1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. cancer

MINORITY HEALTH
How Much Sleep
Do Seniors Need?
P U B L I C A T I O N
419-531-5194 / Email: [email protected]
I Am The Cure
Brandon Copeland
Mrs. Yolonda Willis of Yo’s Rack Pack with Erika White of Fitzone are interviewed during
the Race for the Cure
Erika D. White
The
support
for the 19th Annual Northwest Ohio
Race for Cure was
absolutely amazing!
This year marked
the largest amount of
participants to date.
From
survivors
signing the “wall”,
supporters
walking for loved ones,
to taking footsteps
to remember those
who are no longer
with us, emotions
for walkers varied
from tears of joy to
smiles of hope that
the cure for breast
cancer will soon be
available for future
generations; and,
this disease will be
eradicated.
Every year the
Cure go to page
14
Submitted
Photo
TARPS Paratransit Service
Cancer Clues Men Ignore
419.243.RIDE
CNA Classes
Now Cost $260
Richard Health Systems
5237 Renwyck Dr / 419-534-2371
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 1
Cancer Clues Men Ignore
Ellis Moore
Annual checkups and tests such as
colonoscopies and
PSA assays are important, but it’s not a
good idea to rely on
tests alone to protect
you from cancer. It’s
just as important to
listen to your body
and notice anything
that’s different, odd,
or unexplainable.
You don’t want
to join the ranks of
cancer patients who
realize too late that
symptoms they’d
noticed for a long
time could have
sounded the alarm
earlier, when cancer
was easier to cure.
Here,
some
signs of cancer
that are commonly
overlooked:
1. Mass in the
breast
If you’re like
most men, you’ve
probably never considered the possibility of having breast
cancer. Although it’s
not common, it is
possible. Any new
mass in the breast
area of a man needs
to be checked out by
a physician.
In addition, the
American Cancer
Society identifies
several other worrisome signs involving the breast that
men as well as women should take note
of. They include:
Skin dimpling
or puckering
N i p p l e
retraction
Redness
or
scaling of the nipple
or breast skin
N i p p l e
discharge
2. Changes in
the Testicles
Testicular cancer occurs most often in men aged 20
to 39. The American Cancer Society
recommends that
men get a testicular exam by a doctor as part of a routine
cancer-related checkup. Some
doctors also suggest
a monthly self-exam. Any change in
the size of the testicles, such as growth
or shrinkage, should
be a concern.
In
addition,
any swelling, lump,
or feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
should not be ignored. Some testicular cancers occur
very quickly. So early detection is especially crucial. If you
feel a hard lump of
coal [in your testicle], get it checked
right away.
3. Changes in
the Lymph Nodes
If you notice a
lump or swelling in
the lymph nodes under your armpit or
in your neck — or
anywhere else — it
could be a reason for
concern, says Hannah Linden, MD.
Linden is a medical oncologist and
an associate professor of medicine
at the University of
Washington School
of Medicine. She is
also a joint associate
member of the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in
Seattle. “If you have
a lymph node that
gets progressively
larger, and it’s been
longer than a month,
see a doctor,” she
says.
Your
doctor
should examine you
and determine any
associated
issues
that could explain
the lymph node enlargement, such as
infection. If there is
no infection, a doctor will typically order a biopsy.
4. Weight Loss
Without Trying
Unexpected weight loss is a
concern. Most of
us don’t lose weight
easily. What we’re
talking about here
is more than simply
a few pounds from
a stepped up exercise program or to
eating less because
of a busy schedule. If a man loses
more than 10% of
his body weight in a
time period of 3 to 6
months, it’s time to
see the doctor.
Your
doctor
should do a general physical exam,
ask you questions
about your diet and
exercise, and ask
about other symptoms. Based on that
information,
the
doctor will decide
what other tests are
needed.
5.
Persistent
Cough
Coughs are expected, of course,
with colds, the flu,
and allergies. They
are also sometimes a
side effect of a medication. But a very
prolonged
cough
— defined as lasting more than three
or four weeks — or
a change in a cough
should not be ignored. Those cough
patterns warrant a
Men go to page 8
Get More
Energy After 40
Felicia Vance
Always tired? Feel like you’re running
on empty? Well, join the club, as an increasing numbers of us are suffering from constant fatigue.
For all ages, balancing home, work or
children can be tiring and deplete energy
levels. This is especially so as we age. Food
sources such as sugar and caffeine may give
you a temporary energy fix, but that lasts
only so long, as most of us know. In addition, skipping daily exercises or over scheduling your day can also drain you.
Is your life too tiring?
Do you demand too much of yourself?
If yes: try to manage stress; learn to say no;
set priorities; pace yourself. Take time each
day to simply relax, perhaps using a tape or
relaxation class. Consider whether there is a
good balance of work and play in your life
and what you can do about it. If necessary,
you may want to reconsider what you want
from life.
Have you been affected recently by a
stressful event?
If yes: Be realistic, and be kind to yourself. Events such as moving house, having a
baby, starting a new job, being bereaved or
ending an important relationship can be exhausting, especially when you feel you have
no control over what’s happening. Don’t expect to be back to your normal self overnight. Remember; all progress is good, however small or unimportant it may seem to
you at the time.
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 2
After 40 go to page 21
Nicole Ari-Parker Wants
To “Save Your Do”
Derrick Lane
Recently, actress, activist and wife to
Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari-Parker, debuted
her remedy to one of the main reasons why
Black women don’t work out: they don’t
want to mess up their hair.
Hair is a serious issue for most of black
women because of the investment of time
and money to have it styled, many don’t
want to sweat and mess it up all over again.
Bu when the Surgeon General issued a
statement saying “Women have got to stop
using their hair as an excuse not to exercise”
and that Black women’s health issues had
reached a state of emergency, this nationwide call to action inspired Ari-Parker.
Her solution?
The Save Your Do gym wrap, a stylish headband developed with a patent-pending revolutionary “Edge Control Technology” that minimizes sweat absorption, resulting in drier hair.
BlackDoctor.org recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Ari-Parker to talk
about her health, her daughter, her marriage
and why she cares so much about saving all
our do’s…
Ari-Parker states, “First off, I hate exercising! No seriously, I hate to get up and get
ready to go to the gym, but as soon as I’m
done, it feels so good. It makes me wonder
how come it took me so long to get ready.
Ha! The key to staying healthy is literally
just doing it. If you say you’re going to do it,
then the first step is actually doing it. No excuses. You’ll feel better after you do.”
“It was something that I created out of
pure vanity. I know what it feels like to be a
Black woman and just get your hair done.
The desire that many women have to keep
the hairstyle that we spend so much time
and money on to last. I had to come up with
something. Initially, I began cutting and testing different fabrics I had at home, anything
I could find. I made a lot different prototypes
that were just headbands, until I linked up
with my business partner, who had a conNicole go to page 21
Junior League of Toledo Hosts
8th Annual Kids in the Kitchen
Sarah Duvall
Saturday, October 6th the Junior
League of Toledo
and The Andersons
will host Kids in the
Kitchen to Educate
the Youth of Toledo and Help Fight
Childhood Obesity.
This free event for
children ages 6 to 12
will take place at the
Sea Gate Convention Centre at 401
Jefferson Avenue
downtown Toledo
from 10am – 2pm.
Kids in the
Kitchen is part of
an ongoing international initiative supported by the Association of Junior
Leagues
International (AJLI) and its
member Leagues to
address the growing
epidemic of childhood obesity.
This event will
feature Chef Saundra Irvine, Director of Cooking and
Event Planning for
The Andersons, Inc.
performing hands
on cooking demonstrations. More than
25 vendors from the
Toledo area will also
be on hand helping children learn
the importance of
a healthy lifestyle
through crafts and
activities.
The event addresses health issues
affecting children
including
education on healthy eating choices and reminders of the benefits and enjoyment
of physical exercise.
The first 500 children will receive a
goody bag with donations from several vendors, including Wal-Mart, along
with a free lunch
from Panera.
All
children will be eligible to enter raffles
for a chance to win
healthy
lifestyle
prizes from blenders
to bikes! Children
must be accompanied by a parent or
guardian to participate in the event.
According to
the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Nearly onethird of children and
adolescents in the
U.S. are considered
overweight or at
risk. The American
Obesity Association
reports that obesity
has been shown to
increase the likelihood of health problems in young people, including pediatric hypertension
and type-2 diabetes. Furthermore,
overweight
chil-
dren are 79% more
likely to be plagued
with obesity in their
adulthood.
The
Junior
League of Toledo is
committed to promoting voluntarism,
developing the potential of women and
improving the community. It offers its
members extensive
experience in leadership and organizational development,
community needs
assessment, strategic planning, communications, advocacy and fundraising. Membership
is open to all women in Greater Toledo
who are committed
to developing their
potential as community leaders. Its purpose is exclusively educational and
charitable.
•••
For more information about the Junior League of Toledo, please visit
www.juniorleaguetoledo.org or call
419-474-6262.
