Can Melanoma Make a Mole Suddenly Get Bigger and Turn Red ?
You’re absolutely sure that a mole that you’ve always had has suddenly gotten bigger and also turned reddish in a matter of a day or two.
Melanoma or what can this be? (more…)
Death Risk from Normal Weight but Fat Belly vs. Fat All Over
Which is unhealthier and more likely to kill you: having a normal BMI but most of your fat in your middle or being obese evenly all over? (more…)
Pancreatic Cancer Risk Increases with Obesity & High BMI
If you’re obese, you have yet another health hazard to worry about: pancreatic cancer, especially if your body mass index exceeds 35.
Thirty and over is considered obese, and people with a BMI of over 35 have a greater risk of having a malignancy that has spread to the lymph nodes, plus a lower rate of survival, and a higher rate of recurrence after surgery for pancreatic cancer.
A study involved 285 pancreatic cancer patients who underwent surgery involving the pancreas, to treat their disease, between 1999 and 2006. Data was collected regarding the surgery, BMIs and outcomes.
The study was conducted by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
The study points out that in many obesity related conditions and cancers, a higher prevalence of pancreatic cancer was reported in many epidemiologic and cohort studies that focused on obese adults.
There’s more: Obesity was found to be linked to reduced survival in those with pancreatic cancer.
Seventy-five percent of the patients, who had a BMI of over 35, ended up dying, as of the time of the last follow-up, compared to 52 percent of the patients who had a BMI of 35 or less.
The heavier patients had lower estimated survival rates and disease-free rates. In the obese patients with a BMI of over 35, 95 percent had recurrence of their pancreatic cancer.
In the patients with a body mass index of 35 or lower, 61 percent had a recurrence.
This is not the only study to show an association between obesity and pancreatic cancer outcomes. Previous studies have shown similar results.
Thus far, the dynamics behind this association have not been discovered, and more research is needed.
Struggling with Obesity?
Tarso Meneghel, CreativeCommons
If you’re struggling with obesity, then make exercise a priority. If you’re already exercising, then make sure it includes cardio and strength training. Don’t just do cardio.
Both women and men need to work out with resistance, and not just tiny little dumbbells.
Many plus-size women avoid lifting weights because they think this will make them bigger. Wrong.
Lifting weights will force the body to burn fat for sustenance of new lean tissue gained from the exercise.
You will drop dress sizes and along the way, lower your risk of pancreatic cancer by becoming less obese.
Guidelines for Obese People Who Are New to Strength Training
Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
First off, remind yourself that body positivity includes doing what it takes to reduce the risk of obesity related cancers such as pancreatic.
Next, develop good form before you push for heavier resistance. If you’re not sure about the form of a particular exercise, it’s smarter to ask a personal trainer than to copy the next person you see doing the same exercise, since that person may be doing it with poor form.
Third, do not be self-conscious about walking into a gym. Everyone there has goals. Lowering the risk of pancreatic and other cancers should trump any feelings of self-consciousness.
Fourth, each set should be about eight to 12 or so repetitions. And each set should be challenging. Do not merely go through the motions.
If you’re not losing much weight despite faitihfully controlling your diet, you’re not working out hard enough. Up the ante. Push yourself without sacrificing good form.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ Lyashenko Egor
Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316173315.htm
Protein vs. Carbohydrate Drink After Cardio Exercise
Is a protein drink actually better than a carbohydrate drink after doing cardio exercise?
A study has an interesting conclusion. (more…)
Best Exercise for Chronic Heart Failure Patients
There are several types of exercise for chronic heart failure patients that research shows are very beneficial.
If you have heart failure, you will benefit more from exercise than from a sedentary life.
The first kind of exercise to consider is tai chi.
For patients with chronic heart failure, this form of exercise has been shown to improve their quality of life, as well as mood, plus self-sufficiency when it comes to exercise.
Unfortunately, up through to the late 1980s, those with chronic heart failure were instructed to avoid even light exercise — as they were deemed too frail for physical activity.
Exercises Other than Tai Chi that Are Best for Chronic Heart Failure
“In patients who actually have heart failure, ‘exercise’ means moderate levels of low-resistance aerobic activity such as walking, riding a bicycle or swimming at a comfortable pace,” says Roger Mills, MD, cardiologist and former professor of medicine, University of Florida, and author of “240 Beats per Minute. Life with an Unruly Heart.”
Want to try tai chi first?
A report on this form of exercise’s benefits to heart failure patients appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine (April 25, 2011).
At the end of the study, the tai chi group and the no-exercise group were tested for peak oxygen uptake for a six-minute walk, and there was no difference.
This is not surprising because tai chi is not considered a “cardio” exercise. But keep reading.
There WAS a difference as far as improvement in quality of life in the tai chi group.
Not only that, but the tai chi group experienced increased confidence as far as performing some exercise-related activities.
Tai chi can thus be a stepping stone to more aerobic-type activities like swimming laps, bicycling or walking.
