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By admin, July 28, 2010 2:30 pm

Many women with breast cancer want to do anything and everything to fight the disease as aggressively as possible. In fact, more and more are choosing preventive mastectomies even when their cancer is the noninvasive kind that hasn’t spread. But sometimes less treatment may be the healthiest decision. For instance, new research pinpoints a group of women who will do just fine and, in fact, far better without adding radiation to their breast cancer treatment program.

Who Needs Radiation Therapy?

The latest research, from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, shows that most early-stage breast cancer patients do not need radiation after their mastectomies because there is such a low risk for recurrence. But because what one woman sees as “low risk” can seem “too risky” to another, I contacted Henry Kuerer, MD, PhD, professor and training program director in M.D. Anderson’s department of surgical oncology and senior author of the study, to get some perspective.

Researchers reviewed the records of more than 1,000 women (average age 54) whose stage I or II breast cancer had spread to three or fewer lymph nodes. Each woman had had a mastectomy, 77% had also received postoperative chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy, and none had received postoperative radiation. After an average follow-up time of seven-and-a-half years, this group’s rate of recurrence was quite low, just 2.3%.

“Radiation therapy has so many risks, we have to decide if it’s really a benefit when we consider that the risk for recurrence is so low,” Dr. Kuerer told me. The risks of radiation therapy include injury to the cardiopulmonary vessels, the neurological system, the skin and the musculoskeletal system, plus a higher risk for lung cancer, esophageal cancer and leukemia. Meanwhile, he said, surgery and chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer are better and more effective than they used to be, so there’s less need to add radiation to the mix.

Making a Decision

Of course, some women really do need radiation treatment for their breast cancer. According to Dr. Kuerer, radiation is advised and very effective in decreasing the risk for recurrence. For many breast cancer patients with advanced disease (stage III and IV), because their risk is far higher, between 10% and 15%. Radiation should also be strongly considered for women with tumors of more than 5 centimeters, more than four positive lymph nodes, positive margins (indicating that cancer cells have spread to the edge of the biopsied tissue) and/or extra-capsular extension (a tumor growing from the lymph node into the underarm). Also, it should be considered for breast cancer patients under age 40 (who typically have an aggressive form of the disease), for patients with metastatic breast cancer and for those whose cancers are at borderline stages, such as between stage II and stage III.

Dr. Kuerer advises asking your doctor to assess your risk of recurrence, adding that it’s important to make sure he/she is usingcurrent data. Also, he suggests seeking another doctor’s opinion if you feel uncertain. “You need to feel comfortable with your team of doctors and confident that they understand the true risks and benefits of radiation therapy for you.” In the end, there’s no single “right” answer, just what’s right for you.

Source(s):

Henry M. Kuerer, MD, PhD, professor and director breast surgical oncology training program, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

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By admin, July 26, 2010 9:25 am

This month alone I have learned of four colleagues that have had heart issues due to work stress. There was an episode of Seinfeld that showed George’s father shouting “Serenity now!” instead of getting angry. While we laughed at that episode, new research has found a link between suppressing workplace anger and increased risk for heart attack. In other words, holding anger inside at the office could literally kill you.

Though this research began more than a decade ago, it has become particularly relevant in our difficult economic times. Workers may feel uneasy about the consequences of disagreement or having a misunderstanding with a boss or colleague. People may experience more job-related pressures but also feel less appreciated. We’ve heard many disturbing accounts of disgruntled workers reacting violently when things aren’t going the way they want them to, yet as this study makes clear, it’s not healthy to hold in your feelings all the time either.

Mad Men at Work

Working with a group of 2,832 Swedish men, the researchers designed a questionnaire to quantify each participant’s typical style for handling angry feelings toward superiors or colleagues at work. A series of questions measured the likelihood that each participant would react “covertly” by suppressing his anger (walking away and taking some time to calm himself, but not taking up the issue again), holding feelings inside and later developing physical symptoms such as a headache or stomachache, or venting his anger elsewhere. What they found is what makes gulping down your angry thoughts and words at work look very unwise. The more covert a participant’s style of handling workplace anger, the more likely he was to have had a heart attack in the period between 1992 (when the study began) and 2003 (when it ended).

