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♦ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2007
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HHC celebrates
go red for women
Special to the Journal
Houston Healthcare cel
ebrated the American Heart
Association’s Go Red for
Women campaign on Feb.
2.
Employees wore red to sup
port the research and educa
tion efforts of the American
Heart Association to increase
awareness of heart disease
- particularly in women.
Despite an overall reduc
tion in the death rate due to
heart disease in the United
States over the last several
decades, the rate of decline is
less for women than for men.
Heart disease and stroke are
the greatest health threats
women face today, but only 13
percent of American women
know this fact. Coronary
heart disease is the num
ber one killer of women over
the age of 25. Cardiovascular
disease, including stroke,
claims nearly twice as many
women’s lives as all forms of
cancer. It is estimated that
one in two women will die of
heart disease or stroke, com
pared with one in 30 from
breast cancer.
The Go Red for Women
campaign is the American
Heart Association’s national
effort to increase awareness
of heart disease - the leading
cause of death for women
- and to inspire women to
take charge of their heart
health. Women who under
stand their risks of heart
disease, and know the steps
to prevent it, are better
equipped to avert this seri
ous and preventable threat
to their health.
Easy ways to reduce risk of cancer
Special to the Journal
While many things can
cause cancer, some risk fac
tors are far more powerful
than others. Research has
shown a person can reduce
their chance of developing
cancer by making certain
lifestyle changes without
sacrificing quality of life.
Everyone knows by now
that smoking causes cancer.
It is responsible for nine
out of 10 cases of lung can
cer in men and eight out of
10 in women. Smoking is
also linked to cancers of the
mouth, lip, throat, stomach,
bladder, pancreas, cervix and
kidney. Some 30 percent of
cancer deaths are attributed
directly to smoking.
But it is not only smokers
who suffer the ill effects of
cigarette smoke. Those who
live, work or socialize with
them do too. Few people
realize that the smoke that
comes from a lighted ciga
rette held in a smoker’s hand
contains twice as much tar
and nicotine as the inhaled
smoke does. It also contains
three times as much cancer
causing agents, five times
as much carbon monoxide
and up to 50 times as much
ammonia. Cigars also cause
cancer. A single cigar yields
the same amount of nicotine
and carcinogens as 20 ciga
rettes!
One of the best ways to
kick the habit is to join a
medically supervised smok
ing-cessation program,
which may incorporate nico
tine patches and a support
group. Houston Healthcare
offers a free four-session
tobacco cessation course to
help a person stop smoking
or using tobacco products.
For more information and
course dates, call 923-9771.
More than a million cases
of skin cancer are diagnosed
annually, and the sun is to
blame for most of them. A
person should avoid excessive
time in the sun, wear a hat,
use a sunscreen rated SPF
Upcoming
Heart-Healthy
Events
Annual Heart
Luncheon
Dr. Rahil Kazi, car
diologist, will dis
cuss heart disease and
inflammation. Lunch
will be served Feb. 26
from noon-1 p.m. in the
Houston Health Pavilion
EduCare Center. Pre
registration is required.
Call 478-923-9771 to
pre-register.
American Heart
Association Houston
County Heart Walk
March 3
Houston County High
School
Registration starts at
8 a.m. followed by the
Heart Walk at 9 a.m.
For more information,
call 478-405-3200.
Second Annual
Rhythm Run
A 5K Run/Walk and
One Mile Health Walk
hosted by the Houston
Heart Institute, a service
of Houston Healthcare
will be held March 10 at
Houston Medical Center.
Registration begins at 8
a.m. Race starts at 8:30
a.m. Pre-registration for
the event is $lO and sls
the day of the race. The
Rhythm Run is a “Run
and See Georgia Grand
Prix Series” event- For
I a race application, call
478-542-7744 or visit
www.hhc.org.
15 or higher, and remember
to use a lip balm fortified
with sunblock. Avoid sun
light between the hours of
10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when
ultraviolet rays are at their
strongest. Parents should
also protect their children
from sunburn. Children
who burn frequently have
a greater risk of develop
ing melanoma, the deadliest
form of skin cancer, when
they become adults.
Health professionals dis
courage the use of tanning
lamps or beds as a substi
tute for sun tanning because
these, too, expose the body to
dangerous ultraviolet rays.
Try using tanning creams
instead.
In contrast to previous rec
ommendations to consume
no more than 30 percent of
calories from fat, researchers
now urge people to increase
their consumption of certain
heart-healthy fats—specifi
cally avocados, nuts, salmon,
flaxseed and olive oil. Limit
saturated fats such as those
found in full-dairy products
or red meat. Hydrogenated
fats found in packaged
cakes, cookies, crackers and
chips should be avoided at
all costs. Health profes
sionals also urge people to
limit their intake of salt.
An excessive amount of salt
is suspected of promoting
cancer in the digestive tract.
Enjoy at least five servings
of antioxidant-rich fruits
and vegetables each day.
Drinking a cup of green tea
every day may help reduce
stomach cancer. Switching
to whole-grain products rich
in vitamin E has been shown
to reduce the risk of prostate
cancer by one-third.
More than one drink a day
for women and two a day for
men increases the risk for
breast, colon and liver can
cers. Heavy drinking is espe
cially risky where cancer is
concerned if it is combined
with smoking or chewing
tobacco.
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