Rethink Your Drinking in Alcohol Awareness Month

Springtime is a fun time for a lot of us. Vacations may increase with the kids off for Spring Break and we are all ready to blow past the winter with the fun of the warmer temperatures. Party days are ahead. But there may be some of us who need to pay more attention to how we use those party days.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and this is the time to increase not only public awareness about alcohol but education regarding the treatment and the prevention of alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is a preventable disease and treatments for it are good.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans continues to recommend one drink or less a day for women and two drinks or less a day for men. Alcohol misuse or heavy drinking is described as four or more drinks on any day or eight or more per week for women; for men it is five or more drinks on any day or fifteen or more per week.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is defined as an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite social, health, or occupational consequences. It can cause lasting changes in the brain and can make patients vulnerable to a relapse. Most people who have AUD benefit from treatment such as behavioral therapies, medications, or a combination of both.

Signs of an Alcohol Use Disorder:

• Hearing comments from friends and family about how much you drink
• Spending more time drinking or thinking about drinking than you used to
• Drinking more or longer than you planned to
• Trying to cut down or stop drinking but being unable to
• Feeling depressed or anxious when drinking but continuing to drink
• Drinking interferes with work and social activities
• Having legal problems due to drinking
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink such as tremors, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, sweating

When someone drinks above the recommended limits their risk is increased for:

• Mental health conditions
• High blood pressure
• Stroke, heart disease, digestive problems
• Poor sleep
• Liver disease
• Cancer

“Rethinking Drinking” https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/ is a government website with lots of great information on alcohol and health. Items include learning about the guidelines for drinking, seeing signs of a problem, and using website tools to make a change. The website goes over what counts as a drink, how many drinks are in common containers, what’s your pattern, thinking about a change with pros and cons/readiness for change/a plan for change, strategies for cutting down, and support for quitting. Really good stuff here. Building new and healthy habits is the key to change whether this is done by increasing physical activity, eating healthily or cutting down on alcohol consumption when needed.

If more help is needed, SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) has a national helpline in English and Spanish that is free and confidential, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for information and treatment referral for mental health and/or substance use disorders. 800-662-HELP (4357). People can also contact their primary care office or health insurance organization for resources.

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm

Have You Been Screened for Colorectal Cancer?

 

Colorectal cancer is found in the colon or rectum. It is the second leading cancer killer in the United States when the numbers are combined for men and women. Screening can find precancerous polyps in the colon or rectum that can be removed before they have a chance to turn into cancer. Screening is also important to find existing colorectal cancer early when the treatment works the best.

Colorectal cancer screening recommendations from the American Cancer Society:

• Adults with an average risk start regular screening at age 45
• Done with either a sensitive stool-based test that looks for signs of cancer in a person’s stool or with an exam that visually looks at the colon or rectum
• People in good health with a life expectancy of more than 10 years should continue regular colorectal cancer screening through the age of 75
• Adults 76 to 85 years of age, the decision to be screened should be based on a person’s preferences, life expectancy, overall health and prior screening history

Colorectal cancer screening tests:

• Stool Tests
• There are 3 different stool tests to detect blood in the stool
• Guaic-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) – obtain a small amount of stool and return to the doctor or the laboratory. Stool samples are checked for blood. This can be done once a year.
• Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) – uses antibodies to detect blood in the stool. It can be done once a year and the same way as the gFOBT.
• FIT-DNA test (Colorgard®) – combines the FIT test with a test that detects altered DNA in the stool. Send the entire bowel movement to the lab where it is checked for blood. This is done every 3 years. Colorgard® may result in false positives for abnormal DNA markers that aren’t explained by subsequent colonoscopy findings.
• Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
• A short, thin, flexible lighted tube is put into your rectum. The doctors checks for polyps or cancer inside of the rectum and the lower third of the colon. It is done every 5 years or every 10 years with a FIT stool test every year.
• CT Colonography (virtual colonoscopy)
• Computed tomography uses x-rays and computers to produce images of the entire colon which are displayed on a computer screen for the physician to analyze. It is done every 5 years.
• Colonoscopy
• A colonoscopy is similar to the flexible sigmoidoscopy except the doctor uses a longer, thin, flexible lighted tube to check for polyps or cancer inside the rectum and the entire colon. During the test, the physician can remove most polyps and some cancers. The colonoscopy is also used as a follow-up test if anything unusual is found during one of the other screening tests. It is done every 10 years for people who do not have an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
• Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard!

