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> " HSI - Jenny Thompson "

> <HSIResearch

 

> No Buts About It

> Mon, 30 Aug 2004 09:34:28 -0400

>

> No Buts About It

>

> Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

>

> August 30, 2004

>

>

************************************************************

>

> Dear Reader,

>

> When it comes to the last word in health care,

> here's an easy acronym

> to remember: ART.

>

> A... Ask questions.

> R... Research

> T... Take control of your health care.

>

> State-of-the-art health care requires the input of

> an experienced and

> conscientious doctor, of course. But the recent

> experience of a friend

> of mine illustrates just how important it is to stay

> alert, ask

> questions, and ultimately rely on yourself for

> important health care

> decisions.

>

> And in this case there's one essential question that

> everyone should

> be aware of.

>

>

---------------------------

>

> ART of the Deal

>

---------------------------

>

>

> My friend Sarah is in her late 30s and has been

> having some

> gastrological problems. Her doctor referred her to a

> specialist whom

> he described as " widely recommended. " So far so

> good.

>

> Sarah liked the doctor well enough. He examined her

> and ran some tests

> and was surprised when one of the tests came back

> positive; a fecal

> occult blood test (FOBT) to determine the presence

> of blood in the

> stool. He explained that most people her age don't

> test positive to an

> FOBT and that it could be a false positive. But he

> was concerned

> enough to recommended a colonoscopy. He also assured

> her there is no

> risk to the procedure.

>

> Over the past decade, colonoscopy has become the

> renowned standard

> procedure for detecting cancer or precancerous

> polyps in the colon.

> But even though we may be familiar with the

> usefulness of colonoscopy,

> it's still an invasive procedure, requiring sedation

> while a flexible,

> tubular instrument is inserted into the colon.

>

> In short, it's no day at the beach. But this highly

> regarded doctor

> felt it was necessary, so Sarah set a date to have

> it done.

>

>

---------------------------

>

> Positive feedback

>

---------------------------

>

>

> Even though she had resigned herself to having a

> colonoscopy, Sarah

> went home and kept hearing, " It could be a false

> positive, " in her

> head. She spoke to her other doctor and found that

> there are several

> reasons an FOBT sometimes brings back false positive

> results. This

> made her start to think a colonoscopy might actually

> be unnecessary.

> So she asked her doctor to refer her to another

> gastrologist for

> another test and a second opinion (since the first

> also wasn't able to

> determine the cause of her original complaint). And

> when she called

> the second doctor to schedule an FOBT, she got a

> shock.

>

> The doctor's assistant gave her a list of things she

> should avoid for

> three to five days before the test in order to

> prevent a false

> positive result:

>

> * Eating red meat, fish, broccoli, potatoes,

> mushrooms, cantaloupe,

> grapefruit, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes,

> Jerusalem

> artichokes and turnips.

>

> * Eating iron-rich foods or taking iron supplements.

>

>

> * Taking acetaminophen or nonsteroidal

> anti-inflammatory drugs

> (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

>

> In addition, a daily supplement of 200 mg or more of

> vitamin C can

> cause a false NEGATIVE result, which could

> potentially be even more

> dangerous.

>

> Sarah was amazed (not to mention quite angry) that

> the first " widely

> recommended " gastrologist would: A) Have her take

> the test without

> informing her of the very common things that can

> alter the result, and

> B) recommend an invasive procedure based on what she

> now regarded as

> an extremely suspect test result.

>

> Previous to her first FOBT, Sarah had not only eaten

> some of the foods

> on the list, but her multivitamin contained about

> six times the amount

> of Vitamin C that could alter the outcome.

>

> She sees the second opinion next week, but feels

> confident that her

> positive was a false one based on the list above and

> her relative

> health.

>

>

---------------------------

>

> ART for ART's sake

>

---------------------------

>

>

> Sarah's story illustrates an important rule of

> thumb: If your doctor

> suggests a test of any kind, ask him to be specific

> about foods,

> medications or other factors that might affect the

> results. For

> instance, a blood test to determine cholesterol

> levels requires nine

> to 12 hours of fasting before the blood is drawn.

> Without the fast,

> levels could easily be high enough to prompt many

> doctors to prescribe

> a statin drug.

>

> By applying a little ART, Sarah took control of her

> health care, just

> as we all should do. Because you never know when a

> highly regarded

> doctor might be rushed or inexperienced or simply

> overly comfortable

> with a procedure, then end up taking a short cut at

> your expense.

>

>

************************************************************

>

> ...and another thing

>

> Most cigarette smokers eventually realize that if

> they ever want to

> attain optimal health, the cigarettes have to go.

>

> But until the day comes when that last pack of

> cigarettes gets tossed

> away, there's something smokers can do that may help

> reduce their risk

> of lung cancer: get plenty of antioxidants.

>

> Previous studies have indicated that high intake of

> the antioxidant

> beta-carotene (which the body converts into vitamin

> A), may put

> smokers at greater risk of lung cancer. But a study

> published last

> month in the American Journal of Epidemiology puts a

> new spin on the

> question of smokers and beta-carotene intake.

>

> Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine

> examined the medical

> and dietary data of more than 27,000 Finnish, male

> smokers whose

> records were followed for nearly 15 years. Those who

> had the highest

> intake of a variety of antioxidants (vitamins C and

> E, carotenoids and

> flavonoids) had a 16 percent lower risk of lung

> cancer, compared to

> men with the lowest overall antioxidant intake.

>

> The implication is that a high intake of

> beta-carotene alone may pose

> a risk for smokers, but the drawbacks are minimized

> when beta-carotene

> is consumed with other antioxidants.

>

> The study also found that lung cancer risk decreased

> by 25 percent

> among male smokers who had the highest intake of

> meat.

>

> Of course, smokers aren't the only ones who benefit

> from an

> antioxidant-rich diet. Previous studies have shown

> that lung cancer

> risk drops among non-smokers who get plenty of

> antioxidants.

>

> Fresh fruits and vegetables generally contain good

> amounts of

> antioxidants. For a list of foods with the highest

> antioxidant

> content, just go to our web site at

> www.hsibaltimore.com and check the

> e-Alert " Tonight's Top 20 " (7/20/04).

>

> To Your Good Health,

>

> Jenny Thompson

> Health Sciences Institute

>

>

************************************************************

>

>

> Sources:

>

> " Development of a Comprehensive Dietary Antioxidant

> Index and

> Application to Lung Cancer Risk in a Cohort of Male

> Smokers " American

> Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 160, No. 1, 7/1/04,

> ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

> " New Data Finds Antioxidant Combo Decreases Smokers'

> Cancer Risk "

> NutraIngredients.com, 8/9/04, nutraingredients.com

>

> Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com,

> L.L.C. The e-Alert may

> not be posted on commercial sites without written

> permission.

>

>

************************************************************

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