Category Archives: Healthy Lifestyle

A Wellness Alternative to Outdoor Nature

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Mom-s Plants in Living RoomWho doesn’t love nature? Experience in nature and exposure to the great outdoors not only elevate our spirits but also enrich our health benefits.

Walking in the natural forest (or forest bathing—popular in Japan) can increase human natural killer cells, and therefore strengthen the immune system of participating individuals.

Sitting by the ocean or walking along the beach can provide us a relaxed body, a stress-free sensation, and the admiration of tranquility.

Digging dirt in the garden is no less wonderful. Gardening enthusiasts or devotees like my husband can give you a long list of how gardening is good for your mind and your body. He most favorably says “It’s therapeutic.”

What happens if you have to constrain yourself to an indoor setting due to certain reasons (e.g., time or physical limit)? Or what if at the end of a busy day at work, you arrived at home with mental/emotional stress and physical exhaustion but no desire to stop at a park?

How about the idea of accommodating nature at home or in an indoor environment?

Interestingly, a study, conducted on 16 residents at a rehabilitation center in Norway, has found that the experience of window views and indoor plants improve their sense of care and the resilience to stress. These recoveries are attributed to the healing environment.

The therapeutic value of plants in the hospitals for surgical patients is known for years. These houseplants serve as a complementary medicine to enhance the healing environment. Live plants, especially those with an oxygen-releasing ability, can improve or clean indoor air. There are also plants that help eliminate some harmful chemicals from the air and reduce our health risk.

If the patients can benefit from the positive influence of a view of nature during their recovery, we can devise and implement several remedies to better our wellness in daily life, without sweating out on some big home-building projects.
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How can you transform outdoor nature into interior nature? Seven practical tips

  1. Grow plants or flowers in your living room. My mom has done so for decades, and I displayed some of her “crops or produces” here in the image.
  2. Grow some herbs in the kitchen. I did this years ago, and it went well with basil, chives, and rosemary, etc.
  3. Apply natural wonders to your decorations. For example, maple leaf as a bookmark, lovely leaves as the background of family photos, roses from your garden as a spectacle, or nature-inspired paintings.
  4. Create an art piece using stones, rocks, and wood, or combine natural objects with a little water fountain. It’s quite cool and calming.
  5. Add one special touch to your room with preferable or memorable natural charm.
  6. Use household items or housewares made from natural materials such as baskets, stone countertops, or bamboo varieties.
  7. Consider nature sounds. Listen to nature-stirred music with tunes or melodies like wind, rain, water flow in a stream or creek, and forest birds. Have a pet or friends such as birds.

The list can go on and on. Can these techniques help lower the level of your distress?

Whether you describe it as nature decoration or nature therapy, the strategy can attach an appreciation or essence of the natural world to your own home, and more likely, improve your mood and vitality. You may delight to relax or reflect in the refreshing environment with a sense of harmony and serenity.

Of course, you can hang plants and flowers at the patio or balcony too. My dear friend Mary is talented at it. Her colorful plants and blooming flowers are always greeted by and mingled with numerous chirping or singing birds, which formed a sector of natural beauty and cheer in the residential area where I once lived. What a blessing for us!

So, let’s cultivate enjoyable and peaceful moments in life, especially where we spend quality of time. Stay wholesome through embracing nature and a health-promoting environment. As a result, stress reduction helps lower the levels of inflammation in the body and thus may enable the immune system to rest and revitalize.

Integrity of the Immune System Is Like Peace in the Storm

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Immune-system_Sm640_1359197You got sick; maybe you contracted a virus infection. However, if your immune system is strong, it probably warded off your condition.

That’s because the human immune system is our “silent defender.” It is also a complex system, and much is involved in how it performs its functions.

Recent conversations with some folks prompted me to emphasize the importance of nurturing your immune system (although I’ve covered related topics previously).

Essentially, the cells in the immune system and immune-regulating proteins are key players in the “inner storms” that occur in our body. They participate in controlling the body’s pro-inflammatory status, active anti-inflammatory responses, and healing process. The balance and integrity of the immune system are paramount for fighting diseases from acute infection and inflammation to chronic illness such as hypertension and cancer.

In daily life, we have all experienced stress or inner conflict that may cause our peace of mind to disappear, leaving us moody, discontent, or feeling lousy. Sometimes we temper it or fight it off, while at other times stress may overwhelm us, affecting our physical and psychological well-being. Chronic stress, via prolonged elevation of the stress hormone cortisol, proves to have a negative impact on immunity and increase our vulnerability to illnesses.