What does this mean for heart health? The researchers found that those who tended to handle conflict with a superior or coworker by suppressing their anger without saying anything (just “letting it pass”) had double the risk for heart attack or cardiac death compared with those who never or seldom behaved this way, and for those who held their anger inside and suffered physical distress later, the risk was triple.

Note: Though this study examined only men, study coauthor Tores Theorell, MD, PhD, professor emeritus and scientific advisor at the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University, said that covert coping is actually even more common among women. The study was reported in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Fine, You’re Mad, What Can You Do?

The findings suggest that it’s unhealthy to suppress your emotions when you’re treated unfairly, say the researchers. But other research has shown that simply venting, expressing strong anger directly, actually can trigger a heart attack (although rarely), so this is not a healthy option either. I called a workplace-management consultant to ask about the healthiest ways to handle anger at work, both for your well-being and for your career.

“Blowing up or holding in anger can both lead to problems, and people who suppress their anger eventually blow up anyway,” I heard from Emil F. Coccaro, MD, professor of psychiatry and director of the clinical neuroscience and psychopharmacology research unit in the department of psychiatry at The University of Chicago. Dr. Coccaro said that the goal is not just to get through a situation but “to be calm inside and out and to not feel as if the world is out to get you.”

Take a Time-Out

The best and simplest strategy for handling anger at work is one any modern parent will recognize, a “time-out.” “Excuse yourself and go for a walk. After you’ve calmed down, you’re more likely to have a discussion that’s rational and produces a good resolution,” Dr. Coccaro said. “If you try to discuss the situation when you’re angry, you’ll say things you’ll regret and also you won’t get what you want.”

Another cool-down strategy: Do some deep-breathing exercises, or try counting slowly to 10. Then, he suggests, you should mentally review the situation when you’ve calmed down. Consider whether your anger is justified, was what the person said or did really so bad? Could it be that you were just feeling irritable that day? Or perhaps you need to take some responsibility, did your own actions trigger something you hadn’t foreseen? It’s important to try to understand the situation more completely.

Everyone gets angry from time to time and sometimes with good reason. If you’re blowing up a few times a week, you may need to be evaluated for anger-management problems, Dr. Coccaro said. Treatment may involve talking with a therapist and sometimes even medication for a short while to help you learn to reframe your thinking about your interactions with others. Sometimes at least some of the problem lies within.

Source(s):

Tores Theorell, MD, PhD, professor emeritus, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden.

Emil F. Coccaro, MD, E.C. Manning Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral neuroscience, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago

Stress can make any day hard. There are many ways you can avoid having a heart attack and minimizing stress is one of them. Check out our weight loss tips to find out more ways to minimize the risk of having a heart attack.

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By admin, July 23, 2010 10:19 am

We humans aren’t the only ones who relish lush, juicy summertime produce. Mold, too, thrives happily on the sugar and moisture so readily available in ripe fruits and vegetables. It even can grow deep into these foods where you can’t see it! According to Leigh Broadhurst, PhD, research geochemist in the USDA’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Services, even invisible mold in your food can make you sick. She told me that just sniffing mold in food can make you ill with symptoms that can range from slightly nauseous to a life-threatening toxic shock reaction. Here is her advice…

Citrus fruits. When you get home from the market, do an immediate and thorough check of citrus fruits in bags and boxes — if you find one or two with even a bit of visible mold, there are likely to be more. Return them all to the store or toss them all into the trash. Mold spreads easily and fast with these fruits, and eating citrus with mold can make you quite ill. And, since it’s sometimes hard to see, if a fruit tastes moldy when you bite into it, spit it out.

