1-800-4BAYLOR His Story Learn how your family health history can affect your risk for certain diseases page 6 Conquering chronic digestive disorders page 2 A how-to guide for interpreting lab test results page 3 6 steps to getting diabetes under control page 4 Working toward a cure for diabetes page 5 Visit BaylorHealth.com for informative videos, interactive quizzes, online event registration, and much more. May 2010 Gut Check Chronic digestive diseases are on the increase, but new treatments and better understanding can help keep them under control I f you find yourself battling unexplained weight loss and diarrhea, you might want to talk to your doctor about celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which your body has trouble digesting gluten. It’s important to treat celiac disease because diarrhea can lead to malnutrition. “If you have diarrhea, you don’t absorb fat very well, so you can become deficient in fatsoluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D and K,” says John Abdulian, M.D., a gastroenterologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie. “Iron deficiencies are also common.” If your doctor suspects celiac disease, he or she can biopsy your small bowel. In cases of celiac disease, the villi—the tiny projections that increase the surface area of your bowel—are atrophied, so they can’t absorb the nutrients in your food. To treat celiac disease, eliminate wheat from your diet. “It’s important to check labels on all foods,” says Dr. Abdulian. “A lot of things do contain wheat, so you have to be very selective about what you eat.” Health food stores and even traditional grocery stores often Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie 1405 W. Jefferson, Waxahachie, TX 75165 President: Jay Fox Marketing Director: Dana Walker Director of Development, Baylor Health Care System Foundation: Ellen Dearman Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie Board of Trustees: Linda Alvarez; Jack Curlin; Bobby D. Dyess, Chair; Jay Fox; Todd Fuller; Valerie Gorman, M.D.; Nancy Hightower; Mackey Morgan, DDS; Cindy Murray; Winnie O’Donnell; Jim Pitts; Paul Stevens Patient Information and Volunteer Opportunities: 972-923-7000 or 972-935-9095 2 carry gluten-free products. If a glutenfree diet doesn’t help, your doctor may recommend corticosteroids. Autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease tend to cluster, so people with celiac disease might find they’re also facing diabetes, thyroid disease or rheumatoid arthritis. irritable bowel disease (IBD) also is associated with celiac disease. “Irritable bowel disease is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions,” says Dr. Abdulian. Giving Opportunities/Baylor Health Care Foundation: 214-820-3136 Baylor Health Care System Mission: Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Health Care System exists to serve all people through exemplary health care, education, research and community service. Visit BaylorHealth.com or call 1-800-4BAYLOR for information about Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie services, upcoming events, physician referrals, career opportunities and more. BaylorHealth is published six times a year for friends and supporters of Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie. BaylorHealth May 2010 l For a physician referral, visit BaylorHealth.com In Digestive Distress? If you need a referral to a gastroenterologist on the Baylor Waxahachie medical staff, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit FindDrRight.com. IBD typically affects women in their teens or 20s. “It’s a hypersensitivity of the digestive system to multiple things,” Dr. Abdulian says. People notice abdominal pain or bloating that’s either relieved or set off by a bowel movement. While IBD is a lifelong problem, its severity can vary, and it may improve or worsen over time. Treatment includes eliminating foods that trigger problems; examples include refined grain products, dairy, coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol and large fatty meals. Adding probiotics to your diet also can be helpful. Probiotics, microorganisms that benefit your health, are found in yogurt, other fermented foods and supplements. Peppermint oil works for some people, and severe cases may respond to antidepressants. l By Stephanie Thurrott BaylorHealth is published by McMurry. © 2010 Baylor Health Care System. The material in BaylorHealth is not intended for diagnosing or prescribing. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie or Baylor Health Care System. Photographs may include models or actors and may not represent actual patients. If you are receiving multiple copies, need to change your mailing address or do not wish to receive this publication, please send your mailing label(s) and the updated information to Robin Vogel, Baylor Health Care System, 2001 Bryan St., Suite 750, Marketing Department, Dallas, TX 75201, or e-mail the information to [email protected]. Cover photograph by Tadd Myers; styling by Dane Nelson. Stomach ©Photoshot By the Numbers A helpful guide for interpreting lab results You’re in your doctor’s office for a physical, and your doctor has a page full of numbers—your labwork results— to review with you. Here, James L. Thomison II, M.D., a family practice physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie, offers a guide to sorting through the numbers and jargon. l By Stephanie Thurrott Time for Tests? If it’s been awhile since you had a checkup, now is the time to schedule one. If you need a doctor, get a referral to a physician on the Baylor Waxahachie medical staff at 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit FindDrRight.com. What’s measured? What do the results mean? What happens next? White blood cells (WBC), sometimes called