As we age, the immune system weakens, which contributes to more infections and more illnesses. A pervasive feature of aging is chronic inflammation, a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Other factors (e.g., dietary and environmental) also influence our immunity.

However, when our health is great, with our body operating well, our immune system provides us peace in the storm. That’s why we need to develop inner reserves from which to draw strength in difficult situations, and that’s why we shouldn’t do things that detract from the peace and asset that our immune system provides our body.

In light of that, let’s recap 10 very effective ways to strengthen your immune system:
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  1.  Get enough sleep. That means for adults, 7–8 hours of sleep each night.
  2.  Manage stress and minimize it. Nobody is immune to stress in these modern days. Stress burden and sleep deprivation are connected. To keep your stress in check, one of the best strategies is to integrate a relaxation practice into your daily routine; it could be deep breathing, meditation, or yoga, or even tai chi—whatever you enjoy and works for you.
  3.  Never smoke and avoid tobacco smoke.
  4.  Curb alcohol consumption. There is no safe level of alcohol intake.
  5.  Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds to obtain a variety of micronutrients. Also important is to drink a lot of water.
  6.  Get more active. Physical activities have profound beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and immune function as well as in reducing inflammation. There are many ways to become more active throughout a day, at work or at home.
  7.  Enjoy the sun with adequate protection. Sunlight triggers the skin’s production of vitamin D, and a sufficient level of vitamin D helps lower the risk of some infections. But excessive indulgence in sunbathing or tanning elevates the risk for skin cancer.
  8.  Maintain personal and food hygiene. Wash your hands habitually, clean fruits/veggies meticulously, cook meats thoroughly, and get a flu shot when advised. All can avoid infections.
  9.  Have a positive outlook on life and a sense of humor. Love and laugh! Laughter boosts immunity.
  10.  Consider probiotics with care. Because of the role of gut microbiota in immunity and diseases, probiotics are the buzz now. However, know that these supplements are not for everyone. For some, probiotics could do more harm than good, especially for people with a weak or compromised immune system (such as HIV and cancer patients). Plus, supplements are not regulated. So, it’s safer to consult with your physician before taking them.

Collectively, these are long-term solutions to boosting your immunity, rather than a quick fix.

 

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/immune-system-defense-infection

The Climate Crisis Is a Health Crisis

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Green Power & Plant in hands_PixabayApril is here, and the annual Earth Day, a worldwide drive to celebrate the natural world and its wonders and to protect our environment, will soon be here (April 22). So it is appropriate for us to address rising concerns about climate change.

Climate change is not a buzz word nor science fiction, but rather an urgent crisis based on scientific facts. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 13: Climate Action) calls for the world (i.e., us) to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.”

So, how urgent? And how does climate change affect you?

A plain fact is that greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide, CO2) absorb heat. The climate becomes warmer and warmer, because CO2 has been released into the atmosphere in increasingly faster and larger amounts. This acceleration of the greenhouse effect results from the expansion of fossil fuel burning, livestock farming, deforestation, and other practices over past decades. Basically, these are human activities.

Consequently, we see more and more extreme heat, rising seas, flooding(s), wildfires, hurricanes, and disasters. These events endanger the beauty and richness of the planet and the harmony of the ecosystem, and they threaten national security (seriously). More alarming, they take not only economic tolls but tolls on human lives by their severe impact on public health.

We have a window of 12 years to reduce carbon emissions. The well-being of future generations depends on and demands our speedy actions.

Let us focus on exactly how climate change can impact human health.

We know that dangerous storms resulting in flooding by heavy rains cause more contaminated water, more environmental pollutants, and more disease-spreading pathogens, leading to more human deaths. As the World Health Organization assessed, rises in malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress caused by climate change could kill an additional 250,000 people each year by 2030 and forward.

We know that warmer regions harbor more disease-carrying insects, and climate change has altered the geographic pattern of these bugs. For example, Lyme disease, an infection spread by tick bites, reached its highest occurrence, with a reported 40,000 cases, in 2017 after steadily growing since 1991, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data.

We also know that extreme heat waves and extreme weather patterns cause more psychological distress, depression, and other mental health concerns.