Dr. Mills explains, “A study of over 2,000 heart failure patients published in 2009 showed that structured exercise was safe and helped patients feel significantly better.”
For people with chronic heart failure, tai chi sounds like an ideal exercise, especially since there is no impact or sudden movements.
Check with your local recreation center to see if it offers tai chi classes.
However, to begin an exercise program, you need not take up tai chi.
Exercise for heart failure patients can come in all shapes and forms, including strength training.
Be sure to speak first to your doctor about exercise guidelines for your medical condition and any others that co-occur with the heart failure.
Dr. Mills is the former medical director of the heart failure and heart transplant service at the University of Florida, was a staff cardiologist at The Cleveland Clinic and has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/uzhursky
Sources:
sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110425173838.htm
[1] O’Connor CM, Whellan DJ, Lee KL, et al. Efficacy and safety of exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure: HF Action randomized control trial. JAMA 2009; 301: 1451–1459
Lat Pull-Down Mistakes & How to Correct Them
Improper lat pull-downs are done by both men and women.
Here is the wrong way to do the lat pull-down: (more…)
Is 23 Too Young for a Man to Date a 26 Year Old Woman?
Really, how much of a difference is there between a 23 year old man and a 26 year old woman?
A woman age 26 had posted in a social anxiety forum that no matter what she did, she could not get a boyfriend. (more…)
Why You SHOULD Teach Your Daughter that Being Fat Is Bad
Here’s why it’s NOT wrong to teach your daughter that being overweight is unacceptable and that excess body fat CAN be a very bad thing.
There’s been yet another Facebook post from a very plus-size woman who has a young chubby daughter.
The little girl already has a beer belly and hefty thighs. This may appear cute to some, but it’s a harbinger of bad things to come.
Many parents find it unacceptable to allow their child to become even a little chubby.
They impose restrictions on sweets, junk food snacking and going for thirds on the mashed potatoes at suppertime.
To the particular bopo influencer on Facebook and also Instagram, this would come across as harsh, maybe even abusive.
But to the very health-conscious parents, they’d see the body image influencer as neglectful and too lenient.
So…which parent is right? Who’s wrong?
Is it wrong to teach young girls that being fat is bad?
Well, look at it this way. Is it harmful to teach kids that smoking is bad?
“I am a big believer in positive mental image and think people should learn to respect themselves,” says Susan L. Besser, MD, with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore; Diplomate, American Board of Obesity Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
“However, that doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to a health problem.
“People of all ages should be honest about their health and work on being the healthiest person they can be.
“Having a healthy self-image is certainly a part of that.
“However, one can have a healthy self-image and still work on improving themselves, not blinding themselves to the realities of their health (which is what some of these bopo folks are doing).”
Just like when we preach about the dangers of smoking and drugs, teaching the dangers of obesity doesn’t have to damage your young daughter’s self-worth.
dreamstime.com
It’s not wrong to train your children to believe that they actually can have fun at an amusement park without gorging on the junk food sold there.
The body positive mother’s mission is to teach overweight women that it’s okay to be obese and that it’s okay to let your kids become overweight (which can lead to obesity — even morbid).
If a child is taught to believe that it’s okay to carry excess weight, it just seems that maybe this youngster will one day think it’s also okay to smoke or to have several alcoholic drinks out of boredom or to combat stress.
The body positive mom is teaching her plump daughter to accept her body no matter what.
But what if this child (who, according to the mom’s Instagram posts, gets proportionately bigger every year) eventually weighs in at 200 pounds at age 12?
This is what “a little plumpness” can lead to.
Yet at the same time, it’s crucial that parents do NOT use insulting words, any kind of shaming or nagging in their venture to teach their kids an appreciation for a healthy body weight.
Healthful eating habits and fitness activities should start early in life.
It’s up to the parents to instill these values in their daughters (and sons) when they are young.
Dr. Besser provides comprehensive family care, treating common and acute primary conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Her ongoing approach allows her the opportunity to provide accurate and critical diagnoses of more complex conditions and disorders.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Yuriy Golub
Women Afraid of Being Physically Stronger than Men They Date
A young woman said she recently started strength training and was scared of the idea of being stronger than men she might want to date.
Her current boyfriend “has no muscle,” she posted in the fitness forum. She pointed out this boyfriend probably won’t last long due to that fact.
The 22-year-old posted, “I have this nagging fear of being stronger than men,” and, “Wouldn’t that severely limit my dating pool?”
She also posted:
• “I wouldn’t want to date a man weaker than me.”
• “I feel like I need a guy who lifts.”
• “I know people will say I’m superficial but I can’t help but love a strong big man. It’s some primal instinct in me.”
A few responders suggested that the OP might be a troll. However, I believe the OP is being sincere, because there really ARE women who are “afraid” of being stronger than their boyfriends or men they date.
Certainly we’ve all heard of women who can’t get past being only an inch taller than their boyfriend!
