General Health Articles

Healthy Living Your Skin Cancer Risk Revealed

Here are some surprising clues that could mean that you are more apt to being diagnosed with skin cancer than others…

Clue #1:  You wear flip-flops often.  If you wear flip-flops most of the spring and summer, your feet are prone to more sun exposure and sun damage than those who wear socks and shoes. 

Clue #2:  You wear baseball hats.  While baseball hats protect your head from sun damage, your ears are constantly exposed and are often overlooked when your skin is checked for signs of skin cancer. 

Clue #3:  You are a male.  Whether it’s habits, hormones, or genes, or even a combination of these three, men have three times as many squamous cancer cells and twice as many basal cancer cells as women.  Also, white men over the age of 50 have the highest incidence of melanoma. 

Clue #4:  You have dark skin.  While skin with more pigment has a natural shield against UV rays, many African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Indians get a false sense of security and 

typically do not pay much attention to protecting their skin from these harmful rays.  Skin cancer is also detected much later in dark skinned people, therefore making it harder to treat. 

Clue #5:  You live in the South or in the Mountains.  Rates of skin cancer are obviously higher in places that receive more sunlight, like in the South or in the Mountains.  Altitude is also a factor as UV radiation increases about 4 to 5 percent for every 1,000 feet above sea level. 

Clue #6: You are a runner, cyclist, or swimmer.  The more miles men and women run the greater their chance of acquiring skin cancer.  The same goes for swimmers and cyclists who spend countless hours out in the climate. 

Clue #7:  You have a lot of moles.  The average Caucasian has 30 moles – relatively round spots that are brown, red or pink.  But the moles that are asymmetrical, with raggedy borders, discoloration or changing size, are the ones that are more likely to develop into melanoma.  People over the age of 20 with more than 100 moles or people under the age of 20 with more than 50 moles are also at risk. 

In the News: All About Glaucoma – Part II

(continued from Part I…)

How is glaucoma diagnosed?

To diagnose glaucoma complete eye examination is recommended which involves measuring eye pressure, inspecting the eye’s drainage angle, examining the optic nerve, testing vision, getting measurements of optic nerve, and measuring the thickness of cornea.

How is glaucoma treated?

Treatment aims at reducing the intraocular pressure and preventing further damage to the optic nerves. Intraocular pressure can be reduced by increasing the drainage of excess eye fluid or reducing its production through medications.

Is there a diet you should follow or foods you should avoid if you have glaucoma?

Foods to eat:

• Iron rich foods such as spinach
• Vitamin A containing foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes and milk
• Protein rich foods such as eggs, milk
• Zinc-rich foods such as green peas, eggs, wheat germ, chickpeas, oyster, red meat, poultry and certain seafood
• Foods rich in vitamin C like green pepper, citrus fruits and tomatoes 

Foods to avoid:

• Foods with trans fatty acids like cookies, cakes and french fries
• Foods with high saturated fats like full fat meat (beef)
• Foods/drinks with caffeine like coffee
• Avoid alcohol

In the News: All About Glaucoma – Part I

During the month of March, National Glaucoma Week is celebrated to raise awareness for this condition that affects nearly 3 million people every year. Here we will discuss all things glaucoma.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which is crucial for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain. 

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

While glaucoma starts out typically asymptomatic, the gradual progression of the symptoms can include:

• Loss of peripheral or side vision
• Seeing halos around lights and glare in bright light
• Redness in the eye
• Eye pain
• Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
• Narrow or tunnel vision
• Vision Loss 

What causes glaucoma?

 The fluid inside the eye nourishes the lens and the cells of the cornea and maintains a pressure, which allows the cornea to maintain its convex shape that is necessary for good vision. The pressure inside the eye or the intraocular pressure is maintained at a constant due to drainage of excess fluid out of the eye.

Increased pressure inside the eye due to the obstructed flow of the fluid may lead to glaucoma. 

Other causes may include family history, association with other diseases like hypertension and diabetes, burn or chemical injury to the eye, or trauma to the eye. 

(continued in Part II…)

Healthy Skin 101: Food to Give Up for Clear Skin

Everyone wants to find the Fountain of Youth and keep their skin looking fresh, healthy, and clear of blemishes. 

Since there is no magical fountain, the best way to keep your skin looking clearer health experts suggest  is by   watching what you eat. What we eat effects our skin more than we realize, so here are a few foods to avoid and/or give up entirely for that youthful glow. 

• French Fries
• Fried Chicken
• Processed pastries
• White Bread
• Packaged sweets
• Pasta

Healthy Living: Heart Health Month - Innocent Ways You Harm Your

With February being Heart Health Month, we bring you this feature that highlights the innocent things that you may be doing daily that can be hurting your heart (among other parts of your body) and how to fix it! 

How you cross your legs…  Sitting with your legs crossed at the knees increases your blood pressure.  According to studies, leg crossing increased systolic blood pressure nearly 7% and diastolic by 2%.  Studies say that you should avoid crossing your legs for long periods of time, like 10 to 15 minutes, and get up every half hour or so to walk around and get the circulation moving. 

How you stand… If you are a person who frequently locks their knees when standing, you are no longer efficiently using the muscles that surround the joint.  Therefore, forces to the joint are increased.  Causing this additional stress to you knee joints isn’t helping your heart at all.

How you sleep… If you are a stomach sleeper, this puts your neck in a titled-back position, leading to pain or numbness in your upper extremities.  Nerves are also affected when people sleep on their stomach.  To avoid the pain, numbness and affect to the nervous system, people should avoid sleeping on their stomach. 

How you wear your belt… It sounds strange, we know, but the tighter your belt the more pressure you put on your intra-abdominal area, which can result in acid reflux.  Acid reflux could include a bitter taste in your mouth, burning or pain the upper chest and stomach, a chronic cough or even difficulty swallowing.  Doctors say that your belt shouldn’t be any tighter than your waistband.  You should be able to inhale and exhale comfortably.