Soft fruits and vegetables. This category includes peaches, nectarines, plums, grapes, melons, cucumbers, zucchini and the like, all of which are prone to announce mold by developing soft spots. For these, it’s okay to cut small moldy spots away (meaning those that are less than a quarter of the total piece), taking one-half inch around the spot. To avoid cross-contamination, don’t let the knife touch the mold. Larger soft areas, though, mean mold has invaded the whole fruit or vegetable even though you don’t see it, throw the food away.

Firm vegetables. Hard vegetables, like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, peppers and others, have little moisture, making them less vulnerable to mold. It is fine to cut off any small patches of mold you see, in this case at least one inch around the mold.

Tomatoes. Brown spots on the outside and dark seeds inside mean you should throw the entire tomato away.

Berries. The ones with hollow centers (like raspberries) may grow mold from the inside out, so cut these in half and look before eating.

Block That Mold!

The safest produce, of course, is that which hasn’t had a chance to grow mold. Dr. Broadhurst has a few tips for that as well…

• Shop at local farmer’s markets, where produce is more likely to be just-picked.
• Wash produce only when you are ready to eat, cook or freeze it. Fruits and vegetables naturally have protective microorganisms on their surfaces that are harmless, washing strips these off and opens the way for mold to settle in.
• Use “freshness preserving” containers and/or bags. These are designed to release the ethylene gas produced as fruits and vegetables mature, which if allowed to accumulate increases the speed of ripening and thus spoilage.
• Use the freezer, in particular for fresh berries you want to save. Place the entire package (washed first) into a sealed plastic bag and put it in the freezer, then use the fruit as you need it. (It won’t have the same consistency as fresh fruit, but it’s delicious… nutritious too.) Also a good choice: Frozen berries from the supermarket — they do not mold and are good year-round.

Source(s):

Leigh Broadhurst, PhD, a research geochemist in the USDA’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Services, Beltsville, Maryland.

It is amazing all the things you can find within your foods. Avoid dealing with such situations and keep your knowledge strong with our health and weight loss tips now.

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By admin, July 22, 2010 9:15 am

In the 1970s, the then-famous actor George Sanders shocked the world when he killed himself and left a suicide note that explained, “… I am bored.” Killing yourself is a pretty extreme response to being bored, of course, but several studies of late have found a startling connection between chronic boredom and early death… perhaps a literal demonstration of “bored to death.” In one study, researchers conducted initial interviews in the mid-1980s with 7,500 civil servants in the UK. When they returned to update information about 25 years later, they found that people who had said that they were bored in the original screening were nearly 40% more likely to have died than those who found their lives more interesting. The same study revealed that people living with high levels of tedium were 2.5 times more likely to die of heart disease than those who did not. This is certainly an interesting demonstration of the powerful connection between mind and body.

Many people live with assorted states of boredom, and yes, some parts of life (paying bills, loading the dishwasher) are quite dull. But giving in to living a life that feels tedious can ultimately be very destructive, says life coach Lauren Zander. Boredom is a state of mind, she says, in her view, this truth is very, very powerful.

The destructive part? People who are bored at work start showing up late, making mistakes and otherwise begin to act in ways that may eventually lead to the exit door (or at the very least, keep them stuck doing the same job without much prospect of advancement). Boredom can also destroy relationships, no longer excited about the other person, people quit paying attention to conversations or doing nice things for him/her, and some even use their boredom to justify having an affair. Boredom doesn’t strike only in romantic relationships, by the way, it can also cause you to take friends, siblings, even your children for granted.

Interestingly, boredom can even arise in areas where you have achieved success, precisely because you’ve succeeded. Say you have a wonderful job and you are on top of the career ladder, but you find yourself getting restless and, yes, bored. The reason is simply that you have attained mastery (and kudos to you!) and now it just feels like the same-old, same-old.

Boredom feeds on itself, breeding laziness and yet more dissatisfaction. When you’re bored, you do nothing, which leads to, being bored. If you are sitting on the couch being bored, you are not reading books that suggest new adventures or challenge your old ways of thinking. You aren’t out enjoying events and activities and interactions with others. You aren’t engaging in activities that are creative, fun, stimulating or enriching. Of course you’re bored!

