Health
Katie Couric’s breast cancer: What other women can learn from her diagnosis
Longtime tv journalist Katie Couric introduced this week that she was identified with breast most cancers in June of this yr and has now undergone profitable surgical procedure to take away a 2.5-centimeter tumor.
“Each two minutes, a girl is identified with breast most cancers in the US. On June twenty first, I grew to become considered one of them,” Couric tweeted on Sept. 28, 2022.
Couric determined to have “breast conservation” surgical procedure adopted by radiation and medicine, as Fox Information Digital simply reported.
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Mammography and ultrasound are lifesaving instruments — and girls have to put mammography on the prime of their to-do record, Dr. Marisa Weiss, chief medical officer and founding father of Breastcancer.org, instructed Fox Information Digital in a cellphone interview.
Dr. Weiss presently practices at Lankenau Medical Heart in Wynnewood, Penn., the place she serves as director of breast radiation oncology and director of breast well being outreach.
“Breast most cancers is the commonest most cancers to have an effect on ladies,” mentioned Weiss.
“And there is a chance to seek out it early and save lives. Our greatest instrument to seek out breast most cancers early earlier than it spreads to different components of the physique is mammography — digital mammography.”
“Mammography might save your life. It might aid you get the most effective and simplest therapy with the least unintended effects.”
She added, “Mammography might save your life. It might aid you get the most effective and simplest therapy with the least unintended effects.”
Dr. Weiss mentioned that it’s essential to seek out breast most cancers early, “when it may be probably the most successfully handled with the least aggressive therapies.”
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She additionally mentioned, “Most breast most cancers is discovered by way of mammography. Roughly, a 3rd or 40 p.c is discovered by way of mammography, 20-25% is discovered by way of bodily examination alone and the remainder of circumstances are discovered with a mixture of the 2.”
Weiss mentioned the “greatest shot at early detection” will depend on “prime quality mammography achieved early — annually beginning at age 40.”
She additionally mentioned that many ladies “are coming in with a lot later levels of illness as a result of their mammogram slipped off their schedule in the course of the [COVID] pandemic.”
Weiss famous that that is “notably true for individuals who have much less entry to high quality care.”
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“The people who find themselves most certainly to have a delayed analysis, due to the pandemic and having a tougher time gaining access to mammography, are people who find themselves [among] under-represented populations,” she famous.
If a girl’s physician advises an ultrasound of the breast after a mammogram, the physician is searching for extra details about a possible hassle spot.
“Black ladies usually tend to be identified with later levels of illness and at an earlier age,” she mentioned.
If a girl’s physician advises an ultrasound of the breast after a mammogram, the physician is searching for extra info on a possible hassle spot, mentioned Weiss.
“Ultrasound is mostly not a screening check,” mentioned Weiss, “however a supplemental check. For those who see something you’re involved about, ultrasound — which makes use of sound waves — can see what’s going on in that location.”
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An ultrasound can discover a “lump, irregularity, or architectural distortion” within the breast, she famous.
“It is one other method to take a look at the breast, may be very useful to in deciding if it’s a fluid-filled construction, like a cyst, or a stable spot like a nodule that might be most cancers,” she defined.
Ultrasounds include “no radiation, so it is used commonly,” mentioned Weiss.
“If a mammogram reveals something that’s a bit bit questionable, it’s a pleasant add-on, notably in the event you’re a teenager.”
She emphasised, “Mammography might save your life. It might aid you get the most effective and simplest therapy with the least unintended effects.”
She added, “Our life is our biggest reward, and it’s our job to handle ourselves.”
Health
5 women’s health tips to prevent and detect strokes, according to cardiologists
One in five women between ages 55 and 75 will experience a stroke in their lifetime, according to the American Heart Association.
There are two main types of strokes.
With an ischemic stroke, a blockage prevents blood from flowing properly to the brain. With a hemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel bursts in the brain and causes bleeding, which damages brain cells.
While some risk factors such as age, race and family history can’t be changed, others can be mitigated through healthy lifestyle choices.
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Parag Shah, M.D., a cardiologist who practices at Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida, shared some specific tips about how women can reduce their risk.
Here are five tips.
1. Avoid air pollution
Research has shown that air pollution tends to impact women more than men in terms of inflammation, infection and heart disease.
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“According to a recent review, elevated levels of ambient air pollution — even just short-term exposure — can increase the likelihood of strokes,” said Shah, who specializes in stroke rehabilitation.
“Health experts recommend checking the air quality in your area and, on high-pollution days, limiting time outside, turning on exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms, and using an air purifier in the home,” he also said.
2. Embrace the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet — a plant-based nutrition plan that mimics the regional cuisines of the countries along the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy and Greece — can reduce the health risks associated with strokes, according to Shah.
“Current research on preventing strokes is exploring an array of lifestyle factors,” he told Fox News Digital.
“This includes the Mediterranean diet, which highlights the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like fatty fish, walnuts and flaxseed.”
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3. Practice tai chi and yoga
Practicing exercises that promote heart health and lessen stress can help reduce the possibility of stroke, Shah suggested.
“Participating in physical activities like yoga, tai chi and strength training, while also giving importance to mindfulness techniques such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, could provide additional advantages in lowering the risk of strokes,” he told Fox News Digital.
4. Know the less common signs of stroke
Sudden confusion, difficulty understanding, slurred speech, double vision, and numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body, are often overlooked signs of strokes, Shah warned.
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“Recognizing these signs is crucial, because quick identification and immediate medical attention greatly enhance the chances of recovery for stroke patients,” he said.