Some people in some demographics might dismiss the urgency of dealing with climate change, thinking it doesn’t affect them. It is true that the poor and minorities are often the victims most at risk of suffering from communicable diseases, and among them, the most vulnerable are children. However, climate change affects everyone, because evidently it is causing growing incidences of non-communicable diseases (e.g. heart disease and cancer) in both low-to-middle income and high-income countries.

We know that more water vapor creates a thicker blanket of pollutants—not only warming the earth but producing reduced air quality. Additionally, high temperatures render inert chemicals more volatile and more soluble; some of them are carcinogenic or possibly carcinogenic, and human exposure to them is increasing. The more pollutants around, the more asthma, respiratory diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.

All of this is indisputable.

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There are numerous ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and I’d like to share seven top ideas for taking “greener” actions and lifestyle modifications on a daily basis:

  1. Bike or walk instead of driving whenever possible to reduce the carbon fingerprint and overcome a sedentary lifestyle.
  2. Buy local to reduce fossil fuel for transportation and greenhouse gas emission, and if it is close to home, walk to the farmers’ market; needless to say, the better quality of food you will likely find there doubles your health benefits.
  3. Cut meat consumption, especially red meats, and embrace a plant-based diet. Note: Less meat ¹ No meat. By eating less meat, you help curtail livestock production and coexistent greenhouse emissions, while lowering your intake of potentially carcinogenic agents.
  4. Recycle, recycle, and recycle. And even better, minimize the use of plastics from water bottles to plastic bags and straws, in order to prevent pollution and cut carbon emissions.
  5. Reuse items when possible to reduce wastes in landfills. Reuse grocery/shopping bags and reuse other household products or personal items after repairing. You may also donate still-useful items to charitable organizations.
  6. Unplug electronic devices, turn off TVs, and switch off lights when not in use, to curtail carbon dioxide emission by consuming less electricity and preserving more natural resources; particularly in the evening, doing so will also promote a good night’s sleep.
  7. Plant a garden or a tree around the house if you haven’t yet, to offset the greenhouse effect and global warming, as plants and trees take in carbon dioxide. Plus, gardening keeps you physical active.

It all comes down to behavioral change and at times it takes giving up some convenience. You have a choice to act on one thing or all of the above, and certainly you can go further beyond.

I challenge you to make a thoughtful resolution or update your New Year’s resolutions, and contribute your personal efforts to combating global warming.

Imagine when that effort is multiplied many times, what changes it will bring to the world.

Again, climate change and health impact go hand-in-hand. So, let’s save the planet, save the world, and save lives!

Please share this post, “spread the words” is one of actions by raising the awareness.

 

Image credit: pixabay

 

Sensible Caring for a Healthy Heart and Healthy Body

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Heart & Lifestyle_Clipart-CPDFebruary is a month filled with love, festival events, and health observances, including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Black History Month, World Cancer Day, and Heart Health Month.

In addition to sharing love and celebrating festivities, let’s direct our love to two major health issues.

Consider the top two killers in the US—heart disease and cancer. Heart disease causes about 23% of all deaths, and cancers about 22% of all deaths.

Not long ago, one of my husband’s associates described her story of a heart attack. It was not as dramatic as the kind of sudden onset that you often see on TV or read about in the newspaper, but it was indeed a vivid and a life-or-death event. To cut a long story short, her feeling of fatigue, nausea, and left shoulder pain led her to a hospital ER at her husband’s urging. Once there, she suddenly became unconscious at one point during tests and treatment, with a “flat-line” on the electrocardiogram (ECG) that lasted for three to four minutes. Fortunately, the medical team was able to revive her heart using treatments including shocks by a defibrillator and chest compressions.

The incident, consistent with what science tells us, shows that heart attack is not an old man’s disease; it doesn’t discriminate between genders or among ages. A fairly healthy middle-aged lady may experience a heart attack. Strikingly, symptoms of heart attack differ in men and women, particularly the fact that the typical chest pain or chest pressure commonly seen in men may not be a major complaint in women.

The incident reminds us of what is termed a silent heart attack. This is a heart attack without apparent symptoms that can go unnoticed. However, it may be detected by ECG during a routine check-up or a visit for some reason at a clinic.

The incident also reinforces how essential it is to learn the risk factors for heart disease and live a healthy lifestyle. Heart disease and cancer have some common risk factors, esp. those modifiable ones, a healthy lifestyle can offset them. So, every step counts and every choice counts.