CPR & FIRST AID
CLASSES
419-215-5239
1822 N. Reynolds Rd.
Toledo, Ohio 43615
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 3
Be Your Own Tooth Fairy
By Erika D. White
Fitness Motivator & Creator of Fitzone TM
You hit the gym
almost daily, eat
right, and even monitor your weight with
occasional weighins. However, you
could be missing a
key component that
can be contradicting
all your hard work.
Without investing in
this inexpensive, underrated item, your
hard work to be
heart healthy may
be in jeopardy. According to Dr. Khan
of Great Smiles
Family Dentistry,
studies show that
75% of Americans
have some form
of gum disease; a
disease which has
been linked to the
health of your heart.
The plaque buildup on your teeth
may also be related
to the plaque buildup in your arteries. Plaque….that
one word brings to
mind the unwanted build up associated either with
teeth or the heart;
yet, both are directly related to each
other. The health of
your mouth, in recent studies, has
been proven to significantly affect the
health of the cardiovascular system.
Most are not aware
that their six month
checkup with the
dentist is as healthy
for their mouth as it
is for their heart.
Flossing,
which dentists stress
as much as brush-
ing, removes the
soft sticky bacteria film, referred to
as plaque. Plaque,
in the mouth, accumulates on neglected teeth, especially
below the gum line.
Left untreated, the
acids in this plaque
begin to destroy
the outer enamel of
teeth. One may notice that their gums
may become irritated and bleed, especially with normal
brushing.
Breath
may start to smell
bad, which is hard
to correct or cover even with the
mints or gum. After
a while, the plaque
hardens into crusty
yellow or brown
deposits called tartar; tartar makes it
even easier for more
plaque to build up.
Eventually, lack of
flossing can lead to
gingivitis, periodontal disease, and tooth
loss.
If that is not
enough reason to
floss, now research
suggests that regular
flossing may affect
more than the health
of your mouth, but
also your heart. The
study has been so
conclusive that joint
recommendations,
from the American
Academy of Periodontology and The
American Journal of
Cardiology, encourage
cardiologists
to ask their patients
about any gum disease problems, and
By Erika D. White, Creator of Fitzone & Fitness Motivator
for dentists to ask
their patients about
any family history
of heart disease and
their heart health.
It all relates to
the inflammation of
the gums. Inflammation of the gums
may increase inflammation throughout
the body, which is
an underlying problem in heart disease.
Experts also assume
that the oral bacteria can escape into
the
bloodstream
from the mouth and
help in forming fatty plaques in the arteries, damaging organs. That inflam-
mation can lead
to heart attack or
stroke.
Eliminating
gum disease, according to Dental
Wellness for You, is
not only about saving your teeth but,
possibly, your life.
Those who have
gingivitis, have approximately 23 percent higher risk of
death than those
who do not have it.
Those with periodontitis have about
a 50 percent higher risk of dying than
those who don’t
have this condition,
which can largely
be prevented by daily flossing!
While it is important for you to
visit your dentist
twice a year to remove plaque and
tartar, it is the daily
brushing and flossing that is the key to
keeping your teeth
and gums healthy.
Many find themselves skipping the
simple task of flossing not realizing
how truly important
it is. Flossing, just
once a day, removes
plaque and food
particles from between the teeth and
under the gum line;
the only defense to
controlling plaque
buildup.
Below are some
simple things you
can add to your daily workout schedule to protect your
gums and your heart
according to my recent interview with
Dr. Khan:
Brush
your
teeth at least twice
a day with a soft,
rounded-tip bristled
toothbrush.
Pay attention
to the space where
the gums and teeth
meet.
Use a fluoride-containing
toothpaste.
Floss between
teeth at least once
a day to remove
food particles and
bacteria.
See your dentist or oral hygienist
every 6 months for a
check-up and teeth
cleaning.
Eat a balanced
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 4
diet. Choose nutritious foods such
as plain yogurt,
cheese, fruit, or raw
vegetables.
According to
the American Dental Association, the
additional use of an
antibacterial mouth
rinse can reduce
bacteria that cause
plaque and gum
disease.
Your oral health
is a factor you have
complete control of
and it does not matter how many miles
you can run if you
are not taking care
of your body as a
whole. Health and
wellness is not contained within the
gym or the park trail,
it is regulated by
you. As I close this
article I want to armor you with some
additional facts that
will help you in
your oral journey.
The first is that tooth
plaque and heart
plaque are made up
of different materials. The plaque in
your teeth is a sticky
substance
while
the plaque in your
heart is harder substance that narrows
your arteries. Secondly, if you are diabetic you are more
prone to have gum
disease and have the
tendency to produce
more plaque. Finally, one of the major
causes of bad breath
is plaque, and your
breath “greets” people before you do.
If you truly
want to alter your
Fairy go to page 21
Robin Roberts
Recovering From Bone
Marrow Transplant
Whitney Greer
Good Morning
America” host Robin Roberts seems to
be recovering well
a day after her bone
marrow transplant
to treat a rare blood
disorder.
Roberts,
51,
underwent the fiveminute transplant
on Sept. 20, 2012,
when she was injected with a syringe carrying cells
donated by her sister Sally-Ann, said
Dr. Gail Roboz, an
oncologist at New
York-Presbyterian
Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
“This morning she sounds energized and she wants
to be out of bed and
the end of the email
was, ‘I want to go
home’ with an exclamation point.”
Roberts
revealed in June that
she had been diagnosed with myelo-
dyplastic syndrome
(MDS), a bone marrow disorder triggered by treatment
for breast cancer
five years ago.
Her doctor cautioned that the road
to recovery may not
be smooth, as Roberts’ immune system
was weakened to undergo the bone marrow transplant, putting her at increased
risk of infection.
“We have to
roll with the punches over the next few
days because, don’t
forget, her systems
are down,” Roboz
said. “We are wanting every day to be
a good day, but we
are ready for some
bumps in the road.”
After recovering for several months from the
procedure, Roberts
is expected to return to her co-anchor chair at the TV
program.
MINORITY HEALTH
P U B L I C A T I O N
Breast Cancer Patient Teaches
the Game of Survival
D. Morehead
Every
12
minutes a woman in America dies
of breast cancer.
Breast cancer is
the most common
malignancy.
Younger Black
women, who get
breast cancer, are
more likely than
other women who
have breast cancer,
to have a particularly aggressive and lethal form of the disease. Most findings
suggest that biology may help explain
why breast cancer
is deadlier in Black
women age 55 and
younger, than it is
in white women in
the same age group.
Other studies have
blamed inadequate
screening
rates.
Nevertheless, Minority Health Publication wanted to
dig deeper into the
topic of breast cancer and we immediately thought of
Toledo’s very own
Breast Cancer Survivor,
Deborah
Roberts. Deborah
has dedicated much
of her time and energy into educating
women on the importance of early detection, and getting
treatment before its
too late. Her testimony is one of courage, determination,
strength, and survival. In the words of
Deborah D. Roberts
“The name of this
game is Survival”.
Minority
Photo by Dwayne Morehead
Breast Cancer Survivor, Deborah Roberts
Health Publication
asked Deborah to
tell us a about the
day she found out
she had breast cancer and what were
some of the biggest
changes she had to
make since becoming a breast cancer
survivor?
Mrs.
Roberts: “I went in for
a lumpectomy, because I found a second lump, 22 years
after I found the
first lump. I was in
the hospital for the
lumpectomy, and
the doctor told me
we’re not going to
do a biopsy, we’re
going to just remove the lump, so I
had the lumpectomy
and when I woke
up in the recovery
room, the doctor
was standing over
me saying that I had
breast cancer and
that I would need to
have my breast removed; that’s how I
found out that I had
breast cancer.”
“One of the
changes since becoming a survivor would be that
I learned to say no.
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 5
When I felt like I was
overwhelmed or had
to many things to do,
I learned to say no,
even though people would disagree
with me. I learned
to let things roll off
my back, and I’ve
learned to try and
keep my stress level down.
Minority
Health Publication:
So you were just
going in for a routine checkup or had
you already been diagnosed with breast
cancer? And how
Survivor go to page 23
Blueberries Fight Belly Fat
Gemma Green
Health experts
have always raved
about the health
benefits of blueberries, but now, a new
University of Michigan Cardiovascular
Center study suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and
risk factors for heart
disease and metabolic syndrome.
Blueberries are
the fruits of a shrub
that belong to the
heath family, which
includes the cranberry and bilberry
as well as the azalea,
mountain laurel and
rhododendron.
Blueberries are
the fruits of a shrub
that belong to the
heath family, which
includes the cranberry and bilberry
as well as the azalea,
mountain laurel and
rhododendron.
Blueberries
grow in clusters and
range in size from
that of a small pea
to a marble. They
are deep in color,
ranging from blue
to maroon to purple-
black, and feature
a white-gray waxy
“bloom” that covers the surface serving as a protective
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Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 6
coat. The skin surrounds a semi-transparent flesh that encases tiny seeds.
According to
a study presented at the 2009 Experimental Biology
conference in New
Orleans, a diet rich
in blueberries lowers blood cholesterol levels while improving
glucose
control and insulin
sensitivity, lowering
the risk of subsequent heart disease
and diabetes.
