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Coping with Osteoarthritis

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you may be feeling isolated and frustrated. Osteoarthritis can drastically upturn your lifestyle by making you feel like the disease is running you and that you’ve lost control. There are ways to manage the pain and restrictions that come with this debilitating ailment – and the first step is attitude.

Educating yourself about osteoarthritis and what you can do to maintain a positive attitude and develop a plan to keep it from interfering too much with your lifestyle can greatly reduce the impact that this diagnosis has in your life. Besides talking with your health care provider about medications to control the pain and restrictions, talk to her about a plan for your everyday life. When you take charge of the situation, your attitude and outlook should improve.

Some great coping mechanisms that work well in controlling osteoarthritis besides keeping a positive attitude are:

· Relaxation and meditation – If you feel tired during the day – rest. Take a short nap, if possible, and just relax your muscles and joints. Other techniques such as deep breathing should also help. Don’t overdo and become fatigued or experience pain from over tasking your body.

· Gentle exercise – Yoga is a great and gentle exercise for those who have osteoarthritis. You can join a club that offers yoga classes or purchase CDs and DVDs that offer step-by-step lessons. Online information can also be found about yoga exercises. Swimming and water exercises is gentle on the joints as is walking. Just keep it low key and operate at a slow pace.

· Tools that help – You’ll be able to find tools that assist you in everyday tasks – such as a walking cane, grippers and extenders that can help you reach for items stored in top shelves in cabinets or closets. Check out catalogs and supply stores and be sure to ask your doctor what she might recommend.

· Lost weight – Weight increases trauma to bones and joints, so if you’re overweight, attempt to lose some unwanted pounds. It can serve to relieve some of the pressure and the pain associated with osteoarthritis.

· Hot and cold packs and pain creams – Hot and cold packs can help you to manage the pain suffered with osteoarthritis. Heat packs (warm) should be applied to the affected joint for about 20 minutes at a time and several times a day, if needed. Ice packs are also helpful if your joints are inflamed. A word of caution – don’t use cold packs if you experience poor circulation.

Above all, when coping with pain and restrictions caused by osteoarthritis, don’t give up and become sedentary. Take charge of your life and the pain by taking medications regularly, exercising and giving yourself some slack if you need to back off of commitments or plans that you simply don’t feel up to.

Are You a Prime Candidate for Skin Cancer?

Your skin type is the best barometer of whether or not you may be susceptible to skin cancer. People who are light-skinned are more likely to get sunburned and run the risk of developing skin cancer, specifically melanoma. But, tanning also causes skin damage and can increase your risks of the disease.

There are basically six types of skin types. You can predict how susceptible to skin cancer you are by identifying your type of skin you have:

  1. Very light-skinned – You never get a tan, but always get sunburned when you spend any amount of time in the sun. If you’re type 1, you’re at extremely high risk for melanoma (a deadly skin cancer) or other cancers such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.
  2. Fair-skinned – You can manage to tan, but it’s difficult – and a sunburn is much more likely. You should wear sunscreen with a high SPF and check yourself periodically to make sure you’re not burning.
  3. Medium-skinned – You can tan or burn easily in the sun and are susceptible to skin damage and skin cancers. Wear a sunscreen when outside and get an annual physical checkup to be sure you have no worrisome growths.
  4. Darker skin — If you tan easily and not likely to burn, you’re probably a type 4 skin type. You should still wear a sunscreen and check yourself for suspicious growths.
  5. Dark skin — You tan very easily and seldom burn. A very serious form of melanoma – acral lentiginous – is common among those with darker skin and those who tan easily, so again, check yourself for growths.
  6. Very dark skin – You may not burn, but you’re still at risk for skin cancer and you should definitely wear a sunscreen. Some melanomas often appear on the lighter skinned areas of soles of feet and palms, so check those areas for growths.

Don’t forget about your eyes when you seek protection from the sun. Wear glasses that protect you from the UV rays of the sun. Keep in mind that there are also medications that can increase your risk for skin cancer. Any medicines that lower your immunity to diseases and drugs such as birth control pills, certain antibiotics, tricyclic antidepressants, diuretics, some anti-inflammatory medications and tetracycline or sulfa drugs can increase the risk.

Also, check your skin. If you have irregular or large moles – or many moles, check with your doctor to see if any are suspicious. If you were treated for skin cancer in the past, be sure and get regular checkups to see if it’s returned. Those with freckles may also be at risk.

People who live at high altitudes receive more UV radiation and may be more at risk, as do those who live or spend a great deal of time in tropical or subtropical zones. Avid gardeners and swimmers may have more sun damage –and check to see if your family has a history of cancers – especially skin cancer.