Let me take hypertension as an example, because it’s a known “silent killer.” High blood pressure initially doesn’t have symptoms and doesn’t affect daily functions until after it has done severe damage to the heart and vasculature. Hypertension is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Although a causal link between hypertension and cancer has not been established, hypertension and hyperlipidemia are common among patients with cancer. High blood pressure is also associated with an increased risk of developing cancer.
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However, when digging deeper, we find that salt (sodium, diet salt) is a sneaky, slow, and silent killer. More salt intake can increase blood pressure. Average Americans’ daily salt intake exceeds the recommended amount of <2300 mg/d or 1 teaspoon measure, with about 75% of salt coming from hidden sources—particularly processed and packaged foods. Ideally, it’s better to limit salt consumption to <1500 mg/d, as American Heart Association advised.

Take another example, stress. Stress is inescapable in modern life. However, uncontrolled or chronic stress poses a higher risk for the development of hypertension and heart disease. Furthermore, a higher level of stress hormone cortisol in the blood can exhaust or compromise immune system—fundamental defense that keeps cancer at bay.

Therefore, rethink stress and reduce stress. When facing demanding tasks or difficult situations, stop and smell the roses, or at least stop and take a few deep breaths, telling yourself “all shall pass.” Plus, apply any stress-relief techniques that work best for you.

Taking everything into account, there is a lot you can do to lower your chance of having heart disease and cancer. Whatever steps you take, make it attainable and stick with it. And if you stray, get back on track as quickly as you can.

Remember: On your journey each day you have a silent partner—your immune system. You can strengthen it by consuming a healthy diet and drink, daily exercise, adequate sleep, and keeping a positive attitude and a joyful spirit. Collectively, these approaches help you prevent both heart disease and cancer.

The bottom line is –

Your heart health and overall wellness deserve your attention all year long, not just on one day or one month.

 

Image Credit: Clipart and CPD

 

How Bottlenecks Affect Weight Management

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Wt. loss w-water_M_PixabayThe Bottleneck Effect on Weight Gain

From time to time, most of us have gotten stuck in a traffic jam or a slowdown when driving through so-called bottlenecks. These bottleneck areas often result from the merging of a three-lane to a two-lane highway, a lane closure due to construction, a stop signal, or an accident in busy traffic. Afterwards, the cars begin to speed up again.

Like traffic bottlenecks, other bottlenecks occur in our life that affect our health, including our weight management.

With the start of a new year, many people likely made a new year’s resolution for reducing to a healthy weight, given the fact that obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. and worldwide. Weight gain is a big challenge for many, many people.

We have previously addressed the various health consequences and cancer risk of obesity. In this post, I suggest a new approach to help you with weight gain or weight regain.

Let’s picture you as a problem-solver and use your willpower to get your resolution done.

First, the complexity of obesity

I understand your frustrations and struggles, especially given that genetics is nobody’s fault. Based on what science tells us, many factors can contribute to weight gain or weight regain after a weight-loss triumph. What I focus on here is behaviors, of course, without throwing biology out of the window.

Visualize this simple model of energy balance: Energy intake = Energy expenditure, or Calories in = Calories out. (See the schematic illustration below.)

Imagine what happens when energy imbalance occurs: Calories in > Calories out, then you gain weight.

Now consider this situation: suppose that you eat healthy and exercise regularly, but as you’re aging, your pounds start piling up, and you wonder where did they come from?

Energy balance & imbalance_CPD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scientific evidence shows that many factors may regulate your weight, some of them being:

  •           Eating a fat-, sugar-, salt-rich, red-meat-heavy, or a processed-food-oriented diet
  •           Overeating, whether out of habit or for emotional comfort
  •           Sedentary lifestyle
  •           Exposure to environmental pollutants or chemicals (natural or synthetic)
  •           Intensive stress (work, finance, or personal life, etc.)
  •           Lack of sleep, particularly obstructive sleep apnea
  •           Aging
  •           Medication(s) you take
  •           Chronic conditions

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No doubt, each individual’s condition is unique. That’s how you can be a problem-solver for your weight gain and be a part of the solution.

Where is your bottleneck?  

A starting point is to identify the bottleneck for your weight gain or regain. For example, maybe you eat less and move more, but you are in your golden age when your body’s hormones change—a bottleneck.

Or you may be exposed heavily to environmental chemicals (at work or home) that tilt your body toward getting obese by promoting fat production and reducing metabolic rate—another bottleneck.

Or maybe you do have a healthy weight under your watch, but unexpectedly, you then take a drug for some treatment that alters your metabolism (as many medications do), causing a different kind of bottleneck.

