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7 Ways to Beat Stress

May 30, 2011 by

stress reliefStress adversely affects every aspect of your life, from your health to your relationships. Many people don’t realize how stressful their lives are, and they don’t know how to deal with or reduce their stress. Let’s explore seven ways to improve your life by beating stress.

Determine your stressors.

We all have different areas of our lives that cause stress. While you may not be able to change stressful situations, by identifying your stressors, you can develop a plan to deal with them as effectively as possible. For example, if work causes stress, you can go to the gym after work to release tension with a workout, or leave the building for lunch to get away from your desk for a few minutes.

You might be able to change your response to stressors by altering the situation to make it easier to bear. For example, if visiting the doctor during the day is stressful because you need to go to work afterward, perhaps you can meet the doctor in the evening or on a weekend day. If you become agitated during rush hour traffic, try a new route or travel at a different time.

Avoid people, places, and things that upset you.

We all have people who make us uncomfortable or tasks we dislike doing. When those aggravations become stressful, it’s time to take matters into your own hands. Rethink whether it’s necessary to have dinner with the neighbor who criticizes your cooking. Perhaps it makes sense to find an accountant to do your taxes or a detailer to wash your car. Delegating tasks and avoiding stressful people not only reduce your stress, but they also give you a marvelous feeling of freedom.

Know your limits.

Be realistic about your time and what you can do, and say no when you need to. When you’re at your limit, additional items on your to-do list become stressors. Stand your ground and be assertive when you need or want to say no.

Give yourself a treat.

Integrative therapies such as massage, reflexology, and aromatherapy help to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and relax you. They’re also fun and rejuvenating. Find a certified practitioner or visit a spa, keep an open mind, and give it a try.

Turn off the noise.

Unplug and spend at least 30 minutes alone and quiet every day. We’re all bombarded by technology and advertising, and it’s overwhelming. When you get away from the constant noise, you’ll feel your stress melt away. Spend that time doing what you enjoy, whether it’s a walk or a hot bubble bath. Unwind and enjoy.

Tune out negativity.

Do you really need to watch the 10 pm newscast each night or read the paper every day?  The news is mostly negative, which raises your stress levels. Your mind doesn’t need any more input on weather disasters or the latest political upheavals around the world. Don’t take on the world’s problems as your own. Rather than watch the news, find a comedy or cartoon to watch. Better yet, turn off the TV and read a book.

Experiment to find your best release.

Some women relieve stress by laughing or crying, and others find exercise or art to be their release valve. You may need to try a few different outlets to relieve stress, such as watching classic TV comedies, renting a movie that makes you cry, painting, or going to the gym. You may find one perfect stress reliever, or you may decide a combination of activities helps.

As you work through your stress, stay positive. Negativity is an unhealthy stressor and can creep into areas of your life that aren’t stressful. An upbeat attitude will do wonders to combat stress and help you feel healthy and at your best.

What do you do to combat stress?

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Make Sure You and Your Doctor Communicate Effectively

May 6, 2011 by

breast reconstructionYour relationship with your doctor is a partnership, and one of the best ways you can help each other is to communicate effectively. You’ll avoid misunderstandings and hurt feelings, and the two of you can quickly move forward in your treatment. When it’s time for your next appointment, using the following tips can make a positive difference in your relationship.

Always be as honest and as specific as possible.

Even if you’re uncomfortable, tell the truth—your doctor can’t successfully treat you otherwise. If you’re not sure how to answer a question, say so instead of guessing. Your answers should be as specific as possible, even if you need to add more information or ask questions before replying.

Don’t be afraid to ask or tell your doctor anything—he or she has literally heard it all.

Listen, and then ask questions.

Sometimes while the doctor is talking, patients have an emotional reaction that prevents them from hearing the rest of what the doctor has to say. Listen to everything the doctor says, try not to react right away and let it process for a moment, and then ask questions.

Note anything unusual, and write down your questions before you go.

Keep a calendar or day planner with you, and jot down any symptom that is unusual for you. The night before you go to the doctor, make a note of these symptoms as well as questions you have. Often we go to the doctor with a list of questions in our head, and then forget what we wanted to ask. This step will save time for both of you during the appointment.

Never ignore unusual pain, discharge, or bleeding. Contact your doctor immediately.