Just some of
the benefits of blueberries include:
They have the
highest antioxidant
capacity of all fresh
Blueberries go to page 9
How Much Sleep Do Seniors Need?
Diana Rodriguez
Many seniors
deal with a number
of health problems
related to aging —
one in particular is
not getting enough
healthy sleep. It’s
not the advancing of
age per se that keeps
seniors from a good
night’s rest, but various sleep disorders
or sleep disturbances that often come
with age. As we get
older, our sleep patterns change and, for
starters, seniors do
not spend as much
time in deep sleep as
younger people do.
C o m m o n
symptoms of sleep
disorders are: Having trouble fall-
ing asleep, waking
up very early in the
morning, Inability to
tell night from day
and frequent waking in the night.
What’s Keeping You Awake at
Night?
Many seniors
have
problems
sleeping because of
health conditions —
as well as their associated symptoms
and medications.
Some common senior health issues
that can prevent you
from getting healthy
sleep include: Side
effects of prescription medications,
Chronic pain, often
from health conditions like arthritis,
Depression, Alcohol
consumption, Not
getting enough exercise, Snoring, Alzheimer’s disease or
a neurological prob-
lem, Caffeine consumption, Frequent
urination during the
night
Biological Issues That Can Cause
Sleep Problems
It’s also possible that biological
changes in seniors
contribute to sleep
disorders. One theory is that seniors
produce and release
less of the hormone
melatonin that helps
people sleep.
Another problem is a shifting
circadian rhythm,
which synchronizes various functions
of the body, including sleep. This shift
makes older people
more tired earlier in
the evening, so they
go to bed earlier and
get up a lot earlier,
too.
Many seniors
also have prob-
lems with insomnia, which is often linked to an underlying medical or
psychological problem. Not getting
healthy sleep can
impact a senior’s
overall health and
wellness, and even
impair
cognitive
functioning.
Tips to Help
You Fall Asleep
Seniors don’t
need as much sleep
as younger people
do, no more than
seven to eight hours
of sleep. But that
sleep often comes
broken up throughout the day rather than in one big
Sleep go to page 8
HOW CAN I CARE FOR HIM? WHO CAN I CALL FOR HELP? WHAT
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“I constantly felt like I was in the hands of experts with
Hospice of Northwest Ohio. I didn’t know if my husband
needed a change of medicine or needed to sit up. I didn’t
know all the things to make him comfortable, but they did.”
– Anita, wife of a Hospice of Northwest Ohio patient
Answers for Living the Last Months of Life
Visit hospicenwo.org
© 2012 Hospice of Northwest Ohio
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419-661-4001 (Ohio) • 734-568-6801 (Michigan)
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Men from page 2
visit to the doctor. They could be a symptom of cancer, or they could indicate some
other problem such as chronic bronchitis or
acid reflux.
6. Difficulty Swallowing
Some men may report trouble swallowing but then ignore it. But swallowing difficulties may be a sign of a GI cancer, such
as cancer of the esophagus. Let your doctor know if you are having trouble swallowing. Your doctor should take a careful history and possibly order a chest X-ray and a
barium swallow. The doctor may also send
you to a specialist for an upper GI endoscopy to examine your esophagus and upper
GI tract.
7. Blood
Anytime you see blood coming from a
body part where you’ve never seen it before,
see a doctor. If you start coughing up blood,
spitting up blood, have blood in the bowel or
in the urine, it’s time for a doctor visit. It’s a
mistake to assume blood in the stool is simply from a hemorrhoid.
Your doctor should ask you questions
Men go to page 22
Sleep from page 7
stretch at night.
Here are some suggestions to battle
sleep disorders and get a full night of restful, healthy sleep:
Get treatment for any medical problems. If you’re experiencing depression,
painful arthritis, or bladder problems that
force you to get up and go to the bathroom
frequently at night, seek medical attention to
get these conditions under control.
Don’t just lie in bed. Try to go to sleep
at bedtime, but if you’re still awake after 20
minutes, get out of bed. Do something quiet
and relaxing — read, listen to music, or take
a hot shower or bath.
Make lifestyle changes. Adjustments
may include eliminating caffeine and not
eating a huge meal or a big snack before
bedtime. It’s also important for you to exercise each day — make it early in the day
rather than in the late afternoon or evening,
and definitely not before bedtime.
Get into a good sleep routine. Set a regular time to wake up each morning and go
to bed each night to retrain your body for
healthy sleep. Try skipping afternoon naps.
And other than intimacy, think of your bedroom as just a place for sleeping and rest.
Don’t accept fatigue and poor sleep
as part of getting older. Try these tips for
healthy sleep, and talk to your doctor if you
still can’t find a way to sleep through the
night.
You’ve Got Prostate
Cancer: Now What?
Violet Smith
According to
the CDC, African
American men have
the highest incidence
of prostate cancer of
any race in the U.S.
and are more than
two times more likely to die from the disease. In fact, prostate cancer is the
fourth leading cause
of death in African
American men.
Unfortunately, this means that
receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis
is something many
Black men will encounter in their lifetime. How a man responds to this news
can be a matter of life
and death.
After you’re diagnosed with prostate
cancer, it’s very important to make the
necessary lifestyle
changes that will improve the quality of
your life.
According to Dr.
Thomas Farrington,
prostate cancer survivor and president and
founder of the Prostate Health Education
Network (PHEN),
here are some of the
top things a man with
prostate cancer needs
to stay healthy.
1. Knowledge
“Knowledge
is the best tool to
help you survive,”
Dr. Farrington says.
“Black men need to
ask ‘should I be treated or go into active
surveillance?’ ‘What
is my stage of cancer?’ ‘Surgery or radiation?’ Men don’t
understand
that
you must continue to be diligent in
post-prostate cancer
treatment.”
There are many
resources available to
learn about prostate
cancer facts and treatments, such as PHEN
and the National
Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Dr. Farrington
also stressed an underlying reason for
men to educate themselves about recommended lifestyle habits and possible treatments, in addition to
maintaining a higher
quality of post-cancer
life – prostate cancer
recurrence.
“Just because
you’ve
received
treatment
doesn’t
mean the cancer can’t
come back, so men to
know about available
treatments, particularly new treatments
that are on the horizon. An example of
this is an exiting new
treatment that addresses prostate cancer recurrences called
Provenge, which uses
the body’s own immune system to fight
cancer. Many insurance companies cover this, and it’s important for men to
be aware of this new
option.”
2. The Right
Diet
It can be very
difficult to adhere to
a balanced cancer
diet, particularly during treatment, while
your body is working overtime to fight
the cancer and repair
healthy cells that may
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 8
have been damaged
as a side effect of
treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. At the same
time, many cancer
treatments, such as
radiation, can leave
you weak and without an appetite – this
makes it both challenging, yet crucial,
to get in those essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals
your body needs in
order to fight and regain strength.
“You really do
need to be concerned
with your diet,” says
Dr. Farrington. “One
key aspect of a prostate cancer diet is being lower in fat.”
Experts
also
recommend reducing animal fat in your
diet. Studies show
that excess fat, primarily red meat and
high-fat dairy, stimulates prostate cancer
growth. In addition,
avoid trans fatty acids (found in margarines, fried and baked
goods) and high-calcium diets, which
are also both known
to promote cancer
growth.
Fresh fish. Why?
It tends to be high in
very beneficial alpha
omega-3 fatty acids.
Ideally, eat cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, and trout, at least
two to three times a
week. The fish should
be poached, baked,
Prostate go to page 22
Why Anger May Be
Hard on Your Lungs
Ellis Moore
In an eight-year
American
study
of 670 men aged
45 to 86, researchers found that longstanding anger and
hostility sped up
age-related
lung
decline. In other
words, it caused the
men’s lung function
to deteriorate faster than it normally
would.
The researchers accounted for
other factors such as
smoking and education that are factors
in lung health. Researchers found that
anger and hostility alter neurological
and hormonal processes, which may
negatively impact
the body’s immune
system and create
excessive levels of
inflammation.
The men’s lung
function at the start
of the study varied according to
their initial levels of
hostility.
It was significantly poorer among
those men deemed
to exhibit high levels of anger and hostility compared with
those who exhibited medium to low
levels.
But it was also
worse at each examination throughout
the period of study.
Although the
impact was lessened, the association held true even
after taking account
of factors likely to
influence the findings, such as smoking and educational
attainment.
Higher
levels of hostility were
also associated with
a faster rate of the
natural decline in
lung function that
occurs with aging.
Each point increase in hostility
score was associated
with a loss of FEV1
— the volume of air
that can be forced
out of the lungs in
one second, and a
measure of lung
power — of 9 ml a
year compared with
men whose hostility
levels were lower.
The
authors
point out that hostility and anger
have been associated with cardiovascular disease, death,
and asthma, and that
previous research
has suggested that
changes in mood
can have short term
effects on the lungs.
Anger and hostility will alter neurological and hormonal processes,
which in turn may
disturb immune system activity, producing chronic inflammation, suggest the
authors.
