All women over forty need a yearly check-up. For those who are overweight or those with a strong history of heart disease, diabetes or early deaths, you need to see a doctor even if you’re younger than 40. Here are the top ten things to watch out for:
1. Check your breasts.
The American Cancer Society recommends that all women over 20 years of age should check their breasts monthly. If you are unsure, consult a surgeon or OB-gynecologist to check your breasts. Breast cancer is the number one cancer killer in women. Look at the mirror and check your breasts for dimpling, nodes and other irregularities. For most women, you need a mammogram and ultrasound of the breasts, starting at age 40. Those with higher risk may start screening at age 30.
2. Get a cancer check-up
Next to breast cancer, ladies should be on guard for cancers of the cervix, uterus and ovaries. You need a regular Pap’s smear test and a pelvic examination with your OB-gynecologists. If everything is normal, the tests are done every 3 years. You should particularly be careful if you have multiple partners, or if your spouse fools around. Examine your thyroid, lymph nodes (check for nodules), oral region, skin (for black marks) for any suspicious masses.
3. Stop smoking.
Twenty percent of Filipino women smoke and the numbers are rising. This translates to many deaths due to lung cancer. Smoking kills. So I advise you to quit now. If you’re pregnant, smoking is twice as dangerous for you and your baby.
4. Care for your heart.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Remember the mnemonic, “sex-hdl”. This stands for S — quit Smoking, E — stop over Eating, X — eXercise regularly, H – treat Hypertension, D – treat Diabetes, and L – control you Lipids (cholesterol).
5. Check your weight.
Surprise, surprise! Studies show that Filipino women are more overweight than Filipino men. Two out of five women are overweight, especially middle-aged women. So ladies, control your weight if you want to avoid arthritis, diabetes and heart disease.
6. Know your BP.
Checking your blood pressure is a simple way to care for yourself. If your BP is greater than or equal to 140 over 90 mmHg, then you have high blood pressure and need a check up. For those with BP below 140/90 but higher than 120/80. You should be careful and monitor your BP. Maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid developing high blood pressure.
7. Limit work stress.
It’s been proven that chronic stress kills. It elevates the blood pressure and makes the blood thicker. Although we don’t want to endorse a lazy lifestyle, too much stress can cause heart attacks and ulcers.
8. Take a calcium tablet.
After menopause, women need to take a calcium supplement to protect their bones. A good option is Calcium lactate with vitamin D. Drinking skim milk is also fine.
9. Avoid urinary tract infection and pelvic infections.
Because of the unique anatomy of the female organ, ladies are more prone to urinary tract infection than males. This is because the urethra in women is shorter than that of the males. Thus, infections and bacteria can easily penetrate the bladder. So make sure you wash thoroughly after urination. After defecation, wipe the tissue backwards and not forward where some dirt can enter the vaginal area.
10. Get a basic laboratory exam.
Here are the basic lab tests for women:
Blood exams: Complete blood count, creatinine (check the kidneys), uric acid (check for gout), cholesterol (high fat diet), fasting blood sugar (check for diabetes), and SGPT (check the liver).
Urinalysis: Check for urinary infections and kidney problems.
Electrocardiogram: Check for heart problems.
Chest x-ray: Check for lung and heart problems, especially for smokers who are at risk for cancer.
It’s time to get a check-up. Your doctors are there to help you and answer your questions. Good luck!
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In a recent episode of our weekly DZRH radio program, we interviewed kidney expert Dr. Elizabeth Montemayor. According to Dr. Montemayor, the kidneys’ job is to help remove various toxins (drugs and food wastes), and expel them through the urine. Here are the 10 best ways to protect your kidneys:
1. Limit your salt intake. Too much salt is not only bad for your blood pressure, it’s also bad for your kidneys. Many Filipinos die of kidney disease, which can be partly attributed to our high salt intake and fondness for fish sauce, soy sauce, bagoong, plain salt and salted fish. Salt may also cause kidney stone formation.
2. Don’t load up on high protein foods. Dr. Montemayor explains that too much protein makes the kidneys work twice as hard. A friendly reminder to people on a high-protein diet. Don’t overwork your kidneys. Eat a balanced diet of rice, vegetables, fish and fruits and you can’t go wrong.
3. Keep your blood pressure at 130/80 or lower.
4. Keep your blood sugar below 120 mg/dl.
5. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Drinking enough water prevents the formation of kidney stones, a painful condition, which if left untreated, can also lead to kidney failure.
6. Watch your intake of pain relievers and other drugs. Dr. Montemayor says that taking pain relievers for a prolonged period of time may cause kidney damage.
7. Be careful with tests and procedures using contrast dyes. Some tests, like CT Scans and MRIs, use a contrast dye, which may harm the kidneys. Consult your doctor first.
8. Don’t drink too much vitamin C. Too much vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can lead to the formation of kidney stones in predisposed individuals. According to Dr. Montemayor, if you need to take vitamin C, a dose of 500 mg a day is safer.
9. Take your maintenance medicines as ordered by your doctor.
10. Get a kidney check-up. Simple tests, such as a complete blood count, BUN and creatinine, and a urinalysis are the first screening tests for the kidneys.
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Our public service radio program called Docs on Call can be heard at DZRH (666 AM band) every Saturday from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The program can also be seen on RHTV via the internet (DZRH.tripod.com) and through Dream Cable TV and Cable link TV.