Tell your doctor about everything you take.

Make a list of your medications and any dietary supplements you take, including vitamins and aspirin. Be sure to note dosage size and frequency. Give the list to your doctor for your file, and send a copy to your pharmacist. Update these lists at least once or twice a year.

Don’t be offended by non-medical questions.

Your doctor might ask about your job or what you do on weekends, and this is not to pry, but to evaluate how your lifestyle might be affecting your health. Stress, eating habits, and alcohol consumption may be factors in your condition.

Let your doctor know if he or she doesn’t communicate well with you.

Your doctor needs to know if his or her communication style isn’t effective. Think back on your last few appointments. Did he or she say anything that upset you, and was everything explained in a way you could understand? Were you comfortable talking with him or her?

Give your doctor specific suggestions to improve your partnership. If you’re not comfortable doing that in person, send an email or leave a voice mail after hours on the doctor’s private line.

Your doctor is there to help you—and he or she can do a much better job when you have built a relationship based on trust and good communication. This process can take a little time but is well worth the effort.

What do you and your doctor do to create effective communication?

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How to Talk to your Spouse about Health Concerns without Scaring Him

May 2, 2011 by

health concernsYou need to talk to your husband about your health, but it scares him when you bring it up. You need to have a strategy for talking to him. You can’t stop him from fearing for you—he loves you and wants you healthy and safe—but you can minimize his anxiety with a few simple tips.

Be clear on what you need to tell him at this point.

One of the worst things you can do is to throw a worst-case scenario at him from the start. That would unnecessarily scare anyone. If you’ve found a lump, tell him you’re going to have it checked out. Answer his questions, but don’t put thoughts in his mind that don’t need to be there at this time.

Have the facts in front of you, and keep it short and to the point.

Men often respond better when they can see the facts. Show him studies, doctors’ websites and blogs, WebMD—anything that clearly states the facts so he can see for himself. Practice what you’re going to say, and focus on being clear and succinct.

When you talk to him, get right to the point and then stop. If you ramble, his attention may wander, or he may tune you out right when you need him to listen. Ask him if he has any questions, and answer them honestly—but again, keep it short.

Try to keep your emotions in check during the discussion.

When women are upset or crying, their husbands feel powerless and unable to solve the problem, so they become frightened and angry. If you can hold your emotions just until you’ve finished telling him what you need to, he’ll hear you more clearly.

We’re not saying you need to stifle your emotions, but give him a chance to hear and comprehend what you’re saying without becoming frightened because you’re upset.

Have the doctor explain it to him.

If you’re not comfortable talking to him, or you think he might have questions you can’t answer, have the doctor call him at home. If you take him to the doctor with you, his mind will run wild while you’re in the waiting room, and he’ll scare himself. Leave the room while he’s on the phone, and do not have the doctor call him at work unless it’s good news.

Give him time to process.

After you’ve talked to him, go to another room for a while to let him sort through his thoughts. He needs time to process what you’ve told him, and he needs to be alone. Tell him to take his time. It might be five minutes or five hours, but give him the time he needs.

What strategies have you used when talking to your husband about your health?

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Exercising as Fun Rather Than Drudgery

April 25, 2011 by

We all know exercise is a vital part of creating a healthy life, but often, we see exercise as another chore we need to finish. Following are some ideas to help you play and have fun with exercising instead of putting it off or dreading it. No matter which exercise you choose, set realistic goals for yourself and focus on fun.

exercisePlay. Do what you enjoy.

If you pick an activity you like, you’ll look forward to doing it regularly, and you’ll be more likely to stick with it long term. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you’re moving, so be creative. Is there a sport you’ve always wanted to try, or perhaps a form of dancing you enjoy? Did you love to roller skate as a kid? There’s no reason you can’t learn a new sport, dance, or roller skate now.

If you prefer being indoors, you might like weight lifting, yoga, swimming, or Zumba dance. If you’re an outdoors person, try rock climbing, skiing, bicycling, or simply walking. The more you love what you’re doing, the more often you’ll do it, and the more benefits you’ll reap from it.

Make a fun date with yourself.

Decide which time of day you would most enjoy moving, and schedule it in writing. Be realistic—if you’re not a morning person, don’t plan a 6 a.m. workout. Would you enjoy going to a yoga class after work, or taking the dog for a walk after dinner? Decide which days and times suit you best, and start there.