An accompanying editorial comments that the physiological components of anger and
stress overlap, and
stress is well known
to affect the immune
system.
“Indeed it is
hard to find a disease for which emotion or stress plays
absolutely no part
in symptom severity, frequency, or intensity of flare-ups,”
writes Dr Paul Lehrer of the University of Medicine and
Dentistry in New
Jersey, USA.
Chronic
anger may permanently alter the normal body responses
to and physical and
psychological stressors, he suggests,
and add to “wear
and tear.”
But he cautions
that
associations
do not necessarily equate to cause.
“Personality, as well
as physiology, can
change over time,
and deterioration in
health and physical
function can lead to
negative emotion as
well as vice versa,
including for respiratory diseases.”
Blueberries from page 6
fruit: Blue Berries,
being very rich in
antioxidants
like
Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex,
vitamin E, vitamin
A, copper (a very
effective immune
builder and antibacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by
raising haemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood)
etc. boost up your
immune system and
prevent infections.
Once your immunity is strong, you
won’t catch colds,
fever, pox and all
such nasty viral and
bacterial communicable diseases.
They neutralize
free radicals which
can affect disease
and aging in the
body: Blue Berries
bring you the brightest ray of hope, for
they are laden with
anti oxidants and
rank number 1 in
the world of anti oxidants. This is mainly due to presence
of Anthocyanin, a
pigment responsible for the blue color of the blueberries. The abundance
of vitamin-C is also
a big factor for this
as well.
They aid in reducing belly fat:
A new University
of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests
that blueberries may
help reduce belly fat
and risk factors for
cardiovascular disBlueberries go to page 21
NOT FEELING
WELL?
PICK UP YOUR COPY OF
Minority Health Publication
and
FEEL BETTER TODAY!
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 9
4 Surprising Fixes
For Pimples
Brittany Gatson
You can wear a
loose shirt if you’re
feeling bloated and
apply some self-tanner if you’ve spent
too much time indoors, but no matter
how much makeup
you apply, it’s hard
to totally cover up a
pimple.
And you feel
like it’s the only
thing anyone sees!
Here are totally essential tips to
know to get rid of a
pimple and fast!
Toothpaste
Use the nongel kind. Squeeze a
little dab of it onto a
clean finger and apply to the pimple.
Since
toothpaste
dries overnight, it
reduces inflammation in your pimple,
allowing the swelling to go down. It
also pulls pus out
from the pimple.
Baking Soda
A paste made of
baking soda and water offers the same
benefits of toothpaste and is a great
alternative if you
just don’t feel look
putting something
sticky and minty on
your skin. Allow the
baking soda paste
to stay on your skin
overnight to fully
dry out the pimple.
White Vinegar
There is a reason many face wash
products smell so
bitter—acid. The
acidity of white vinegar can actually
dissolve pus within
a zit. Since it’s the
pus that causes the
pimple to be swollen, the pimple will
reduce in size once
the pus is pulled out.
Put a little bit onto a
cotton swap and pat
it on the pimple.
Visine
Really
any
product meant to
reduce redness in
your eyes will work.
These products restrict blood vessels,
pulling blood away
from the surface and
taking away color.
Eye-drop products
can do the same for
a pimple.
MINORITY HEALTH
P U B L I C A T I O N
Breast Lumps: What’s
Normal What’s Not
Felicia Vance
So you found
a lump — now
what? Though all
breast lumps need
to be evaluated by a
trained medical professional, the majority turn out to be
noncancerous, especially in younger
women.
First,
don’t
panic…
80 to 85 percent of breast lumps
are benign, meaning they are noncancerous,
especially in women
younger than age
40. Not only that,
but if you’re at an
age where you’ve
been having regular mammograms,
and if those mammograms have been
negative, odds are
even better that your
palpable (capable of
being felt) lump is
not cancer.
But how do
you know? How do
you differentiate between a lump that
is breast cancer and
one that is benign?
What causes benign
breast lumps? And
do they go away on
their own?
Breast Lumps
Distinctions
Your breasts
are made up of fat,
nerves, blood vessels, fibrous connective tissue, and glandular tissue, as well
as an intricate milkproducing system of
lobules (where the
milk is made) and
ducts (the thin tubes
that carry milk to the
nipple). This anatomy in and of itself
creates a lumpy, uneven terrain.
A breast lump,
however,
distinguishes itself from
this background of
“normal” irregularities: A breast lump
can be solid and unmovable like a dried
bean, or soft and fluid-filled, rolling between your fingers
like a grape. It can
be smaller than a
pea or several inches
across, although this
larger size is rare.
Meanwhile,
what typically differentiates a benign
breast lump from
a cancerous breast
lump is movement.
A fluid-filled lump
that rolls between
the fingers is less
likely to be cancer
than a lump that is
hard and rooted to
the breast.
This is not to
say all benign lumps
move and all cancerous lumps don’t.
While this is a good
rule of thumb, the
only way to know
for sure is through
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 10
the wisdom of your
doctor and specialized medical tests,
such as an ultrasound, a mammogram, or a fine needle aspiration, in
which your doctor uses a tiny needle to extract a bit of
the lump for a biopsy, or laboratory examination. Another
rule of thumb has to
do with pain. Breast
cancer does not usually present pain, but
benign conditions
often do, although
there are exceptions
to this as well.
Not all benign
breast lumps will require additional testing, by the way. If
you find what appears to be a fluid-filled cyst during your menstrual
period, your doctor
may want to check
your breast again at
the end of your period to see if the cyst
has disappeared. If
the cyst goes away,
you and your doctor will know your
lump was indeed benign and related to
the hormonal fluctuations associated
with menstruation.
A Variety of Benign Breast Lumps
and Conditions
Most benign
breast lumps and
conditions are directly related to your
menstrual cycle —
to fluctuations in
your hormones and
Lumps go to page 20
MO’S CORNER - I ASK THE QUESTIONS, THEY GIVE THE ANSWERS
Mo’s Corner sat down with former Ohio Cage Combat; Champion Brandon Copeland,
Topics of discussion: tips on how to obtain the perfect physique, mixed martial arts, and how
martial arts can be used as a tool to help children with anger management problems.
Q. Tell me a little bit about what it
takes to get involved
in mixed martial
arts?
A.
Basically, you either got to
love it or you don’t,
the training is hard.
When I first started,
I wasn’t in it for actually competing in
the cage. I was just
around a bunch of
professional fighters, but it’s definitely nothing that you
can half do, you can
get hurt if you’re
half doing it. All in
all it’s a great workout and you get to
meet some really
great people. It’s not
as barbaric as it appears to be.
Q. What type of
training do you have
to go through to become a mixed martial arts expert?
A. Mixed martial arts is a collage
of all the different
martial arts, such
as, traditional boxing, traditional kickboxing, Brazilian tajitzu, wrestling, and
Thailand boxing. So
it’s good to know
this and be able to
not just excel, but
be able to put it all
together.
Q. Now, to do
all of this, what type
of physical training
do you have to go
through to be at the
top of your game?
A. There’s def-
Mr. Dwayne “Mo” Morehead
Mr. Brandon Copeland, former Ohio Cage Combat Champion
initely a lot of cardio stamina, muscle
endurance, not so
much weight room
strength, but physical strength, like
with the wrestling.
When I first started out, I thought
that bigger was the
way to go, but lightweight training, as
far as, high repetition and intervals,
versus just trying to
be big and strong in
the weight room, be-
cause that wouldn’t
help you at all. We
do the tire flips with
the big tractor tire;
body weight exercises keeps you limber and gives you
that extra strength.
Q. Brandon
I’ve seen photos of
you and I’ve seen
you in person, and
you’re in tip-top
shape, now if I said
“I want my body to
look just like that,
how do I go about
obtaining that physical physique?
A. Where it
starts first is definitely how you eat.
I fight at 205, that’
where I weigh in
at, but I was cutting weight from
240 and that’s all
dieting, cardio, and
training. That’s for
anyone looking to
obtain a certain physique; it’s definitely about how you
eat first, then cardio,
and what you do in
the gym.
Q. At one time
you held the championship title and I
just want to know
what type of belt
was that, and how
did you go about obtaining that belt?
A. It was for
an
organization
called The Ohio
Cage Combat, it’s
been around since
2008 I believe, and
I’ve been fighting for them every
since they started. I
won that belt in July
2010. It was a cruiser weight belt, which
is a new weight class
that they incorporated. I fought for the
first cruiser weight
title in Ohio.
Q. Are there
any other belts or
accolades that you
have won since being involved in
mixed martial arts?
A. I also competed in Brazilian
tajitzsu, and judo.
It’s all a relative of
wrestling, so I have
a lot of medals from
competing in these
competitions. I was
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 11
ranked
nationally back in 2007 and
2008. I then started focusing on the
mixed martial arts;
in Canada I won a
light-heavy weight
belt. In 2008, I took
second place in a
huge
tournament
with heavy weight
invite only. It’s the
tournaments
that
keep your skills
sharp in this sport.
Q. Let’s talk
a little about cage
fighting, how intense is the feeling
of being in a cage
and trying to cause
physical harm to
your opponent?