So, you get the idea.

Moreover, what happens if those folks with debilitating pain are unable to exercise as needed despite eating healthy? That’s not just a bottleneck, but more like a funnel clogged at the bottom—leading to limited or minimized energy expenditure. In this case, consult your physician for pain relief and to deal with the underlying problem(s).

Whatever it is, there is a likelihood that somehow or somewhere there is a bottleneck(s) for your weight gain or regain that is likely to be associated with your disrupted energy balance.

Finding the bottleneck is certainly helpful, but not the final solution. Next, you need to re-set or re-tweak your behaviors and lifestyle based on your body’s recalibration to adjust to your situation. Make sure that your solutions are specific and realistic.

A healthy lifestyle is a journey, not a destination

Living a healthy lifestyle involves individual choices and behaviors. Modifying your behaviors is within your control. Keep in mind that every step counts. For instance, you may eat less, but do you eat right? By that I mean that you need to eat the right products (nutrition) in the right portions. In addition, beware of not just weight per se, but also how much and where the fat is distributed on your body. Any quick fix for weight loss is not a long-term solution.

Equally important is your perseverance with a balanced diet and regular exercise. Persistence can not only benefit your weight stability but also reduce your risk factors for various chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

The bottom line:

With this new approach in a new year, you can be a problem-solver by discovering your bottleneck(s), and tackling the challenge(s) on a weight-management journey. Remember the importance of teamwork too, such as your physician’s treatment, psychological counselling, and the support of family and friends.

Rooting for your health!

 

Image credit: Pixabay

What Holiday-Indulging and Junk-Eating Have in Common

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Holiday Meal-2_Oxford w-LinkHave you ever thought or said “I only eat this much around the holidays”?

Well, I confess it first.

Often many of us gave ourselves excuses for holiday indulging, especially when eating healthy all year long. Yes, it’s OK to indulge occasionally. Occasional indulging may not have a long-term impact on your health as long as you live a healthy lifestyle with well-balanced diet and regular exercise.

However, I’d also like to remind you that overeating does matter, particularly for those who adore heavy holiday eating or drinking, because delightful drinks, delicious foods have a dark side in hiding. There is no big gap between regular junk foods and loaded festive meals, in terms of harm to your health.

The damage could be different in a time-fashion, a diet with junk foods contributes to various chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, whereas holiday heavy eating or drinking may trigger unforeseen heart attack or heart failure. So, do you see a grave consequence they share?

You can also examine what festive meals and junk foods have clearly in common. Both

  • contain food with high fats, high sugar and high salt, and sugary drinks as well.
  • mix up with alcohol over-consumption.
  • accompanied by stress-eating.
  • implicate extra calories intake resulting in weight gain. Then for some folks, those pounds are not easily shedded off.

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Time after time, holidays after holidays, a gradual weight gain becomes considerable weight gain, overweight or obesity. Obesity mostly comes in an accumulative way, but it is a major risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Now consider if you are having a health issue or an unhealthy eater, then imagine how unfortunate the cost would be to over-indulge during holidays.

Briefly, overindulging (alcohol, junk foods or festive meals) is never good. Overindulging, even overindulging chocolate – which contains some health values – is not worthy, either.

The bottom line is –

Holiday indulging is not trivial. To get more health benefits from food and family time, make it easier just by being mindful when you eat and joyful when you move.

Equally important as smart eating is – blissful when you gather, and peaceful when you rest. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year – as we sing the song.

 

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TARCO – A Tool for Your Lifestyle Transformation

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Tools for Health Management_CPDYou say you want to have a healthy lifestyle to prevent cancer and heart disease, but abandoning unhealthy habits can be hard?

I hear you. So I want to suggest a tool I believe can help you achieve that healthy lifestyle you want and need. I call it TARCO, which stands for Trigger, Auto-Responder, Choice, and Outcome.

Before I show you how TARCO can help you ditch an old habit and transform to a new, more healthful one, let’s take a moment to talk about the horrible realities that can result when bad behavior is in play.

A few examples:

Smoking is a bloody wound. That wound hurts because you are bleeding, painful and injured, and worse, because deep inside and invisible it may be causing smoke-brewed cancer and/or the clogging of your arteries that can lead to heart attack.

Eating junk food is an addiction to SAD (Standard American Diet). The “toxic craving” may satisfy your taste or convenience, but it is dangerous because the prescription of animal fats, sweetness, and salts promotes weight gain and the development of many chronic diseases.

