Balanced Living

November 2005

Are You At Risk?

November is American Diabetes Month

Are you more than 20 percent overweight? Are you over age 40? Does an immediate family member have diabetes? Are you of American Indian, African American or Hispanic lineage? Do you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high triglyceride levels? Did you ever have high blood sugar during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)? If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you’re at risk of diabetes.

Diabetes is more widespread than most people realize. Sixteen million Americans have the disease, but only 11 million have been diagnosed.

By the time the remaining 5 million are diagnosed, they will have had diabetes for an average of five to seven years already. The condition is often missed in routine exams because it can develop slowly and shows no initial symptoms. Most health care providers test blood sugar or glucose as part of an annual exam, but you should not hesitate to ask for this test if you’re concerned or believe you might be at risk. A fasting blood-sugar level of more than 115 mg/dl indicates you may need additional tests for diabetes.

Once people know they have diabetes, they can control their glucose to improve their long-term health. Research has shown that eye disease can occur within five years of the disease’s onset and kidney disease starts to develop after 15 years if diabetes isn’t well controlled. But a person’s risk of having diabetic complications is reduced by 65 percent if the condition is well controlled.

The ADA recommends that people with diabetes use the following strategies to control their glucose and their symptoms.

Diet

Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish and eat fewer high-fat foods. Carbohydrates and foods that contain small amounts of natural sugar can be part of a well-balanced diet. The ADA suggests seeing a registered dietitian to help plan meals.

Exercise

Exercise helps to decrease blood glucose and promotes weight loss. Physical activity is one of the best treatments for type 2 diabetes. Up to 20 percent of people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood sugar with diet and exercise, according to the ADA. Ask your doctor to suggest an exercise program that’s right for you.

Medication

Take medication if your doctor prescribes it. People with diabetes who need medication have a variety of choices to lower their blood-sugar levels.

For more information:
http://www.diabetes.org
https://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/sc/12

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Shedding Some Light on Lung Cancer

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

When most women think of cancer, they think of cancers affecting the breasts and ovaries. Increased awareness of these diseases has led women to seek treatment earlier and has saved lives. But there is another cancer that deserves the same—if not more—attention. According to the American Lung Association, since 1987 more women have died each year from lung cancer than breast cancer, which had been the leading cause of cancer death in women for about 40 years.

When both men and women are included, lung cancer kills more people than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined, making it the leading cancer death, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). The average age for people diagnosed with lung cancer is 60. It does not usually occur in someone under age 40.

Breathing lessons

The two lungs bring air in and out of the body, taking in oxygen when you inhale and getting rid of carbon dioxide when you exhale. The air enters the lungs through the windpipe, or trachea. Once in the lungs, the windpipe divides into tubes called bronchi, which further divide into smaller branches called bronchioles. At the end of the bronchioles are tiny sacs known as alveoli. There, oxygen passes into the bloodstream for use by the body, and carbon dioxide is passed into the alveoli to be exhaled through the lungs.

Most lung cancers start in the lining of the bronchi, according to the ACS. Other sites for lung cancer are the trachea, bronchioles and alveoli. Lung cancers develop slowly, beginning with precancerous changes. These changes can’t be seen on an X-ray (no mass or tumor) and they cause no symptoms. Researchers know about the changes, however, because they have studied cells in the lining of the airways damaged by smoke.

Genetic mutations occur when the genetic material responsible for producing cells is damaged. Tobacco smoke and other carcinogens cause these mutations. Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs, most often starting in the lining of the bronchi. But it can also start in the trachea, bronchioles or alveoli. Reproducing quickly, these damaged cells form tumors, which may block air passages in the lungs and prevent their normal functioning. Often, in a process called metastasis, cancer cells break away and spread to other parts of the body.

Lung cancers are divided into two main groups: small-cell lung cancers and large-cell lung cancers. If a lung cancer has characteristics of both, it is called a mixed small cell/large cell carcinoma. About a fifth of all lung cancers are small-cell cancers. “Small cell” refers to size and appearance of the cancer cells, says the ACS. These cancer cells grow quickly and form large tumors. These cancers are almost always caused by smoking. Large-cell cancers make up the rest of lung cancers, and are further divided into three subgroups: Squamous cell carcinoma, which is associated with smoking, Adenocarcinoma and large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma.

