Judith Light

Health
by Joanna Pompilio
Women’s Health Update
RISK OF BREAST CANCER REDUCED
BY WEIGHT CONTROL & EXERCISE
Exercise has become more crucial than ever in the fight against breast cancer.
Postmenopausal women who walked 30 minutes a day lowered their
breast cancer risk by 20%, according to the Women’s Health Initiative government-funded
study. This evidence is critical, given the numerous factors
women cannot control, but yet, have the strongest influence on their risk for
breast cancer, such as age, race, genetics and the age they begin menopause.
While there is still much debate as to how much exercise is required, according
to Nancy Campbell, MS Clinical Exercise Physiologist from the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, several studies have found there is a benefit in 150 minutes a
week of moderate walking. “Recent research indicates a protective association
between higher levels
of exercise and incidence
of breast cancer.
The average risk reduction
among more active
compared to less active
women was about
Postmenopausal
women who
walked 30
minutes a day
lowered their
breast cancer risk
by 20%.
16August 2012
25%,” says Campbell.
“There has been evidence
that intermediate
levels of activity provide
some benefit, and
higher levels provide
more protection. The
protective association seems to be stronger for long-term or lifetime exercisers,
postmenopausal women, and those with a lower body mass index.”
Maintaining a healthy weight throughout adulthood, in addition to exercising
regularly, has been shown to reduce the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer,
according to an American Cancer Society study. The study also has evidence
that women who gained 21 to 30 pounds after age 18 were 40% more likely
to develop breast cancer than women who stayed within 5 pounds of the
weight they maintained in their 20’s. Those who gained more than 70 pounds
doubled their risk of breast cancer. Overall, obese women are 30% to 50%
more likely to develop breast cancer than women at a healthy weight.
While there is no way to eliminate all risk of cancer, avoiding extra pounds reduces
the risk of not only breast cancer, but tumors of the kidneys, esophagus, colon
and uterine lining, according to the National Cancer Institute. Staying lean also
reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, joint problems and other ailments.
PMS & INSOMNIA
Insomnia is an important, and rarely discussed side effect of premenstrual syndrome,
also known as PMS. While bloating, fatigue, cramping and even headaches,
are commonly chatted about amongst workplace water coolers and with
doctors, many women are not aware that insomnia is also a side-effect of PMS.
Female hormones, namely progesterone and estrogen (the active hormones during
PMS), play a significant role in bouts of insomnia during the weeks before
menstruation begins.
“Issues with sleep in women
have a lot to do with the balance
between estrogen and
progesterone. If the balance is
too high in favor of estrogen
then you have more estrogen
activity. Therefore, insomnia
is a side effect,” according
to Robert J. Hedaya, M.D.,
D.F.A.P.A., Clinical Professor of
Psychiatry at the Georgetown
University Hospital and Founder
of the National Center for
Whole Psychiatry.
33% of women say their
sleep is disturbed during their
menstrual cycles, according to
a 2007 National Sleep Foundation
poll. 16% confess to
missing one or more days of
work a month because of sleep
problems. Put plainly, estrogen
in women acts as an energy
supplement. During ovulation,
around day 14, estrogen activity
increases, causing sleep disturbances
for women.
After ovulation, progesterone,
the hormone that can
cause drowsiness, begins to rise. Several days before the start of menstruation,
estrogen and progesterone levels drop. This period of time is when many
women have trouble sleeping, due to the abrupt withdrawal of progesterone.
To combat the problem, Hedaya recommends exercising as it promotes the
body into deep, restorative, sleep. Also, avoid alcohol, especially at night, as it
may cause wakefulness and fragmented sleep.
VACCINES AREN’T JUST FOR KIDS
Vaccines are not just for children, a fact that escapes many adults due to simple
lack of awareness. Annually, 45,000 adult Americans die from vaccine-preventable
diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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