There are many tests and it may be hard to decide which one works for you. Each test has advantages and disadvantages. Discuss this with your health care provider. There are many variables including your personal preference, medical conditions and problems that you may have, and a personal and/or family history of colorectal cancer and polyps.

Risk factors you cannot change include:

• Being older (more common after age 50)
• Racial or ethnic background
• Having an inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• Inherited syndromes caused by gene changes

Risk factors you may be able to change:

• Having type 2 diabetes
• Lack of regular physical activity
• A lob-fiber and high-fat diet
• A diet high in processed meats
• A diet low in vegetables and fruit
• Being overweight or obese
• Alcohol consumption
• Tobacco use

Symptoms of colorectal cancer:

• There may NOT be symptoms early on
• A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days
• Feeling as though the bowel isn’t emptying
• Feeling like you needs to have a bowel movement but aren’t relieved by having one
• Blood in or on your stool
• Rectal bleeding
• Unintended weight loss

Talk to your health care professional if you have any of these symptoms. The symptoms may be related to something else, but it is better to make sure. As was mentioned earlier, the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening is the colonoscopy. Ultimately, though, the best screening method for colorectal cancer is the one that actually gets done.

The month of March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Dress in blue on Friday, March 1 to show your support for colorectal cancer screening.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/acs-recommendations.html

Heart Healthy Living? Sign Me Up!

Getting woken up in the darkness of early morning by afamily member saying, “I’m having chest pain” is not the start of a good day for either party. The panic of that moment starts a rush of adrenaline and a call to action. Unfortunately, many people have been through that moment with somehaving good outcomes and others not so good. In this American Heart Month, there are plenty of ways to improve heart health inthe hopes that we never have to hear those words or say them to others.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the UnitedStates. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD) which affects blood flow to the heart. CAD occurs when plaque, which is fatty, cholesterol-containing deposits, builds up in the coronary arteries and causesa narrowing of one or more of them. This plaque reduces blood flow to the heartand can cause partial or completely clogged arteries. Symptoms of a heart attack can vary, but many times there is chest pain which can feel like a tightness, pressure, or ache along with other symptoms such as fatigue,heartburn, dizziness, nausea and/or shortness of breath. Women may have symptoms to a lesser degree with jaw or neck pain, fatigue, and nausea. These can all be signs of an impending heart attack.

Healthy lifestyle choices can help prevent or treat some forms of heart disease. It is important to see your health care provider on a regular basis for physical examinations, lab studies, and medications when needed. Sometimes heart disease can be found early.

What do we have the power to control?

• High blood pressure (hypertension) – see your health care provider regularly as high blood pressure sometimes has no symptoms, take medication as prescribed, watch the amount of salt that is consumed in your diet

• High cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) – take medication as prescribed, eat healthy with a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, watch salt, cholesterol, and fat in foods

• Tobacco use – get help to quit smoking by using over-the-counter products or discuss with your health care provider for a prescription, avoid secondhand smoke in your home and car

• Stress – can be managed many different ways including talking to friends/family/therapist, finding solutions to current problems, getting plenty of sleep, meditate, deep breathing, eating healthy, and physical activity (can break the symptom of stress at that moment)

• Food choices – make dietary modifications for a healthy diet - reduced sodium, increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free/low fat milk products, healthy oils, lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, legumes, reduce sweets and other added sugars, DASH diet, Mediterranean diet

• Physical activity – current guidelines aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity weekly and 2 days of muscle strengthening activity

• Weight – healthy eating and physical activity will help keep weight in the healthy range

What are risk factors that cannot be controlled?