But flat as it may make you feel, Lauren doesn’t see boredom as one-dimensional at all, in fact, it has many layers, she says. If you find yourself saying “it is what it is” about your boring life, it’s partly out of laziness, partly indifference, and also likely has elements of fear and depression too. All this is wrapped up tightly in the belief that you cannot do anything to make life better. People blame outside forces for their boredom, their same old job, spouse, house, everything but themselves.

Boredom is a Choice

Boredom may be an inevitable part of life, but it’s not a life sentence, it’s a signal that you need to find something interesting to do! That seemingly enlightened mantra “it is what it is” is, in fact, a clue that you are feeling stuck in your life or behavior, take it as a nudge to start looking to learn something from your boredom. It may mean that you have achieved your goals in one part of your life, so it is time to create change for yourself, perhaps search out new challenges that you could add to your job description or maybe even look for a whole new position. Or if your weekends are empty and dull because they’re no longer filled with your children’s sports and parties, it’s time to schedule new activities of your own.

Here’s the powerful part: Becoming aware of your boredom shows you the parts of life where you are letting things just exist rather than taking action to shape them to your liking. So now you can do something about it. Take an inventory of your current life, look for areas where you have become lazy, slightly depressed, indifferent and feel resigned about facing another day. These are all indicators of boredom and as such they are your signals to step in to start making change.

Note: Lauren cautions that it is important to be careful not to confuse boredom with contentment. Contentment is when you truly are at peace with the way things are, whereas boredom leaves you unhappy with the status quo.

Finding ways to bring some zing into your life isn’t hard. When people consider making changes in their lives, they tend to think globally, as if they have to change everything, start a new career or ditch a spouse right now. Not so, says Lauren. In fact the best way to get going is with very small changes, which may be as simple as adding air to the tires of your bike and going for a ride, getting in the car and heading out for a “field trip” to a town you’ve never visited, or even going food shopping in a very different sort of place, like a farmer’s market or a gourmet supermarket. If your sex life with your partner puts you to sleep, you can change that by taking small steps as well, says Lauren. “Make out in the car, ask for a kiss in the morning, do something new together each week. Slowly inch your way back to where you would like this to be,” she suggests. Try something new or different to engage your imagination and emotions. Start by breaking the boredom of the moment, and then go on to making plans to break the cycle in more important areas where you feel stuck, such as work or your marriage overall.

Boredom is actually a valuable signal that can energize you and put you back in power. Pay attention to your “boredom radar” so that you spot it quickly, before it harms the quality of your life. Take responsibility, urges Lauren. “You’re the driver in your life — and if you have driven yourself into a ditch, admit you put yourself there and accept that you can get yourself out.” That’s a powerful thought indeed!

Source(s):

Lauren Zander, cofounder and chairman, The Handel Group, www.thehandelgroup.com.

Get a little extra amusement in your life easily! Come back tomorrow and read about the Hidden Horror in Your Food, the next instalment into our fast weight loss tips.

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By admin, July 21, 2010 2:06 pm

With all the recent talk about a “sin tax” on sugary sodas, I’m surprised no one is talking about slapping a tariff on deep-fried foods. Yes, they are tasty as anything, but they’re also really terrible for your health. Jane Kirby, RD, author of several cookbooks as well as books on nutrition and weight loss, discussed delicious foods that you can’t, in good conscience, enjoy very often. She offered some great advice on how to prepare foods so that they can achieve that seductive deep-fried crunch while still retaining some measure of being “good for you,” too. You will want to try her cooking methods, but first…

Why Not Fried Foods?

Nutritionists caution against eating fried foods for two reasons, says Kirby. For starters, frying adds lots of calories to food (fat has nine calories per gram compared with just four per gram for protein or carbs), but the second reason is more disturbing as it is impossible to fry foods without having at least some oxidation in the oil, which creates those nasty free radicals that contribute to cardiac disease and other health problems.