Tanning is a fever caused by vanity—caring about one’s appearance so much you allow yourself to be baked with UV radiation. It is dangerous because a hidden scar or lesion is roasted by a known carcinogen, and skin cancer finally surfaces.

So, how do you stop bleeding, the SAD addiction, or the burning? Stop the source. Specifically, to embrace a lifestyle change, work on the trigger (or triggers) to the unhealthy habit, and eliminate it or at least avoid it.

Triggers are ubiquitous in life, and inevitable.

Triggers that are relevant to health may consist of physical, psychological, or emotional signals, or inducements from the social environment.

For example, stress is often a major trigger, leading you automatically to smoke more or drink more or eat more fats and sweets. Any of these risky behaviors can be viewed as an auto-responder or a default mode that results in negative health consequences. At the same time, the behaviors themselves tend to make the stress worse, further exacerbating the unhealthy behaviors and their consequences.
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Now let’s switch to choices.

If you desire better health and are resolved to achieve it, you have various choices in responding to stress. Instead of reaching for that cigarette you feel you need, you can take a walk, take some deep breaths, or take a bath to alleviate the stress. Instead of going for that extra piece of cake you are craving, you can choose to keep a healthy, fiber-rich energy bar handy to substitute for the more harmful alternative. Choices are always available.

If you reinforce new behaviors so they develop into new habits, you improve your wellness in a new direction and with rewarding results.

Not all triggers are easily identified.

To find an original trigger, sometimes you need to retrace the steps, recount the environment or emotions, in order to discover what established the trigger in the first place. Then break away from the old “auto-responder” behavior.

For example, returning to stress, ask yourself what triggers your stress? Maybe it is anger with a situation, frustration from a demanding boss, or anxiety over your finances. Finding that trigger(s) may take some clear-eyed digging! Honest, not selective.

And remember: triggers are unavoidable, but they weaken when you identify them and realize that your choices are within your control.

Finally, as a sum-up for TARCO

Take some time to reflect on your work and personal life, examine what triggers initiate your auto-responders, and ask what can you do differently. Choose new choices that are specific, realistic, and immediately actionable. By fortifying a healthy lifestyle to counter an unhealthy one, you are bound to receive beneficial outcomes for your precious health and quality of life.

Cheers for your effort and success!

 

What Cancer Reminds Us of Today

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

The-Topic-of-Cancer_re-CPDCancer, the word and the disease, has no voice but says much. It has destroyed past lives and gravely impacted the lives of those living. It brings tons of emotions—sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, and stress. We all know this about cancer and many have experienced it. It is the story of the painful suffering cancer survivors go through.

But beyond distressing emotions, cancer also reminds us of several other things:

Reality

Cancer reminds us of a troubling reality that is partly captured by a snapshot of sober statistics. Despite cutting-edge cancer therapies and declining cancer mortality, an estimated 1,735,350 new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 609,640 cancer deaths will occur in the U.S. in 2018, based on an American Cancer Society report. It can hit anybody regardless of age, gender or genetic makeup.

Hope

The good news is that cancer is no longer a “death sentence,” because we see new promise and hope in the fight against this terrible disease. Cancer genomic profiling and precision medicine have made remarkable progress on on cancer risk stratification and targeted cancer treatments. There are also other breakthroughs in the field of immune-oncology. For example, CAR-T therapy can improve certain leukemia and lymphoma (such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia), with a survival rate of 80% or higher, by reengineering patients’ immune cells (T cells) in vitro to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and empower immune responses so that, when infused into the body, they effectively fight against cancer cells.

Challenges

We also should be reminded of remaining challenges: there are still severe side effects from promising therapies and drugs, effective early screening tests remain underdeveloped, and more research and clinical trials needed.

Financial Strain

Cancer reminds us of the financial strains it often causes. We all know that cancer treatments are costly. How to pay for treatment, especially for those without health insurance, is a big issue. CAR-T therapy mentioned above was acknowledged as a “miracle cure,” but the whole package (infusion, diagnosis, hospitalization, etc.) costs reportedly more than $500,000. Imagine how much this burden adds to a person and family already dealing with overwhelming stress and illness at hand.

Risks & Concerns

Cancer reminds us of other health concerns. Thirteen million people live with cancer. There are health problems and comorbidities that come with or after cancer treatments. Of significance are cardiovascular conditions, heart attack, and stroke. Proposed explanations for these adverse effects include side effects from anti-cancer drugs or therapies, a by-product of cancer itself, or other as-yet unclear causes. So, it is important to consider the overall health and quality of life of those living with cancer and find ways to make them better.

