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WH - A Guide to Women's Health
Echinacea: YEA or Nay?
If you're thinking about taking echinacea to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of a common cold, you may want to think again.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the popular herbal supplement had no statistically significant effect on infection rates or symptom severity among volunteers who'd been exposed to a cold virus. Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that echinacea wasn't effective in treating cold symptoms in patients ages 2 to 11.
Not everyone is swayed by the findings, however. Proponents of herbal remedies aren't "going to stop taking echinacea when we get sick," insists Gayle Engels, education coordinator of the American Botanical Council (ABC), which recommends approximately 3 grams of the dried root daily to fight the sniffles. One complaint she has with the studies is that the dosages used may have been insufficient. Echinacea supplements aren't regulated by Uncle Sam and can contain varying quantities of the herb.
[back to top]The ABC s of PMS
It's common to trivialize premenstrual syndrome, but PMS is no laughing matter for women who experience the bloating, breast tenderness, headache, fatigue and irritability that characterize it. PMS symptoms may disrupt daily activity during the week or so leading up to the monthly period, but usually disappear after the period starts. Still, medical science hasn't pinpointed their cause. Some experts theorize that certain women are more sensitive than others to normal fluctuations in hormone levels.
Many treatments for PMS have been tried, but none works for everyone. Aerobic exercise and a healthy diet (including sufficient vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid and calcium) may ease physical symptoms. Avoiding salt, caffeine and alcohol may help, too. In more severe cases, drugs such as antidepressants, birth control pills and ibuprofen may be prescribed.
If you think you have PMS, keep track of your symptoms for several menstrual cycles. Having a record will be helpful in planning treatment should you seek medical care.
Sources: 4woman.gov, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Leading-Edge CT Scanner Debuts
Faster, higher resolution diagnostic imaging is now available at John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus, thanks to a new, state-of-the-art, 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner.
"This technology is a big step forward," says radiologist Robert Schick, M.D., chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus. "The principal benefit is the greater anatomical detail obtained, not only on the conventional CT images but also on the processed images that are created at the workstation. The images can be reformatted so we can look at areas of normal tissue or sites of disease with greater clarity. Clearer images can mean earlier detection of disease and greater confidence in a diagnosis because of more precise characterization of a detected abnormality."
To undergo a CT scan, the patient lies on a table that is moved through a large opening and into the scanner. Once the patient is inside, X-ray beams create hundreds of cross-sectional pictures that represent slices of tissue. Moments later, a computer constructs the slices into 3-D images that are interpreted by a radiologist.
The new CT diagnostic imaging system processes more slices (64 vs. earlier generations' 16) in a shorter time, which dramatically boosts the amount of information that can be acquired from a single scan. Thanks to this increased speed, physicians can obtain precise diagnostic images that "freeze" the motion of moving structures in the body (such as a pulsating heart and coronary arteries) and better define certain disease processes. Faster imaging also brings added convenience to patients, adds Dr. Schick, "because we can scan more patients and decrease the waiting time for our CT services."
The new scanner's superior imaging capabilities will be applied to myriad diagnostic studies, including testing for head and spine injuries, cancer, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding, and a host of other diseases and injuries, according to Ira Finch, M.D., an interventional radiologist at John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus. "It is potentially an important tool for evaluating patients and for following patients who have procedures," says Dr. Finch. "This scanner keeps John Muir Health on the leading edge of technology and allows us to do the some of the most advanced CT imaging possible to provide high quality care to our patients."
Medical ImagingJohn Muir Health offers MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT, breast imaging, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, cardiovascular imaging, fluoroscopy, general X-rays, image-guided interventional radiologic procedures and other imaging services. Physician referral is required. John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus
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On Alert For Skin Cancer
There's good news and bad news about melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The number of U.S. cases is skyrocketing, but experts say the disease is almost always curable when caught early and it's preventable when proper sun-safety precautions are followed, especially during childhood and adolescence.
A melanoma is a malignant tumor that originates in cells called melanocytes that produce the pigment melanin. Melanin colors skin, hair and eyes and is heavily concentrated in most moles. "The incidence of melanoma has been increasing dramatically in the last 50 years," says Ed Becker, M.D., a dermatologist on staff at John Muir Health. "Since the 1950s, the incidence has doubled every 10 years. Right now, about one out of 70 people in the United States will develop the disease in their lifetime. In another 10 to 20 years, it's estimated the lifetime risk will increase to about one in 50."
Why the troubling spike in the number of cases? "Because of contemporary lifestyles, people are getting excessive amounts of sun exposure," explains Dr. Becker. "Bad sun burns—blistering sun burns—in childhood and adolescence can lead to melanoma later in life."
As in the past, current treatments begin with surgical removal of the melanoma, but there have been significant advances since the 1990s in procedures, according to Peter Mazolewski, M.D., F.A.C.S., a general surgeon on staff at John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus. "Today's surgery is pretty simple. We're taking out a lot less tissue than was once thought necessary," says Dr. Mazolewski. "Most procedures are performed on an outpatient basis."
Patients who have later-stage cancer may undergo sampling of lymph nodes to assess the spread of the disease. The state-of-the-art procedure, called sentinel lymph node dissection, removes only the one or two nodes closest to the original tumor, which reduces morbidity. Later-stage patients may also follow surgery with adjuvant therapy, including chemotherapy, which employs drugs that act on cancer cells, and immunotherapy, which is designed to help the body's own immune system better defend itself.
Notwithstanding modern medicine's advances, early detection and prevention remain the most potent weapons in the battle against melanoma. Drs. Becker and Mazolewski strongly advise patients to regularly check moles for the following signs of possible skin cancer (think ABCDE).
- Asymmetry—if the mole is divided in half in any direction, the two halves do not match.
- Border irregularity—the edges of the mole are irregular or notched.
- Color variation—the mole displays differing shades of color (brown, black, red, blue) or color that's changed.
- Diameter—the mole is larger in diameter than a pencil eraser (6 mm).
- Evolving—the mole is changing in any way or itching.
Dr. Becker emphasizes the importance of parents educating children at an early age about prevention. He points to the example of sun-drenched Australia, where melanoma rates dipped, he says, thanks to a decades-long public education program whose "slip, slap, slop" slogan urged people to slip on a shirt, slap on a hat and slop on some sunscreen. "What's most important is sun avoidance and sun protection," insists Dr. Becker. "Be sure you and your children avoid sunburns by avoiding the sun in the middle of the day as much as possible, using effective sunscreen (one that blocks UVA and UVB rays) and wearing sun-protective clothing."
Our Quality Cancer CareAs a leading provider of cancer care, John Muir Health offers technologically advanced diagnostic tools, treatment options and exceptional support services at both medical center campuses. Adults and children are provided advanced surgical expertise, complex chemotherapeutic and immunological therapy, radiation therapy, apheresis, and genetic counseling and assessment. We also offer a wide range of cancer-related public services, including educational programs, health screenings and support groups.
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