Hot summer days are here! During this time of year we often gas up our grill and enjoy outdoor gatherings. But as temperatures climb, so does the risk of food poisoning. Here are a few things to keep in mind for food safety this summer.
Keep the grills and coolers clean. Many of us overlook cleaning our grills and coolers throughout the summer. Frequently scrub and clean these items with hot soapy water to stop bacteria from spreading to your food.
Keep food out of the temperature “danger zone.” Bacteria grow rapidly when food is stored between 40°F and 140° Avoid this danger zone by keeping your hot foods hot and your cold foods cold. Ice packs and coolers are essential in the heat and perishable foods should not be unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours. This time shortens to one hour if it’s above 90°F outside. Consider keeping a refrigerator thermometer in your cooler to help you keep check!
Marinate meat in the refrigerator and don’t reuse dressings that have come in contact with raw meats.
Keep hand sanitizer handy. You don’t always have the ability to wash your hands while enjoying the great outdoors, so keep hand sanitizer handy to keep yourself and others safe.
Don’t prep meat and produce using the same tools or surfaces. These foods need separate cutting boards and utensils to prevent cross contamination. Following these tips will help you enjoy tasty, safe food in the great outdoors.
Nearly half of all work-related injuries are linked to carpal tunnel syndrome. Repetitive movements – such as typing on the computer – can cause pain, numbness and weakness in the wrist and hand.
Here’s the good news: physical therapy to treat carpal tunnel syndrome may be just as effective as surgery, according to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.
After following patients with the syndrome for one year while they received physical therapy, researchers found they achieved results comparable to patients who had surgery. However, physical therapy patients saw faster improvements at the one-month mark than the patients who had surgery.
Although surgery may be considered when the symptoms are severe, more than a third of patients do not return to work within eight weeks after an operation for carpal tunnel syndrome, according to a news release from JOSPT.
The study demonstrates that physical therapy–and particularly a combination of manual therapy of the neck and median nerve and stretching exercises–may be preferable to surgery, certainly as a starting point for treatment.
“Conservative treatment may be an intervention option for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome as a first line of management prior to or instead of surgery,” says lead author César Fernández de las Peñas, PT, PhD, DMSc, with the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Physical Medicine at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Spain.
Dr. de las Peñas and his fellow researchers studied the cases of 100 women with carpal tunnel syndrome. By random allocation, 50 women were treated with physical therapy and 50 with surgery. Patients assigned to the physical therapy group were treated with manual therapy techniques that focused on the neck and median nerve for 30 minutes, once a week, with stretching exercises at home.
After one month, the patients in the physical therapy group had better hand function during daily activities and better grip strength than the patients who had surgery. At three, six, and 12 months following treatment, patients in the surgery group were no better than those in the physical therapy group. Both groups showed similar improvements in function and grip strength. Pain also decreased similarly for patients in both groups.
The researchers conclude that physical therapy and surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome yield similar benefits one year after treatment. No improvements in cervical range of motion were observed in either patient group.
Bon Secours Physical Therapy program helps people with many other hand and wrist issues including: sports injuries, fractures, and arthritis as well as carpal tunnel syndrome. Our team is not limited to hand problems, however. For a full overview of our services, please visit us at www.bonsecoursphysicaltherapy.com.
The majority of people who follow restrictive diets, those that put strict rules on what or how much you can and can’t eat, regain the weight within 5 years. Almost two-thirds regain more weight than they initially lost. This says something very powerful about “dieting”: it works in the short term (maybe), but does not get to the root of our weight gain. Those who adopt small changes for a healthier eating lifestyle have greater success in the long run.
How can we do that? One of the first steps to making lifelong changes is awareness of what your current eating behaviors are, and why. Practicing mindfulness with our food includes being aware of internal hunger and fullness cues, not using food for stress relief, choosing enjoyable and wholesome foods, thinking through food choices instead of relying on impulse, and non-judgmentally accepting food preferences. Research has shown that increasing mindfulness can not only help with weight loss, but also can decrease overall stress and body image concerns, and affect food preferences.
Try this introductory mindful eating exercise, “Raisin Consciousness,” developed by expert Dr. Kabat-Zinn and colleagues. Are you a mindful eater?
Raisin Consciousness (source: University of Minnesota)
Sit comfortably in a chair.
Place a raisin in your hand.
Examine the raisin as if you had never seen it before.
Imagine it as its “plump self” growing on the vine surrounded by nature.