It’s actually quite fascinating what happens to food when you fry it. When you cook food in hot oil, the heat transforms the food’s internal moisture into steam, which cooks the food inside and pushes steam against the surface. This is supposed to block the oil from seeping in, but it is a difficult feat to pull off, because it requires a very particular oil temperature, just below the oil’s smoking point. Cooler will slow down moisture conversion giving the oil plenty of time to soak in, if hotter, you risk taking the oil to its smoking point, the temperature at which it oxidizes. The first result is bad for you, while the second result is bad for you too.

Better Ways to Get That Crunch

Happily, there are ways to lessen the problems inherent in frying. Let’s start with sautéing, thought by many to be a healthier way to cook. It is, but only when done the right way. Unfortunately, the usual way people “sauté” is to pour oil in a pan, heat it up and plop in the food, giving it an occasional stir. This is in fact frying and not sautéing, Kirby says. She explains that sauté literally means “jump,” a skill television chefs demonstrate when they continuously shake a pan to tumble the food within. Mastering this skill lets you achieve that crispy crust with less oil agitating the food brings its entire surface into contact with the hot oil for brief periods but not long enough that it soaks in. If you haven’t honed this skill, try just stirring the food quickly and continuously over fairly high heat (don’t let it reach the smoking point) until it is done.

For dishes that use onions and garlic, Kirby suggests “sweating” them first in a mere shimmer of oil.

Here’s how: Place chopped onions and garlic into a pan with a half-teaspoon of oil, cover and cook slowly on a low heat to release the moisture. Once you’ve done that you can add vegetables and protein and, if you want, a bit more oil. Turn up the heat to cook rapidly as you stir. You can add flavor by pouring a small amount of olive oil over the food just before serving.

Least Harmful Ways to Fry

Should you opt to pan- or deep-fry food, here are the ways to protect it from becoming loaded with unhealthy fat and calories…

• Use an oil with a high smoking point. This is one type of cooking for which virgin (not extra virgin) olive oil is preferable, since extra virgin olive oil is more fragile and has a much lower smoking point (320 degrees, compared with 420 degrees).
• Other good choices: Palm oil has a high smoking point (about 425 degrees), as do corn oil (about 450 degrees), walnut and canola oils (about 400 degrees). All these are healthful choices in small amounts.
• Food must be at room temperature before cooking, chilled food lowers the temperature of the oil too much.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. This, too, lowers the temperature of the oil.
• Don’t use fat in your batter. Batter with fat in it attracts more fat to it, says Kirby. Instead, dip food in egg whites, then flour, then water, fat-free milk or flattened beer rather than whole eggs and whole milk. Seasoned bread crumbs, following a quick egg dip, also make a nice, fat-free batter, good for coating chicken breasts and fish fillets.
• Never reuse oil. Once it has been heated it has oxidized and should be tossed.

Crispy-Like-Fried

For almost fat-free foods that are crispy-like-fried, turn to your oven. First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (on bake) for vegetables. Cut food into small pieces and coat lightly with oil or batter, then spread on a cooking sheet and pop into your oven.

For chicken breasts and fish fillets, preheat to 375 degrees, then dip into seasoned, fine bread crumbs, then milk, and back into the crumbs for another coating. Bake fish about 10 minutes and chicken about 15. The coating combines with the oven’s heat to turn out food that is crispy, browned and delicious.

And here’s a tasty, and healthier, way to enjoy potato chips: Slice potatoes thinly and evenly, then spritz lightly with olive oil (you can buy olive oil spray cans from Amazon.com for about $20)… and place on a flat pan in one layer. Bake the potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. (If they’re thickly sliced, they’ll need to be turned midway.) Kirby’s insider tip: refrigerate potatoes overnight before you cook them (usually a huge no-no for potatoes) to convert their starch to sugar. This will make them even crispier when oven-fried. Sweet potatoes are also excellent prepared this way (no need to refrigerate the raw sweet potatoes).

Who needs to fry?

