WELCOME TO HEALTHFUL HINTS
Following are some Healthful Hints that we hope you will be able to utilize in the future.
5-/2/2001
Confused about conflicting reports on exercise duration? Whether you should work out in bits or do it all in one bite may depend on your personal goals.
If you're trying to keep your heart strong, scheduling several short exercise sessions in a single day when you're short on time can bring cardiovascular benefits similar to one long workout. However, if weight loss is your goal, a single, longer workout will burn slightly more calories, which could translate into more pounds lost over time.
2/4/2001
Flower Fixer Feeling anxious? The chamomile flower may put you in a better frame of mind.Studies reveal that chamomile tea may have anti-anxiety effects. Researchers believe that the antioxidant apigenin is what gives the flower of the chamomile herb the ability to soothe frazzled nerves.
Alcohol Advice Want to stop a hangover before it happens? Choose your drink carefully.Studies show lighter-colored alcoholic beverages have fewer of the alcohol byproducts that make hangover symptoms worse. These byproducts, called congeners, are more prevalent in dark wine, bourbon, or brandy. Choose pale beers, gin, or vodka drinks instead. RealAge Benefit: Moderate consumption of alcohol--one drink per day for women, two drinks per day for men--can make your RealAge 1.9 years younger.
1-14-2001
Grain of Truth Want to lower your risk of stroke? Give yourself the gift of whole grains.According to a recent study, eating whole grains each day could reduce your risk of stroke. In fact, avoiding refined grains, such as foods made with white flour, and eating whole grain foods instead, such as whole-wheat bread and brown rice, could reduce your risk by as much as 40%. RealAge Benefit: Eating a high-fiber diet can make your RealAge up to 3.5 years younger.
Just Breathe If you're feeling stressed, relief may be just a breath away.The way you breathe can affect whether you become more or less anxious during stressful times. Taking long, slow breaths instead of short, quick ones can help you to relax. You'll get a deeper breath by filling up your diaphragm or belly with air first, then your chest. RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.
Brush Away Strokes You may be able to give strokes the brush-off with your toothbrush.A new study reveals that people who have periodontal disease are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as people without periodontal disease. However, good oral hygiene can prevent this disease, which also may lead to tooth loss. RealAge Benefit: Flossing and brushing your teeth daily can make your RealAge as much as 6.4 years younger.
Eating a high-fiber diet is the best way to keep your colon free from disease. But adding a little olive oil to your diet may help, too.Researchers believe that olive oil may have the ability to help lower your risk of colon cancer. According to studies, it may be the high concentration of squalene, a constituent of olive oil, that lends olive oil its cancer-fighting powers. RealAge Benefit: Eating a low-fat diet, and eating healthy unsaturated fats when you do eat fat, can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.
Cavity Killer
If you tend to get cavities, chew on this: Gum that is sweetened with xylitol can help prevent tooth decay.
Study participants who chewed on gum with xylitol after meals had far fewer cavity-causing bacteria in their mouths five minutes afterward than people who chewed gum sweetened with sorbitol or people who didn't chew gum at all. Check the label on your favorite gum to see if it contains the cavity-fighting ingredient.
Kiwi Vision
Is the fruit in your diet reducing your risk of cataracts? It may be if it's a kiwifruit.
Kiwifruit is loaded with vitamin C, an antioxidant that may minimize your risk of eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Researchers speculate that the vitamin may work by protecting the lens of your eye.
RealAge Benefit: Getting the right amount of antioxidants and antioxidant vitamins C and E through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger.
Basil not only intensifies the flavor of your food, it provides a pain-fighting nutrient as well.Researchers suspect that eugenol, a compound found in the stems and leaves of basil, may provide an anti-inflammatory effect, which could help with such problems as headache and joint pain. In fact, the herb may be as effective as aspirin or ibuprofen.
A new study confirms that anger tends to increase the levels of an amino acid, homocysteine, in the blood. Elevated homocysteine levels have been linked to arterial damage and cardiovascular disease. The good news is that foods rich in the mineral folate, such as spinach, orange juice, fortified cereals, and beans, may counter homocysteine's harmful effects.
