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January News from the Cancer Support Group
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Welcome to 2012 - hopefully this will be a very healthy year for all of us! The PVH Cancer Support Group would like to recommend adopting healthy habits to reduce our risk for many cancers. Obesity, smoking, sun-worshiping and excessive alcohol use all contribute to a variety of cancers.
Making New Year’s resolutions focused on our health can be very effective. According to Joseph Grenny, best selling author of “Change Anything”, one of the biggest mistakes people make is setting their goals too high instead of taking baby steps. Instead of resolving to lose 20 pounds this year, it is better to resolve to lose 2 pounds this month. Rather than going on a restrictive diet that leaves you hungry and unsatisfied, why not start by substituting a piece of fruit for those cookies you usually eat while watching TV each night? If you can’t give up cigarettes cold turkey, how about cutting out one a day and substituting a piece of gum?
Another important step in making our goals a reality is to envision the rewards that come from changing bad habits. If you are a pack a day smoker and give up one pack a week, tuck the money away toward a vacation. You’ll be surprised how quickly it adds up. Dieters often do well by purchasing an item of clothing one size smaller than their current size. Trying it on weekly and seeing how it fits better and better spurs them on with their goal of healthy eating. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small, by doing something you enjoy.
Enlisting the help of loved ones and posting your goal prominently are also effective in making a change. To be a success, you need to conscript active and supportive friends to help you. One "active" friend, who is willing to gently remind you to stick with the program, can boost your chance of success by 35%; two active friends increase your chance of success by an astounding 60%, according to Grenny. So either convince your friends to support you, or spend more time with friends who will. Similarly, you may need to avoid those who don’t want you to change.
According to experts, it takes about 30 days for a new habit to become ingrained. Expect to backslide, and don’t beat yourself up about it. Having an extra drink on New Year’s Eve or a second piece of cake on your birthday doesn’t mean that you are a failure. If you take two steps forward and one step back, remind yourself that you are still a step forward.
Bill Head, PA-C at Penobscot Valley Hospital states, “We don’t know all the risk factors for the different types of cancer, and many of them are not in our control. Working to reduce the known risks can result in a much healthier lifestyle, as well as making us look and feel good.”
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Cervical cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the cervix. According to the National Cancer Institute, most cervical cancer is caused by infection with a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted. You can have the virus for years and not know it. Risk factors for cervical cancer include intercourse at a young age, multiple sexual partners, smoking and a history of sexually transmitted disease. If you are age 26 or younger, the HPV shot protects against two types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. This is commonly given as a series of three shots around the age of 11 or 12.
The National Cancer Institute lists symptoms of cervical cancer that can include abnormal bleeding, increased vaginal discharge and pain during intercourse. As part of your regular pelvic exam, you should have a Pap test. During a Pap test, the doctor scrapes a small sample of cells from the surface of the cervix to look for cell changes. If a Pap test shows abnormal cell changes, your doctor may do other tests to look for precancerous or cancer cells on your cervix. Cervical cancer that is caught early can usually be cured.
The Penobscot Valley Hospital Cancer Support Group meets twice monthly, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 6 pm in Conference Room B of the hospital. This month’s meetings will be held January 10 and 24, and are open to patients, caregivers and family members. For more information, call 794-7149. |
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