My niece won’t wear high heels because they make her height even with her six-foot husband!
It’s this kind of thinking that makes it easy to believe that the OP is not a troll.
And besides, every so often I DO catch a thread started by a woman who feels awkward about being stronger than her husband due to her strength training.
So yes, you definitely know there are women who are skittish over the concept of being stronger than men – at least men they may want to date.
Women Who Strength Train and Are “Scared” of Being Stronger than Men
The OP acts as though men will automatically know she’s stronger than them.
Anyone who’s been involved in the world of strength training knows that a woman can be a LOT stronger than she looks.
There are 130-pound women deadlifting over 250 pounds and bench pressing over 200.
If you share the OP’s sentiments, you must realize that unless you boast about your strength feats, a man isn’t going to know you’re stronger than him – unless you work out with him.
Or get caught red-handed carrying the file cabinet across a room that he couldn’t budge earlier that day.
Granted, some women DO look amazingly strong from intense bodybuilding. But they didn’t get that way overnight.
Just how much weight can the OP lift? She doesn’t say, but she believes she will be progressing very quickly (she only recently began strength training).
But she acts as though finding a stronger man is impossible. The various gyms I go to (it’s a franchise) are full of very strong men with serious muscle development.
Advice for Women Who “Fear” Getting Stronger than Men
You should feel good that being stronger puts you in a better position to fight him off if he becomes physically aggressive or help him out if he becomes injured or sick and must be moved.
From one responder: A trained woman is stronger than an untrained man, but a trained woman is weaker than a trained man.
In general this is true. It goes back to my previous narrative: The OP can find plenty of stronger men at the gym.
Another responder says, If you want a guy that is stronger than you, there are plenty, even among those who don’t lift.
The majority of men who are larger than you will be stronger.
If you want a lifter that’s fine but if you just want a guy who is strong in the everyday get sh*t done sense, it’s not difficult to find one.
Being that the OP is fairly new to strength training, it won’t be difficult for her to find a non-trained man who’s stronger.
However, the responder is wrong to say that “the majority of men who are larger will be stronger.”
As a former personal trainer, I know this to be false. For example, one of my novice male clients was 24, six feet and 215.
It took all he could to complete 12 reps of seated overhead presses with 15 pound dumbbells.
If the OP plans on pursuing serious strength training, her observation is valid—she WILL eventually surpass the strength of most untrained men.
Another responder asked if the OP planned on taking first dates to the gym to test their bench max.
Another suggested that the OP ask in her online dating profile, “How much do you squat?”
But in all seriousness, if you yourself are “scared” of this situation, rest assured, many men will embrace this aspect of you.
They’ll feel a bit less insecure about the idea of you walking alone at night in a parking garage…
…And speaking of insecure, another responder pointed out that when a woman is physically stronger than her date, this quickly weeds out insecure men!
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Freepik.com, drobotdean
Are a Mole (Nevus) and a Lentigo the Same Thing or Different?
A mole or nevus can look identical to a lentigo.
Both a mole and a lentigo have the potential to develop into melanoma, a skin cancer that kills thousands of Americans every year.
But from a cellular standpoint, is there a difference between a mole and a lentigo?
“Nevi and lentigines are different lesions,” says Dr. Jennifer Gordon, who is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology and practices at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas.
“Nevi” is the plural of nevus, and “lentigines” is the plural of lentigo.
Dr. Gordon continues, “Nevi are made of nests of melanocytic cells [which produce the pigment melanin], and lentigines are just an increase in pigment in normal keratinocytes.”
A keratinocyte is a cell in the top layer of the skin that produces a protein called keratin.
“Lentigines are what we think of as ‘freckles,’ and they can come and go with sun exposure during our entire life.
“Nevi are moles and are what have the potential to turn into melanoma. These are also the cells that are melanoma regardless if they were a previous nevus.”
A Mole and a Lentigo Are Quite Different from Each Other
Common mole, Source: cancer.gov
Lentigo. Shutterstock/Dermatology11
“There are many characteristics that differentiate a lentigo from a nevus and often we can tell the difference,” says Dr. Gordon.
“Obviously you cannot always tell, and if the lesion is suspicious we would biopsy either way.
“Characteristics that make the lesion suspicious are if it is new, changing, bleeding or different than the patient’s other pigmented spots.
“There is no data that removing pigmented lesions that are NOT suspicious is prophylactic for preventing melanoma, and thus ‘de-moling’ is not recommended.”
In summary, don’t worry if you have a lentigo vs. a common nevus or mole.
You should conduct monthly self-skin exams (include the bottoms of your feet, behind your ears and inside your belly button) for any suspicious changes or new moles.
Dr. Gordon’s interests include medical dermatology, particularly the treatment and prevention of melanoma and other skin cancers in athletes. For 2016, 2017 and 2018 Texas Monthly Magazine selected her as one of the Texas Super Doctors Rising Stars.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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