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Older Women with Gum Disease at Higher Risk of Cancer

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From the time we were little kids, our parents were constantly on us about brushing our teeth at least once a day, usually before going to bed. Fifty to sixty years ago, it was all about brushing, brushing and brushing of our teeth.

Then about thirty to forty years ago, flossing became just as important as brushing. Many dentists started telling everyone to floss their teeth at least once or twice a day and many recommended brushing our teeth after every meal and before bed, to prevent the buildup of plaque and bacteria that harm the hard enamel layer on our teeth.

Then came the first visit to the dentist – a terrifying ordeal for many kids. They’ve all heard the horror stories of getting shots in their mouths, having dentists drill into our teeth and even pull them if necessary. If you are like me and have a genetic immunity to the vast majority of pain killers, visiting the dentist was truly something you wanted to avoid at all cost.

Tooth decay, fillings, root canals, caps, pulled teeth and dentures were the primary focus of things to avoid by brushing and flossing daily. However, gun disease also became a topic of importance to many dentists.

Today, the topic of gun disease carries more health importance as researchers learn more about it and its long-term effects, especially for older women, according to a new report:

“Now, a group of investigators at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo have just released data from a large cohort study, which showed that periodontal disease was associated with increased risk of several types of cancer in postmenopausal women, even in women who had never smoked. The findings from the new study were published today in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in an article entitled ‘Periodontal Disease and Incident Cancer Risk among Postmenopausal Women: Results from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Cohort’.”

“The SUNY Buffalo team assembled a prospective cohort study of 65,869 women aged 54 to 86 who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. Using questionnaires administered between 1999 and 2003, study participants self-reported on their periodontal disease history. The researchers evaluated cancer outcomes through September 2013. Using an average follow-up time of 8.32 years, the researchers had identified 7149 cases of cancer. Analysis of all the data showed that a history of periodontal disease was associated with a 14% higher risk of developing any cancer.”

“‘Our study findings serve to provide further evidence that periodontal disease is linked to cancer and support the need for further investigation into how periodontal disease contributes to increased cancer risk,’ remarked lead study investigator Ngozi Nwizu, Ph.D., assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology at The University of Texas School of Dentistry.”

Jean Wactawski-Wende, Ph.D., a professor in the department of epidemiology and environmental health and dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions at SUNY Buffalo and a senior study investigator added:

“The esophagus is in close proximity to the oral cavity, and so periodontal pathogens may more easily gain access to and infect the esophageal mucosa and promote cancer risk at that site.”

Ladies, remember to brush and floss daily and use a good mouthwash like Listerine that helps kill harmful bacteria left behind after brushing. Our lives, diets and environments are already filled with one cancer risk causing item after another, so don’t fall victim to your own mouth and gums.

Keep Your Body Young With A Low Calorie Diet

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Scientists studying how aging affects the biological clock’s control of metabolism have discovered that a low-calorie diet helps keep these energy-regulating processes humming and the body younger.

In a study appearing Aug. 10 in the journal Cell, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, director of the Center for Epigenetics & Metabolism at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues reveal how circadian rhythms – or the body’s – change as a result of physiological aging. The clock-controlled circuit that directly connects to the process of aging is based on efficient metabolism of energy within .

The Sassone-Corsi team tested the same group of mice at 6 months and 18 months, drawing tissue samples from the liver, the organ which operates as the interface between nutrition and energy distribution in the body. Energy is metabolized within cells under precise circadian controls.

The researchers found that the 24-hour cycle in the circadian-controlled metabolic system of older mice remained the same, but there were notable changes in the circadian mechanism that turns genes on and off based upon the cells’ energy usage. Simply put, the older cells processed energy inefficiently.

“This mechanism works great in a young animal, but it basically shuts off in an old mouse,” Sassone-Corsi said.

However, in a second group of aged mice that were fed a diet with 30 percent fewer calories for six months, energy processing within cells was more than unchanged.

“In fact, caloric restriction works by rejuvenating the biological clock in a most powerful way,” Sassone-Corsi said. “In this context, a good clock meant good aging.”

