Patrick Swayze’s Cancer: Are Women At Risk?

By Nicole McEwen, Lifescript Staff Writer
Published September 15, 2009

Patrick Swayze’s battle with pancreatic cancer ended yesterday when the beloved actor, best known for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost, passed away at age 57. However, the disease doesn’t just strike men – women are at risk too.

How common is pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer is rare, striking 5 out of every 100,000 annually or about 42,000 Americans, according to the American Cancer Society. It occurs nearly twice as often in men as women, but pancreatic cancer is still the fifth leading cause of death for women in the U.S. It’s the fourth leading cause of death for men.

Because pancreatic cancer is hard to diagnose and treat, the mortality rate is high. About 35,000 Americans die from the disease every year.

Research shows the average person has a 1% chance of getting pancreatic cancer, says Robert McWilliams, M.D., an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. That risk doubles to 2% if someone in the family has the condition. As the baby boomer generation nears retirement age, the number of people afflicted with pancreatic cancer is expected to rise. Overall though, pancreatic cancer tends to strike the elderly. Most are just over 70 years of age when diagnosed. Only 20% are under 60.

What causes pancreatic cancer?
Like other forms of cancer, pancreatic cancer is caused by mutations in DNA. Genetics, a poor diet and/or smoking may play a role in triggering the mutations. It typically starts in the tissues of the pancreas but may spread to the liver, lymph nodes and other surrounding areas.

As many as 20 different tumors have been found to grow on and around the pancreas. Each is different and may require different treatment.

Where is the pancreas and what does it do?
Your pancreas is the large organ behind the lower part of the stomach. It secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate sugar metabolism.

“The pancreas is the geographic center of your body,” says Scott Kern, Ph.D., an associate professor of oncology and pathology and pancreatic cancer researcher at the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. “You can’t see it, you can’t feel it, and normal secretions can’t be seen without special equipment.”

What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
Unfortunately, symptoms usually don’t appear until the disease is advanced, McWilliams says. That’s mainly due to the pancreas’ hidden location and behind-the-scenes role in bodily functions. When symptoms do surface, they include:

Upper abdominal pain
Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Depression

What are the risk factors?
Researchers know this much: Men and women are at equal risk for pancreatic cancer. But certain factors could put you at increased risk:

Smoking
Obesity
Family history of multiple pancreatic cancers
Diet high in animal fat
History of chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)

Smoking accounts for 25%-30% of pancreatic cancers. Cigarettes – or any burning tobacco product – release a chemical that can cause healthy cells to turn cancerous, says an International Journal of Cancer study.

Several studies show that obesity can raise the risk of pancreatic cancer by as much as 60%. A study conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative reported that obese people – those with a body-mass index over 30 – have increased levels of insulin, which may cause the disease.

In particular, abdominal fat can raise your risk, says Rachel Stolzenberg-Solomon, M.D., a researcher at the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics in Bethesda. A British Journal of Cancer study reported that obese women who carry most of their weight around their belly are 70% more likely to develop the disease than those whose weight is more evenly distributed.

Why You Need to Make Breakfast a Family Priority

Adults are not the only ones who benefit from nutritious and regular breakfasts. Research has shown that children who eat breakfast perform better on tests, spend less time in the nurse’s office, and get better grades. Why is breakfast so important? 

• It improves performance.The brain needs fuel to function at its peak. Eating a balanced breakfast makes it easier to concentrate, to remember things, and to be in a good mood.
• It reduces obesity. Children (and adults, for that matter) who skip breakfast are more likely to overeat at other times during the day from hunger.
• It ensures nutrition. Many foods eaten at breakfast are good sources of calcium, fiber, vitamins C and D, and iron. Skipping breakfast will make it harder to ensure proper nutrition.

Send your kids off with a running start and they’ll be sure to succeed later. Make breakfast a family priority!

Bioplastics – In the Bag?

By Thomas Kostigen, MarketWatch
July 31, 2008 SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch)

Want to profit off the environment in a good way? Invest in bioplastics. At least that can be the take away from new data from the European Bioplastics Association. In a new report it says a million tons of bioplastics will replace traditional petroleum-based plastic products by 2011.

