Blog Archives

Prevent cancer!

2/21/2024

Don’t wait, prevent!

Lung cancer screening is recommended for adults who smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, have a 20-pack-year or more smoking history, and are between 50 and 80 years old.
Women between the ages of 40-75 are encouraged to get a mammogram every one or two years to detect early signs of breast cancer.
Adults between the ages of 45 to 75 are encouraged to get colorectal screening for colon cancer.
Women ages 21 to 65 years are encouraged to get screened for cervical cancer via a Pap smear every 2-3 years.
For men starting at age 40, a PSA should be offered to evaluate prostate health. This is done with blood work and is recommended annually.

How to decrease your risk

Don’t smoke
1. Smoking and exposure to second hand smoke cause 90% of lung cancers deaths.
2. Chronic exposure to tobacco can also cause larynx, mouth and throat, esophageal, bladder, and other cancers.
Protect your skin
1. Skin cancer is one of the most common and most preventable cancers.
2. Sun screen even on cloudy days decreases UV ray exposure and lessens the chance for developing abnormal cell growth
Maintain a healthy weight
1. Overweight and obesity has been linked to an increased risk for certain cancers like endometrial, uterine, breast, and colorectal.
2. Physical activity, healthy eating habits, and lifestyle interventions can help mitigate this risk
Limit alcohol intake
1. Heavy and binge drinking has been linked to increase risk of liver, colon, rectal, mouth, pharyngeal, laryngeal, and esophagus cancer.
2. The CDC recommends men have no more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day and women no more than 1.
Practice safe sex, get tested, and get vaccinated.
1. Unprotected sex can spread HPV and hepatitis B. If left untreated HPV can cause cervical cancer, throat and oral cancer, anus and penile cancer while hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer.
Know your family medical history
1. Knowing your family cancer history can help you and your provider decide which screening tests you need, when you need them, and how often.
2. It’s better to find cancer early than to wait for symptoms.
Make sure you participate in basic screening tests like colonoscopies, PSA blood work, mammograms, and pap smears.

At Deerwood Family Practice we offer Invitae Testing that screens for 85 genetic cancer markers. We also offer Galleri testing which looks for active cancer tumor DNA in the blood.

https://www.dhd10.org/national-cancer-prevention-month-february-2023/

https://cancerprogressreport.aacr.org/progress/cpr22-contents/cpr22-preventing-cancer-identifying-risk-factors/

https://www.chcw.org/february-is-national-cancer-prevention-month/

0 Comments

Cardiovascular health

2/9/2024

0 Comments

February is the time when all people, especially women, are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women and stoke is the #4 killer
By the age of 40, most women have at least one risk factor for heart disease
Risk factors for heart disease include but aren’t limited to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, extra weight, diabetes, sleep apnea
Risk factors for stroke include smoking, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol use, poor eating habits, migraine headaches.
To help protect yourself from stroke and heart disease; exercise, eat a heart healthy diet, know your lab values, limit alcohol use, stop smoking, take care of your mental health!
Signs of a heart attack in women are different than men. Look out for constant and unrelieved pain in the back, neck, jaw, or throat. Indigestion and heartburn unrelieved by medication, sudden extreme fatigue, or shortness of breath, and chest pain.
Strokes happen quickly, and the sooner you get medical attention the better. Look out for sudden onset of numbness or weakness on one side of the body,face, or arm, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, difficulty walking, extreme dizziness or loss of balance of coordination, severe headache.

https://www.womenshealth.gov/heart-disease-and-stroke#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20the%20number,and%20stroke%20at%20any%20age.

0 Comments

Deerwood Education

Prevent cancer!

Cardiovascular health

Deerwood Education

Archives

Categories