Action & Prevention

Finally, cancer reminds us of positive critical actions that each individual can take to guard against this terrible disease.

  • Early detection is one action that is a key to successful treatment and saving lives.
  • Getting vaccinated is an action, because available immunizations offer protection from certain viral-infection-caused cancers.
  • Prevention is an action, because about 50% of cancers can be prevented by living a healthy, active lifestyle, quitting tobacco, limiting alcohol, and avoiding exposure to cancer-causing agents or toxins.

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These are actions that can be taken now and can make a real difference.

 

Image credit: https://pixabay.com – the-topic-of-cancer

Precision Medicine: From Buzzword to Promise or Reality (Part II)

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Target_Precision Prevention_CPDHappy New Year to All! This article is the continuation (Part Two) of Precision Medicine mini-series, with a focus on Precision Prevention intended to help foster and improve your health in the new year.

So, let’s dive right in.

From Precision Medicine to Precision Prevention

Prevention and medicine work side-by-side, as ancient wisdom signifies “Prevention is better than cure.”

Similarly, precision medicine and precision prevention play a joint role in cancer outcome. While precision medicine is targeting the genetic characteristics and genetic changes of each patient’s cancer, precision prevention is aimed at changing an individual’s behavior.

Precision prevention requires a better understanding of the molecular pathways of a particular disease at a level of each individual, which involves mapping out genomic profile, identifying individual’s risk, behavioral, social and environmental interactions. Then tailored interventions can be strategized to modify individual’s physical and biological characteristics.

Impact on Cancer Prevention

Precision medicine, together with precision prevention, has certainly facilitated/improved cancer prevention whether you realize it or not, particularly in early detection.

Colonoscopy screening is a good example. Let me highlight the steps:

First, there is a guideline to identify people at a risk for colon cancer and/or who need to be screened – e.g. starting 40 years old if having a family history, or 50 years old without a family history.

Second, this test can detect a growth in the entire colon through imaging.

Finally, doctors can implement treatments immediately to prevent or slow down cancer progression, e.g. to surgically remove a benign growth (polyp) or premalignant lesion during the screening, or to start an aggressive therapy for a cancerous tumor.

As a result of such a cancer prevention strategy, colon cancer is highly preventable if caught in a precancerous stage.

Meanwhile, additional findings should be taken into consideration. Recent clinical studies found that 80% of people with colorectal cancer have no known family history of this disease, which suggests that other risk factors (environmental, diet or lifestyle) play a role in colon cancer development, and that current colon cancer screening recommendation (mainly based on age and family history) could miss many individuals at risk.
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So, next prospective is how to improve precision prevention. Advances in precision risk stratification has done so. To identify who may benefit from preventive measures or early aggressive treatment or alternative therapies, precision risk stratification can separate individuals at a high risk from those at a low risk through innovative technologies, genetic profiling and multiple risk factors reporting. In colon cancer prevention, while those at higher risk benefit from colonoscopy, people at a lower risk can get screened through sigmoidoscopy, a non-colonoscopy screening with clinical value in detecting advanced growth. Subsequently, precision risk stratification-based screening for colorectal cancer will also reduce healthcare cost stemming from unnecessary colonoscopy screening.

Immunoprevention presents other successful examples. It can be demonstrated by hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination in preventing related cancers. Immunoprevention can also draw in patients carrying cancer predisposition genes.

In addition, precision prevention may imply identifying novel genomic biomarkers for cancer detection and prevention, applying predictive biomarkers, and analyzing gene-environmental interactions especially associated with modifiable risk factors to develop target preventive strategies.

Precision Prevention beyond Cancer 

Undoubtedly, precision medicine, along with precision prevention, is transforming cancer diagnostics and treatment to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality in the near future. And one day, the promise of precision prevention for Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndromes, or other chronic illnesses can lead us to a remarkable horizon.

Imagine – the beauty alongside benefit of precision nutrition blossoms in your plate of food. As the prevalence of obesity, prediabetes and diabetes increases, tailored nutritional approaches are needed to manage and prevent these conditions. Precision nutritional interventions can be achieved via analyzing and monitoring your dietary habits, food eating behaviors, physical activity, microbiota profile, along with deep phenotyping (i.e. precise and comprehensive analysis of abnormalities in physical and biochemical characteristics).