Collaborative confirmation

For a companion study detailed in Cell‘s current issue, a research team from the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine collaborated with the Sassone-Corsi team to test body clock functioning in stem cells from the skin of young and older mice. They too found that a low-calorie diet conserved most of the rhythmic functions of youth.

“The low-calorie diet greatly contributes to preventing the effects of physiological aging,” said Salvador Aznar Benitah, who co-led the Spanish study. “Keeping the rhythm of stem cells ‘young’ is important because in the end these cells serve to renew and preserve very pronounced day-night cycles in tissue. Eating less appears to prevent tissue aging and, therefore, prevent from reprogramming their circadian activities.”

According to the UCI and Barcelona researchers, these studies can help explain why a calorie-restricted diet slows down aging in mice. The implications for could be far-reaching.

The scientists said that it’s important to further examine why metabolism has such a dominant effect on the stem cell aging process and, once the link that promotes or delays aging has been identified, to develop treatments that can regulate this link.

It’s been shown in previous fruit fly studies that low-calorie diets can extend longevity, but the UCI and Barcelona research is the first to show that calorie restriction influences the body’s ‘ involvement with the aging process in cells.

“These studies also present something like a molecular holy grail, revealing the cellular pathway through which aging is controlled,” Sassone-Corsi said. “The findings provide a clear introduction on how to go about controlling these elements of aging in a pharmacological perspective.”

The circadian connection

Sassone-Corsi and his colleagues first showed the circadian rhythm-metabolism link some 10 years ago, identifying the metabolic pathways through which a circadian enzyme protein called SIRT1 works. SIRT1 senses energy levels in cells; its activity is modulated by how many nutrients a cell is consuming. In addition, it helps cells resist oxidative and radiation-induced stress. SIRT1 has also been tied to the inflammatory response, diabetes and aging.

[Source — Medicalxpress]

Diet Trends That Keep You Fat

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JUICING

It’s fine to drink juice when you’re watching your weight but as with any food or drink, you need to count the calories it provides as part of your daily total.

This is one reason health experts in the UK advise sticking to a 150ml serving size. This will give you around 65 calories in standard orange juice, roughly 70 in apple and about 80 in pineapple.

Vegetable juices tend to be lower as they contain only small amounts of the fruit sugar fructose (about 60 calories in green juices, 40 in carrot). The problem comes when intake shoots above this which is very likely once you get into juicing or have a lot of shop-bought juices. Most juices are sold in 250ml individual serving sizes, progressing to 1 liter cartons and bottles designed for sharing (but all too easy to gulp down over the course of a day). Therefore it’s hardly surprising that calorie intake can quickly creep up.

It’s important to realize eating whole fruits and vegetables will be more satisfying than drinking their juice. This is partly because chewing food begins the process of sending signals to the brain that help to tell us we’re feeling satisfied and it’s time to stop eating.

In addition, whole fruit and veg take up more space in the stomach. Because you’re eating the soluble and insoluble fiber along with water inside the cells, the sheer physical presence of food helps to trigger a sense of satiety.

REDUCED-FAT EVERYTHING 

Labelling on foods and drinks can be a minefield at the best of times and the labelling of reduced-fat products is one of the trickiest to navigate.

This is because legally the term “reduced” or “light”, whether it refers to fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar or calories, means that the reduced version has at least 30 per cent less of the nutrient mentioned when compared with its full-nutrient version. But reduced fat doesn’t automatically mean low calorie.

For example, a standard hummus has around 309 calories and 26g fat per 100g. The reduced-fat version has 216 calories and 15g fat. Even though the reduced-fat version is obviously a better choice than the full-fat version, the reduced-fat hummus still contains around the same number of calories as 100g of full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese (235 calories and 22g fat). So wherever you see reduced-fat pack claims, you still have to read the small print, especially searching out the fat and calories per serving. Different brands also vary in fat content and therefore in their final calorie content, depending on what the fat levels were in that particular brand’s regular product. Beware of products that remove fat to achieve a seductive low-fat or reduced-fat claim but add other ingredients, such as sugar, to maintain its overall appeal, physical structure and flavor. Take fruit yogurt: a 150g low-fat strawberry yogurt provides only 1.7g fat but 119 calories – 32 of which come from the 2tsp of added sugars.

