Tag: Medical Mondays

Dr. Snook takes a look at preventative care for women

Five Simple Things To Do To Stay Healthy

  • Eat a sensible diet including all the food groups
  • Thirty minutes of exercise daily
  • Protect your bones eating 3 servings of low fat dairy products daily, weight bearing exercise or activities 3 x a week
  • Regular Health Screenings
  • Take time out for yourself of at least 30 minutes a day to relieve stress

Current Recommended Regular Health Screenings For Women

  • Thyroid screening blood test every 5 years starting at 35
  • Blood pressure check every 2 years starting at 18
  • Cholesterol screening blood test starting at 20 and then your Doctor to decide thereafter
  • Bone Mineral Density test (DEXA) baseline at 40
  • Fasting Blood Sugar test every 3 years starting at 45
  • Mammogram every year starting at 40
  • PAP/Pelvic every 1-3 years if sexually active up to age 65 then your Doctor to decide thereafter
  • Colorectal health test (occult blood stool test) yearly starting at 50
  • Colonoscopy every 10 years starting at 50
  • Regular skin exam
  • Glaucoma eye test every 2-4 years if healthy and less than 40 and if risk factors for glaucoma then your Doctor to decide

New Guidelines for Mammograms

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

  • Previous recommendation was women age 40 to 49 get a mammogram every 1-2 years, 50 and older yearly.
  • New recommendation is all women starting at age 40 get a yearly mammogram.
  • Also recommend all women age 40 and older get an annual clinical breast exam, women 20 to 39 get a clinical breast exam every one to three years depending on their family history for breast cancer.
  • Also recommend that women practice self awareness by doing regular self breast exam, NOT to replace the clinical breast exam in the Doctors office.

How does this compare to the US Preventative Services Task Force guidelines put out 2 years ago: Women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms but should talk to their Doctor. Routine screening not to start until 50 years and older.

40,000 women in their 40s contract breast cancer every year in the US.

Basis for the change:

  • The rising number of breast cancer cases in the US, second leading cause of death of all cancer related deaths among women.
  • The sojourn time for tumor growth and detection is the shortest between ages 40 to 49 (2 to 2.4 years).
  • There is the potential to reduce the number of deaths using screening with mammogram and early detection, the 5 year survival rate is 98% when found early.

Dr. Snook Explains How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Causes:

  • Psychological: Tendency to insomnia, persistent stress, learned insomnia
  • Lyfestyle: Stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, certain medications), alcohol, shift work, lack of exercise, sleeping pills
  • Environmental Factors: Noise, light
  • Physical Illness/Psychiatric Illness: Depression, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn)

Tips For Good Sleep Hygiene:

  • Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy
  • If you are not asleep after 20 minutes, then get out of bed
  • Begin rituals that help you relax each night before bed
  • Get up at the same time every morning
  • Get a full night’s sleep on a regular basis
  • Avoid taking naps if you can
  • Keep a regular schedule
  • Use you bed only for sleep and sex
  • Do not have any caffeine after lunch
  • Do not have any alcohol within 6 hours of your bedtime
  • Do not have any nicotine before bedtime
  • Do not go to bed hungry, but no large meal before bedtime either
  • Avoid any strenuous exercise within 6 hours of your bedtime
  • Avoid chronic use of sleeping pills
  • Take time during the day to deal with stressors
  • Make your bedroom quiet, dark, and a little bit cool

Burning Calories at Work

Fitness For Less:

  • Everyday opportunities-walk instead of ride, stairs, park further out, household chores, play with the kids
  • Consider modest investments-inexpensive fitness products like dumbbells, jump ropes, fitness balls, videos/DVDs/pod cast, video games

Office Exercises:

  • Make the most of your commute
  • Look for opportunities to stand
  • Take ‘fitness breaks’ instead of coffee breaks
  • Trade your office chair for a fitness ball
  • Keep fitness products in your work area
  • ‘Get social’-bring along a coworker
  • Conduct a meeting ‘on the go’
  • Pick up the pace
  • If traveling for work-when waiting on a plane walk in the airport, and use hotel fitness rooms
  • MAKE IT FUN!

Safe & Healthy 4th of July Cooking

Causes:

  • Food Processing causing bacteria to be on the food before you get it
  • Food Growing again causing bacteria to be on the food before you get it
  • Food Handling causing contamination from a person or a surface used to prepare the food
  • From the Environment by contamination from dirt, dust and contaminated water

Prevention:

  • CLEAN: Hot soapy water to clean hands, surfaces and tools
  • SEPARATE: Keep uncooked meats from having contact with raw vegetables
  • COOK: Rule of thumb for meat is center temp greater than 160 degrees F
  • CHILL: Promptly put in cooler or fridge within 1-2 hours of preparation
  • WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT

Treatment:

  • Fluids and rest, Pedialyte or make your own rehydration drink
  • Avoid foods high in fat and sugar
  • Avoid spicy foods, alcohol, coffee for at least two days after symptoms resolve
  • Anti-diarrheal meds except when have fever or bloody stool