Cancer Screenings Help Detect Disease Early

This is from the Health Net mailing:

Colon and rectal cancer. Various tests can screen for this disease. Screening usually begins at age 50. How often you get screened depends on which test your doctor recommends.

Breast cancer. Starting at age 40, women should have a mammogram every year. Some women may need to start when they are younger and have mammograms more often.

Cervical cancer. Women should have their first cervical cancer screening about 3 years after they begin having sex, but no later than age 21. Cervical cancer screenings should be done once a year for women in their 20s. After age 30, women who have had 3 normal tests in a row may switch to 1 cervical cancer screening every 2 or 3 years.

Prostate cancer. For most men, tests to detect prostate cancer should be offered beginning at age 50. Men at high risk, such as African Americans, should start at age 45. Exams include a DRE (digital rectal exam) and a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test.

Skin cancer. Regularly check your skin -- especially moles -- for signs of skin cancer. If you find a new mole unlike the others or notice a change in a mole, see your doctor.

Sleeping Disorders

This information is second-hand, as I learned it from a friend who took her son to a sleeping disorder doctor.

His advice for those who are having trouble sleeping...

We all know about having a place for sleep, and sleep only. No late-night television. No caffeine or eating right before bed. But he also suggested:

* Two hours before bedtime, no computer. The bright screen throws your sleeping mechanism off.

* Two hours before those two hours of bedtime (i.e., 4 hours before bedtime), if you're on the computer, put the overhead light on. Don't do it in the dark.

* If you can't sleep while lying still in bed for 30 minutes, get up and read something. It should be something non-stimulating, almost boring, by soft light.

Of course, this is general advice for people who do not have severe sleeping disorders.

Cancer Therapies Discussed on Video

CancerConsultants.com has some nifty videos to watch experts discuss various therapies. You can find it here.

Wow. I have to get used to this new technology!

Oakland Athletics Breast Cancer Awareness Day

The Oakland Athletics have announced their Breast Cancer Awareness Day, which is at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday, September 5, 2009, at 6:05pm.

Breast cancer survivors get a free ticket to the game, and can march on the field with other cancer survivors before the game.

Here's their official statement:

The Oakland Athletics are a proud sponsor of the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

The Oakland Athletics are hosting Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday, September 5.

The Oakland Athletics are inviting all breast cancer survivors to attend. Breast cancer survivors receive two free tickets and get to participate in an on-field activity. All participating breast cancer survivor form a pink ribbon the field. In addition, survivors receive a special gift from the Oakland Athletics.

If you know a breast cancer patient or survivor who might like to participate please have them call our hotline at 1-866-457-6669 or you can register online by visiting this website.

If you would like to purchase tickets for the game there is a pdf on the website above that allows you to purchase discounted tickets that also have $5 from each ticket support the Bay Area Making Strides walk.

Due to corporate, team, and player contributions, Breast Cancer Awareness Day generates over $50,000 for the American Cancer Society's work to defeat breast cancer.

Drinking Coffee Helps with the Pain of Exercise

Diabetes Forecast (August 2009) reports a study of 24 college-age men who took a caffeine pill an hour before 30 minutes of intense exercise felt last pain during the exercise.

The men's perception of pain was lower on days when they took the caffeine, regardless of whether they were regular coffee drinkers or not. The amount of caffeine the participants took was 5 milligrams per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds of body weight, or the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 cups of coffee, the average amount that Americans drink daily.

Identifying Drugs that can kill Cancer Stem Cells

Researchers have discovered a way to identify drugs that can specifically attack and kill cancer stem cells, a finding that could lead to a new generation of anticancer medicines and a new strategy of treatment. See this New York Times article for the news and the controversy.

Aspirin Decreases Mortality after Colorectal Cancer

This is very exciting news, reported in the August 12, 2009 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School reported that "regular aspirin use after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer decreases the risk or dying of colorectal cancer that expresses COX-2."

"Studies have consistently shown that regular aspirin use decreases the incidence of colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer.""

Cancer = Fatigue

There's a marvelous article in this month's Women & Cancer (Summer 2009) which gives some hints as to how to beat the fatigue that cancer will inevitably cause. Here are some of their suggestions.

*Eat small, frequent meals.

*Choose low glycemic foods such as whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal, and green vegetables.

*Eat a little more protein than normal (easy-to-digest protein, such as whey powder, is best).

*Choose healthy fats, such as olive oil or almond butter.

*Stay hydrated.

*Avoid stimulants, such as caffeine and chocolate.

*Avoid refined sugar.

CNNHealth Invites Your Questions

On August 24, 2009, health experts are getting together and will answer YOUR questions about cancer at the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit. Take a look at this link to participate on CNNHealth.

Breast Feeding Can Benefit the Mother as Well

Thanks to reader Dawn who pointed us to this web page on SFGate.com.

"New moms are well aware of the dozens of ways babies benefit from breast milk, but they often don't realize that nursing a child also benefits their own bodies. Studies have shown that women who breast-fed have a reduced risk of osteoporosis and ovarian cancer, as well as high blood pressure and heart disease decades later... And now a new study indicates that women who breast feed their babies even for short periods of time may lower their risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer if they have a family history of the disease."

H1N1: The Epidemic

I went to my diabetes class the other day at Lifelong Medical, and Dr. Miller advised us that H1N1, or Swine Flu, is right around the corner in epidemic proportions. However, she also told us that we, older diabetics, are not the target audience for prevention.

The swine flu will attack pregnant women and children between 6 months and 24 years of age. And the danger of this flu is that H1N1 looks just like the other flu. The difference is:

Fever: 100 degrees (not much above our norm of 98.6)
Body Aches

So be on the lookout. The best source of information, according to Dr. Miller, is her favorite website, www.cdc.com, the Center for Disease Control website, which, in recent months, has really expanded their page on H1N1.

CDC is developing a vaccine for H1N1, but it's not yet finished. The CDC hopes to be finished with it by fall, just in time for what they think will be an epidemic.

Dr. Miller suggests that we, as diabetics, get the two shots for H1N1 (imagine: 2 shots!) as well as the 3rd shot for the normal flu. And keep washing your hands!