RAW FOOD DIETS

This is a big health trend but while there is a lot to be said for eating a diet that contains more whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, don’t assume all raw foods, especially desserts, are low in calories, fat or sugar.

Many raw snack bars or balls and raw desserts such as vegan cheesecake, contain a lot of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and coconut oil which increase the calories. In addition, sweeteners such as rice malt syrup, maple syrup and raw honey are often used (frequently in large amounts), so they’re neither sugar-free nor low in calories.

If you’re buying a packaged raw snack, it’s as important to check out the nutritional information as it is with non-raw treats. And at cafes, you still need to exercise some restraint with raw cake, just as you would with any other.

EATING HEALTHY SUGARS 

We’ve all been advised by Public Health England (PHE) to dramatically reduce the free sugars in our diet. These are the ones we add to food or those found in the foods we buy.

They appear on the ingredients list as things such as cane sugar, brown sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose or high-fructose corn syrup. PHE recommends we limit our consumption of free sugars to 7tsp (30g) a day – that’s about half of what the average Briton eats. In an effort to cut down, many people have switched to what they perceive to be “natural” sugars, such as honey, syrups and nectars, in the belief this means their diet is sugar free. Not so. Ingredients such as honey, agave nectar, date syrups, rice malt syrup, maple syrup and coconut sugar may have a healthier image but they all count as free sugar, so we need to limit them.

Products made with these ingredients, however natural they claim to be, are usually still high in sugar (and therefore calories), so they need to be limited just as you would any biscuits, cakes or sweets. If a food contains less than 5g sugar per 100g it means you’re choosing a product that’s low in sugar.

DITCHING DAIRY

It’s a common belief that milk makes you put on weight because it’s high in fat and therefore calories. In fact, studies reveal the opposite may be true: intake of dairy, particularly of low-fat versions as part of a lower-calorie diet, may help speed up weight loss, especially when it comes to burning the fat that sits around the waist.Other people skip it because they think dairy products are at the root of digestive problems such as bloating. An intolerance to lactose – the main sugar in milk – does cause bloating, along with other digestive problems such as wind, diarrhea and stomach pain. But according to the British Nutrition Foundation, only about one in 20 of us suffers with lactose intolerance.

Most experts agree that dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet as they provide a wide range of nutrients, particularly calcium for strong bones and teeth.National figures show eight per cent of women, 12 per cent of teenage boys and 19 per cent of teenage girls have very low intakes of calcium. The National Osteoporosis Society says that one in two women and one in every five men over the age of 50 fractures a bone due to osteoporosis, a condition where bones are so fragile they can easily break.

A low-calcium intake, especially in childhood and teenage years, is thought to be a key cause of this, as it means bones are unable to reach their full strength in adulthood.

[Source — Express]

Smart Medicine or Playing God?

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When scientists began cloning animals, there was a plethora of questions about the ethics of cloning humans. The main issue surrounding the cloning of humans was the number of embryos that were destroyed or died early in the process. To many conservative Christians, including myself, we believe that life begins at conception (fertilization), so an embryo is a human life. Destroying an embryo for any reason is murder, which is why most Christians are against abortion and contraceptives that kill a fertilized egg like the day-after pill.

I recall several discussions between individuals on both sides of the issue and it all boiled down to whether cloning humans was smart medicine or playing God.

That question is being asked again and about a new announcement, but the situation is different, no embryos should be destroyed.

The new issue involves editing defective DNA in a human embryo.

There are thousands of mutations that have accumulated in our DNA over our many years of existence. Most of these mutations make little to no difference, perhaps only changing the shape of an ear lobe, color of your eyes, hair color and texture, things like this. Some can be quite serious.

One source says there are around 6,000 known genetic disorders. Most of these are hereditary, meaning they have passed on from parents to children, and some are non-hereditary, meaning they are not passed on from one generation to the next, but occur during embryonic development.

