October 2005 Wellness Letter | The Center for Optimal Health

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Wellness Letter - October 2005

Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we have decided to devote this issue to the health and well-being of all sufferers and survivors of cancer. Please read on for information we hope will be valuable to you and yours.

MEDICAL NEWS
Breast Cancer Risk and Hormone Replacement Therapy Revisited

Menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been now a highly controversial topic. I have in previous editions of the newsletter emphasized the importance for each individual woman to evaluate her own objectives, risks and potential benefits. Each woman needs to become as informed as possible about the data available regarding menopause and hormone replacement therapy in order to make a decision for herself, true to her own philosophies and her own quality of life. In keeping with the National Cancer Awareness Month theme, I am going to focus on menopausal hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk. Comments will also be made regarding the effects of alternative therapies such as herbal supplements on breast cancer risk.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEWS
Quality of Life and Cancer

There is no escaping Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink ribbons, pink tee shirts, pink advertisements—pink, pink, pink everywhere! You would think that having breast cancer was a downright rosy experience. But it is not. The fact is that somewhere between one-third and one-half of women with breast cancer will experience depression in the first year of diagnosis, and while the number decreases over time, at year five, 15 percent of women still struggle with depression.

Learn more about the emotional effects of cancer...

PHYSICAL THERAPY NEWS
Breast Cancer Prevention: How Can Physical Therapy Help?

October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but also Physical Therapy Month. I would like to take this time to bring to light some of the ways that physical therapists can assist in helping cancer patients and cancer survivors.

The good news is that cancer patients are not only living longer with the disease, but are also being cured of the disease altogether. Because fatigue from cancer and cancer treatment can linger long after treatment has been discontinued, we are left with the need for quality of life assistance.

Learn more about how physical therapy can help...

NUTRITIONAL NEWS
Food: The Preventative Medicine

Cancer can be a preventable disease. Researchers tell us that the causes of some cancers are 50 percent genetic and 50 percent from lifestyle. We know we can eat less fat, exercise, and increase our intake of fruits and vegetables to decrease cancer risk, but why is it still killing so many of our loved ones?

Did you know that 1,500 people die each day from cancer? According to the American Cancer Society, one in four deaths is cancer related. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among U.S. women, with 211,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer projected to be found in 2005. More than 40,000 women will die from the disease this year, the American Cancer Society predicts.

Optimize your chances of living cancer free...

SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS
Sexuality and Cancer

While most people diagnosed with cancer return to normal psychological and emotional functioning after the initial diagnosis, some effects do linger, including sexual function and activity. Even if the body part or organ being treated does not have a sexual function, cancer and its treatment can alter sexual well-being.

Fatigue, pain, and restriction of movement are common effects of cancer and its treatment; disfigurement, scars, or unwanted changes in weight can make a person feel less desirable or even depressed. In general, people diagnosed with cancer wonder if their sexual function is going to be affected; if having sex can make the cancer worse; if cancer can affect their partner; and if they can have sex during treatment.