leukocytes High levels might be a sign of infection. Unless the reading is significantly high, your doctor will likely recommend a retest in three months. Hemoglobin (Hgb) and hematocrit (Ht or Hct) Low levels might indicate anemia or another disease. Your doctor will likely want to run additional blood tests to gather more information. Platelets (Pt or Plt) Low levels could indicate possible bone marrow or spleen problems. Your doctor will likely want to run additional tests to gather more information. Sodium (Na) and potassium (K) Certain medications can cause electrolyte levels to be high or low, as can vomiting, diarrhea or drinking too much water. If your levels are abnormal, your doctor might adjust medications, do additional tests or recommend a potassium supplement. Creatinine (Cr) Elevated levels could point to kidney problems. Your doctor will likely repeat the test or order additional tests. Transaminases (AST, SGOT, ALT or SGPT) Elevated levels might signal liver problems. A fatty diet can raise levels of transaminases or cause other liver problems, so your doctor might recommend a lower-fat diet and additional tests if the elevation persists. Blood sugar (Glc) Fasting levels above 126 indicate possible diabetes. Your doctor might recommend repeating the test or doing additional labs pertaining to diabetes. Prostate specific antigen (PSA), in men starting at age 40 to 50 depending on risk PSA elevation or an increase in PSA from prior results might point to prostate cancer, infection or prostate enlargement. Your doctor may recommend antibiotics, a repeat test or a biopsy if prostate cancer is suspected. Cholesterol panel levels LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels are closely linked to your risk of heart disease. Your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes and possibly prescribe medication to bring your levels closer to normal. Blood or protein in the urine Blood could be a sign of kidney stones, infection, bladder lesions or cancer. Protein could signal kidney problems. Your doctor will likely order additional tests, including urine culture, repeat urinalysis, 24-hour urine collection, or do a CT scan or sonogram of the kidneys. ©Photoshot To make a donation, visit BaylorHealth.com l May 2010 BaylorHealth 3 Small Changes, Big Results Taking slow, steady steps can help you get your diabetes under control N ancy Carter, 54, of Italy, Texas, took diabetes education classes at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie a few years ago. But she found that over time she started to backtrack, giving up the good habits she had developed. Recently, she committed to improving her health and re-enrolled in the program. By making slow, steady changes, she has dropped 25 pounds, weighing less than she has in 15 years, and gained better control over her blood sugar levels. Here’s how she did it. Track what you eat. “I track every morsel,” Carter says. Logging your food intake can help you identify places you can cut back or ways you can tweak your intake. Have a plan B. At family gatherings, Carter may choose smaller portions of what’s offered, or she may bring along something else to eat if she anticipates a lot of unhealthy options. Drink plenty of water. Carter had fallen out of the habit of drinking water, and restarted when she recognized how important it was to her health. She gave up drinking soda of any kind. Exercise. Carter started with just five minutes a day, and now walks 30 to 60 minutes at up to 3.7 mph six or seven days a week. She also tones with hand weights. “I see myself as stronger and more motivated, and I think other people do, too,” she says. Monitor your blood sugar. “I would go seven days without checking my blood sugar because I knew it was out of kilter,” Carter says. “I keep a good check on it now—I check it at least twice a day.” Go easy on yourself. Change your lifestyle one day at a time. “I used to be an all-or-nothing person, but I had to rethink. I don’t have to be that anymore,” Carter says. “Even if you exercise 50 percent of the time and eat right 50 percent of the time you’re going to improve your health.” Christie Windsor, a diabetes educator at Baylor Waxahachie, applauds Carter’s efforts and points out that small changes are key to success. “If you’re not exercising, aim for three days a week at first, for example. By setting short-term goals that are attainable, you can reward yourself at the end of a week with a new book, a massage or a trip to the movies—something that helps you feel successful.” l By Stephanie Thurrott 4 BaylorHealth May 2010 l For the career of a lifetime, go to BaylorHealth.com Get with the Program For information on the diabetes education program at Baylor Waxahachie, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/Waxahachie. All in the Family Men, do you know what’s in your family’s health history? You should— especially if it’s prostate cancer By Shelley Flannery H He always knew he had his father’s height and his mother’s metabolism. But there’s one thing Marty Mitcham, 52, wishes he would’ve asked his family about sooner: its history of prostate cancer. “It wasn’t until after my diagnosis that I found out prostate cancer had been in my family,” he says. “My uncle and my grandfather on my mother’s side had it.” Fortunately, Mitcham had a routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test at 50 as recommended by his doctor. “I didn’t have any symptoms. Prostate cancer is a very silent disease. But I guess a lot of cancers are that way,” Mitcham says. “If I had waited much longer, who knows what would’ve happened.” Get in the Habit George Haynes, 62, says he also believes in the importance of knowing your family history and regular prostate screenings. Since he found out he had prostate cancer 13 