My oldest daughter has a non-hereditary genetic disorder known as McCune Albright Syndrome. It’s a rare genetic mutation that occurs during the early stages of embryonic development, but no one knows what causes it nor is there any cure. As for being rare, it only occurs in 1 of every 500,000 to 1,000,000 people. Figuring the entire US population is around 325,500,000, that means there are only about 326 to 651 cases of McCune Albright Syndrome in the entire country.

As for hereditary gene mutation disorders, some of the more well-known include: breast cancer; autism; Chrohn’s Disease; colon cancer; cystic fibrosis; Down syndrome; Gaucher Disease, hemophilia, Marfan syndrome (many believe Abraham Lincoln may have had Marfan syndrome); progeria; prostate cancer; sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs; skin cancer and more.

The ethics question being asked now in the medical world is if there is a technology available that could identify a genetic disorder in the earliest stages of embryo development and then have the technology to edit out that mutation and replace it with a normal piece of DNA, is it ethical to do so or is that playing God?

The technology is there as displayed by Shoukhrat Mitalipov and fellow researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University. According to the report, they used the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to edit and repair disease causing DNA error in a number of human embryos in the early stages of development.

The mutation they fixed is found on a gene known as MYMPC3. It causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a deadly heart condition.

Mitalipov told the media:

“With this particular mutation, we’ve already done the groundwork, so we’re probably much closer to clinical applications. Clinical trials would mean actually implanting some of these embryos with the goal of establishing pregnancy and monitoring births of children and hopefully following up with children.”

Using this technology, if approved, could totally eradicate an inherited gene mutation disease from a family’s lineage. Imagine a family that has been plagued with breast cancer – like that of actress Angelina Jolie who opted to have both now healthy breasts removed because she carried the defective gene – knowing they are no longer passing this defective gene down to their offspring. Or many black families who suffer the painful effects of sickle cell anemia. Imagine knowing that this genetic disorder could be fixed and no longer passed down to future generations.

It sounds like really smart medicine that could save billions of dollars in medical costs, but the technology does require working on the DNA of a human embryo. If anything goes wrong, it’s possible the human embryo could die. If it goes right, no more of that genetic disorder. Smart medicine or playing God? Sounds like an easy answer, but is it?

Holistic Nutritionist Release Guide to Healthy Eating

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A Palm-Beach based holistic nutritionist has released a cookbook containing several recipes as well as advice to becoming a healthier and happier you. “The Farmer’s Daughter’s Guide to Nutritious and Delicious Eating,” by author Rosanne C. Martino, is a realistic approach to cooking and eating good food.

‘Delicious Eating’ consists 15 chapters including several recipes, knowledge from the author’s professional background, as well as tips and tricks revolving around several different foods. From spices and herbs to oils and fats, vegetables and fruits to vitamins and superfoods, Martino offers wisdom about various food groups stemming from her years of experience as a nutritionist.

Martino, who has always been interested in holding herself in a holistic manner, became inspired to write this book after a friend became ill. After thinking about how she could help him regarding his dietary habits, she incorporated her background in holistic nutrition and began writing her meals down as recipes.

“I want to be able to share my knowledge and information about what I have learned and experience regarding growing, harvesting and preparing food,” Martino said. “I’d also like to inform people of the lifestyles of healthy choices related to nutrition.”

“This book was very easy to read and understand,” a reviewer wrote about the book. “The author does not talk down to you – it’s like an old friend sharing recipes and health tips with you. Great photos and very informational.”

A unique approach to the modern cookbook, “The Farmer’s Daughter’s Guide to Nutritious and Delicious Eating” will peak readers’ interests with its subtle yet fun approach to the process of cooking food.

New Drug to Treat #1 Skin Cancer Killer Step Closer to Availability

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The Sun is our source of life and for some, our source of death. The Sun provides our light that fuels plants to grow and produce most of our food. Plants also produce most of the oxygen we breathe, thanks to the miraculous process of photosynthesis.

However, being out in the Sun on a regular basis may also be the likely source of skin cancer. Some sources say that exposure to the Sun accounts for as much as 80%-85% of the cases of skin cancer.