Smoking leaves a legacy

The major cause of lung cancer has been known for decades: tobacco smoking, in the form of cigarettes, cigars and pipes. The ALA estimates that smoking is directly responsible for 87 percent of all lung cancer cases in the United States each year. The longer someone smokes and the more cigarettes he or she smokes, the greater the risk. The National Women’s Health Resource Centers Inc., says women who smoke are 12 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who don’t smoke.

If you stop smoking before a cancer develops, your damaged lung tissue gradually starts to recover, says the ACS. If you remain smoke-free 10 years, your risk of developing lung cancer falls to one-third of what it would have been had you continued to smoke.

Lung cancer takes many years to develop, and it is difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Only 15 percent of lung cancers are found when they are still localized. Because lung cancer statistics reflect smoking patterns of the past, there will be some decrease in its occurrence, as smoking rates have declined over the last 30 or 40 years. But the incidence of smoking among teenagers does not bode well for the future.

Other causes

Other risk factors for lung cancer include exposure to secondhand smoke, exposure to asbestos and other workplace carcinogens (chemicals such as arsenic, vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas and chloromethyl ethers, fuels such as gasoline and diesel exhaust), a diet low in fruits and vegetables, genetic predisposition (it seems only with some other environmental agent) and marijuana smoking. Supplemental doses of beta carotene (which your body converts to vitamin A) increases the risk of lung cancer in heavy smokers.

For more information:
http://www.alcase.org
https://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/sc/23

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Why Quit?

This year’s Great American Smokeout is November 17, 2005

Why should you quit smoking?

Your smile will be brighter. With every puff, nicotine and tar coat and stain your teeth. After you quit, make an appointment with your dentist to have the yellow stains cleaned. Your whiter smile can remind you of your accomplishment.

You will develop fewer wrinkles. Nicotine can block the blood supply to your skin, which can cause wrinkles. Tobacco smoke can dry your skin and make it more prone to wrinkles.

Food will taste better. Smoking takes a lot of the pleasure from eating by interfering with your senses of taste and smell.

You may not get sick as often. Smoking damages your airways and makes you more prone to coughs, colds and infections.

You will have a better chance of living a longer, healthier life. As soon as you stop smoking, your body starts to recover. Within 10 years, your risk of heart disease and lung cancer will be almost the same as if you had never smoked.

You will have more money in your pocket every day. A pack of cigarettes costs between three and five dollars. If you smoked a pack a day for a year, you’d spend at least $1,095. Write down something new that you would like to have a thousand dollars for. You can have fun and help save your life at the same time.

There are plenty of other reasons to quit smoking. Make your own list and keep it posted where you can see it every day. Quitting smoking may be the most difficult, but also the most rewarding, thing you ever do.

For more information:
http://www.cancer.org

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Understanding Alzheimer’s

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

As you age, your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of a brain disorder called dementia. Researchers do not know exactly what causes AD, but they believe there are probably several causes, including advancing age. Genetics also may play a role in some forms of AD. Familial AD is one example of an inherited form; it usually appears in middle age. The more common of AD, which occurs in older adults, does not appear to be inherited.

Symptoms

Symptoms of AD develop slowly, according to the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center. The first symptom may be mild forgetfulness, in which the person may have difficulty remembering recent events, activities or names. As the disease progresses, symptoms become more serious. A person with more advanced AD may forget how to do simple tasks such as brushing his or her teeth or combing his or her hair, says ADEAR. The person may have problems speaking, reading or writing. In later stages of AD, the person may wander away from home, and become anxious or aggressive.

The importance of healthy aging

About 4.5 million people in the United States have AD—including nearly half the people over age 85. The number of cases is expected to triple by the middle of the century. Much of what we’ve learned about healthy aging corresponds with what we know about people who do not get the disease. Studies show a relationship between diets high in fruits and vegetables and avoidance of the disease. Diets high in animal fat, on the other hand, have a negative correspondence. So following guidelines for healthy eating may offer some protection.

Exercise may also help. Some researchers think exercise increases the amount of oxygen available to the brain. That may help prevent the death of brain cells. There is also evidence that suggests staying mentally active may have a preventive effect.

What early diagnosis can do

A key development in AD research has been the ability to diagnose the disease. There is still no screening test before symptoms appear, but until recently the disease was diagnosed by ruling out other possible causes of the symptoms. These include thyroid problems, drug side effects, depression, brain tumors and blood vessel disease. Now neurologists can use imaging and other techniques to identify markers that confirm the presence of the disease.