Combine that with the antiplastics movement raging around the world and you have the makings for another product to step in and take plastic’s place.

One of the most prevalent chemicals used in plastics is petroleum. When the word “plastics” was famously uttered in the film “The Graduate,” oil was trading at just over $2 per barrel. Obviously now the economics have changed.

Moreover, plastics don’t biodegrade for hundreds of years; they just get smaller and smaller. With billions and billion of pounds of plastics produced per year, the waste problem adds up. For example, if we just refilled one of the 80 or so million plastic water bottles that we use in the United States per day, we’d save a billion pounds of plastics from entering landfills per year.

China is attacking the plastics problem by phasing out free plastic bags. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom also have plans to eliminate them. California is trying. Whole Foods already eliminated plastic bags as an option at the checkout counter last Earth Day.

With more than one trillion plastic bags produced annually the opportunity for a replacement is huge.

London-based Climate Change Corp. reports: “The price of plastic resins like polypropylene (widely used in textiles, and eating and drinking utensils) has risen as much as 45%, according to the Plastics Exchange in Chicago. This is driving demand for renewable alternatives to fossil-based plastics, promising to deliver the critical mass to the bioplastics market that, until now, has been missing.”

Adding to the higher costs of plastics are new regulations. The European Commission Landfill Directive requires a diversion of 65% of organic waste away from landfills between now and 2016. Domestically, towns and states are taking up the issue. For example, the Los Angeles City Council has voted to ban plastic bags by 2010 citywide if the state fails to impose a 25-cent surcharge on shoppers who request plastic over paper at the checkout counter.

Without a trace
Climate Change Corp. notes, that, “the idea behind bioplastic is that you could fill up a bioplastic bag with food waste and throw other bioplastic products like drinks bottles, disposable plates and cutlery in a composter and within three months in theory there would be no trace.”

Cool
Biodegradable plastics are made largely from dairy and corn. Whereas synthetic plastics can remain in landfills for hundreds of years, biodegradable plastics can break down and degrade in as little as 90 days.

The plastics industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the U.S., accounting for about $350 billion in goods alone, according to the trade group the Society of Plastics Industry. So it isn’t taking these jabs lying down. It has launched a Web site, www.savetheplasticbag.com, that is chock full of pro-plastics information. Its main rebuttal to all the plastics charges is that plastics industry provides jobs. Nix plastic bags, lose jobs.

“85% of plastic bags used in the United States are manufactured in the United States. Taxing or banning plastic carryout bags will result in the direct loss of approximately 4,000 American jobs. In addition, there will be thousands of resin and distribution company job losses. Destroying an American manufacturing industry based on myths and misinformation is irresponsible, absurd, and tragic,” it blasts across its home page.

Clearly the plastics industry is concerned about its future.

As petroleum prices rise and alternatives gain acceptance there will be a wide opening for manufacturers to produce sustainable and biodegradable products. You could even say if the trend keeps up, bioplastics technology has it in the bag.

Drawn-out Salmonella Probe Spurs Calls for Food-safety Revamp

Previously it was reported that the salmonella infections that killed several people in the US were caused by fresh tomatoes, FDA Warns Consumers Nationwide Not to Eat Certain Types of Raw Red Tomatoes Now the FDA has determined that the salmonella strain came from irrigation water and serrano peppers at a Mexican farm.

Produce Problem
Drawn-out salmonella probe spurs calls for food-safety revampBy Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch

Last update: July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) Federal investigators say they are getting closer to the source of contamination that has caused more than 1,300 salmonella infections over the past several months, but critics say the slow progress on the investigation underscores the need to revamp food-safety procedures.

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration said the salmonella strain behind the recent outbreak has been found in irrigation water and a serrano pepper at a Mexican farm, according to media reports. It has taken months for investigators to get this information, and that lag is no surprise, critics say, given the outdated tracking system that U.S. authorities rely on.

“It’s not electronic and it doesn’t go from cradle to grave, from farm to fork,” said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives with Consumers Union, in an interview. “It’s a 100-years-ago method, a precomputer method.”

The problem may be bigger than perceived; for each reported case in an outbreak there may be three to 10 times as many people affected because some cases are not reported, according to Halloran. She criticized the lack of an electronic federal system to track food, and said health investigators end up spending too much on inefficient legwork.