Source(s):

Jane Kirby, RD, CD, CCP, author of several cookbooks and books on nutrition and weight loss… former program director of Vtrim, an on-line weight-loss program at the University of Vermont… and founder of Vermont Grain Mills (organic whole grains), Charlotte, Vermont,www.vermontgrainmills.com.

Potato chips can be healthy and something you can continue to enjoy. Want to find out more things you can enjoy while dieting? Come back tomorrow for the next fast weight loss tips that we are bringing you.

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By admin, July 20, 2010 2:04 pm

If you or someone you know suffers with stubborn migraines that drugs can’t touch, you may find help in, of all things, Botox. Famous for erasing wrinkles, temporarily, anyway, this neurotoxin from the bacteria that causes botulism has been shown in a new study to provide dramatic relief to a very specific subgroup of migraine patients for whom nothing else in conventional medicine seems to work. Alan M. Rapoport, MD, clinical professor of neurology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and founder and director-emeritus of the New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, stated that for some, Botox provides “amazing” relief.

The discovery of Botox for migraine was an accident, incidentally. Back in the 1990s, a California ENT surgeon observed that a number of patients he injected with Botox to remove wrinkles said that they were experiencing fewer headaches. Though doctors initially interpreted that to mean that Botox could reduce tension-type headaches, it turned out that only migraines respond. It’s believed that Botox helps these patients by preventing release of certain inflammatory chemicals in the area that affect the nerves in the head and neck.

Who Feels Better?

Curiously, Botox does not help patients who have occasional migraine, but it can offer relief for 40% to 50% of chronic sufferers of a particular type; ocular migraines (described as crushing, imploding or eye-popping), the kind that are felt in the eyes. It effectively relieves the number, intensity and duration of headaches.

The standard treatment with Botox for headache is to inject tiny amounts over the bridge of the nose and above the eyebrows and in the temples in a quick (10 minutes or so) in-office procedure. If you get migraine pain in other areas, injections can be tried in those spots as well. While some patients notice some benefit within a few days, most find it takes up to three weeks to get real relief, says Dr. Rapoport, adding that relief usually lasts for three or four months. These Botox treatments can be given again and again, Dr. Rapoport told me that he has treated one woman this way for eight years with continuing success.

Botox for migraine is an off-label use, although the FDA is currently weighing its approval for chronic migraine. According to Dr. Rapoport, the statistics support its safety, with 95% of patients experiencing no side effects at all. At about $350 to $900 per treatment for the medicine alone (treatment can take one to two vials per visit), relief can be costly, but for chronic sufferers, perhaps well worth it. For some lucky patients, insurance will even lower the cost.

Source(s):

Alan M. Rapoport, MD, clinical professor of neurology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles and founder and director-emeritus of the New England Center for Headache, Stamford, Connecticut.

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By admin, July 19, 2010 9:34 am

More than 300 doctors were encouraged to anonymously confess diagnostic errors that they had made or witnessed. Find out what the most common types of diagnostic mistakes doctors make so as to develop safeguards to minimize or prevent them from happening in the future. You need to learn where doctors are most likely to go wrong so that you can do your best to keep your medical care on the right track and avoid dangerous misdiagnoses, which could prove to be fatal or cripple your way of life.

Why So Many Mistakes?

Just over 10 years ago, a landmark study by the Institute of Medicine indicated that up to 98,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical errors. Since that time, medical professionals have taken steps to streamline and improve patient safety, yet this new study shows that doctors are still dropping too many balls, observes study coauthor Gordon D. Schiff, MD, an expert in patient safety at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Schiff and his team distributed a written survey to 310 doctors at 22 institutions across the US asking them to share three cases of diagnostic error — defined as any mistake or failure in the diagnostic process that led to a misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis or delayed diagnosis. They learned lots about particular types of errors…