Think of this time as “I get to . . .” instead of “I have to . . .” because your attitude before you exercise will dictate your frame of mind while you’re doing it.

Take it easy at first, and then challenge yourself to do just a little more.

Don’t expect miracles the first day or the first week. Again, be realistic with yourself. Start slowly, and do what you can. If five minutes is your limit today, great—you might be able to go just a little longer tomorrow and do 5 ½ or 6 minutes. By starting slowly, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment without hurting yourself by doing too much, too soon.

Find an exercise buddy.

If you have a friend who makes you laugh or is fun to be with, maybe he or she would like to exercise with you. If you’re going for a walk, take the dog, or walk with your spouse or children. Exercise time can double as family time, and it’s easier to stay motivated when you have other people to exercise with.

Variety is the spice of life.

Nowhere does that saying apply more than to exercise. Varying your workout with new activities will not only keep you motivated, but changing your routine also works different parts of your body. Try something new once a month, and have different activities for the seasons.

What do you do to keep exercise fresh and fun?

 

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Who Can Have a Skin-Sparing and Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy and Why?

April 1, 2011 by

**We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger, Dr. Paul Baron, MD F.A.C.S of Cancer Specialists of Charleston. Dr. Baron shares with us his insight on who can have a skin-sparing and nipple-sparing mastectomy and why.

See below for Dr. Baron’s guest post:

The best cosmetic results from breast reconstruction are clearly in patients who still keep much of the original skin of the breast. It leads to a more normal shape, appearance, and texture. In the past, the fear was that the cancer overlying a breast tumor needed to be removed; even if the cancer was far away from the skin in the back of the breast. All mastectomies were done with a large horizontal elliptical incision that removed a large segment of skin extending from the sternum to the lateral chest. The nipple and areola were removed at the same time as there was concern that the cancer could march up the ducts and be left behind if the nipple is left behind.  As a result, there was not enough pliable tissue to allow placement of an implant or tissue flap under the skin. The reconstruction could only be done by stretching the skin first with a tissue expander or leaving a large island of skin with the attached underlying flap of tissue (TRAM, latissimus, DIEP, or GAP). The result was a very unnatural breast reconstruction.

We now know that in most mastectomies, virtually all the skin overlying the breast can be left behind as long as the cancer is not immediately underneath it. In this case, we still remove a small patch of overlying skin. The most common incision for a skin-sparing mastectomy goes just around the areola with an extension inferiorly (kind of like a tennis racket shape), or a horizontal ellipse that is half the distance of the more traditional mastectomy incision. The resulting reconstruction is more natural in appearance as there is a very small scar and often no visible island of skin.

Another approach gaining in popularity is a nipple-sparing mastectomy. In this case, the entire breast is removed through an incision that completely leaves the nipple and areola intact. There are many ways to make this incision. Clearly these patients have the most normal appearing breast reconstruction. Also, to relieve the concern of cancer cells being left in the ducts, we actually core out the ducts as they enter the nipple. The shell of the nipple is left behind and as a result, often looks better than the nipple reconstruction.

We will not perform a nipple-sparing mastectomy if the cancer is close to the nipple. Also, if a patient had a prior mastectomy in which the nipple and areola were removed with one breast, we will usually remove the contra lateral nipple at the time of prophylactic mastectomy so the reconstruction result is symmetrical. It should also be pointed out that in most cases in which the nipple is left behind, it does not have normal sensation. It can have sensation to touch and temperature, but lose erotic sensation.

We have made huge strides in breast cancer surgery. For patients requiring or choosing mastectomy, the final reconstructed version can have a natural reconstruction as a result of usually leaving the skin behind as part of a skin-sparing mastectomy. We have improved this even more by performing nipple-sparing mastectomies. The optimum result is when the breast surgeon works as a team with the plastic surgeon in planning the type of mastectomy from a cancer point of view, and the orientation of the incision from a cosmetic point of view.

About Dr. Paul Baron:

Dr. Baron is Board Certified in General Surgery and completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He is a graduate from the Boston University Six-Year Medical Program. Dr. Baron subsequently completed a residency in General Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia.

Cancer Specialists of Charleston – www.cancerspecialistsofcharleston.com

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