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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
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Stress, Women and Heart Disease
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With a viciously unstable financial climate, people all over the world are feeling the stress of pinching pennies, maintaining their jobs and providing for their families. Such added stresses on top of their already hectic lives is inciting problems amongst middle-aged women. Large numbers of women are seeing the adverse affects of too much stress and the lack of exercise and proper diet. It is recommended that people with such high risk symptoms get regularly checked for heart disease and other quiet yet dangerous ailments.
In lieu of heart disease awareness month, women especially those with high stressed jobs should visit their local preventative imaging clinic to get scanned. Especially since numbers of women with heart disease and heart attack are increasing significantly.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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Cops and Heart Scans
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Heart awareness month has begun to kick into gear this February. Police departments nationwide are urging their employees (policemen) to get their virtual heart scans as a form of early detection for heart disease and heart attacks. In honor of heart awareness month many policeman are getting checked and realizing the benefits of regular yearly check-ups.
As the popularity grows and more people become aware of the benefits of heart and full body scans, every month will be awareness month. But till that happens it is important that people are aware of the risks, symptoms and available treatments for their ailments.
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Monday, February 09, 2009
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Heart Month
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In honor of February and Heart Awareness Month, I feel it is necessary to bolster heart disease awareness. In recent weeks many headlines are reporting the possible links from preventative body scans to cancer due to increased doses of radiation. However, for those of you at high-risk for heart disease (family history, high cholesterol and blood pressure), it is vital to get checked yearly. So if in spite of the recent remarks about radiation, buy a loved one a gift certificate to get checked, or simply actively pursue teaching friends and family about the symptoms or lack thereof, possible treatments and preventative scans available.
Avid use of any form of CT scans is clearly not ideal, however thousands of people worldwide succumb to coronary artery disease and heart attacks due to lack of awareness. Hopefully we can try to make February a successful awareness month and bring heart disease into the forefront.
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Friday, February 06, 2009
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Use with Caution
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US physicians are urging doctors to prescribe virtual scans of the heart, lungs and full body, more judiciously as radiation emissions are fairly high on scans. The doctors are recommending that people who do not have high risks: family history of cancer or heart disease, smoking, poor diet and health, and above the age 50 should not be getting scanned yearly. potential patients with such risk factors, should maintain their regiment of getting checked annually, since early detection is vital to survival; especially for lung cancer, heart disease, and colorectal cancer.
Reuters released a report saying, "The American Heart Association urged doctors to weigh risks and benefits carefully in ordering diagnostic tests such as computed tomography, or CT, angiograms and nuclear stress tests in order to minimize the doses of ionizing radiation."
Patients should be consulting their physicians in order to better assess their risk and chances of getting heart disease or lung cancer, because such scans are noted for their early detection and aid in preventing such malignant diseases.
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Thursday, February 05, 2009
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Lung Cancer Awareness Going Global
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The US has always pioneered the way for medical awareness, whether its heart disease or cancer, we have paved the way for other westernised countries to follow our lead. This week Australia has jumped on the lung cancer awareness bandwagon. Typically very active and healthy people Aussies have long been known to applaud awareness – their infamous Movember parties – benefiting and raising awareness for prostate cancer is a huge hit nationwide. This week we are hearing reports that research institutions are trying to increase awareness for lung cancer. Over 8,000 new cases of lung cancer are detected each year in Australia – part of which is because the culture is known for a smoking lifestyle.
This new study and recent awareness stimulus is hoping to increase the use of early detection methods – EBT and CT scans – to prevent lung cancer. The idea is to get doctors and hospitals on board to send patients to get scanned yearly with hopes of catching cancer at its early stages – the more treatable stages.
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Tuesday, February 03, 2009
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Virtual Colonoscopies Added onto Recommended List
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The American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology have released their yearly report about colorectal cancer and recommended treatments, detection methods and available procedures. New to this year's highly regarded list is virtual colonoscopies. These guidelines outline a number or wise options for colon cancer screening and allow the patient to discuss them with their physician. Many patients had complained to the organizations that their physicians did not tell them about virtual colonoscopies.