• Major, minor and somewhere in the middle: Doctors reported 583 errors. Of these, 180 (31%) were self-rated as minor, 241 (41%) as moderate and 162 (28%) as major.
• Most likely to be misdiagnosed: Pulmonary embolism (26 cases, 4.5%) was the condition most likely to be misdiagnosed, followed by adverse drug reactions or overdose (26 cases, 4.5%)… lung cancer (23 cases, 3.9%)… colorectal cancer (19 cases, 3.3%)… acute coronary syndrome and/or heart attack (18 cases, 3.1%)… breast cancer (18 cases, 3.1%)… and stroke (15 cases, 2.6%).
• Not asking… and not telling either: Doctors most often made errors related to ordering or following up on lab or radiology tests (44%). Other common errors included over- or under-consideration of competing diagnoses (32%), problems with history taking (10%) or physical examination (10%), and referral or consultation errors or delays (3%).

These results were published in the November 9, 2009, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Personally, I was misdiagnosed with nasal cancer years ago and fortune for me I went to another doctor for verification and I merely had dry membranes. That’s a big difference.

What Can You Do?

The results highlight the need for ultra-reliable mechanisms to catch those “dropped balls” in order to be sure that patients promptly and accurately receive test results and other important information, says Dr. Schiff. He offered an example of one such fail-proof strategy: At his hospital, Brigham and Women’s in Boston, a new system ensures that physicians receive and acknowledge lab and radiology results, which are also automatically communicated (by letter or confidential e-mail) to the patient. He suggests that yet another layer of improvement might be to have automated follow-up calls to see whether patients are improving as expected and if not, start a process to evaluate whether the initial diagnosis may have been incorrect.

But it’s not smart to wait for the medical community to solve this problem. We patients, too, need to take action to protect ourselves from these types of errors. It’s the only way to ensure that we’re getting optimal medical care.

Dr. Schiff shared some suggestions…

• Be aware that certain types of diagnoses are harder to make than others. The top error categories (pulmonary embolism, stroke and heart disease, along with colorectal, lung and breast cancer) are often challenging. Not all patients have the same symptoms, and the typical symptoms don’t always indicate the presence of a serious medical condition. If you don’t improve or if you develop unexpected new symptoms, absolutely question your doctor about your diagnosis, perhaps it is incorrect.
• If you are worried or in pain, bring someone with you to your medical appointment or the emergency room. It’s hard to think clearly under these circumstances. It’s helpful to have another listener and an advocate to speak on your behalf if a health-care provider seems dismissive, distracted or is otherwise not providing the care and feedback you need.
• Be proactive in communicating with your primary care physician. You know your doctor has lots of patients and relatively little time, so arrive at each appointment with a written list of your key questions, it’s a good idea to jot down the answers, too.
• Promptly report any new symptoms, and keep written records of all medications, treatments and tests. Especially if you are referred to a specialist, this can help prevent inconvenient, costly and potentially dangerous drug interactions or procedure duplications.
• Don’t agree to have tests you don’t need, which could lead to more opportunities for wrong diagnoses. Research increasingly suggests that computerized tomography (CT) scans and other tests are overused, exposing patients to unnecessary risks and sometimes leading to false positives (or false negatives if the CT isn’t the best test for a particular condition)… further unnecessary testing… and even unnecessary treatment. Before you have any imaging test, make sure you understand why it is necessary. Discuss other possible options, and, as above, keep records to avoid duplicate testing.
• Always follow up with your doctor. Never assume that no news is good news, Dr. Schiff emphasizes. If you have a test and the office doesn’t inform you about results within the expected time frame, call.
• Practice full disclosure. Be honest and upfront. Do not hide anything from your doctor. Be open about even potentially embarrassing habits, such as smoking, alcohol or drug use or unsafe sex, says Dr. Schiff, so doctors have all the information and clues needed to make the right diagnosis. Withholding information can lead your doctor astray in diagnosing your problem.
• It’s better to share too much information than too little. The more information your doctor has, the more accurately he/she can assess your well-being. For instance, a recent trip abroad may explain your upset stomach symptoms. A new medicine might account for sudden problems such as dizziness or disorientation. If a close family member had cancer and you’re worried that you have it, too, share this concern.
• Get second opinions. When you are uneasy about making a major medical decision, it’s wise to seek several opinions. You may feel awkward, but a confident and experienced doctor is not threatened by a second opinion, and getting one may increase your chances of better care.

