Dan Foster remembers sitting with his primary care physician as they discussed the results from a colonoscopy. He was hoping his doctor was going to say the first diagnosis was a mistake. Just days before, Dan had been rushed to the hospital with pain that simply wouldn’t go away. Doctors ordered a colonoscopy, and it showed evidence of cancer.
Guest blog post by Michael Wayne, DO.
Pancreatic cancer is a silent killer. Unfortunately, the majority of patients have an advanced stage of the disease by the time they come to a doctor’s office with complaints. Science does not yet have any early markers, such as simple, reliable blood or urine tests, to help detect this deadly cancer or to determine if you are at risk for pancreatic cancer.
Still, there are things to keep in mind that can possibly give you a better edge on the odds:
* If you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, you should speak to your doctor about genetic testing and/or other possible screenings.
* If you have unexplained weight loss, new onset of diabetes as an adult or a worsening of previously controlled diabetes, talk to your doctor about the possibility of pancreatic cancer screening. When patients have any of the symptoms mentioned above, they should get either a CT scan or an MRI of the abdomen.
* Unexplained back pain can be another presenting sign of pancreatic cancer and should be investigated thoroughly.
If anything abnormal is found in the imaging tests, then there are other tests we can do to determine if this is pancreatic cancer. If we suspect pancreatic cancer, hopefully we can catch it at an early stage when it is more likely to be treated successfully.
Michael Wayne, DO is surgical director at the Center for Digestive Health and the Chief of Pancreato-biliary Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center.
You may have heard your doctor, nurse practitioner or nutritionist recommend that you eat more fiber. But why? What is all the fuss about? Let’s take a look at what fiber is and why it’s good for you. (more…)
You probably have heard that carrots are good for your eyes. You may have also heard that putting teabags or cucumbers on your eyes helps soothe puffy eyes or dark circles. Food can do even more for your eyes when you eat the right things! Beautiful eyes can be as easy as a stroll through the grocery store.
The key to outer beauty really starts with what you put in your body. In fact, when you eat well, you’ll notice that your eyes are the first to show improvement. Let’s take a stroll through the grocery store.
First stop, the produce section
Notice all the bright colors of the vegetables and fruit. They are nature’s pharmacy and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Key food for beautiful eyes are those high in antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as those high in the minerals selenium and zinc. Other lesser know antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, will help to protect the retina and skin around your eyes from dangerous overexpose to the sun’s UV radiation.
Eat 2 to 4 servings of raw fruit or vegetables per day, especially carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, bell peppers, papaya, mangos, oranges and berries. Raw fruits and vegetable retain full antioxidant strength and the brighter the produce the better. If you want to cook your veggies, sauté them lightly in Vitamin-E-rich olive oil.
Next, the bakery!
As you move to the back of the grocery store, you’ll see the bakery. Zero in on the whole-grain breads, which are chockfull of zinc and selenium. The section may have also have nuts. Pick up some almonds and walnuts, which are rich in powerful antioxidants and are very nutritious.
Off to the meat and fish section.
Stick to lean meats, which provide Vitamin A, zinc and selenium. Try to eat more fish, which is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin E. Smaller and fatty fish are the healthiest.
Now comes the dairy section.
Make sure to pick up some low-fat milk, cheese and eggs, all of which contain vitamin A, selenium and zinc.
Avoid!
The main beauty zappers are caffeine, alcohol, salt and cigarettes. Caffeine in drinks like coffee, soda and energy drinks affect your sleep patterns so you don’t get your 7 to 8 hour of beauty rest. If you need caffeine to get through the day, try green tea since it also s antioxidants.
Salt and alcohol make you to retain fluid and cause puffy eyes. Smoking will promote crow’s feet and wrinkles around your eyes.
Beautiful eyes are as easy as walking around the perimeter of the grocery store. Avoid the middle aisles or at least walk cautiously. Eat across the rainbow of whole foods and at the end of the rainbow you will have beautiful and healthy eyes!