A. What’s interesting
about
that is, you actually meet your opponent before the
fight, and since I’ve
been involved in
this, I haven’t run
into any knuckleheads. Every opponent that I’ve competed against, so far
have been good people. When you meet
them, you know that
you still have a job
to do, you got to win
Mo’s Corner go to page 22
Felicia Vance
Does your before bedtime ritual
or routine consist of
a snack, television,
or checking email?
It is very easy to
explain what should
be done before hopping into bed, but
rarely are we told
what not to do. So
what shouldn’t we
be doing before
bed that may be impacting not only the
quality of our sleep,
but at what time we
get to bed and wake
up?
The following
are some of the prebedtime activities
that could be hurting
your chance at getting a good night’s
sleep.
1. Eat anything
heavy
The last meal of
your night should be
at dinnertime, and it
is suggested not to
eat dinner past 7:00
PM because your
body’s metabolism
begins to slow down
as it prepares for
sleep. Many times
people will have a
craving for a snack
pre-bedtime because
they are still hungry
after dinner. If this is
the case, do not dive
into the fridge to eat
leftovers or into the
cupboard for a quick
and fatty snack. You
do not want to fill
yourself up before
bedtime, only sub-
due the hunger until
morning.
2. Exercise
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endorphins, adrenaline and a range of
other hormones and
chemicals to help
make you feel great.
Sometimes, the only
option we have is to
work out in the evening due to overscheduled days, and
this is a big no-no.
It is recommended
to stop working out
at least 3 hours before your bed time
to allow your body
to wind down and
relax.
3. Television/
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Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 12
Internet
Studies have
shown that preslumber screen time
can impede your
body’s ability to fall
asleep. The likely culprit? Well, the
bright lights of these
screens can hinder
the development of
melatonin, the hormone that promotes
sleep. So close that
laptop and turn off
that TV about an
hour before bed.
4. Take a Hot
Shower/Bath
Like exercise,
hot showers and
baths can actually
help you fall asleep.
The problem, however, comes out of
taking one too close
to the time you plan
on hitting the sack.
Being overheated or
sweating can make
it difficult to sleep.
Let your body cool
down before heading off to bed.
5. Watch your
fluids
Caffeine,
of
course, and alcohol
both make it difficult to get a good
night’s rest. But
drinking a lot of any
liquid within the
last hour or two before you go to bed
will lead to those
dreaded late night
bathroom breaks,
and further disrupt
your slumber. You
shouldn’t go to bed
thirsty, however, as
you’ll likely wake
up in the middle of
the night to get a
drink of water. Balance is key here.
6. Work
“DO THIS” go to page 20
What Grade Did Your
Doctor Give Your Heart?
Whitney Greer
African American adults are more
likely to be diagnosed with coronary
heart disease, and
they are more likely to die from heart
disease.
Researchers
have done a lot of
work in recent years
looking at the signs
and symptoms that
heart patients have
experienced in the
months or even
years leading up to a
heart attack.
So, right now,
what factors would
a doctor look at to
grade the health of
your heart?
“The heart, together with the arteries that feed it,
is one big muscle,
and when it starts
to fail the symptoms can show up
in many parts of
the body,” says cardiologist Jonathan
Goldstein of Saint
Michael’s Medical
Center in Newark,
New Jersey.
1.
Intimacy
problems
Something cardiologists
know
but the average guy
doesn’t:
Erectile
dysfunction (ED) is
one of the best early
tip-offs to progressive heart disease.
“Today, any patient who comes in
with ED should be
considered a cardiovascular patient until
proven otherwise,”
says Goldstein.
In women, reduced blood flow
to the genital area
can impede arousal, make it harder
to reach orgasm, or
make orgasms less
satisfying.
Get a full workup to assess possible
causes. Men should
see both a general practitioner and a
urologist, and women should see both a
general practitioner
and a gynecologist.
Both men and women should request
heart tests – even if
the doctor doesn’t
mention them.
2. Snoring
If you snore
loudly enough to
keep your sleeping partner awake
or to force him or
her to resort to earplugs, your heart
may be at risk. Restricted breathing
during sleep, the underlying cause of
snoring, is linked
with all types of
cardiovascular disease. Sleep apnea,
in which breathing
briefly stops during sleep, is linked
with a higher risk of
both cardiovascular disease and heart
attack.
Any sleep-related breathing problem is a clue that
something’s wrong,
so call the doctor.
They may recommend a sleep study,
but get your heart
checked out too.
3. Sore, swollen
or bleeding gums
Sore, swollen,
or bleeding gums
are symptoms not
only of periodontal disease, where
exposure to bacteria causes the gums
to become inflamed
and pull away from
the teeth. But unhealthy gums are
also a possible early sign of underlying cardiovascular
disease.
See a dentist
to treat gum disease
and prevent the presence of bacteria. Because gum disease
can be a red flag for
inflammation and
circulatory
problems, ask your doctor if ongoing gum
symptoms warrant a
checkup.
4. Puffy or
swollen legs or feet
If you notice
that your feet swell
enough to make
your shoes tight;
your ankles, wrists,
or fingers are noticeably puffy; or there
are deep pressure
marks or indents
when you take off
socks or hose, you
may have a problem
with fluid retention.
Also called edema,
fluid retention can
be a sign of coronary artery disease
(CAD), heart failure, and other forms
of cardiovascular
disease.
Report problems with edema
to your doctor, who
can run tests that
may indicate CAD
and can determine if
your heart function
is normal.
5. Shortness of
Choose the
region’s only
hospital with
a cardiologist
here 24/7.
To learn the warning signs of a heart attack,
and to receive a free emergency aspirin
keychain, complete our heart assessment
survey at promedica.org/hearthealth.
800-PPG-DOCS
If you are experiencing a medical emergency,
please call 911.
Heart go to page 22
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 13
© 2012 ProMedica
Don’t Do This Before Going To Sleep Tonight
I Am The Cure
Cure from page 1
Komen Northwest
Ohio Race for the
Cure pays special
tribute to two individuals from the 24
county service area
that have inspired
others by exuding
strength and grace
during their fight
with breast cancer.
The 2012 Susan G.
Komen Northwest
Ohio Race for the
Cure held Sunday,
September 30th was
run In Celebration
of Ingrid Bias and In
Memory of Margaret “Lambie” Guyton Stout.
This year was
also a celebration
of a new beginning
for Yo’s Rack Pack,
with the combined
efforts of Minority
Health Publication
and Fitzone by Erika. The two joined
their brands to walk
for Yolonda Willis,
who is a four year
breast cancer surviCure go to page 15
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 14
I Am The Cure
Cure from page 14
vor and a role model for women who
have fought and are
fighting breast can-
cer. Being a survivor means continuing the battle for others, Yolonda shared.
There are changes
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 15
that affect your body
even in the survivor
stage that are just as
challenging as the
Cure go to page 16
I Am The Cure
Cure from page 15
fight.
Yo’s
Rack
Pack was made up
of over 30 walkers
who all were there
to support Yolonda
and donate their feet
to the street for others who have been
afflicted with this
killer. The Fitzone
camera crew was
on hand to celebrate
Yolonda and the
Race for the Cure.
The Show will also
showcase a special
workout for Yolonda and other survivors of breast cancer this month.
Next year, we
hope to see the team
expand, but it is the
numbers individu-
ally that made the
Northwest
Ohio
Race for the Cure
the largest yet! Numbers mean nothing
if not gathered collectively. The race
takes place every
September and the
only thing missing
is you! Yo’s Rack
Pack does not want
you just to walk for
the memory of the
loved one, walk for
the Cure.
There are four
key messages we
want readers to remember whether
they participated in
the Race or watched
from home:
See your doctor, learn your risk
Get mammo-
grams and breast
exams
Notice changes
to your breasts
Start the fight
by living right
We will continue to support breast
cancer awareness in
our community because even with the
hope for the cure,
there is still the need
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 16
How Antibiotics Can Hurt You
for everyone, regardless of income
level, to have access to recommended clinical breast exams, mammogram
screenings, and diagnostic testing for
breast cancer prevention and early
detection.
Lorraine Jones
Antibiotics can
save lives by fighting bacterial infections, but that’s not
to say that they’re
without risk. These
strong medicines
can have some
alarming side effects, as well, resulting in thousands of
lawsuits each year.
What kinds of
side effects do antibiotics cause?
It’s been estimated that over
140,000 emergency visits are made
to the hospital each
year due to antibiotic-associated side
effects, with allergic reactions being
the most common.
“Minimizing unnecessary antibiotic use
by even a small percentage could significantly reduce the
immediate and direct risks of drug-related adverse events
in individual patients,” a 2007 study
showed.
Oral fluoroquinolones are the most
popular antibiotics,
and include Cipro
(ciprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxafin) and Avelox
(moxifloxacin). But
taking these antibiotics increases your
risk of developing
a retinal detachment
by five times compared with nonusers, a recent study
shows.