The National Cancer Institute estimate that this year (2017) there will be around, 3,000,000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer plus nearly 69,000 new cases of melanoma. Of the 3,000,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, only about 2,000 will die each year, but of the nearly 69,000 new cases of melanoma, almost 10,000 will die.

There are three types of non-melanoma skin cancer – basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. Although the non-melanoma types of skin cancer account for the vast majority of skin cancer diagnoses, they are the most curable and survivable. Melanoma may only account for 1% of all skin cancers, it has the highest mortality rate. The Skin Cancer Foundationstates that someone in the United States dies every 54 minutes from melanoma.

In addition to the exposure to the Sun being a risk factor for developing skin cancer including melanoma, tanning beds have also been linked as increasing a person’s risk of developing both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Some countries such as Australia and Brazil have banned all indoor tanning. At least 11 other countries have banned indoor tanning for anyone under the age of 18.

Again, knowing your body is key to detecting the signs and symptoms of melanoma. Many sources, including the American Cancer Society tell people use the ABCDE rule. They define it as:

  • A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
  • B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
  • C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
  • D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
  • E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.

Qualified doctors, especially dermatologists, can often detect melanoma and other skin cancers by an examination of the skin. Sometimes a biopsy is necessary. Like many other cancers, the standard treatment for melanoma may involve surgery, but generally tend to use either or both, radiation and chemotherapies.

The problem with many of the standard chemotherapies is they not only kill the cancer cells but can and do kill off surrounding healthy tissue, plus they can be toxic to the body, making the patient quite ill.

However, researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania appear to have made a breakthrough with a new type of chemotherapy. Rather than get into the deep technical jargon, they have found a way to modify a compound that has been quite toxic to the patient in the past and make it less toxic. Additionally, their new drug appears to target just the melanoma cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy cells.

In traditional chemotherapies, the drugs used usually only work on the BRAF mutant melanoma cells, but not the BRAF wild type melanoma cells. This often results with the melanoma returning in 6-months to a year. The new compound was found to target both types of Melanoma cells, resulting in a higher success rate and fewer recurrences of the deadly cancer.

In laboratory tests, their new compound reduced melanoma tumors by 69% by causing the melanoma cells to die off. The researchers are hopeful that their breakthrough may also work on the other cancers or in developing drugs to work better to treat other cancers.

The new compound still has to go through further testing before it will be approved by the FDA, but if approved, it could drastically reduce the high mortality rate from melanoma.

Vulvar Cancer Risks, Symptoms and More

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Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve discussed 4 of 5 major categories of gynecological cancers. We’ve covered urinary, ovarian, cervical and vaginal cancers. Today, we’ll discuss the fifth category of gynecological cancers – vulvar cancer.

Just to be clear, vulvar cancers are those that occur on labia major, labia minora (outer and inner genital lips), clitoris and vaginal opening. Nearly 6,000 women are diagnosed with vulvar cancer every year in the United States. Approximately 1,110 women die each year from vulvar cancer.

If diagnosed early at stage 1, vulvar cancer has a 5-year cancer survival rate of 98%. The 5-year survival rate for stage 2 is about 85%. That drops to about 74% if discovered at stage 3 and if not diagnosed until stage 4, the 5-year survival rate plummets to only 31%.

Like vaginal cancers, there are two main types of vulvar cancer:

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of vulvar cancer, accounting for over 80 percent of cases. One particular subtype of squamous cell cancer is called Verrucous carcinoma. This form grows slowly, often looks like a large wart, and is associated with a good prognosis (outlook).

Adenocarcinoma accounts for approximately 8 percent of vulvar cancers. These cancers usually begin in the Bartholin glands, which are found just inside the entrance of the vagina and normally produce a mucous-like fluid that acts as a lubricant. Adenocarcinomas can also develop in sweat glands. Another related condition is Paget disease, in which the adenocarcinoma cells are restricted to the top layer of the skin of the vulva. Some patients with this condition may also have an area of invasive adenocarcinoma.

Some vulvar cancers are a form of melanoma (like skin cancer) in cells with pigments and it’s possible that some of these may be related to extended exposure to the sun – nude sunbathing.