Screening and surveying colon polyps at early is key to survival rates among patients with colon cancer – early detection methods like virtual colonoscopies not only eliminate the hassle of invasive traditional testing methods, but also the time and embarrassment factor as well.
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Monday, February 02, 2009
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Put down those Butts
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As we all clearly know smoking cigarettes is the leading reason for why people develop lung cancer, but researchers have just found that Radon Gas has been identified as the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths.
"With an estimated 8 million U.S. homes affected, The Surgeon General of the United States is recommending that all homes be tested for this invisible killer. Radon is a gas that is formed naturally when uranium in rock, soil and groundwater breaks down. The Radon gas then finds its way up to the surface. Unlike other forms of pollution or dangerous gasses, you can neither see nor smell Radon"
The gas is virtually not a problem outdoors, however older homes with mediocre insulation leave homeowners and guests at high risk for developing cancer. So for those of you living in areas of Radon Gas it may be beneficial to get a virtual heart scan yearly.
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Friday, January 30, 2009
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Healthy Heart
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Maintaining a healthy heart takes more than just regular check-ups yearly. In order to tend to your health and more specifically your heart - this year start a new heart regiment. From yearly virtual heart scans to eating healthier here are a few tips to keep that heart of yours pumping and beating stronger than ever. As we all know cooking at home after long day of chugging away at work can be quite demanding and quite unsuccessful at times. We fall susceptible to eating garbage and eating out constantly - which means eating foods with bad fats.
Cooking at home, and doing so using healthy products and good oils and fats will be the key to your hearts health. So remember its not just getting checked yearly, its constantly maintaining good eating and exercise habits in order to properly take care of your health. Take a tip or two from this woman who's husband had a heart attack.
"There is no time like now to look for ways to take care of your heart. If you have put off a yearly checkup with your doctor, consider making an appointment. I am convinced that healthy cooking and exercise have energized my family and revitalized our lives."
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Thursday, January 29, 2009
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Virtual Colonoscopy Progress
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Virtual Colonoscopies as we reported in the past month are gaining popularity and credibility in the medical industry. Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers, but similarly considered to be easily detected at its early stages with virtual colonoscopies. The procedure is making headlines in newspapers across the states. This week US News and World Report featured an article called "Colon Cancer is one of the most Preventable Cancers," which discussed viable options for detection and highlighted the benefits of virtual scans.
The article written by journalist Katherine Hobson says, "Colonoscopy can even be considered a form of prevention, since it enables the doctor to get rid of polyps before they become malignant. And yet fewer than half of people who should be screened-those ages 50 and older at average risk-are getting either a colonoscopy or one of the other highly recommended tests for colorectal cancer: sigmoidoscopy, CT or "virtual" colonoscopy, or a double-contrast barium enema."
Early detection screenings for heart, lung and colon are making huge progress in the medical field. Hopefully with more time more physicians will jump on board the early detection bandwagon and begin to send patients to get scans yearly.
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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Urging Americans to Get Screened
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The American Cancer society is urging Americans to get screened for breast, cervical and colon cancer - 3 of the most common cancers striking men and women in the US. As baby-boomers begin to age, it is vital to their colon health that they can screened yearly for polyps, tumors and cancer. Traditional invasive colon cancer screening has been used for years, however with the advent of noninvasive virtual colonoscopies, the procedure is more cost efficient, timely and less painful and embarrassing.
The Washington Post has recently been promulgating the use of screening and early detection methods as well, "The rate of screening for breast and cervical cancers has stayed about the same since 2000, while the rate of colorectal cancer screening has increased but not as fast as experts had hoped, according to the report released Thursday by the American Cancer Society. "More people need to get screened than are being screened, and they need to get screened regularly -- that's a big problem," said report author Robert Smith, director of cancer screening at the cancer society."
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