Caution is wise when dealing with skin cancer, so check out your skin type, history, medications or medical conditions to see if you’re at risk – and always wear sunscreen.

Are You at Risk for Colon Cancer?

There are a number of risk factors that figure in to your susceptibility to colon cancer, but the truth is that each of us, no matter what our background or current health status, is at risk – and most of the people who are diagnosed with colon cancer have no specific risk factors. That’s why it’s important that you know the warning signs and are aware of what the risk factors are so that you can discuss them with your health care provider.

One of the high risk categories for developing colon cancer is people over 50 years of age, and the risk increases with each decade after that. Also, women are at greater risk for colon cancer than men, although men are at higher risk to be diagnosed with rectal cancer. Here are some other risk categories for colon cancer:

· Medical history – Women who have experienced other cancers such as ovarian and breast are at greater risk to develop colon cancer. Those who have inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis are also at risk. If you’ve had colon and/or colorectal cancer once, it may come back again.

· Family – If you’re a parent, brother, sister or child of a person who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, you’re more likely to develop it.

· Polyps – These are non-cancerous lumps found on the wall of the colon, but even though they’re non-cancerous, they can lead to colon or rectal cancer. Adenomas, a type of polyp, increases the risk factor.

· Diabetes – Diabetics have an increased risk of developing colon cancer.

· Smoking and alcohol – Smoking is definitely a high risk factor for getting colon cancer. Alcohol should be drunk in moderation or not at all.

· Diet and exercise – High fat in your diet increases the risk of colon cancer as does obesity. Your diet should include high fiber — and exercise should be a part of your daily routine.

Don’t think you’ll definitely get colon cancer if you have one or even more of these risk factors, but do discuss them with your doctor and begin to change your lifestyle so that you minimize the risks. Some people who seem to be at extremely high risk for developing colon cancer won’t get it, and others who seem at almost no risk will be diagnosed with colon cancer — researchers can’t explain why.

Scheduling a screening for colon cancer should be an important part of your medical examinations if you’re over 50 years of age. Your health care provider can advise you how often a colonoscopy should be scheduled. At that time, polyps can be easily removed and you and your doctor can discuss the results and possible actions you can take to lower the risk of hearing a diagnosis of colon cancer.

Aging Gracefully – With Exercise

There are many reasons that senior citizens should exercise on a regular basis, but the main one is that it helps to increase your overall health and ward off life-threatening diseases – especially those associated with aging. Simply put – exercising helps us age more gracefully.

Almost everyone knows the sort of problems we face when aging – slower metabolism, bone loss and stiffness in joints, muscle loss, balance problems, less endurance and heart and lung problems. We all want a quick fix to aging, such as injections and facelifts or a pill we can take to halt or reduce the aging process. But, in reality, regular exercise is the only thing we can do for ourselves that will increase our overall health and well-being.

Exercise can help us maintain the ability to do things we love and to accomplish everyday tasks that we need to do rather than depending on someone else. Even if you’re a very out of shape senior citizen, there are simple exercises you can do that will make you feel better and enjoy your life.

Stretching is simple to do (you can even stretch while sitting) and can make remarkable strides in improving your joints and muscles. You can find online stretching exercises, choose from the many television shows that promote exercising or get a book from the library or bookstore. You’ll want to be sure to choose exercises that stretch your back, arms, calves, thighs, stomach and chest – but don’t overdo it. Stretch for 5 to 20 minutes per day or whatever you feel up to.

Any activity that increases your endurance is great for senior citizens. Those exercises might include gardening, biking, swimming or simply walking the dog. Try to increase your breathing and heart rate, but don’t exercise so strenuously that you lose your ability to talk. Take it easy and you’ll benefit more than you realize.

Strength exercises are very important to engage in as you age. The more you can strengthen your muscles, the better able you’ll be to increase your metabolism (maintain a normal weight) and keep your blood sugar at normal levels. Strength exercises can be in the form of machines at a gym or fitness center – or, you can even use items around the house, such as books and cans of food.

Exercises designed to strengthen your back should be an important part of your exercise program. Back pain can be excruciating and life-changing and is common in senior citizens. Ask your doctor for a list of exercises you can do to strengthen back muscles or research on your own to find some that are right for you.

One of the worst maladies that can affect senior citizens is balance problems. Aging can cause loss of balance, but so can certain medications. There are exercises to specifically build your leg muscles and increase your perception of balance so that you’re less likely to fall. Keep in mind that in the United States, hospitals admit over 400,000 people per year for broken hips – and most are senior citizens.