In 2006, consumer group Public
Citizen petitioned
the FDA to place a
warning on fluoroquinolones warn-
ing of the potential for tendon ruptures. “The tendon that most frequently ruptures is
the Achilles tendon,
which causes sudden and severe pain,
swelling and bruising, and difficulty
walking,” a press release states, adding
that ruptures have
also occurred in the
rotator cuff, biceps,
hand and thumb.
“One theory is
that fluoroquinolones are toxic to tendon fibers and may
decrease blood supply in tendons that
already have a limited blood supply,” the
press release reads.
It was not until 2008
that the FDA began
to require a warning
label.
In
addition,
a Swedish study
found that these
types of antibiotics can sometimes
cause
peripheral
neuropathy, a condition that causes
numbness and pain
in the hands and
feet, although the
number of reported
cases was small.
Another dangerous antibiotic,
azithromycin, was
recently shown to
nearly triple cardiovascular mortality compared to the
rate for a group of
patients who didn’t
take the antibiotic. Although deaths
associated with the
use of this antibiotic are rare, the highest rate was seen in
people with cardiovascular disease.
Are antibiotics
used too often?
Antibiotics are
overused “by lazy
doctors who are trying to kill a fly with
an automatic weapon,” pharmacological
epidemiologist Mahyar Etiman
told the New York
Times.
For example,
antibiotics
don’t
work against colds,
flu, and viral infections such as bron-
chitis, but are sometimes
prescribed
anyway.
Sore throats are
often prescribed antibiotics, but according to updated (voluntary) guidelines
released by the Infectious Disease Society of America
(IDSA) this week,
a sore throat is likely to be a virus, not
strep throat.
Antibiotic
Resistance
Overusing antibiotics for viruses or
conditions in which
they’re not required
can lead to antibiotic resistance, which
means that these
powerful drugs become less effective
at fighting the bacteria they’re actually
intended to treat. In
fact, infectious organisms adapt to the
antibiotics, developing new strains of
bacteria that are immune to it.
In the example
of strep throat, the
revised IDSA guidelines recommend
penicillin or amoxicillin for treatment,
since strep is becoming resistant to
broader-spectrum
(and pricier) antibiotics which were
commonly
prescribed in the past,
including azithromycin and other
macrolides.
A scarier drugresistant bacteria is
methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, also
known as staph infection. There is a
clear
association
between antibiotics and MRSA, a
2007 review of 76
studies with close
to 25,000 patients
showed. MRSA often causes mild skin
infections, but it can
also be more serious
and even life threatening. The infection
is hard to treat, and
can even infect the
lungs, bloodstream
heart valve, bones,
joints, or lungs.
The overuse of
antibiotics can also
make one susceptible to Clostridium
dificile, which can
cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping
and pain, and other unpleasant symptoms. The infection can even cause
colitis.
What To Do
Do not pressure your doctor to
prescribe antibiotics
for viruses, including colds, flus, most
Hurt go to page 20
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Yolonda M Willis, Founder
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 18
Breast Cancer May be Predicted by Blood Test
Lorraine Jones
A blood test
that might be able to
predict breast cancer’s spread may
improve diagnosis
and treatment for
women with early
stage breast cancer,
a new study finds.
Dr. Anthony
Lucci, a professor
of surgical oncology at the University of Texas, Anderson Cancer Center
in Houston, and his
colleagues looked
at 302 patients with
operable breast cancer and examined
them with a simple
blood test.
Their
previous research identified so-called circulating tumor cells
in the blood of patients who had metastatic breast cancer,
or breast cancer that
has spread. The cells
are shed by tumors
and are thought to
cause cancer if they
latch on to another
area in the body.
For this study,
published in the
June 5 issue of Lancet Oncology, the
researchers wanted
to know if these circulating cells could
be found in patients
at an earlier stage
of the disease and
whether or not the
presence of cells
could predict disease progression.
After examining the patients with
a blood test, the researchers identified
circulating tumor
cells in 24 percent
of the study group.
Further analysis revealed the presence
of the cells predicted disease progression and the patient’s overall survival rate. Fifteen
percent of patients
who tested positive
for the cells had relapsing breast cancer, while 10 percent died during the
four-year-study period. That compares
to 3 percent of patients who didn’t
test for the cells that
relapsed and 2 percent that died during
the study.
“If they have
them they had
roughly four times
the risk of either (the
cancer) recurring or
dying than those
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who don’t have the
cells,” said Lucci.
For
patients
with a higher concentration of circulating tumor cells
found in the blood
– with three of the
cells present – 31
percent of them died
or relapsed during
the study.
WebMD
reports that the study
might explain why
about 25 percent of
breast cancer patients who catch
their cancer early with surgery will
see it return.
Experts commenting on the
study said the blood
test may one day
help
personalize
treatment for breast
cancer patients.
“We are moving into a state
where we’re looking at a person’s individual tumor and
this is another way
to do that, potentially leading to treatment,” Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of
surgical oncology at
Lenox Hill Hospital
in New York City,
told HealthDay.
In an accompanying editorial in the
same journal, Dr.
Justin Stebbing, a
professor of cancer
medicine and oncology, at Imperial College, London, U.K.,
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Lumps from page 10
to the fluid buildup that comes with your
monthly period. Other benign breast lumps
and conditions may be related to plugged
milk ducts, infections, and even breast injuries. Here are some of the most common benign breast conditions:
Fibrocystic changes. A general lumpiness that can be described as “ropy” or
“granular,” these lumps are the most commonly seen benign breast condition, affecting at least half of all women. Symptoms of
fibrocystic change include tender, fibrous,
rubbery tissue; a thickening of tissue; or a
round, fluid-filled cyst. These changes, related to hormone fluctuation, may increase as
you approach middle age and then disappear
with menopause. Sometimes, your doctor
will recommend limiting salt and caffeine in
your diet to ease fluid buildup. You may also
be prescribed hormones, in the form of birth
control pills, to help ease particularly troublesome symptoms. Your doctor may also
recommend a needle or surgical biopsy to
make sure your breast condition is related to
fibrocystic change and not cancer.
Cysts. Related to fibrocsystic changes, these are round or oval sacs, measuring
one inch to two inches across. They are tender to the touch and filled with fluid. They
may come and go with your menstrual period, becoming larger and more tender at the
beginning of your period and disappearing
at the end. Your doctor may order an ultrasound or a fine needle aspiration to make
“DO THIS” from page 12
Whatever work
or school issue it
is, it can certainly
wait until morning.
Getting work done
stimulates
your
brain and can cause
you unneeded stress
— pretty much the
opposite of what
you want to feel if
you’re trying to fall
asleep!
7. Have Serious
Conversations
You’ve probably heard the phrase,
“don’t go to bed angry.” And, as it turns
out, it’s totally accu-
rate! Research has
shown that sleeping
directly after a fight
or traumatic experience will effectively preserve your
emotions until you
awake. The human
body is adverse to
falling asleep in dangerous situations —
it’s a defense mechanism. Thus, you’ll
have a much harder
time falling asleep
after a big blowout.
It’s best to resolve
conflicts before you
hit the sack.
sure it’s a cyst and not something else. In
very rare cases, when a cyst is particularly
large or painful, your doctor may use a needle to withdraw and reduce the fluid inside
it. Cysts generally affect women between
the ages of 35 and 50.
Fibroadenoma. Occurring in young
girls and women in their teens and 20s, fibroadenomas are more common in those
who use use birth control pills before age 20.
This benign tumor ranges in size from microscopic to several inches across. It is movable under the skin, round and hard like a
marble, and may be diagnosed by aspiration
or removal of the lump. If the fibroadenoma
shrinks or doesn’t grow over time, and your
doctor is sure of the diagnosis, he or she may
decide to simply leave it alone.
Fat necrosis. This occurs when fatty breast tissue is damaged by injury to the
breast, resulting in the formation of round,
firm lumps. It is more common in women
with large breasts, particularly in women
who are obese. Your doctor will most likely watch the lump through several menstrual cycles and may decide to remove it surgically. Sometimes the necrosis will produce
what is called an oily cyst, which your doctor will drain with a needle.
Nipple discharge. Sometimes women
experience nipple discharge with or without
a breast lump. The color of nipple discharge
related to benign fibrocystic changes can
vary from yellow to green. A clear to milky
discharge may mean a hormonal malfunction. Green-black discharge could be relat-
Hurt from page 17
coughs, bronchitis,
and sore throats not
caused by strep. If
you are prescribed
antibiotics, make
sure to follow the
instructions on the
bottle carefully, and
to complete the entire bottle as prescribed even if you
feel better better ear-
Test from page 19
ings, but cautioned more research is needed
to determine how it could help patients.
Stebbing wrote, “At present we are
in a difficult situation where we have a reliable prognostic biomarker but restricted
ed to duct ectasia, a narrowing or blockage
of the duct. It can even be bloody in appearance, which can, in fact, mean cancer. More
than likely though, a red discharge means injury, infection, or a benign tumor. Your doctor may study the fluid under a microscope
to determine its origin, particularly if there is
also a mass or lump in your breast.