5. Understand the hidden causes
Beyond the more obvious “textbook” stroke symptoms, there are some warning signs that tend to be overlooked until it’s too late.
“Factors like pregnancy, giving birth and hormonal changes such as menopause can heighten the likelihood of having a stroke,” Shah told Fox News Digital.
The use of oral contraceptives and hormone therapy can also raise this risk, the doctor added, as can hidden biological factors that make women more susceptible.
“Scheduling regular health check-ups and staying knowledgeable about stroke symptoms and prevention methods are essential for maintaining good health,” Shah said.
In addition, know ‘Life’s Essential 8’
“Preventing most strokes is similar to the prevention of heart attacks,” Dr. Laxmi Mehta, a cardiologist and director of preventative cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
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In her practice, Mehta typically recommends following the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, which provides steps to improve or maintain cardiovascular health.
These include four healthy behaviors and four health factors, as listed below.
1. Quit tobacco. Avoid cigarettes, vaping and other nicotine products, which have been proven to increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
2. Eat better. Following a healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean protein, nuts and seeds can reduce stroke risk.
3. Be more active. Experts recommend participating in 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity weekly.
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4. Get healthy sleep. Adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night to reduce stroke risk, according to experts.
5. Manage blood pressure. A “normal” blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80, according to the National Institutes of Health.
6. Manage cholesterol. High cholesterol levels have a proven link to stroke risk. A healthy range for LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is 100 mg/dL or lower, as published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
7. Manage blood sugar. Excessive levels of glucose in the blood can increase the risk of fatty deposits or clots, which are a factor in strokes.
8. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese is one of the biggest risk factors and is linked to nearly one in five strokes, according to the World Stroke Organization.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
Health
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Health
Some patients who see female doctors could live longer, study suggests: ‘Higher empathy’
Patients who are treated by a female physician could live longer and have a reduced risk of hospitalization, new research has found.
These benefits were seen more in female patients compared to males, according to the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Among older adults hospitalized for a medical condition, mortality and readmission rates were lower for patients treated by female physicians than those cared for by male physicians — and the benefit of receiving treatment from female physicians was greater for female patients than for male patients,” lead study author Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor-in-residence of medicine in the division of general internal medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Fox News Digital.
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The study included 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries 65 years of age and older who had been hospitalized between 2016 and 2019.
The mortality rate was 8.15% for female patients treated by female physicians — compared to 8.38% for those treated by male physicians, according to a press release from UCLA Health.
Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, who was not involved in the research, noted that the findings are “clinically significant,” as the difference translates to an additional 1,053 female patient deaths.
Male patients also had lower mortality rates when treated by female physicians, but the difference was smaller.
Why the difference?
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the study but called the findings “fascinating.”
“Women tend to have a higher empathy quotient, which can impact patient care and diagnosis and treatment directly,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There has been a patriarchy in medicine for a long time, and there still may be some residual discounting of women’s health issues or [doctors] seeing them as emotionally based,” Siegel added.
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There is a “growing awareness” that doctors are more sensitive to health issues when they can relate directly to their patients, the doctor noted.
“This applies to screening, diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
The findings were not surprising to the researchers, they said.
“Previous studies have shown that female patients treated by a female physician (versus female patients treated by a male physician) are less likely to experience underappreciation in symptom/illness severity assessment and communication challenges,” study co-author Atsushi Miyawaki, M.D., PhD, senior assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Research at the University of Tokyo, told Fox News Digital.
“Also, female physicians may help alleviate embarrassment, discomfort and sociocultural taboos during sensitive examinations and conversations [with] female patients,” he said.
“Mortality and readmission rates were lower for patients treated by female physicians than those cared for by male physicians.”
Other research has shown that female physicians are more likely to “adhere to clinical guidelines” and spend more time listening to patients compared to their male counterparts, which are “indicators of high-quality care,” added Tsugawa.
Johnson agreed, pointing out that prior studies have found male physicians may underestimate pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and heart symptoms when experienced by women.
“For instance, if a male and a female presented to the emergency room with upper stomach pain, the male would be checked for a heart attack and given medication for an upset stomach,” she told Fox News Digital.
“The woman, however, may only be given medication for an upset stomach.”
Study limitations
The study had some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
“Due to limited clinical information available in our data, we could not identify the specific mechanisms underlying better outcomes for female patients treated by female physicians,” Tsugawa told Fox News Digital.
Miyawaki also noted that the study focused on older patients admitted to hospitals for medical conditions.
“Hence, our findings may not be generalizable to younger patients, commercially insured patients, those treated by other specialists or patients receiving care in an outpatient setting,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Individuals may focus on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship rather than on whether to choose a female doctor.”
More research is needed to better understand the differences between female and male physicians, Tsugawa said.
“Those include guideline concordance and communication style, which lead to better patient outcomes for female physicians.”
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Johnson also noted that while the study is of “good quality,” there are “inherent limitations to the study design.”
She said, “With a retrospective review, unmeasured factors can affect and skew the results. The findings do align with other research in the area, however.”
At the society level, Miyawaki said, the research suggests that increasing the number of female physicians could benefit women’s health.
“At the individual level, patient-physician interactions, rather than physician gender itself, are important for patient outcomes, our study suggests,” he said.
“Thus, individuals may focus on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship rather than on whether to choose a female doctor.”
Tsugawa agreed, noting, “It is important to consider multiple factors about physicians, such as their clinical experience and training, your prior experiences with them, and their communication style, rather than focusing solely on the physician’s sex.”
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
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