great way to lower our blood pressure and make us happier.”

Walking in nature increases your white blood cells, lowers your pulse rate, lowers your blood pressure, and reduces the stress hormone cortisol. But wait, there’s more! Recent research from Japanese scientists shows that walking in the woods may help fight cancer because plants emit phytoncides, chemicals that helps protect plants from rotting insects. Phytoncides help your body’s immune response to cancer when they are inhaled.

One last relaxation tip is to stay away from electronic screens (like a computer) at night because they “activate” the brain and can make it difficult to sleep.

Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.

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