years ago, both his brother and cousin have received diagnoses, too. “In so many instances, prostate cancer has no symptoms. I was the classic example,” Haynes says. “To any man who has any family member who had Find out how family history it, get checked on a regular basis.” affects women’s health at That “regular basis” is once a year, BaylorHealth.com/HealthCast. says Carlos Bazaldua, M.D., an internal To find a physician on the medicine physician on the medical Baylor medical staff, visit staff at Baylor Regional Medical FindDrRight.com. Center at Grapevine. “Prostate cancer is not a hereditary type of cancer, but it does tend to run in families,” he says. “In other words, if your father had prostate cancer, you have a higher likelihood, but that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get it.” Dr. Bazaldua recommends men start PSA testing at 50, or 40 if a family history is present. On the Flip Side Surgical Solutions Fortunately for Mitcham and Haynes, both were diagnosed early enough for treatment to be successful. 6 BaylorHealth May 2010 l Sick? Click. Visit BaylorHealth.com Family history was a risk factor for cancer survivor Marty Mitcham. “The death rate for prostate cancer has decreased nearly 25 percent in the past decade,” says Michael Wierschem, M.D., a urologist on the medical staff at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. “And that’s because of earlier detection and better treatment.” Four weeks after he learned of the cancer, Haynes George Haynes had a radical prostatectomy via open surgery at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. “There were no other options at that point,” he says. “There weren’t enough long-term statistics at that time to do robotic surgery.” But robotic surgery had a high success rate by the time Mitcham needed surgery two years ago. His procedure was performed at Baylor Plano with the da Vinci® S Surgical System, which uses micro instruments and a minimally invasive technique to reduce pain, scarring and blood loss and to shorten recovery time. Mitcham benefited from all of those. “The pain was minimal,” he says. “The mental part was 99 percent of it.” Watch This! The Sooner, the Better Today, both men are doing well and have clean bills of health. And they’re spreading the word about PSA testing. “As you grow older, you get more and more likely to get prostate cancer,” Mitcham says. “The PSA test is a very inexpensive blood test. It only takes five minutes. There’s no reason not to do it.” “Many men are afraid of the outcome of the test, because the false assumption is that if you’re treated for prostate cancer, you’re left impotent,” Haynes says. “But if you’re diagnosed early, you have more options with treatment. And there are nerve-sparing procedures that leave your potency intact.” “The treatments we have available today are very good,” Dr. Wierschem says. “We can cater the treatment to the patient’s age, disease state and desires. Side effects have decreased because of new technology.” For the rest of the story about Marty Mitcham’s diagnosis and recovery, watch his video at BaylorHealth.com/MyStory. Living Legacy Early detection is the key to effective treatment with every condition, not only prostate cancer. Knowing your family history and getting screened for heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer, too, can help keep you healthy for the long haul. Talk to your doctor about which screening tests are right for you and when. If you haven’t researched your family history, now’s the time. “It doesn’t have to be all that extensive,” Dr. Bazaldua says. “We’re primarily looking at first-degree relatives—father and brothers— maybe grandparents and uncles.” Ask each family member about his health history, noting the age at diagnosis for any chronic diseases. Share the information you collect with your doctor—and save it to share with your kids one day. l Portrait by Tadd Myers; styling by Dane Nelson 5 easy steps to better health Men don’t always make their health a priority. These five steps can help: 1. Know your personal health history. Make sure your doctor has accurate records of your surgeries, illnesses and conditions. If you change doctors, have your records forwarded. 2. Know your family history. Your doctor needs to know if you’re at higher-than-normal risk for health conditions that run in families. You don’t have to track your relatives back through the ages. Just know what problems your parents, grandparents and siblings have faced. 3. Don’t ignore symptoms. Some men tend to disregard symptoms that don’t cause pain. But your high blood pressure, that mole that looks different, or your elevated PSA readings aren’t going to take care of themselves. Visit your doctor regularly for preventive checkups and to address any concerns you’re aware of. 4. Follow your doctor’s advice. Once you visit your doctor, listen to his or her recommendations. If you run into problems, talk to your doctor about what to do. For example, if your doctor prescribes medication to lower your blood pressure and you’re noticing side effects, find out if you can try a different dosage or medication. Don’t simply stop taking the pills. 5. Make time for your health. You know you should be exercising and making healthy food choices. Carve out time in your day for a walk or a workout, and for small, balanced meals. It’s a Guy Thing To register for It’s a Guy Thing at Baylor Waxahachie on Saturday, June 19, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/ Waxahachie. Find Dr. Right. Visit BaylorHealth.com l May 2010 BaylorHealth 7 Baylor Health Care System 2001 Bryan Street, Suite 750 Marketing Department Dallas, TX 75201 NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID BAYLOR HEALTH
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