Six Tips to Take Charge of your Health

Angelina Jolie’s revelation that she recently had undergone a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer due to her positive test result for the breast cancer gene, is a helpful reminder about the task for all of us to take charge of our health.  While this must have been a difficult decision for her, it’s an excellent illustration of remaining vigilant regarding your health and being proactive regarding your health care.

Here are six things you can do to help you to take charge of your health:

1. Learn about your family medical history, this includes parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. This will give you a heads up regarding what “runs” in your family; red flags so to speak, to make you aware of some of your possible genetic risks for certain diseases. Knowing this is invaluable. For example, if Heart Disease runs in your family, you’ll want to take extra care to control your weight, exercise daily, not smoke, and eat a healthy diet, such as a Mediterranean Diet to help reduce your risk. (These are healthy habits for everyone and help to prevent a variety of diseases, but especially important if your risk is higher.) 
2. Read up on any medications you are prescribed from side effects to dosing instructions. Educate yourself by reading the package inserts that come from the pharmacy and reading credible medication websites such as MedlinePlus which is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
3. If you’re diagnosed with a disease or acute illness, learn as much as you can about it from trusted, professional sources, examples of which are the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) and Medline Plus (as mentioned above) also has a site dedicated to information on illnesses. Maintain an awareness of the typical lab tests that may be required to follow the course of the illness, medications that are generally prescribed to surgeries that may be recommended. Becoming familiar with these things can help you psychologically through your illness and also help you determine if you’re receiving the appropriate care.
4. Follow the advice of your physician regarding when to obtain lab tests, taking medications as prescribed and when to follow up with appointments and diagnostics tests such as ultra sounds, MRI’s, CT scans etc.
5. Get a second opinion when you feel the need.  If your inner voice is nudging you that something does not seem right; seek out a second opinion from another physician.
6. Ask questions. While no one expects you to become an expert, be sure to ask questions, especially if you need clarification on any information you received or simply desire more knowledge regarding your diagnosis and particular situation.

Can men get breast cancer? October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month (facts for men, part 2 of a 2 part series)

Here are a few facts regarding males and Breast Cancer:

The chance of getting breast cancer: Approximately 1 in 1000.

Breast Cancer causes approximately 450 deaths per year.

Some men that are afflicted with breast cancer have no known risk factors (just as in female breast cancer, see part 1 at: http://carole-jakucs.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-breast-cancer-awareness-month.html). However, the following are some known risk factors for males:

• Heavy drinking/High consumption of alcohol
• Radiation exposure
• Advancing age
• Family History of Breast Cancer
• High levels of estrogen in the body from use of Estrogens for medical treatments and therapies
• Having one or more of the of the following; Liver Disease, Obesity and having a chromosomal abnormality called Klinefelters Syndrome, can all elevate estrogen levels, while at the same time reducing the amount of male hormones in the body which may also increase one's risk.

Symptoms to look for (but not limited to):

• Lumps (painful or non-painful)
• Dimpling of the skin of the breasts
• Redness, swelling, thickening or scaling of the skin of the breasts or nipples,
• A change in the position of the nipples.
• Any discharge from the nipples

Limiting alcohol intake, and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce one's risk as well as lead to overall better health along with not smoking, consuming a healthy diet and daily exercise. Contact your doctor for any changes in one or both breasts, chest and any symptoms, questions or concerns that you have.

October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month (facts for women - part 1 of a 2 part series)

Here are a few facts and a brief overview regarding females and Breast Cancer:

• The chances of getting breast cancer:  Approximately 1 in 8.
• Breast cancer causes approximately 40, 000 deaths per year.

What you can do: While there is still much to learn about the causes of breast cancer and research is ongoing, here are a few tips from what is known thus far to help reduce your risk:

• Learn how perform a breast self examination (BSE) and perform it monthly. Find a date that works for you and one that is easy to remember so you can do it on a regular basis to detect changes in your breasts such as, but not limited to, lumps (painful or non-painful), nipple discharge, dimpling, redness, swelling or thickening of the skin of the breasts or nipples, and, or, a change in the position of the nipples. Contact your doctor for any symptoms, changes, questions or concerns that you have.
• See your doctor yearly for a clinical breast exam (this is usually done during a yearly pelvic exam with a pap test).
• Get a Mammogram once per year starting at age 40 (or sooner if you are advised by your doctor due to a strong family history or concerns that are already present regarding your breasts). The goal for these first 3 points is early detection which increases survival rates.
• Limit your alcohol intake to no more 2 drinks per day. Consuming more than 2 drinks per day increases your breast cancer risk.
• Maintain a healthy weight as women who are overweight,  have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
• Exercising daily (or at least 5 days per week) has been shown to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. You don’t have to run marathons; walking for a minimum of 30 minutes per day for 5 days of the week, can help to reduce your risk; even better, 60 minutes per day 5 days or more per week. Inactivity increases your risk.

The last 3 tips regarding alcohol, weight management and daily exercise, are key to maintaining your overall/general health in addition to helping to reduce your risk of breast cancer.

• Other facts for females:  Having your first child after age 30 (or not having any children), recent birth control use and using hormone replacement therapy after menopause all increase your risk. 

For more information visit these websites: www.cdc.gov and www.cancer.org . *Contact your doctor for any concerns you may have regarding your health.