Last updated 7 months ago
Staying healthy as you mature involves making a number of conscientious lifestyle choices; this helps to minimize your chances of experiencing dangerous medical conditions. The following health practices can help reduce your likelihood of developing breast cancer and other diseases:
Excessive alcohol consumption can increase your risk of breast cancer, as alcohol may interfere with the production and regulation of hormones such as estrogen. To minimize the effects of alcohol on your breast tissue, try to limit your consumption to fewer than three servings per week.
Smoking has a detrimental effect on many of the body’s systems, and can damage DNA, increasing your risk of developing cancerous tumors. The sooner you stop smoking, the more time your body has to repair the damage, so seek help in quitting for good.
By getting active for at least four hours per week, you can lower your body’s hormone levels and reduce your chances of developing breast cancer—particularly if you have not yet hit menopause. Exercise can also help you avoid obesity, which is a major risk factor for breast cancer.
In conjunction with healthful lifestyle changes, regular mammograms can decrease your risk of dying from breast cancer by detecting potentially cancerous tumors before they spread throughout the body. Healthy women with no family history of breast cancer should generally have a mammogram every one to two years starting at age 50.
Join Menorah Medical Center on September 29th for our third annual Pink Power Ride, benefitting the American Cancer Society. The motorcycle poker run begins with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and covers 100 miles, with a variety of great prizes available. Call Menorah Medical Center at (913) 498-6000 to register or for information on scheduling a mammogram.
Last updated 7 months ago
Although you may be exhausted after labor and delivery, it is important to try to nurse your baby, as breast milk confers irreplaceable immunity and nutrition. Successful breastfeeding takes time and practice to achieve, so ask your Menorah Medical Center nurses for help as you learn to:
Recognize Hunger Signals
In order to encourage your body to produce enough milk for your baby, you must nurse often, beginning within an hour of birth. To know when your next feeding should occur, simply watch your baby—he or she will begin to act hungry long before starting to cry. Signals include squirming, looking for the breast, and sucking on hands or air.
Pick a Comfortable Position
The success of a nursing session largely depends on the comfort of you and your baby, so consider trying a few different holds to find one that works well. The cradle hold is the traditional nursing position, in which the baby’s head rests in the crook of your arm. An alternate version is the cross-cradle, which uses your hand to support the head as the baby nurses from the opposite breast. Many mothers find the football hold comfortable for sore breasts and stomachs, as it keeps the baby along the side of the body while using the breast on that side.
Empty Each Breast
There are varying percentages of fat in breast milk, depending on whether the baby is beginning the nursing session or finishing up. Each time you begin breastfeeding, the baby will receive watery, low-fat foremilk—and when the breast is nearly empty, calorie-rich hindmilk begins to be released. You can ensure that your baby receives a good mixture by allowing him or her to nurse on one breast until finished. Remember to alternate which breast you start each feeding on to prevent irritation.
For more help with breastfeeding and other infant care, join Menorah Medical Center’s breastfeeding support group, which meets every Tuesday at noon. To schedule women’s care services or to pre-register for your delivery, call (913) 498-6000.
Last updated 8 months ago
In order for people to be able to minimize their risk of cancer-related death, they must understand which screening measures may help and when these should occur. This video featuring Dr. Otis Brawley, the Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, describes the rigorous process of developing new cancer screening guidelines.
First, there is an in-depth review of the existing research regarding a certain type of cancer. The results that are obtained are then written in a report that may be hundreds of pages long. Finally, notable contributors in the field meet with twelve disease screening experts to review the report and develop appropriate guidelines for the public to make informed decisions regarding the benefits and disadvantages of screening.
If you would like to schedule a screening mammogram, colonoscopy, or other cancer screening test, call Menorah Medical Center at (913) 498-6000.
Last updated 8 months ago
Every second counts during a cardiac emergency, which is why you should educate yourself on the signs of a heart attack so you can seek help when it is needed. Watch this video for some first-hand patient accounts of their heart attack symptoms as well as a list of common warning signs.
A person suffering a heart attack may feel pressure, pain, or a squeezing sensation in the chest. He or she may also feel pain that radiates down the arms or up into the jaw, nausea or stomach pain, lightheadedness, or shortness of breath.
If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Menorah Medical Center’s emergency care physicians can use the latest technology to open blocked arteries, protect your heart, and treat a variety of cardiac conditions. Find out why we’re an accredited Chest Pain Center by calling (913) 498-6000.