Mastitis. An infection of the milk duct,
this can create a lumpy, red, and warm breast,
accompanied by fever. It occurs most commonly in women who are breastfeeding, but
can occur in non-breastfeeding women as
well. Treatment involves warm compresses
and antibiotics.
Other less commonly known conditions. Some medical conditions can also
cause breast lumps, including hyperplasia,
an overgrowth of cells in the breast ducts
or lobules; adenosis, which causes enlarged
lobules; intraductal papilloma, a wart-like
growth of gland tissue that grows in the duct;
and lipoma, which is a benign fatty tumor.
The risk for benign breast conditions
increases for women who have never had
children and those who have a history of irregular menstrual cycles and/or a family history of breast cancer.
If You Find a Breast Lump
All breast lumps should be evaluated
by a medical professional, who will help you
decide how to proceed. Most benign breast
conditions are treatable, and some will even
go away on their own, but it’s best to let your
doctor be the one to tell you that.
lier on.
Check
with
your doctor to see
what the common
side effects for the
antibiotics he or she
wants to prescribe,
and if there are any
alternatives. Contact your doctor immediately if you are
suffering from any
unusual symptoms.
guidance on how this information should be
used, and therefore, until the completion of
further studies, we do not envisage patients
being treated differently on the basis of these
data.”
2012
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 20
hancers and you will be well on your way to
living a long, energetic life.
Energy Boosting Foods
Although your calorie requirements decrease with age, you need energy-boosting
foods to keep up with activities, enjoy family, remain independent and fight off illness.
To help you make the most of your nutritional intake, energy foods should provide
multiple benefits. Focus on nutrient-dense
proteins and complex carbohydrates that
are low in calories, sodium and saturated fat
to keep your heart healthy and your stamina high.
Is regular exercise part of your daily
life?
If no: Begin to change that. If you are
unfit, start with 10 minutes of moderate
physical activity each day and build up to at
least 30 minutes. It may seem counter-intuitive, but aerobic exercise is an excellent way
to counter fatigue.
To mix things up a bit, why not try alternative exercise?Yoga should leave you
feeling energetic and Tai Chi is said to im-
prove the flow of energy through your body.
Both are excellent ways to stay in shape,
ease stress and feel more buoyant. Any exercises that stretch your muscles will encourage blood flow and can help increase energy levels.
Are you drinking too much?
If yes: cut down on the booze. It acts
as a sedative, and even small amounts can
make you tired for hours.
Are you sleeping well?
If no: practice good sleep habits. Avoid
eating, reading or watching television while
in bed. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and
quiet, and set the alarm to get up at the same
time each day – a routine will help you to establish a regular schedule. Staying in bed all
day will not help.
Check Hormone Levels
Many older women develop an imbalance in their hormones which can lead
to lack of energy. It is encouraged that all
women over 40 to take a blood test to check
their hormone levels.
Nicole from page 3
pared earlier, to call ahead for certain things,
make sure we have extra this or that. It’s just
about being a parent and being extra conscious about what needs to be done on a daily basis.”
Having a healthy relationship is also a
part of having a healthy lifestyle overall. I
asked Ari – Parker what are some of your
keys to being happily married?
She said, “Having a healthy relationship is different for everybody, but for Boris and me, we’re seven years in. We’re still
learning, but we both come from divorced
parents, so we’re both determined to make
our marriage work. The key for us is to
take time for ourselves, which usually just
means a night at home, without the kids, and
a movie. We laugh a lot, and that helps as
well. Also, really listening when someone is
talking. It’s all about the little things that add
up to something great.”
Ari-Parker just finished “A Streetcar
Named Desire” on Broadway. Besides being a new entrepreneur, now I’m reviewing
scripts for upcoming projects, including one
that will feature both Boris and I.
•••
For more information, visit Save Your
Do today!
Fairy from page 4
overall health, mention Fitzone for your discount when you schedule.
•••
For weekly wellness advice, healthy
recipes, and a workout you can get right
from your living room, join me every Sun-
day morning at 7:30 AM on WNWO-NBC
(CH 24/CH12) preceding Sunday Today.
This paid programming, the Fitzone Show,
reaches the viewing area of Toledo including outlying 419 areas and southeastern
Michigan. Your January is NOW!
After 40 from page 2
For more great articles like this, sign up
today for BlackDoctor.org’s newsletter.
Following are some guidelines to help
you find more energy in your daily life:
Organize your time
Using your time efficiently will help
reduce your stress levels as well giving
you more energy to tackle tasks with gusto. Having a never-ending jobs list with no
deadlines and therefore no end in sight, will
only zap your energy before you even start.
So list all of your jobs to do a day at a time
and highlight those you must do each day
and those that could, at a pinch, form tomorrow’s list. Cross them off as you do them for
maximum satisfaction.
Stay Active
As you age, do not lose sight of what
you love to do. Whether it is picnics in the
park, or enjoying theater shows, you don’t
have to give up your passions as you get older. Continuing to do the things you love will
fill you with energy. Get rid of your energy drainers and implement more energy en-
tact with someone experienced in producing
garments for the U.S. military. We created a
workable product and tested it all over the
country, from young women to old women. Down south and up north. It took us over
a year and half to get the product just right.
And it works, said Ari-Parker.
I asked what are some things that
you’ve learned while raising a daughter with
spina bifida?
Ari-Parker said, “Sophie is such a
blessing. Being a parent is difficult in itself,
so having a child with special needs is more
of a lifestyle change. We know to get pre-
health, develop your entire body; not just
what people see on the outside, visit my
website www.ErikaWhite.net for more information and a special offer from Dr. Khan
to help get you started with improving your
Blueberries from page 9
ease and metabolic syndrome. So far, we
know that the fruit works on rats, which
were the test subjects. A blueberry-enriched
powder was mixed into the rats’ diet, which
was either low-fat or high-fat rat chow. After
90 days, the rats with the blueberry-enriched
diet had less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol and improved fasting
glucose and insulin sensitivity.
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Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 21
Prostate from page 8
or grilled (not burned or charred). You should
avoid fried fish.
Fresh fruits and vegetables. Powerful anticancer nutrients are being discovered regularly in colorful fruits and vegetables, fresh
herbs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, berries and
seeds. Ideal options include red grapes, leafy
dark-green vegetables, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and tomotoes/tomato products, which
are very high in lycopene, a powerful anticancer substance. This includes pizza sauce and
tomato paste.
Natural Vitamin C. Great choices include
citrus fruits, berries, spinach, cantaloupe, sweet
peppers and mango.
Green tea. Drink green tea several times
each week.
Olive oil and avocado oil. Both are very
healthy and rich in antioxidants.
Vitamin E. Aim for 50 to 100 IU of gamma and d-alpha. However, be sure to consult
with your doctor first, since some recent studies have raised concerns over serious risks with
vitamin E intake. Natural sources include nuts,
seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, wheat germ, peas
and nonfat milk.
Selenium. This is a very powerful antioxidant and the backbone molecule of your
body’s immune system. Most studies support a
daily selenium supplement of 200 micrograms
a day. Natural sources include Brazil nuts,
fresh fish, grains, mushrooms, wheat germ,
bran, whole-wheat bread, oats and brown rice.
Multivitamins. Take a multivitamin with
B complex and folic acid daily.
In addition to high-fat, high-calcium and
trans fat-containing foods, it’s also important
to avoid excess preserved, pickled, or salted foods, flax seed oil, high-dose zinc supplements, and oils high in polyunsaturated fats,
such as corn, canola or soybean oil.
3. The Right Lifestyle
In addition to eating the right foods, other
Men from page 8
about your symptoms. The doctor may also
order tests such as a colonoscopy. This is an
examination of the colon using a long flexible tube with a camera on one end. The purpose of a colonoscopy is to identify any
signs of cancer or precancer or identify any
other causes of the bleeding.
8. Mouth Changes
If you smoke or chew tobacco, you
need to be especially alert for any white
patches inside your mouth or white spots on
your tongue. Those changes may indicate
leukoplakia, a pre-cancerous area that can
occur with ongoing irritation. This condition
can progress to oral cancer.
You should report the changes to your
healthy post-cancer habits include:
Exercising
Limiting your calorie intake. Excess calories are bad for cancer growth.
Getting sunshine daily.
Seeing your doctor regularly, and ensuring that you continue to get prostate cancer
screenings at a frequency recommended by
your doctor.
Remembering that for most things, moderation is the key.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that
heart healthy is prostate healthy. Heart disease
is still the No. 1 killer, even in men with prostate cancer.
4. The Right Support
When it comes to life after cancer, men
need a strong circle of support: this can include
his doctor, his family, his friends and/or support groups.
“I’ve seen men close down, and say, ‘This
is it,’” says Dr. Farrington. “Cancer is a family disease. I like to talk to the women in the
family, the people who tend to be the primary caregivers, and tell them they need to get
engaged with helping their men. Men should
also consider listening to other survivors tell
their stories.”
