Utah Womens Health

There are more than a million new cases a year of all skin cancers. Women are affected more than men in all three categories:
Basal Cell Skin Cancer (the most common)
Squamous Cell
Melanoma

Skin Cancer is caused by both excessive UVB and UVA exposure. UVB is blamed more for sunburn, but both cause damage. UVA, the UV exposure you get in a tanning salon penetrates the skin deeper. It causes damage to the deeper tissue, prematurely ages the skin and possibly increases the risk for Melanoma as well as other skin cancers. Occasional intense UVA exposure (in a tanning booth) is much more damaging than long hours in the sun.

Whether you tan or burn, both represent your body’s injury response to Ultraviolet Radiation exposure. The injury response can then set off a series of changes that make you at risk for cancer in the future…sometimes as long as 30 or more years in the future.

Prevention and early detection can save your life.

1. Limit your time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 and 4 when the UV rays are strongest. Remember it is important to set time limits for exposure not only at the beach or pool but on water, snow, cement and ice.

2. Use sunscreen. Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 that have protection against both UVA and UVB. Use it on all exposed skin, including your lips. Zinc oxide and titanium oxide products offer the best protection if you are sweating or swimming. Apply 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every few hours or more if swimming or sweating a lot.

3. Cover up. Slip on a long sleeve shirt, UV clothing, a hat and sunglasses. Prevent cataract and other eye pathology by wearing sunglasses.
Slip-Slop-Slap is the name for a health campaign in Australia exhorting people to "slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat" when they go out into the sun in order to prevent skin cancer. It is probably Australia's most recognizable health message. It’s a message we should adopt as our own.

4. Avoid excessive intense UVA exposure, as is tanning booths, without discussing it with your health care provider.

5. Check your skin regularly. Every three months or more if you are at increased risk. To detect melanomas or other skin cancers, use the A-B-C-D skin self-examination guide, adapted from the American Academy of Dermatology:
* A is for asymmetrical shape. Look for moles with irregular shapes, such as two very different-looking halves.
* B is for irregular border. Look for moles with irregular, notched or scalloped borders — the characteristics of melanomas.
* C is for changes in color. Look for growths that have many colors or an uneven distribution of color.

Keep well hydrated

Shower at night to remove allergens from hair

Change pillowcase each day

Leave house while vacuuming or wear a dust mask

Wear a dust mask when mowing lawn and gardening or when doing outdoor activities in windy conditions.

Use an air conditioner vs. fan or swamp cooler

Nasal Lavage* daily to remove excessive secretions, dust and pollen from nasal passages

*Nasal Lavage

Use 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 cups warm water (You may boil this ahead of time but let it cool to body or room temperature)

Use a bulb syringe and fill (invert and squeeze out air to remove all air bubbles as filling)

Lean over sink and insert the tip of the bulb syringe about 1/2 to 3/4 inches only into the nostril. Do not insert all the way.

Gently squeeze the bulb syringe to empty the water. It may come out your other nostril or mouth, but this is ok.

Use two full bulb syringes daily per nostril.

Talking about Stress!

• Stress is a combination of pressure fear and frustration that occurs when the demands in you life exceed your ability to cope with them.

Stress affects our health in the following ways:

• Hostility, depression and anxiety are related to increase risk coronary artery disease and cardiovascular death.
• A sense of hopelessness is strongly correlated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
• Time urgency and impatience although not consistently related to the risk of coronary artery disease, they do increase the risk of developing hypertension and digestive problems.

The good news is this is a highly modifiable risk—meaning you can change it! It is not easy, nor is it instant (patience!) but you can do the some of these things to minimize stress in your life:

• Have a sense of humor
• Be optimistic
• Have or create a good social support network, (friends and family)
• Exercise regularly
• Practice altruism
• Have faith
• Own a pet

You can also do stress reduction training, such as Yoga, Tai chi, relaxation breathing, meditation, massage, hypnosis, biofeedback and positive thinking.

We talk about the results of the recently published Womens Health Initiative Study.

Any woman who is listening to the recent reports from the Women's Health Initiative is confused. The two recent reports blasted previously comfortable tenets of current medical practice for women including eating low fat foods to cut health risks, and eating calcium and Vitamin D to help prevent Osteoporosis.

Listen to an archive mp3 from KUTR of todays broadcast.

* Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Eighty five percent of lung cancer cases are attributable to smoking. Other causes include environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or "second hand smoke", Radon exposure, asbestos exposure, other lung diseases such as TB and possibly pollution.

Discussion on cardiac health.

How to stay healthy over the Holiday period.