“The current system, wherein those in the produce industry keep paper records that indicate one step forward and one step back in the supply chain, creates an enormous amount of work for any regulatory agency trying to follow a trail,” Halloran testified to a House agricultural subcommittee Wednesday.

Congress is investigating food-safety guidelines, calling regulators to account for the salmonella outbreak, which began in April and has continued into July. On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce’s oversight and investigations subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the recent salmonella outbreak.

Consumers Union suggests two options to improve traceability:

• Labels or marks on produce packages and the product itself that show country, facility, date and time where the item was first processed or shipped.
• Labels for each lot to track progress through the food distribution system.

Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for foods, said Wednesday the agency has reached out to trade associations and consumer groups to better understand best practices for traceability, such as using electronic and other technologies.

The agency is scheduled to hold a public meeting in the fall about improving traceability, and a separate meeting in August about a food-protection plan and improving collaboration between federal, state and local partners.

It’s tough to pin down outbreaks when it comes to produce that is grown outdoors and therefore vulnerable to contamination from pathogens that may be present in the soil, water, fertilizer, or because of the nearby presence of animals, Acheson said.

“Produce also may be vulnerable to contamination due to inadequate worker health and hygiene protections, environmental conditions, inadequate production safeguards, and inadequate sanitation of equipment and facilities,” Acheson said. “Fresh produce is produced on tens of thousands of farms, and contamination at one step in the growing, packing, and processing chain can be amplified throughout the subsequent steps.”

Acheson added that Congress could help FDA improve food safety with new authorities, such as:

• Requiring food facilities to renew FDA registrations at least every two years.
• Authorizing FDA to accredit highly qualified third parties for voluntary food inspections.
• Authorizing FDA to refuse admission of imported food if FDA inspection access is delayed, limited or denied.
• Empowering FDA to issue a mandatory recall of food products if voluntary recalls are not effective.

Chronic Pain – Low Back Pain

Sometimes stress causes muscle pain between my shoulder blades or lower back. I also get lower back pain if I sit on the floor too long without back support. Many of the most serious forms of back pain are caused by injury or illness.

Chronic Low Back Pain

Getting Moving Will Help Your Back Pain
from Health.com

Back pain can send sufferers crawling to the nearest couch or bed, but it’s better to attack the pain with over-the-counter medications and limited exercise.

“In the past we used to tell patients with back pain to stay at strict bed rest,” says Jeffrey Goldstein, MD, Director of the Spine Service at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases. “We know now that staying in strict bed rest can actually exacerbate pain, so we essentially tell patients to take it easy and move as much as tolerated.”

Turns out your back needs exercise to heal. “The disks in your spine don’t have much blood supply or neural supply,” says Joel Press, MD, medical director of the Spine and Sports Rehabilitation Centers at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. “Instead they get their nutrition from movement. Fluid squishes in and squishes out—if you don’t have movement the disks in your back don’t get the nutrition they need to be healthy.”

Exercise can include careful stretching, mild activity such as walking, and, as the pain improves, progressive stretching routines such as yoga (strengthening muscles helps relieve stress on the spine). Relaxation techniques are also helpful, teaching you how to systematically relax each muscle in the body. Stress, which can tighten muscles, is probably a cause of some low back pain.

“I see a correlation with stress,” says Jane Jones, 56, of Overland Park, Kansas. “When I’m going through a busy time at work or a stressful time with family, my back hurts.” Stress relief techniques, including exercise, can help with prevention as well as treatment.

The Three Types of Low Back Pain
content provided by Healthwise

The course of low back pain depends both on its cause and on how well you treat your back.

• Most low back pain lasts less than 3 months. Overall, 60% of low back pain goes away within 1 week, 90% within 6 weeks, and up to 95% recover within 12 weeks. Over 98% of low back pain is gone within 1 year.
• Once you have hurt your back, you are more likely to hurt your back again. Many people who recover from low back pain will have a repeat episode within a year. Most people will have it again sometime during their lives.
• Long-lasting (chronic) pain not only makes you tired, irritable, and less productive and active, but it can trigger other problems. If your back pain causes you to use your body in different ways (for example to limp or to sit differently), pain can develop in other areas of the body. Pain can also cause biochemical changes in your body that tend to keep the pain going. Without specialized treatment, chronic pain syndrome can become disabling.

