Newspaper Page Text
10
September 26, 1996 AUGUSTA FOCUS
More than one daily drink may
increase breast cancer risk
Limiting alcohol consumption
to a moderate level (about one
drink per day) is recommended
to reduce a woman’s risk for
breast cancer, according to infor
mation presented at a recent
symposium of the American In
stitute for Cancer Research.
AICR grantee Keith Singletary,
Ph.D., associate professor in the
department of food science and
human nutrition at the Univer
sity of Illinois, Champaign-
Urbana, said that the increased
breast cancer risk connected to
drinking appears to be modest,
and that more research needs to
be conducted to determine the
influence of other factors on the
alcohol-breast cancer relation
ship. “We need to know more
about the timing of alcohol con
sumption, nutritional factors,
body weight, effects on hormone
production, and drinking pat
terns,” he said.
Brown bag approach to health care
HOUSTON
The next time you go for a com
plete physical exam, “brown bag”
it.
“Sweep all prescription and
cver-the-counter medications
from the bedside table and medi
cine cabinet into a paper bag and
take them toyour physician,” said
Dr.lsaacKleinman, associate pro
fessor of family medicine at Baylor
College of Medicine in Houston.
“This is especially important
when you’re accompanying elder
ly family members who are treat
ed by several specialists tobe sure
their drugs are not incompatible,
unnecessary oroutdated,” hesaid.
Also, take along notes on your
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Singletary noted that, “High
alcohol consumption — three or
more drinks per day — is associ
ated with a number of cancers of
the head and neck, including the
mouth, larynx and esophagus.”
News reports in the past year
have cited studies that found a
glass of red wine per day can
help reduce risk for heart dis
ease, but these results have led
to some confusion over other
studies showing that any alcohol
at all in a woman’s diet may be
linked to breast cancer develop
ment. Singletary noted that, al
though there is considerable ev
idence from studies in many dif
ferent countries to support a con
nection between alcohol intake
and breast cancer risk, the effect
appears modest. There has been
enough variability and inconsis
tency within them to make health
experts ask for additional infor
mation before drawing concrete
health history. Make a list of ma
jorillnesses, surgeries and immu
nizations you have had and the
years they occurred, and note se
rious health problems that have
run in your family.
“The patient’s medical history
is the most important part of a
health checkup,” Kleinman said.
“Most diagnoses are based on this
information.”
During the exam, your doctor
should:
*note weight, blood pressure,
pulse and temperature;
einspect the eyes, ears, nose
and throat;
elisten to the heart and lungs
for unusual sounds;
Livingßetter
conclusions regarding exactly
how much alcohol can increase
risk of breast cancer.
More than 180,000 new breast
cancer cases are expected to be
diagnosed this year. Although
genetic predisposition is a factor
in breast cancer development,
researchers say some of the risk
for the disease can still be con
trolled to a large extent through
maintaining healthy eating and
life-style habits. Because surveys
show that more than 50 percent
of American women drink, the
influence of alcohol on breast
cancer has come under scrutiny.
Even though the link to breast
cancer appears modest,
Singletary said the health bene
fits gained by reducing alcohol
intake to low or moderate levels
(about one drink per day) are
significant. “Drinking low to mod
erate levels of alcohol can reduce
your risk for other aerodigestive
*test for sensation in fingers
and feet;
echeck reflexes and balance;
echeck the abdomen, lymph
nodes and breasts for swelling or
lumps;
*inspect the skin for lesions,
rashes or other abnormalities;
*do a rectal exam (including a
check for prostate cancer in men);
*order a blood and urine analy
sis;
*check for blood in the stool.
Women should also have a Pap
smear, pelvic exam and
mammogram. Men should have a
testicular exam.
Remember that your life-style,
age and health problems will as
tract cancers, reduce your risk
-for coronary heart disease, and
can reduce some of the adverse
psychosocial effects of heavy
drinking,” he noted.
He advised individuals to con
sider their own personal risk for
breast cancer when deciding how
much todrink. Women with high
er breast cancer risk may want
to minimize alcohol intake until
more is known about its influ
ence.
For lower cancer risk, the
American Institution for Cancer
Research advises consumers to
drink in moderation, if at all; to
eat plenty of vegetables, fruits
and whole grains; and to get reg
ular physical exercise.
For a free brochure about alco
hol and cancer, send a stamped
(52 cents postage), self-addressed
envelope to the American Insti
tute for Cancer Research, Dept.
AC, Washington, DC 20069.
sect which lab tests the physician
requests and the need for addi
tional procedures, such as a
sigmoidoscopy (viewing the lower
colon through a tube inserted in
the rectum).
Kleinman recommends that
healthy adults get a full physical
every five years, starting at age
20. A blood-pressure check, Pap
smear and breast exam should be
done every year. Starting at age
40, you should have arectal exam
and a test for blood in the stool
every year and get your eyeball
pressure checked for glaucoma
every two years. Starting at age
45, women should have an annual
mammogram.
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| oday’s best music 105.
Toddlers learn about leadershii
language skills and life ¥
With briefcase in hand, book
bag over the shoulder, and tod
dler in tow, millions of working
families leave their homes every
morning wondering what advan
tages their children might gain
from participating in a quality
daycare program.
“What a great self-esteem boost
tohave a teacher and three smil
ing children greet your child at
the door each day and say, ‘Hi
Johnny or Sally, we're glad you’re
here to play with us,” says Laura
L.Mee, Ph.D., child psychologist
with Egleston Children’s Hospi
tal at Emory University in At
lanta, Ga. “Feeling wanted and
being included in a group, like in
a daycare setting, are- positive
strokes to a child’s self-esteem.
And it helps them form attach
ments to people other than their
nuclear family.”
Socialization of young children,
according to Dr. Mee, is perhaps
the greatest benefit of quality
daycare, because humans are a
very social species. “It is impor
tant to us that our children learn
to share and have good man
ners,” she says. “There was a
time when young children first
became exposed to these lessons
in kindergarten. But with more
children participatingin daycare
programs today, theirsocial skills
development is well under way
by the time they reach kinder
garten.”
Daycare programs provide oth
er developmental perks, accord
ing to Dr. Mee, which include:
*Enhanced language skills.
Since daycare providers are not
asadept atinterpreting toddlers’
grunting and pointing as their
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parents, they prod them to &m
--municate with words. Childgen
soon learn that verbal comn;gni
cation is vital to having their
basic wants and needs met
*Flexibility. By being eerd
toavariety of attitudesand ideas
at an early age, children,in
daycare are likely to be @re
accepting of others when they
are older. Their classmates and
teachers may dress differently
from them, celebrate different
holidays and religious traditions
than their families or speak a
different language. ai
eAbility to form relation
ships. Part of socialization; is
branching out from Mommy;or
Daddy and learning to trust oth
er people, both adults and peers.
Knowing that other people like
being with her really helps build
your child’s self-esteem.
*Leadership development.
Quality daycare programs help
children build leadership sklls
by giving special privileges-to
those who exhibit good behavior.
The reward is often something
simple, such as being the leader
of the lunch line. At a young age,
children can learn that responsi
ble behavior is valued. To be se
lected tolead, orbe “in charge;” is
a high honor for a pre-schooler.
*Observational learning. A
great benefit of daycare is that
young children canlearn through
watching others. Whether
they’ve seen a friend being
praised for sharing a toy, or a
child going to the front of the line
for using his “indoor voice” ap
propriately, all children in the
group take in these lessons [in
socialization. ‘