Symptoms of vulvar cancer may include symptoms for other forms of cancer and other medical conditions, but the symptoms recommended to watch for include:

  • Persistent itching – this is an itch that just doesn’t go away. It often is worse at night, to the point of making sleeping difficult.
  • Pain – found at the vulvar areas listed above. The severity of the pain can vary, depending on the location, how far it has spread and what stage of cancer.
  • Abnormal patches of skin – These patches are often white, sometimes pink or red, and feel rough to the touch. If the vulvar cancer is a form of melanoma, the patch of skin may be darker.
  • Open sore(s) – this is a sore or ulcer that persists for more than a month. The sore may also be associated with a growth or lump.
  • Painful urination – generally, painful urination occurs during the early stages and if not a urinary tract infection, see your doctor as soon as possible.
  • Discharge or bleeding – any discharge or bleeding not associated with the normal menstrual cycle should be cause for concern.
  • Swelling – this is when the vulvar region swells larger than normal and the swelling persists.
  • Changes in shape and/or color – if you have a mole in the area of the vulva, any changes in its shape and/or color may be an indication of cancer.
  • Thickening of the skin of the vulva

Since a variety of the symptoms are also indicative of other conditions, if you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor. He or she might have to do a biopsy to determine if your symptoms are indicative of vulvar cancer or not. Once diagnosed via a biopsy, your doctor should refer you to a gynecologic oncologist – a person who specializes in female reproductive cancers.

You need to know your body intimately. As awkward as it may sound, you need to regularly look at your genitalia (use a mirror if necessary) and you need to touch and feel yourself regularly. Since some of the symptoms are changes in appearance and texture of the vulva, it’s necessary to know what you look and feel like when normal. Otherwise, you may not detect any changes as early which reduces your chance of surviving.

Risk factors for developing vulvar cancer include:

  • Age – about 80% of cases involve women over the age of 50.
  • Smoking – smoking has been attributed as increasing the risk of developing vulvar cancer, especially if the woman has been infected with high-risk HPV virus.
  • HPV – this is why it is so important to get the HPV vaccine.
  • HIV – having HIV increases the risk of developing vulvar cancer.
  • VIN – vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia – a precancerous condition where the abnormal cells are still restricted to the surface areas.
  • Lichen sclerosus – condition where vulvar skin gets thinner and itches a lot.
  • Cervical cancer – having cervical cancer increases the risk of cancer developing in the vulva and vagina.

If you are diagnosed as having vulvar cancer, the treatment will depend upon what stage the cancer was found. As in most other cancers, the three main treatment options are surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. This will depend upon your oncologist and the stage of your cancer.

Know your body and if you suspect anything, see your doctor. Be honest and open with your doctor. Don’t be too embarrassed or try to hide it from your doctor as that will only result in harm to yourself.

Can You Really Trust Your Doctor?

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In today’s world of medicine, you have general practitioners, and then specialists in every little area of medicine. Sometimes your healthcare insurance will cover the specialists and sometimes it won’t. Sometimes you have to get the proper referral to see a specialist in order for your insurance to cover seeing a specialist.

Regardless if you see your general practitioner or a specialist, can you really trust what they tell you? If you don’t trust them and want to seek the opinion from a second doctor, will your healthcare insurance cover a second visit for the same condition? Not every policy will cover getting a second or even a third opinion.

Here’s why I ask. Doctors are not always right and they don’t know everything! If you’re not sure of what they tell you, you should seek the opinion of second doctor.

Why can’t you trust them all the time? Allow me to share three examples.

In 1960, I was 8-years-old when my dad went into the hospital for major back surgery. Calcium deposits had built up inside the lower part of his spinal column and it was pinching off the base of the spinal cord. The doctors had to cut the back prominence off of three vertebrae and then try to ream out the calcium build up below, at those points and below the three vertebrae they cut open. I remember being at the hospital with my mom when my dad was in the recovery room. I vividly remember my mom sobbing when the doctor told her that my dad would never walk again because of the extent of damage to the spinal cord and the nerves going to his legs. You have to understand that my dad was very active and not to be able to walk would have been extremely devastating to him. Still coming out of the effects of anesthesia, my dad mumbled ‘the hell I won’t walk again.’ Within three weeks of the surgery, dad was walking. Several months later, we moved from Illinois to Arizona and just a couple months there, dad was working as a common laborer for a major utility, digging ditches and many tasks he was not supposed to be able to do.