End Note with Key Numbers

Lifestyle factors (smoking, diet, sedentary, etc.) contribute to over 40% of cancers, and infections, to about 18% of cancers. Thus, many cancers are preventable by lifestyle modification, preventing infections, having balanced diet and regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Remember: Prevention is not a sprint, nor a marathon; is a sustained life-long journey. Prevention is not done through virtual world, but achieved in a real world and requires actions. If precision prevention is aimed at changing individual behaviors, the power of control is within each of us.

Going into 2018, imagine a year with your best well-being!

 

Image credit: CanStockPhoto & CPD

 

 

Emerging New Evidence on Pancreatic Cancer Risks

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Risk_assessThis is a key topic on my editorial calendar this year due to the striking statistics of the increasing incidence and lethality of pancreatic cancer. For 2017, an estimated 53,670 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and over 43,000 deaths resulting from it are expected in the U.S. alone (source: American Cancer Society).

Pancreatic cancer still has a very poor prognosis, with an overall survival of 5% over five years. The disease is remarkably aggressive, rarely diagnosed at an early stage, and difficult to treat due to its resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, the cancer’s cruelty creates a tremendous emotional burden for both patients and their loved ones. Even for survivors, the battles and treatments are brutal.

This does not mean we can do nothing.

To treat this horrible disease early and save more lives, identifying risk factors of pancreatic cancer and targeting high-risk people for effective screening are crucial. Therefore, steps to help prevent pancreatic cancer need everybody’s attention. A better understanding of the factors associated with pancreatic cancer can pinpoint preventive strategies to reduce its incidence.

Through literature review, I’ve compiled a list of risk factors for pancreatic cancer from research findings and emerging new evidence over the last 10 years. Here I share them with you in three categories.

First – Established risk factors

  1. Cigarette smoking: It is consistently associated with a two-fold increase in pancreatic cancer risk. Cancer-causing agents (i.e., carcinogens) existing in tobacco products cause DNA damage, which lead to abnormal cell growth.
  2. Obesity: Obesity produces an inflammatory state. Specifically, visceral obesity (i.e. belly fat) is linked to an increased risk for pancreatic and other cancers, independent of general obesity measured by body mass index (BMI).
  3. Chronic inflammatory conditions: such as chronic pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis.
  4. Diabetes: Particularly, type 2 diabetes is among a cluster of metabolic syndromes including hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and obesity.
  5. Age (55+): The risk of developing pancreatic cancer increases with age.
  6. Gender: Men are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
  7. Inherited genetic mutation: Genetic factors accounts for ~10% pancreatic cancer. 

Second – Emerging risk factors

  1. Environmental risk: Exposure to mutagenic nitrosamines, organ-chlorinated compounds, or heavy metals is involved in the initiating phase of pancreatic cancer.

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  2. Gut microbiota: The role of the microbiota in the development of pancreatic diseases is increasingly accepted. Gut bacteria translocation and small intestine bacterial overgrowth have been found in acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis, respectively.
  3. Infection: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.
  4. Ionizing radiation: Most relevant evidence comes from studies done on workers due to occupational exposure. 

Let me add a bit more on invisible microbiota. Imbalance in gut microbiota is also related to other risk factors for pancreatic cancer (such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity). Furthermore, oral microbiota change in periodontitis is associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Third – Preventable or modifiable risk factors

  1. Sedentary behavior: Physical inactivity is directly and independently linked to multiple types of cancer.
  2. Smoking: Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of cancer.
  3. Excess alcohol intake
  4. Dietary factors: A diet high in red and processed meats, fat, calories, and fructose may increase cancer risk.  In contrast, a diet rich in whole wheat or whole grains, fiber, vegetables, and fruits is associated with reduced cancer risk.
  5. Obesity: Obesity is a significant risk factor for more than 10 types of cancer, severe morbidities, and premature death; it is also considered the major modifiable risk factor for multiple cancers and chronic diseases.

Each cancer is different. Sadly, pancreatic cancer has struck individuals who were healthy, non-smokers, athletes, or as young as age 30-40.

In summary

Fighting against pancreatic cancer starts with learning about its risk factors so as to save preventable deaths in the larger population.

Meanwhile, there is hope – thanks to advanced research and technology that deliver better treatments or promising therapeutic options. So, let’s also remember HOPE.

 

Image credit: http://fatfplatform.org/risk-assessment/