Prostate Cancer
Cancer of the prostate is the most common form of cancer in American men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
Cells in the body normally divide (reproduce) only when new cells are needed. Sometimes cells will divide for no reason, creating a mass of tissue called a tumor. Tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that usually begins in the outer part of the prostate. Cancer cells can break from the tumor and spread to other parts of the body. This spreading is called metastasis.
In most men with prostate cancer, the cancer is very slow-growing. Many men with the disease will never know they had the condition. Early prostate cancer is localized (confined) to the gland, and the majority of patients with this type of cancer can live for years with no problems.
Prostate cancer is characterized by both a grade and a stage. The size and extent of the tumor determine its stage. Early stage prostate cancer, Stages T1 and T2 are localized to the prostate gland. Stage T3 prostate cancer has advanced to the tissue immediately outside the gland. Stage T4 prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic disease).
What causes prostate cancer?
Like many cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is unknown. It is more common in African-American men and men with a family history of the disease. Testosterone contributes to its growth.
How prevalent is prostate cancer?
More than 180,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and more than 40,000 deaths attributed to the disease. Eighty percent of men who reach age 80 have prostate cancer.
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Roughly two-thirds of men with prostate cancer have no symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms for many years, and by the time symptoms occur, the disease may have spread beyond the prostate.
Some possible symptoms include:
Blood in the urine
Decreased flow of urinary stream
Interrupted urine flow (dribbling)
Difficulty initiating urination
Difficulty or inability to urinate
Frequent urination during bedtime hours (nocturia)
Pain during ejaculation
Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or upper thighs
What are the risk factors?
All men are at risk of developing prostate cancer. The most profound risk factor is age. More than 75 percent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65, and the lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer for a 50-year-old is a little more than 10 percent.
African-American men have a 30-50 percent higher risk of prostate cancer.
Dramatic differences in the incidence of prostate cancer are seen in different countries and there is some evidence that a diet higher in animal fat may, in part, account for higher incidence rates.
Genetic factors play a role, particularly for families whose histories include diagnosis in men under age 60. The risk of prostate cancer also rises with the number of close relatives who have the disease.
How is prostate cancer diagnosed?
Two tests are commonly used to screen for prostate cancer in the absence of any symptoms. One is the digital rectal exam, in which a doctor feels the prostate through the rectum to find hard or lumpy areas known as nodules. The other is a blood test used to detect a substance made by the prostate called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). When used together, these tests can detect abnormalities that might suggest silent prostate cancers.
Neither of the screening tests for prostate cancer is perfect. Many men with a mildly elevated PSA do not have prostate cancer and men with prostate cancer may have normal levels of PSA. Also, the digital rectal examination does not detect all prostate cancers.
The diagnosis can be confirmed only by a microscopic examination of prostate tissue. This is done by a biopsy performed in a urologist's office. A small sample of tissue is taken from the prostate for testing and evaluation under a microscope. The sample is gathered by putting a needle through the urethra, rectum or skin between the rectum and scrotum.
Your doctor is likely to discuss your medical history with you. Answering questions about any history of genital or urinary disease in your family can aid the diagnosis. Your doctor may also ask about any changes in your pattern of urinating.
How is prostate cancer treated?
Treatment is divided into four categories:
Surgery to remove the gland
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Hormone treatment to reduce the size of the tumor
Surveillance (watch and wait)
Watchful waiting is recommended for some patients, particularly those who are older or who suffer from other life-threatening conditions. In these cases, the cancer may be growing so slowly that it's not likely to be fatal.
Choosing a treatment option involves you, your family and your doctor. Considerations include the grade and stage of the cancer, your age and health status and the individual choices that you make about the risk and benefits of each treatment option.
Copyright ??0 content, The Cleveland Clinic. The information provided by The Cleveland Clinic is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health-care provider. Please consult your health-care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. For additional health information, please contact the Health Information Center at The Cleveland Clinic, (216) 444-3771 or toll-free (800) 223-2273, Ext. 43771.
December 2000
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