• Age (the risk goes up as you age)

• Family history of heart attacks

• The risk for heart disease increases even more when heredity is combined with unhealthy lifestyle choices

Remember….

1. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD).

2. Some of the risk factors that can be controlled are eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, reducing stress, not smoking, and taking prescribed medication for high blood pressure and highcholesterol.

3. Risk factors that cannot be controlled are age and family history.

4. See a health care provider on a regular basis to identify health issues early.

Disparities exist when race, ethnicity, and socio-economic factors are taken into account. Community Health Workers (CHWs) have a role inhelping to close that gap. CHWs are frontline, public health workers who connect individuals and families to health care and social services. They may work in urban or rural environments and with low-income, minority, immigrant, and underserved communities. By helping to educate patients and clients on the controllable items in the risk factors, they can help reduce the chance of heart disease. CHWs are becoming more prevalent in underserved communities and even on care teams. Some of the ways that CHWs could help specifically with heart disease are:

• Aid patients/clients obtain needed medications

• Assist in accessing healthy food

• Promote physical activity using resources in the patient/client’s community

• Support a smoke-free lifestyle and assist with tobacco cessation

• Educate the patient/client with self-management, care coordination, and stress management support

• Navigate the health care system, including health insurance enrollment and appropriate use of services

PTI has a Community Health Worker Program that teaches the core competency skills and health knowledge needed to function as a CHW to promote healthy lifestyles. See our website for more information. https://transformcoach.org/learning-solutions/community-health-worker-chw-program/

National Wear Red Day is February 2, 2024. Wear red to helpraise awareness of this number one killer. Motivate others to protect their hearts by learning their risks and making lifestyle changes. Make time forself-care. There is no one like you. Go Red!

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm

https://www.goredforwomen.org

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/american-heart-month

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20373106

Cervical Health Awareness Month

 

Happy 2024! As we enter a new year, we always hope for happiness, success, and good health. Talking about good health and how it can be achieved is one of the many things we do here at PTI. Keeping that in mind, let’s talk about gynecology and, specifically, cervical health.

Cervical cancer used to be one of the most common causes of cancer deaths in American women. The death rate dropped dramatically once the Pap test started being used. However, there are still more than 14,000 women in the United States diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year.  

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a common virus passed from one person to another during sex. There are more than 150 related viruses with only a few being high-risk. Most cervical cancers were found to be caused by the 14 high-risk types of HPV. For most people who have HPV, it will go away on its own. But for some people, it doesn’t go away and becomes chronic. It is these chronic infections that can lead to cervical cancer in women. The HPV test is a screening test used to detect the presence of HPV virus on the cervix.

The American Cancer Society cervical cancer screening recommendations are as follows:

• Start cervical cancer screening at age 25. People under age 25 should not be tested because cervical cancer is rare in this age group

• Women between the ages of 25 and 65 should get a primary HPV test done every 5 years. If a primary HPV test is not available, a co-test (an HPV test with a Pap test) every 5 years or a Pap test every 3 years.

• Women who are 65 years and older and have no history of cervical cancer within the past 25 years and who have documented adequate negative prior screening in the past 10 years, discontinue all cervical cancer screening

Note: There are some variations in cervical cancer screening recommendations between different organizations.

There are many types of cervical cancer and catching any of these early allows for more treatment options. Unfortunately, not all women get screened. Socioeconomic factors with low-income women not having easy access to health care services which includes cervical cancer screening, not being able to take time off from work, lack of or inadequate health insurance, and transportation issues are all reasons they may have not been screened. Cervical cancer may also be prevented by getting the HPV vaccine and learning ways to practice safe sex.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to schedule an annual checkup, make sure to include not only your primary doctor, but your gynecologist. Happy New Year!

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/cervical-cancer-screening-guidelines.html

https://www.nccc-online.org/cervical-health-awareness-month/

https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine-for-hpv.html