Exercises to reduce low back pain

Low back pain is very common among adults and is often caused by overuse and muscle strain or injury. Treatment can help you stay as active as possible, and it will help you understand that some continued or repeated back pain is not surprising or dangerous.

Most low back pain can get better if you stay active, avoid positions and activities that may increase or cause back pain, use ice, and take nonprescription pain relievers when you need them.
When you no longer have acute pain, you may be ready for gentle strengthening exercises for your stomach, back, and legs, and perhaps for some stretching exercises. Exercise may not only help decrease low back pain, but it may also help you recover faster, prevent reinjury to your back, and reduce the risk of disability from back pain.

Exercises to reduce low back pain are not complicated and can be done at home without any special equipment.

It’s important that you don’t let fear of pain keep you from trying gentle activity. You should try to be active soon after noticing pain, and gradually increase your activity level. Too little activity can lead to loss of flexibility, strength, and endurance, and then to more pain.

What exercises may reduce low back pain?

Exercises that may help reduce or prevent low back pain include:

• Aerobic exercise, to condition your heart and other muscles, maintain health, and speed recovery.
• Strengthening exercises, focusing on your back, stomach, and leg muscles.
• Stretching exercises, to keep your muscles and other supporting tissues flexible and less prone to injury.

Some exercises can aggravate back pain. If you have low back pain, avoid:

• Straight leg sit-ups.
• Bent leg sit-ups or partial sit-ups (curl-ups) when you have acute back pain.
• Lifting both legs while lying on your back (leg lifts).
• Lifting heavy weights above the waist (standing military press or bicep curls).
• Toe touches while standing.

How do I exercise to reduce low back pain?

Most people who have back pain naturally feel better by doing certain motions. Some feel better sitting (their back and hips are flexed), while others feel better standing (back and hips are extended). Exercise that moves you toward your more comfortable position is usually more successful in treating your back pain. For example, if you are more comfortable sitting down, exercises that bend you forward—such as partial sit-ups (curl-ups) and knee-to-chest exercises—may help you.

Talk to your health professional before you start an exercise program, and only do exercises that do not increase your symptoms.

The most effective exercise programs for chronic low back pain are designed specifically for you and are supervised. For example, a physical therapist might instruct you in a home exercise program; then you would see the therapist every so often to check on your progress and advance your program.

Talk to your doctor or physical therapist if you are unsure how to do these exercises or if you feel any pain as you are doing the exercises.

• Try to exercise a little bit every day.
• Get some type of aerobic exercise, such as walking, every day. Even a couple of minutes will be helpful, and you can gradually increase your time.
• Choose a couple of stretching and strengthening exercises that you enjoy doing, or vary them from day to day.
• Ask your doctor or physical therapist whether there are additional exercises that will work best for you.

Stretching and strengthening exercises include:

• Extension exercises, which stretch tissues along the front of the spine, strengthen the back muscles, and may reduce pain caused by a herniated disc. These are generally a good choice for people whose back pain is eased by standing and walking.
• Flexion exercises, which strengthen stomach and other muscles, and stretch the muscles and ligaments in the back. These are generally a good choice for people whose back pain is eased by sitting down.
• Aerobic exercise includes walking, swimming, running, and biking. Non–weight-bearing exercise, such as swimming, tends to be a better choice if you have back pain. Walking in water up to your waist or chest is also good aerobic exercise.

You should keep taking easy, short walks when you have low back pain. You can likely start more intense aerobic exercise within 1 or 2 weeks after symptoms of back pain start. Begin with 5 to 10 minutes a day and gradually work up to 20 to 30 minutes of continuous activity per day.

You’ll find exercises to reduce low back pain with links to illustrations about how to do each exercise here.

Even if you have no back pain daily stretching exercises will help keep your back and spinal column healthy.

6 Foods That Knees Dig

RealAge Tips
Please research and make your own decision as to the validity of this information.

For more youthful knee joints or anything that bends consider what’s in your kitchen.

These six foods could be your best medicine: berries, ginger, avocado, flaxseeds, omega-3-rich fish, and soy. Research shows they help stifle joint-damaging inflammation, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD: The Big Book of Culinary Medicine.