In 1975, I saw a saw a top orthopedic surgeon in Arizona. He told me that the cartilage in my knees and tears to both my MCL and ACL warranted total knee replacements in both knees. He told me that there was no way that I could stay on my feet and work for 8-hours a day. Back then, the success rate for knee replacement wasn’t very good and I opted to not have the recommended surgery. I had to train myself how to walk and turn without my knees going out of joint but, like my dad, was determined to defy what the doctor told me. I ended up working in retail management for several years after than where I was on my feet for up to 14 hours a day. Then I worked as laborer for the same utility my dad retired from. The last 11 years with the utility, I was an electric meter reader and walked an average of 12 miles a day. I had one route, I called my killer route, where I walked just over 20 miles in one day in the hot Arizona sun, and still no surgery on my knees. It’s now 42-years later and I still haven’t had either knee replaced and don’t plan on having it done unless I am completely crippled.

Then there is the case of Patrick Bisher, a former Navy SEAL. When he was a child, a doctor told him that he would never walk again. He said that at first:

“I developed a chip on my shoulder and I developed a victim’s mentality.”

However, he eventually decided to be a warrior instead of a victim. He exercised and trained to the point that he was able to enter SEAL training in the Navy. While in the service he had a serious parachute accident that resulted in a hip replacement, but continued to persevere. Bisher has authored a book titled No Surrender where he shares his experience. He now works to inspire kids to strive for their dreams and not to be victims of bullies.

These are only a few examples that prove that doctors only ‘practice medicine’ and they are not experts or perfect. If you get a devastating diagnosis from your doctor, you need to seek a second opinion and then determine if you are going to be a sorry victim or a warrior who will work to overcome the odds. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it.

Fairly Common – Rarely Discussed Pelvic Floor Disorders

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Perhaps these days, despite our somewhat open culture, there are some things that most women just do not discuss or like to discuss, not even with their doctors. Visit your local Walmart and you’d think that vanity is all but gone, yet when it comes to a variety of common health conditions, vanity rears its head and silences the tongues of so many women. That presents a problem for doctors, who only want to know what’s going on and how they can help.

One of those areas that seems to be little spoken of is collectively known as pelvic floor disorders, Yet, about 30% of women will experience one or more forms of pelvic floor disorders. Women who gave vaginal birth to their children and post-menopausal women are especially susceptible to pelvic floor disorders.

The pelvic floor is defined as:

“The pelvic floor is a term used to describe the muscles, ligaments, connective tissues and nerves that act like a hammock to support the organs of the pelvis—including the bladder and rectum and, for women, the uterus and vagina. The pelvic floor prevents these organs from falling down or out, and also plays an important role in making the organs function properly. It is responsible for closing the urethra and anal canal to maintain continence and signaling and controlling the bladder, rectum and colon when you need to go to the bathroom.”

What are pelvic floor disorders? Most sources define pelvic floor disorders as including: bladder pain, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, chronic constipation, pelvic organ prolapse, recurrent bladder infections, female sexual dysfunction and myofascial pain syndrome.

The Mayo Clinic defines myofascial pain syndrome as:

“In myofascial pain syndrome, pressure on sensitive points in your muscles (trigger points) causes pain in seemingly unrelated parts of your body. This is called referred pain.”

“Myofascial pain syndrome typically occurs after a muscle has been contracted repetitively. This can be caused by repetitive motions used in jobs or hobbies or by stress-related muscle tension.”

“While nearly everyone has experienced muscle tension pain, the discomfort associated with myofascial pain syndrome persists or worsens.”

While pelvic floor disorders can occur in men, they are far more common in women.

