September 2006: Health Briefs from Baylor Health Care System
How Much is Enough? Don't Let Extra-Large Servings Give You an Extra-Large Waist
From super-sized french fries to giant pasta dishes, food portions keep getting bigger."To a large extent, we've allowed the food industry to tell us how much we should consume," says Suzanne Powell, R.D., coordinator of the Diabetes Center at Baylor Medical Center at Garland and a certified diabetes educator. "It's been a slow enough process that we just don't realize we're eating more."
To figure out if your serving sizes are under control, follow these recommendations from the USDA and backed by Powell and Elizabeth Schaub, R.D., CDE, a dietitian at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Appropriate numbers of servings vary by activity level, age and weight, but for most adults these are good daily estimates (visit a dietitian for a personal analysis).
- Vegetables and fruits: 5 to 9 servings equal to about 1 cup salad greens or cut-up veggies, or a baseball-size orange
- Grains: 6 servings (at least half from whole grains) equal to 1 cup cereal flakes or ½ cup cooked pasta
- Lean meats and alternatives: 2 servings equal to 3 oz. chicken or fish or 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
- Dairy: 2 to 3 servings equal to 8 oz. milk or 1 oz. cheese
- If a restaurant's entrées are large, choose a side dish or appetizer for your main course.
- Serve meals at home on individual plates, rather than "family style." You can better control portions and reduce the chances you'll take seconds.
- It takes the brain about 10 minutes after you begin a meal to sense fullness. "Take breaks during the meal and eat more slowly so that you consume a smaller amount of food during that time," Powell says.
- Understand what's motivating you to lose weight, Schaub advises. "I tell my patients to write their motivators on a sticky note," she says. "If there's a cabinet that holds snack foods or your temptation foods, put the note there."
Supplement Spotlight: Taking a Closer Look at Some Popular Nutritional Products
If you're curious about the dizzying array of nutritional supplements available, you're not alone. Annual sales in the category top $4 billion.Eating a healthy diet will typically supply sufficient nutrients, but if you decide to try a product, consult with your doctor and pharmacist. Supplements can be overkill if you're already taking a multivitamin. They also can cause allergic reactions and interact with medications.
"Most people think that if they get a substance over the counter, it's all right to take," notes Rudy Nelson Lea Jr., M.D., a family medicine physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. "But if you're taking prescription medicine at the same time, it's often not all right."
Following are some of the most common supplements and their benefits and potential dangers.
- Calcium
Proposed benefit: Osteoporosis prevention
Beware: Most calcium supplements should be taken with food, but some are absorbed differently and may be taken on an empty stomach. If in doubt, check the label or ask your health care provider, advises Julie A. Allen, Pharm.D., R.Ph., pharmacy director at Baylor Garland. - Echinacea
Proposed benefit: Treatment of respiratory infections such as the common cold. "Proponents suggest that it increases the response of white blood cells-the cells in the body that fight off infections," Dr. Lea says.
Beware: People who are on medication that suppresses the immune system should avoid echinacea. - Iron
Proposed benefit: Treatment of low blood iron or anemia by helping the body make red blood cells.
Beware: Iron may affect the results of certain medical tests. Possible side effects include bloody diarrhea, constipation and fever. - Omega-3 fatty acids
Proposed benefit: Enhanced cardiovascular health, brain function and immunity. For patients with elevated triglycerides, Dr. Lea recommends one gram in the form of fish oil capsules with each meal.
Beware: A high intake could cause excessive bleeding-supplementing should be stopped two weeks before and after surgery. - Vitamin B complex
Proposed benefit: Reduction in heart disease and stroke risk due to a reduction in levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease.
Beware: Possible side effects include nausea, diarrhea and gas.
More information about Baylor Medical Center at Garland.
High Tech Treatments for Prostate Cancer
For men dealing with an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer, it's reassuring to know that Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas has skilled, caring urologists-as well as the advanced technology-to provide the treatment they need.Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, is common in men 50 and older, and can negatively impact quality of life by causing urinary problems. Men whose symptoms no longer respond to medication, or who do not wish to take medication, may seek other options.
For decades, the "gold standard" surgical treatment for BPH has been TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate), in which a portion of the prostate gland is removed. While TURP may provide excellent symptom relief, it routinely requires a hospital stay of one to three days, and possible complications include bleeding, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
But now urologists have a new treatment for BPH: the GreenLight PVPT laser procedure. PVP (photo-selective vaporization of the prostate) uses a specially designed laser light source to direct light pulses to prostate tissue. The laser vaporizes excess tissue without significant bleeding. The outpatient procedure typically takes about an hour, and patients can return to non-strenuous activities within days.
"This is a major advance in treating BPH," says Josh Fine, M.D., a urologist on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas. "Earlier minimally invasive procedures sometimes took weeks or months for symptom relief; with the laser, most patients can see improvement within 24 hours."
Men diagnosed with prostate cancer may choose prostatectomy (removal of the prostate), radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Baylor Dallas now offers another alternative treatment-minimally invasive, robotic-assisted prostatectomy with the da Vinci® Surgical System.
"The goal is to achieve the same results in treating the cancer, but with a lower risk of complications," says Matthew Shuford, M.D., a urologist on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas.
The urologist works through several half-inch incisions, or ports, that accommodate a camera and robotic instruments. The camera magnifies the field of view about 10 times and provides a 3-D image. Sitting at a nearby console, the urologist controls the robot's "wrist," which holds the instruments and mimics movements of the human hand.
"The magnification and dexterity of the robot allow for better control, more precise tissue removal and less trauma to the surrounding nerves and tissues," Dr. Shuford says. Sparing the nerves and tissues is critical, because damage may be linked to the erectile dysfunction that can accompany traditional prostate surgery.
After an overnight stay in the hospital, patients are typically back to their normal routines in about a week.
More information about Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.
Early Detection is Key When it Comes to Prostate Cancer
Many men find that, as they age, they need to urinate more often and more urgently. Often, they fear that these changes are a symptom of prostate cancer. In rare cases, that's true. But it's also common for the prostate to grow larger and create these symptoms even though no cancer is present.This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). "It's not life-threatening, but it can impact quality of life," says Elie Benaim, M.D., a specialist in prostate diseases on the medical staff at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and a former associate professor of urology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
BPH is treatable. Men can choose medication, surgery or minimally invasive procedures, depending on how severe their symptoms are and which treatment option they prefer.
Prostate cancer typically doesn't cause these symptoms until the disease is advanced. That's why it's important for men to be screened for signs of trouble. "The best way to detect the disease early is with two tests," Dr. Benaim says.
- A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the amount of PSA in a blood sample. A higher number could indicate the presence of prostate cancer.
- A digital rectal exam (DRE) allows a doctor to feel whether the prostate is enlarged.
Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly and, in some men, simply watching the prostate for signs of changes is all the treatment they need.
Other men have different options. Surgery is one, and with today's newer techniques men are less likely to have urinary or sexual difficulties after recovery.
Radiation therapy is also an option. The radiation beams can be delivered from outside the body, or a radioactive seed can be inserted into the prostate to deliver a higher dose of radiation at the cancer site.
More information about Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.