On Your Menu
Try this joint-friendly daily meal plan: whole-grain cereal or oatmeal with berries for breakfast, a turkey and avocado sandwich or a soy burger for lunch, a handful of walnuts or flaxseeds for a snack, and wild salmon or tilapia for dinner. (Make this Asian Salmon with fresh ginger for extra anti-inflammatory action.)

Asian Salmon

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Watkins Granulated Pepper
4 (3-ounce) salmon fillets with skin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, chopped

1. Combine the ginger, curry powder, and pepper and rub the mixture onto the flesh sides of the salmon.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet until the pan is moderately hot.
3. Add the garlic and cook until it’s golden brown.
4. Place the salmon skin side down in the pan and cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
5. Turn the fish and cook, covered, for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the green onions and cook for about half a minute.

Some other diet do’s and don’ts.

1. Make a fruit bowl with orange and grapefruit chunks.
   Vitamin C can thwart cartilage loss and slow osteoarthritis progression.

2. Sip tea.
   It’s chock-full of anti-inflammatory compounds.

3. Nix red meat, and skip the sugary and starchy stuff.
   Proinflammatory substances in these foods like trans fats in red meat could spur joint pain or make it worse. (Here are some tips on getting off the cow.)

Getting Off the Cow
Reducing the amount of red meat in your diet can be easy with these tips.

Cutting back on red meat makes good health sense. Studies show that eating too much red meat can increase your risk of many chronic health conditions. But what kind of nutrition hole is created when you limit red meat in your diet? The truth is, it’s easy to miss out on important nutrients when you cut back on a major food source. So, when you cut back on red meat, make a balanced eating plan to help ensure you don’t shortchange yourself on important nutrients such as protein, vitamins B12 and D, calcium, iron, and zinc.

To get enough of these important nutrients, replace red meat with other foods that contain them. Soy products, such as tofu or soy burgers; legumes, such as lentils or garbanzo beans; low-fat dairy; dark green, leafy vegetables; nuts; and whole grains can supply many of these nutrients. Also, poultry and fish are leaner sources of protein that provide many of the same nutrients found in red meat.

Here are a couple recipes to try for delicious and nutritious alternatives to red meat.

Savory Mushroom Stroganoff

8 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces whole-wheat noodles, cooked
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium broth, chicken or vegetable (Use Watkins Chicken Soup Base to make the chicken broth)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground Watkins Black Pepper

Mix the sour cream and flour together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil over low heat until soft. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms brown. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a large bowl. Turn the heat up to high and add the broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by 30%. Set the heat to low and add the mushrooms and onions.

Add sour cream and flour mixture to skillet, stirring well. Add parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over noodles.

Barbecued Meatless Meatloaf

16 ounces firm tofu
1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 cups bread crumbs
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided (Use Watkins Barbecue Sauce Concentrate)
1/4 teaspoon Watkins Granulated Black Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Blend the tofu in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. Mix the brown rice, carrot, celery, onion, walnuts, and bread crumbs together in a large bowl. Add the tofu purée, soy sauce, mustard, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, and black pepper to the rice mixture and combine well. Spray a 5-inch by 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and top with the remaining 3 tablespoons of barbecue sauce. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes after baking. Slice and serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

The Research on Red Meat

cardiovascular disease: In a study, postmenopausal women who substituted vegetable protein for their usual red meat lowered their coronary heart disease mortality by a whopping 30%.
arthritis: In a recent study, men and women who ate the greatest amount of red meat and meat products and total protein had higher rates of inflammatory polyarthritis compared with people who ate the least amounts.
diabetes: If you’re at high risk for type 2 diabetes, you may reduce your risk by up to 50% by exercising regularly and eating a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and fiber while limiting red meat and other sources of saturated fats.
cancer: Several studies suggest that high intake of both red meat and processed meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Also, high-heat cooking methods, such as grilling, broiling, or pan frying, provoke the formation of carcinogenic compounds in red meat. You can decrease the formation of these compounds by marinating meat for 1 hour before cooking, steaming or poaching meat, turning the meat frequently while cooking over medium heat, and by adding rosemary extract before cooking.

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