As you look at the raisin, become conscious of what you see: the shape, texture, color, size. Is it hard or soft?
Bring the raisin to your nose and smell it.
Are you anticipating eating the raisin? Is it difficult to not just pop it into your mouth?
How does the raisin feel? How small it is in your hand?
Place the raisin in your mouth. Become aware of what your tongue is doing.
Bite ever so lightly into the raisin. Feel its squishiness.
Chew three times and then stop.
Describe the flavor of the raisin. What is the texture?
As you complete chewing, swallow the raisin.
Sit quietly, breathing, aware of what you are sensing.
By Abby Forman, Registered Dietitian with Bon Secours Physical Therapy & Sports Performance
Although colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, many people can lower their risk by staying up to date with screening tests.
Joseph Frenkel, MD, FASCRS
If colon cancer is detected in its early stages, it is up to 90 percent curable, according to the National Cancer Institute. Despite the effectiveness of screening for colorectal cancer, many people forgo this important test.
Federal health authorities estimate that, if everyone who is 50 or older had regular colorectal screening tests, at least 60 percent of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.
“Like many other types of cancer, the earlier colorectal cancer is found, the more likely treatment will be successful,” said Dr. Joseph Frenkel, a board-certified colorectal surgeon with Bon Secours Surgical Specialists.
More than 135,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, according to estimates from the Colon Cancer Alliance. Roughly 50,000 will die from the disease.
The symptoms of colorectal cancer are often unnoticeable in the early stages. Screenings, however, can often detect it. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends men and women begin screening at age 50. Screening may need to begin before age 50 if a person is considered at high risk or has symptoms. Other risk factors for colon cancer include having inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colorectal polyps, and a personal or family history of colorectal cancer.
“Screening tests can find polyps so they can be removed before they become cancerous,” Frenkel said. “Catching colorectal cancer early is the key to successful treatment.”
Several types of screening tests are used to detect polyps or colorectal cancer. Patients should ask their health provider which screening test is appropriate for them.
Screenings include:
A fecal occult blood test, or FOBT, is a test used to check for blood in the stool. Sometimes cancers or polyps can bleed. A FOBT can detect small amounts of bleeding.
A sigmoidoscopy is an examination of the rectum and lower colon — or sigmoid colon — using a lighted instrument called a sigmoidoscope. Doctors can check for polyps or cancer inside the rectum and lower third of the colon.
A colonoscopy is similar to flexible sigmoidoscopy. During the procedure, a longer, thin flexible tube, which is lighted, checks for polyps or cancer inside the rectum and the entire colon. During this test, polyps and some cancers can be detected and removed.
Although nine out of 10 new cases of colon cancer occur in people 50 or older, the disease can strike at any age. In fact, colon cancer rates in adults 50 and older have been declining while incidence rates in young adults have been increasing for unknown reasons. This is why anyone having symptoms should be evaluated fully, Dr. Frenkel said.
“Everyone needs to educate themselves about the risks of this disease,” Frenkel said. “Colon cancer affects young people, too.”
The following symptoms, which can occur at any age, should be checked by a doctor:
Rectal bleeding
Weight loss for no known reason
Weakness or fatigue
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea, constipation, or narrower stools than usual
Bowel never feels empty
Blood in the stool (bright red or very dark)
Persistent cramps, gas, pain, or feeling full or bloated
People can also potentially lower their risk of colorectal cancer by making changes to their lifestyle. A lack of physical activity, eating few fruits and vegetables, a low-fiber and high-fat diet, being overweight, and drinking alcohol are considered lifestyle factors that may contribute to an increased risk.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Colon Cancer Alliance
For additional information about your own personal risks for colon cancer and when you should be screened, consult your primary care provider. Call 804-359-WELL or visit http://goodhelpdocs.com/ if you need help finding a healthcare provider.
Once cancer treatment has been completed and your medical team offers congratulations and tells you to return in three months for your next follow-up appointment, many survivors wonder what is next for them and how to keep this from happening to them again. While this period of time is filled with feelings of gratitude and relief, it can also be a time of solemn reflection and challenging transition. Survivors may be re-entering the work force, re-establishing routines with family and friends, coping with lingering effects of treatment, and beginning to reckon with the experience of cancer and its impact on their future.
Every June we celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day, and many hospital systems honor their cancer survivors and caregivers with special celebrations and educational opportunities. It’s very fitting that I have the opportunity to contribute an article at this time. I have learned so much from cancer survivors and the scientific community over the last six years and would like to share some of these lessons with you.