And, finally, don’t hesitate to stand up for yourself. You should never feel afraid to approach a physician if you don’t agree with his/her advice. You can do this respectfully while also making sure that your concerns are addressed, Dr. Schiff said. And if you can’t, it might be time to diagnose yourself as being in acute need of a different doctor.

Source(s):

Gordon D. Schiff, MD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, clinician researcher in the area of patient safety and medical informatics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.

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By admin, July 9, 2010 4:59 pm

Ingredients:

Always try to buy organic, you’re worth it

Serves 5-8 as an appetizer.
* 3 large Avocados or 4-5 smaller Hass Avocados
* 3-4 Tomatoes or equivalent portion of Cherry Tomatoes
* 1-2 Bunches of Cilantro
* 1 Lemon

Notes: Cilantro really spruces guacamole up so use an abundance of it. Try just a few squeezes of lemon juice. For best taste, use ripe avocados with skins that yield easily to pressure.

Directions:
1. Dice the Tomatoes
2. Remove the Cilantro leaves from their stems and finely chop them.
3. Cut the Lemon in half
4. Remove the Avocado flesh from its skin, place it in a bowl, add the other ingredients, and mash thoroughly with a fork.

Enjoy with fresh carrot, celery or cabbage leaves!

Incorporate this recipe with your Medifast Diet. It is a great addition for your diet plans.

Comments (2)

By admin,

Step 1: Stop eating processed white sugar.There’s nothing really good about sugar! The problem is that it is everywhere and we are emotionally attached to it. Try releasing it for 21 days to break the habit. Feast on fresh, local fruits and sweet vegetables instead.

Step 2: Take a break from dairy. Letting go of dairy has been one of the very best healthy habits I’ve committed to. Start to notice how you feel after you eat cheese, yogurt and eggs. Notice if you remove it if any symptoms of bloating, headaches, post-nasal drift, skin breakouts, cramps or fatigue diminish. (You’ll thank me later!)

Step 3: Watch your wheat intake. Gluten is one of the top allergens, and untold numbers of people have undetected sensitivities to it. Some problems that typically occur are numerous intestinal conditions like irritable bowel, bloating, flatulence (these should not be considered normal responses to food), numerous other unexplained symptoms, and yes, even impeded weight loss.

Step 4: Drink an abundance of water. Our bodies are comprised of 70% plus water! How many glasses of water are you drinking each day? Add mint leaves, lemon or cucumber to water to spruce it up. Often times hunger is mistaken for thirst. Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses a day and don’t forget to bless and give thanks for your water too.

Step 5: Adopt the 80/20 rule. Life is meat to be amazing, joyful and fun! You’re going to eat differently on a Saturday night then you will on a Tuesday night. Enjoy yourself, don’t be rigid or religious about your food. Just listen to your body and bounce back the next day. Shoot for 80% of the time eating delicious, nutritious whole foods and the other 20% of the time eat whatever you desire and then let it go!

Amanda Moxley, Body and Soul Coach, publishes the energizing and inspiring “Breath of Fresh Air E-Zine” every other Thursday for healthy people everywhere. If you are ready to discover your perfect body in a way you’ve never learned how to before, get your FREE articles, tips, tools and recipes at: www.AmandaMoxley.com

Comments (1)

By admin, July 8, 2010 7:57 am

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
olive oil to coat

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a 15×10x1-inch baking pan with olive oil or butter; set aside. Scrub potatoes and cut lengthwise into quarters. Cut each quarter lengthwise into four wedges. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in pan. Coat lightly with olive oil.

Combine salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle over potatoes

Bake for 20 minutes or until brown and tender, turning once.

Incorporate this recipe with your Medifast Diet. It is a great addition for your weight loss plans.