Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! January’s YOU 101 focus will be about getting a healthy start in 2012! It’s the time of year of new beginnings and making changes. What is your healthy new year’s resolution? Share with us and be entered to win a $50 iTunes gift card. Simply ‘like’ our YOU 101 Facebook page by visiting www.facebook.com/you101 and post your plan (and we want details!) on how to become a healthier you in 2012. Feel free to upload photos or video. One entry per person, one winner will be chosen. Contest ends January 31, 2012.
Play an active role in your health! November is American Diabetes Month and our YOU 101 focus is how-to prevent or manage diabetes. Keep your eyes open for great tips!
For more helpful, healthy tips on how-to improve you, follow our PeaceHealth Southwest-sponsored YOU 101 Facebook page http://facebook.com/you101 and Twitter page http://twitter.com/you101tips.
Got a helpful, healthy tip of your own ? Share with us by leaving a comment!
No one knows you better than you! October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and our YOU 101 focus is breast care. Keep your eyes open for great tips!
For more helpful, healthy tips on how-to improve you, follow our PeaceHealth Southwest-sponsored YOU 101 Facebook page http://facebook.com/you101 and Twitter page http://twitter.com/you101tips.
Got a helpful, healthy tip of your own ? Share with us by leaving a comment!
Sleep is crucial to our daily function, health, and overall well-being. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea not only affect quality of life, but can affect personal relationships as well. And left untreated, increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes may occur. For help, contact the Southwest Medical Group Sleep Center at 360.254.1383 or view our Sleep 101 playlist at www.youtube.com/swstories. Simple little changes may also help, such as dedicating some relaxation time before bed. A bath, reading a book, or listening to soothing music are great ways to calm yourself after a busy day.
Taking care of your health is a responsibility you should take very seriously, especially when managing existing conditions. For instance, diabetics have high risk factors; diabetes dramatically raises the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke. How are you weighing in? Being overweight has adverse effects on nearly all chronic health conditions. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The normal weight range lies between 18.5 – 24.9. To, calculate your BMI, visit www.YourTimeToLose.org.
As you can see, managing your condition is more than just taking your blood glucose or measuring your blood pressure. It’s also staying on top of your health by building a relationship with your doctor and connecting the dots. Talk to you provider about important health checks, structuring a diet and exercise routine, and questions or concerns. Also, remember to talk about how your condition may increase risk factors. Don’t have a doctor? Visit www.FindYourDoctorRight.com today.
Take care of your condition! The YOU 101 focus for September is health management and staying on top of any current health conditions you may have. Keep your eyes open for great tips!
For more helpful, healthy tips on how-to improve you, follow our PeaceHealth Southwest-sponsored YOU 101 Facebook page http://facebook.com/you101 and Twitter page http://twitter.com/you101tips.
Got a helpful, healthy tip of your own ? Share with us by leaving a comment!
Not all cholesterol is created equal. LDL can clog your arteries, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, and hypertension. Anyone with elevated LDL levels should consume less than 200 mg of cholesterol a day, the amount in one egg yolk. The optimal level for LDL or “bad” cholesterol is 100 mg/dL or lower, where as HDL or “good” cholesterol is 50 mg/DL or higher. Your total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/DL. Request a free Med-Tracker at www.swYou101.org to record important health checks and numbers. While supplies last.
Where does your health stand? The YOU 101 focus for August is knowing your numbers and staying on top of important health checks. Keep your eyes open for great tips.
For more helpful, healthy tips on how-to improve you, follow our PeaceHealth Southwest-sponsored YOU 101 Facebook page facebook.com/you101 and Twitter page twitter.com/you101tips.
Got a helpful tip or comment? Share with us by leaving a comment!
Being active helps reduce your cancer risk by helping with weight control, and it can also help improve your hormone levels and the way your immune system works. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day. It doesn’t have to take form in a gym either–a walk with the dog or a game of tag with your kids will get you moving! And summer is a great time to get outdoors to bike, swim, jog, garden, or play a game of tennis.
What are some of your favorite summer activities?
Thelma O’Donnell’s surgeon said her lungs were inoperable. The doctors recommended radiation every day for 40 days. Instead, Thelma chose 3 sessions with the CyberKnife to treat her lung cancer.
Thelma O’Donnell summers in Vancouver and winters in California, enjoying a retirement lifestyle with her husband Jack. As a cancer survivor for more than 38 years, the last thing she was expecting was a recurrence — especially during the Christmas holidays.
“We had just come down to the desert and I didn’t feel well. I thought maybe it was pneumonia,” Thelma says. From tests and x-rays, her physician noticed a spot about the size of a dime on Thelma’s lungs. After a PET/CT scan and biopsy, the physician gave Thelma and Jack the news: It was cancer.
“I picked myself up and went forward; that’s how I was raised,” Thelma says. “My surgeon said my lungs were not operable. The doctors recommended radiation every day for 40 days. But I never considered that. They said I was definitely a candidate for CyberKnife, so we flew back home to Vancouver immediately.”
“I had three CyberKnife treatments. The first was three hours long, the others were two hours. I wore slacks and a thin t-shirt, and this ‘Speedo’ kind of suit that zipped up my back,” she recalls. “The CyberKnife room is quite peaceful. I listened to music by Dean Martin, thought about my family, and prayed a lot. I might have dozed off a little.
“What a wonderful facility! The staff is well educated and trained, and they were a comfort to Jack and me,” Thelma continues. “What a wonderful invention the CyberKnife is! It’s safe, the radiation does not touch other organs, and there’s no burning. I am cancer-free, and we thank God every day. What amazes me is that more people don’t know about the CyberKnife. I would say to a person who has cancer: If surgery is not an option, ask for CyberKnife. Even if your cancer is operable — do it!”