Dr. Farrington has some parting thoughts
for black men: “One of the main problems regarding prostate cancer is that black men tend
to be diagnosed at later stages, when the cancer
has already spread, meaning there are far fewer
treatment options. I advise Black men to ignore
the U.S. Preventive Task Force and start getting screened by age 40. Let your doctor know
you’re at high risk for prostate cancer, and if
the doctor doesn’t want to do it, find another
doctor. Also, lots of people don’t have access
to proper treatment. If you are diagnosed with
prostate cancer, and you can’t afford treatment,
educate yourself about programs that can help
save your life.”
doctor or dentist. The dentist or doctor
should take a careful history, examine the
changes, and then decide what other tests
might be needed.
9. Indigestion
Many men, especially as they get older, think “heart attack” when they get bad
indigestion. But persistent indigestion may
point to cancer of the esophagus, throat, or
stomach. Persistent or worsening indigestion should be reported to your doctor.
Your doctor should take a careful history and ask questions about the indigestion
episodes. Based on the history and your answers to the questions, the doctor will decide
what tests are needed.
Mo’s Corner from page 11
or he’s going to win. You can’t go into this
sport mad because your emotions will take
over and you won’t perform well. So absolutely it is intense, but it’s no different than
boxing, you have to go all the way and you
can’t half do it or you’ll get hurt.
Q. Brandon, what if some of our readers would like to train with you and maybe
get into mixed martial arts, how do they go
about contacting you?
A. I can be reached on Facebook at
Brandon Termayl Copeland; my phone
number is 419-699-9470. Or you can contact the owner of the gym and my trainer,
Jose Martinez at 419-320-2641. The gym
is located on Telegraph right across from
George Ballas. We have beginner classes, classes for women, and also a few kids’
classes throughout the week.
Q. The training is not just for adults, it’s
also for youth, so what type of training do
they receive when they come in?
A. They start out with beginner classes and we show them the proper techniques
for the different arts. It also can be used as a
control method, as far as, temperament goes.
Once we teach them that they can be physical without being angry, it can help with
their aggressiveness.
•••
Anyone with comments about Mo’s
Corner or recommendations, in regards to,
a topic they would like me to write about
or someone that you would like me to interview on Mo’s Corner; you may send me
an email at [email protected]
Heart from page 13
breath
An early sign that something is wrong
with a major bodily system is shortness of
breath, typically with exercise, exertion, and
stress. Typically, shortness of breath indicates either early-stage heart disease or early-stage lung disease, and it’s not possible to
know which it is without seeing a doctor.
It may feel like you can’t catch your
breath, or you may notice a feeling of compression in the chest and lungs, making it
difficult to take a deep breath.
Another breathing symptom of poor
circulation may be labored breathing, which
occurs when fluid accumulates in the lungs.
If you notice that your breathing problems
are worse at night or anytime you lie down,
that can also indicate a heart problem.
Shortness of breath, either with exercise and stress or all the time, is always a
reason to see the doctor for a checkup, since
it can be a symptom of a number of serious
conditions.
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 22
Survivor from page 5
did you go about finding the lump, did you
just do a self-exam at home? And how frightened where you when you felt the lump?
Mrs. Roberts: “I found my first lump
when I was 21 years old and the doctor had
removed it. 22 years later, I had found another lump, so I called Dr. Butler, And Yes,
I was doing self-breast exams on my own
and that’s how I found it. I was scared when
I found the lump, in fact, when I called the
doctor and they got me in so fast, I cried all
the way to work. But by the time I got to
work, nobody knew I had cried because I
walked in there like nothing was wrong.”
Minority Health Publication: Deborah,
how long was your road to recovery?
Mrs. Roberts: “I had twelve chemotherapy sessions, which took about six months,
but during that road to recovery, I was in and
out of the hospital. My white count would
drop and I had to have a couple of blood
transfusions, the chemo had me walking into
walls because my equilibrium was off. After
chemo, I had to wait six months before having radiation because after finding out I had
breast cancer, I had a heart attack, so I have
heart disease also. So approximately a year
or longer to go through it completely.”
“I am a survivor, so I’m still surviving.
Sometimes I do think about it coming back,
but I don’t dwell on it because the stress
of dwelling on it will make it come back.
Stress breaks down your immune system,
and when your immune system gets broken
down anything can happen.”
Minority Health Publication: When
going through something like this, did you
have a lot of supporters or did you just want
to be by yourself? Were you angry? Did you
say to yourself, ‘Why me?
Mrs. Roberts: “My support system was
fantastic! My family was there. My church
family was there. I joined a support group.
I met people didn’t know, who had breast
cancer and they became a part of my life. I
had an overwhelming support system, my
mom went to every treatment with me. I can
remember my dad telling me, “I wish that
I could take your treatment for you”, and I
told my dad, I wouldn’t want you to take
this treatment for me, I wouldn’t wish this
on my worst enemy. Every once in a while,
I wanted to be by myself because it can be
too much. But, for the most part, my support system was great. Did I get angry? No!
It takes too much stress to be angry. Stress
breaks down the immune system and I didn’t
need anything else to happen to my immune
system. God chooses what we go through.
We choose how we go through it.”
Minority Health Publication: It has
been said that faith without action is dead,
what actions have you been taking to initiate more breast cancer awareness to the
community?
Mrs. Roberts: “I am president of The
African-American Women’s Cancer Support
Group. We come together once a month and
our purpose is to encourage and educate the
ladies in the community about breast cancer.
I sit on the board of directors of The American Cancer Society, I am a former member of the Susan G. Komen board, I sit on
the steering committee for The Race for the
Cure. I am also a Reach To Recovery volunteer, and that is where you contact breast
cancer survivors and counsel them and help
them through their recovery. I also work at
That Special Woman.
Minority Health Publication: Deborah, what message would you like to send
to women, who have just found out that they
have breast cancer?
Mrs. Roberts: “Take charge of the breast
cancer! What I mean by that is, do whatever you need to do to survive. Some women
when they find out, decide not to do anything
or wait too late to decide. I have a friend who
I know decided not to do anything, and because of that, she is not here with us today.
You have to be empowered. You have to get
good doctors. If you find a doctor that you
don’t like, then get another doctor. You have
to take charge, learn about the different types
of breast cancer. When you go in that office,
you make sure that doctor thinks that he only
has one patient and that’s you! Get the services that you need. Even if you decide not
to have chemotherapy and the breast cancer
is operable, get the cancer out. Some ladies
just feel that the Lord is going to heal me;
well the Lord gave you five senses and a lot
of times the Lord is going to heal you when
you’re doing what you’re supposed to do. I
do believe in divine intervention, because
you can go to the doctor and they can say,
the cancers gone. But you need to do what
you need to do in order to survive.”
Minority Health Publication: In the
United States, 1 in 8 women will develop
breast cancer by age 95 (12.64%). How early should women get examined, and how
important is early detection?
Mrs. Roberts: “Early detection is the
key; it increases your survival rate. Even
though American Cancer Society is saying
don’t do self-breast exams, you still need to
know your body. They say get a mammogram at age 40, but I’m finding out that a lot
of women are getting diagnosed at an earlier age. So you need to know your body because a lot of women would say well, I don’t
know what a lump would feel like, so the
key is to know your body. I say the earlier
you get an exam, the better.”
Minority Health Publication: Tell me a
little bit about The Check it Out Program.
Mrs. Robert: “It’s a program designed
to go into the area high schools and talk to juniors and seniors about doing self-breast exams. They are shown a video of breast cancer and it is geared towards younger women.
It shows them how to do self-breast exams;
it talks about early detection, and getting to
know their body. I come in as the breast cancer survivor, and I talk about my story.”
Minority Health Publication: “Word
around town is that one Mrs. Deborah Roberts is going to be recognized for your works
and accomplishments at Medical Mutual’s
Breast Cancer Brunch, how does it feel to be
getting honored?
Mrs. Roberts: “I was surprised when I
found out that I was being honored, Chrys
Peterson recommended me. Although it’s an
honor, I don’t do the things that I do in the
community to be recognized. I feel like it’s
a ministry, once I went through breast cancer, I felt like this was my calling and that
the Lord gave me this ministry to help other women. I am thankful for the recognition,
but my goal is to help ladies to be proactive
in their health. African-American women
don’t get breast cancer as often as most, but
we die quicker from it, because we may not
have the insurance, or just fearful. So many
ladies say I don’t want to know. But what
happens is, when you don’t do anything,
you may die earlier from it. Even if you
don’t have insurance, go get checked out because there are programs out there for ladies
to help them.”
Minority Health Publication: What are
some of the services for women who don’t
have health insurance, to help them with getting free exams?
Mrs. Roberts: “The B.C.C.P Program,
which is funded by Susan G. Komen Foundation and The American Cancer Society.
If you are diagnosed with cancer within the
program, they will take care of all of your
services for free. Also The Mercy Map Program, you can call them and if you’re diagnosed they will help you out too.”
Minority Health Publication: What are
some of the future plans and goals that you
have for your life?
Mrs. Roberts: “To continue to encourage ladies, especially African-American
women to be proactive in their health care
and to be a part of The African-American
Cancer Support Group. Mainly, I want to
Keep Surviving!”
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 23
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Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 24
Minority Health Publication • OCTOBER 2012 • Page 25