Be an active participant in your care. Throughout your cancer treatment, you probably have experienced the importance of communicating with your healthcare providers. This communication is a vital part of your care after treatment as well. Attend your follow-up appointments with a list of questions/concerns. Report any symptoms you are having that concern you for cancer recurrence or potential side effects of current treatments.
If you have not re-connected with your primary care provider (PCP), now is an excellent time to do so. There are a myriad of health issues your cancer team will not necessarily address, such as routine chronic disease screenings for and management of such conditions as diabetes, high cholesterol, and thyroid dysfunction. One study has also demonstrated that those cancer survivors who have both a PCP and medical oncologist involved in their ongoing care have higher rates of cancer detection and non-cancer screenings than those who see only a medical oncologist due to the PCP’s continuation of “both preventive and surveillance cancer screening.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4294578/
Small health behavior changes make a big difference. “You don’t have to be a marathon runner to consider yourself physically active. Walking at about 3 mph (or 20 minutes per mile) is considered activity of moderate intensity. The American Cancer Society recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderately intense activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week (or a combination of these). You can get in the recommended activity levels by just walking on your lunch break for 30 minutes, 5 days a week.” https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/exercise-linked-with-lower-risk-of-13-types-of-cancer.html Exercise is now linked to lower risk of thirteen different cancers: colon, breast, endometrial, esophageal, liver, stomach, kidney, head and neck, rectal, and bladder as well as myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma—two types of blood cancer—and lung cancer in current and former smokers.
Fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet, but did you know that certain key nutrients found in whole foods can pack a punch in the fight against cancer and chronic disease? According to findings from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), seven key nutrients in cancer-fighting foods have demonstrated usefulness in this fight. Fiber, found in dry beans, whole grain breads, and other plant sources, reduces risk for colorectal cancer as well as diabetes and cholesterol. Vitamin A, present in yellow and orange vegetables, is important for immunity and may help to inhibit cancer cells. Folate can be found in green vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, avocado, and Brussels sprouts, and works to keep our DNA healthy and our cancer-protective genes turned on. Vitamin C, found largely in peppers, citrus, strawberries, and kiwi, protects DNA from damage and may protect against the formation of cancer-causing compounds found in processed meats. Magnesium, present in almonds, cashews, spinach, soy milk, and edamame, helps to repair DNA and control cell growth. Vitamin K, as found in green leafy vegetables, is helpful for blood clotting and bone strength. However, due to the food-drug interaction, those individuals taking warfarin, a common blood thinner, should talk to their healthcare provider before incorporating these leafy vegetables into their diet. Potassium, found in sweet potatoes, bananas, spinach, tomatoes, and oranges, plays a role in building muscle, controlling the body’s acid-base balance, and regulating sodium. http://www.aicr.org/enews/2017/03-march/enews-7-key-nutrients-found-in-foods.html
Acknowledge and accept your emotions. Many cancer survivors tell me they are surprised to experience feelings of loss, sadness, anxiety, and disequilibrium at the end of treatment. While these emotions are commonly experienced to some degree at this time, it is also important to understand that they are usually transient. What is especially helpful is to acknowledge these emotions without judgment and without heaping guilt on top of these difficult feelings. It doesn’t mean one is any less grateful for having “beat cancer,” if he/she is also experiencing some of these harder emotions. I have observed that those individuals who find peers with whom to share these feelings or other ways of expressing their experience, such as journaling, are able to more quickly come to terms with these emotions and move on. For those who may be experiencing more profound feelings of loss, depression, and grief, finding a counselor can be very beneficial. It is also important to let your health care team know if you are struggling in these ways. The most appropriate intervention for you may be an evaluation for clinical depression and management with medication combined with counseling.
Utilize your resources. Hospital systems with cancer programs usually have cancer resource centers. These centers may be staffed with cancer experts or designed to help you search for resources on your own. Often computer access for online searching as well as lists of reputable, relevant websites are provided. Resources for both cancer treatment and survivorship issues are available. Additionally, many cancer centers will employ staff with special expertise in cancer survivorship who can easily direct individuals to helpful and reliable community and online resources. Feel free to use any or all of these resources as you navigate this new terrain of life after treatment. They are there for you!
Mary F. Baker, MSN, RN, FNP-C, AOCNP, CBCN
Cancer Survivorship, Bon Secours Richmond
Bon Secours Virginia Health System – Medical Oncology