The tools a specialist in AD uses to help in the diagnosis include:

• Personal medical history
• Blood tests, as well as tests of urine and spinal fluid
• Memory and language tests
• A brain scan

If you notice changes in your mental abilities talk with your doctor. Some dementia can be caused by brain injury, other diseases, depression or drug interactions. Those things can be treated. The earlier they’re discovered, the more effective treatment can be.

Treatment

Early diagnosis means faster treatment for AD, too. Currently, no treatment can stop AD, but the FDA has approved four drugs to treat AD symptoms. These drugs can help make the AD patient more comfortable, and make it easier for caregivers to take care of the patient. The value of early diagnosis is time. It’s easier to make decisions about care, about finances and about other things when the person with Alzheimer’s is able to participate.

A person with AD usually lives about 10 years after diagnosis, but some people live for up to 20 years.

For more information:
http://www.alz.org
https://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/health/200/459

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Is Adoption Right for You?

November is National Adoption Month

Who can adopt?

Adoptive parents may be married or single, childless or already parenting other children. Having a disability does not automatically disqualify you from adopting a child; rather, agencies will want to ensure that you can care for a child and meet his or her needs throughout his or her childhood. Divorce or a history of marital or personal counseling does not automatically eliminate you as a candidate. You are not required to own your own home or to have a high income in order to give children what they need-permanence, stability, a lifetime commitment, and a chance to be part of a family. Children do not need “perfect” parents—they need one or more caring and committed individuals willing to meet their needs and to incorporate them into a nurturing family environment.

Increasing numbers of agencies and some foreign countries are now placing children with single applicants. Follow-up research studies of successful single parent adoptions have shown single adoptive parents as mature, independent, and having a wide and supportive network of family and friends. In fact, single adoptive parents are often the placement of choice for children who have trouble dealing with two parents due to a history of abuse or neglect.

For many infant adoptions in the United States, however, agency criteria for applicants are more restrictive. Often agencies will only consider couples married at least one to three years, between the ages of 25 and 40, and with stable employment income. Some agencies accept applicants who are older than 40. Some agencies require that the couple have no other children and be unable to bear children. Some agencies require that one parent not work outside the home for at least six months after the adoption. Agencies placing infants will discuss their specific eligibility regulations and placement options with you.

Where to start

Adopting a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. However for adoption beginners, the adoption process can seem overwhelmingly complicated, time consuming, and frustrating-especially if you are eager to get started. Here is some basic information about possible adoption alternatives and is designed to give you an understanding of the adoption process.

Today adoption is very different from what it was even 10 years ago. Prospective adoptive families can feel vulnerable as they attempt to learn as much as possible in the shortest period of time to become informed consumers of adoption services.

The first step is to read and to educate yourself about adoption in general, the types of children available to adopt, and the various avenues to adoption. There are many informational resources available—guidebooks as well as national adoption organizations. Adoptive parent support groups throughout the United States have members willing to assist those who are considering adoption. Adoption Specialists in each state can send you information to help get you started. As you learn more, you will become better prepared to make the choices that are best for you.

For more information:
http://www.adoptioncouncil.org
https://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/sc/1

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Ready for Retirement?

National Retirement Planning Week is November 7-11, 2005

When should I start planning for retirement?

It’s never too early to plan for what you will do in your golden years. To start, take a few minutes to write down the things you expect to be actively involved in. Don’t count solo activities such as reading, watching TV or jogging. While fine in themselves, they are not likely to keep you energized and interested for long. Be as specific as you can. For example, if you plan to participate in charitable activities aimed at helping educate Third World children, who will you work with and what will you do? Keep in mind that participating in just a few activities won’t keep you interested in life and interesting to others. So if your list consists of travel, adult education courses and golf, you’ll need to do more planning.

How do I start planning?

According to the National Retirement Planning Coalition the top ten ways to start planning for retirement are:

1. Select a target date for when you want to retire.
2. Calculate how much money you need to accumulate by the time you want to retire.
3. Find out about your Social Security benefits.
4. Maximize your use of tax-advantaged plans such as employer retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and annuities.
5. If your employer doesn’t have a pension or retirement plan, ask that one be started.
6. Don’t touch your savings.
7. Diversify your assets.
8. Ask questions. Get help. Seek the assistance of a professional financial advisor.
9. Start now, set goals.
10. Do a retirement plan and monitor your progress.

For more information:
http://www.retireonyourterms.org/
https://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/sc/18