The five most common risk factors for developing a pelvic floor disorder are:

·         Are over age 55

·         Are overweight

·         Have had a pelvic surgery in the past

·         Have a connective tissue disorder

·         Are a woman who is post-menopausal, vaginally delivered several children, experienced tears in the perineum or pelvic floor during childbirth.​

Additionally, other factors that may contribute to developing pelvic floor disorders are diseases like diabetes & Parkinson’s, stroke, back injuries, spinal stenosis, surgery, radiation treatment of uterine, cervical or rectal cancer, heavy lifting, chronic coughing and frequent straining during bowel movements.

Doctors even say that some people are just born with weaker pelvic tissues and muscles, making them more prone to pelvic floor disorders.

If you’re not sure if you have a pelvic floor disorder, consider the following checklist:

___ Accidental bowel leakage

___ Bladder emptying problems

___ Bladder pain

___ Bowel emptying problems

___ Complications of previous surgery

___ Frequent or urgent urination

___ Painful intercourse

___ Pelvic pain

___ Problems with the vulva

___ Rectal prolapse

___ Recurrent bladder infections

___ Urinary leakage

___ Vaginal bulging

If you checked one or more of these checklist items, then please see your doctor. Most forms of pelvic disorders are treatable, but you need to be honest and open with your doctor. He or She is there to help you deal with these embarrassing conditions.

What Causes Cellulite & Can You Get Rid of It?

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Image result for Fat Legs with Cellulite

Cellulite is a curse to millions of women as they get older. It can appear anywhere, but generally shows up first and most noticeably on the thighs and buttocks. Some describe it as looking like there is cottage cheese under the skin or that their skin looks as rough and dimply as an orange or grapefruit.

So, what is it, what causes it and more importantly, how does one get rid of it.

The ugly truth about cellulite is that it’s fat that accumulates under the skin. As described in the video below, as you age, fat cells under the skin begin to accumulate more and more fat, which causes them to swell bigger and bigger. There is a layer of connective tissue that lies between the fat cells and your skin, but as you age, that layer connective tissue gets stretched, making it look like a fishing net. As the fat cells swell, they bugle through the holes or gaps in the netting of connective tissue. This is what gives it the cottage cheese or citrus peel look.

Is cellulite an indication of a weight problem – getting overweight?

No. Most experts believe that the appearance of cellulite has nothing to do with your actual weight, although it tends to show more on heavier people. In fact, you can blame part of your cellulite on your parents, grandparents, great grandparents on up the line as genetics is believed to be one of the main causes of cellulite.

Another cause of cellulite is hormones, and face it ladies, you have more hormonal issues than men do, which is why more women suffer from the unpleasant curse of cellulite. Hormonal changes in the woman’s body during puberty, pregnancy, post pregnancy and menopause all tend to contribute to the build-up of cellulite.

The four leading factors for the accumulation of cellulite are your gender, age, genetics and hormones. With that said, note that some men also accumulate cellulite, however, it is a lot more prevalent in women, especially older women.

Is there anything you can do to prevent the build-up of cellulite? Other than watching what you eat and staying active, there isn’t a whole lot that can be done to prevent it happening to you. Eating a healthy diet that is not conducive to building fat, can be a big help, but it’s not enough on its own. Exercising and staying fit and toned also helps, but like eating a healthy diet, it’s not enough by itself to prevent cellulite.

Are there any remedies to help get rid of cellulite? If you look on the internet, you will find a multitude of products and activities that all claim to get rid of cellulite. Knowing the vanity of many women and how much they hate the look of cellulite thighs and butts, fighting cellulite is a multi-million-dollar industry.

However, don’t get duped or waste your money on many of the alleged claims. According to Dr. Oz in the video below, there is not a single crème or product that will magically get rid of your cellulite.

Strenuous exercises like jogging, running and swimming may help reduce the amount of cellulite and tone up the muscles around the cellulite, it won’t get rid of it all. Exercising, coupled with a really stringent low-fat and low-calorie diet, help some see improvement, but again, it won’t make it all go away.

Some see some success in getting rid of cellulite through invasive procedures like liposuction, but sometimes, it’s only a temporary solution as the genetic and hormonal propensity to build cellulite does not go away and will eventually build up another supply.

Sorry ladies, but cellulite is a curse you will most likely have to learn to live with for the rest of your days.

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