Prostate cancer can spread over time, and if a man's tumor has characteristics that indicate slow growth, he can choose active surveillance over immediate treatment. Men on active surveillance receive routine PSA blood tests and prostate biopsies and are only treated if cancer progresses or shows signs of increasing activity. However, when it comes to treatment, up to one-third of men opt-out. A new study has found that some of these men can safely put off treatment for a while.
The University of California, San Francisco researchers identified 531 men whose cancers progressed while they were under active surveillance. All of the men were initially diagnosed with Grade Group 1 prostate cancer, the lowest rung on a classification system that ranks cancers from low to high risk of aggressive spread. The biopsies of the men's tumors showed that they had moved into higher-risk grade groups, which are usually treated within an average of 25 months.
Within six months of their tumour upgrade, 192 men underwent prostate removal surgery. However, 125 men waited up to five years before having the operation, and 214 men chose not to be treated at all.
Keeping overly processed foods out of your diet is an important step toward avoiding chronic inflammation—the persistent activation of the immune system—and the many chronic diseases that are linked to inflammation. Avoidance becomes difficult, however, when you consider what constitutes processed food. After all, some processing is beneficial to one's health.
Some processing, when done correctly, can preserve the nutritional value of foods or make them more available—for example, during the winter, when we don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Pasteurized milk, for example, kills harmful germs during the processing process. And processes like fermentation can sometimes make foods like yoghurt more nutritious.
So, when is processing bad for you, and which processed foods should you avoid? Here's what you should know.
What does "processed foods" mean?
Foods that have been changed from their original form are called "processed foods." It's possible that they've just been chopped and frozen, like vegetables, or that parts that can't be eaten have been taken away, as the shells of nuts. This kind of change requires the least amount of processing.
At the next level, a few extra things are added to processed foods. Some examples of these foods are crackers with just wheat, oil, and salt; freshly baked bread; and canned vegetables that are packed in water and salt.
"Ultra-processed" foods are those that have been processed even more. Ultra-processing usually means that you can't tell what the original food was, and it has things like preservatives, oil, sugar, salt, colouring, and flavouring added to it. This is what we call "junk food."
Hot dogs and deli meat are two examples of ultra-processed foods. Other examples are cheese puffs, doughnuts, frozen pizza, white bread, cookies, microwaveable dinners, and soda.
Dangers posed by processed meatProcessed meats are among the unhealthiest foods available. Examples include bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, salami, and deli meat (such as deli roast beef or turkey). These foods have a lot of sodium, unhealthy saturated fat, nitrates and nitrites, and other chemical additives like colouring, flavouring, and preservatives.
Reduced carbohydrate intake may improve several cardiovascular risk factors, but additional research is needed.
When many people envision a low-carbohydrate diet, they envision dishes heaped with red meat, bacon, and butter. Low-carbohydrate diets, which are frequently high in saturated fat, have long been considered bad for the heart. However, a study published online on Sept. 28, 2021, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discovered that a small amount of saturated fat may be OK if the rest of the diet is healthy.
The researchers discovered that following a well-designed low-carbohydrate diet plan appeared to minimize several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This is despite the fact that saturated fat made up 21% of daily calories, which is more than double the amount of fat you should eat each day.
However, this does not mean you should remove all of the bread from your meal. It is premature to declare that a low-carbohydrate diet is actually heart-healthy. One cause for concern is that the researchers picked an unusually low-carbohydrate diet. "This was not a bacon and steak diet. This included nuts and lentils, vegetarian sloppy joes, salmon, and a variety of vegetables.
Do you like avocados? One a week may help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Avocados have creamy, pale green flesh that is packed with nutrients that are linked to heart health. Long-term study shows that people who eat at least two servings of this fruit a week are less likely to get heart disease.
Dr. Frank Hu, the co-author of the study and Frederick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), puts the findings in context. "This study adds to the evidence that healthy fat sources such as avocados can help avoid cardiovascular disease," he says. He adds that substituting avocados for less-healthy foods like butter, cheese, and processed meats is a significant take-home lesson.
If you’ve never practised law and get most of your legal knowledge from trashy courtroom dramas, you might struggle when it comes to communicating with your lawyer. Whether you’ve had an accident, injury, or been a victim of medical malpractice (like the lexicon lawsuit, for example) you’ve probably already got a lawyer and speak to them regularly. Whilst this might come easily to some people, you might feel worried about misunderstanding your lawyer, or having to go home and look things up afterwards. But communicating with your lawyer shouldn’t be difficult – so what can you do to help?
Be clear
Building relationships is important, and it relies on clarity. How can you expect to understand your lawyer, if they don’t understand you? So, when you speak to your lawyer, make sure you have a solid understanding of what you want to communicate. Do you know the order of the events? Can you explain them well? Are you missing any details? Providing all the information in a clear, detailed manner will enable them to understand the facts as well as you do, and this will strengthen your relationship. If you’re worried that you’re not being clear, practice speaking everything through with a friend, relative, or partner.
Be honest
Honesty is another key part of the relationship between a lawyer and a client. If your story is missing key elements or you stretch the truth, your lawyer will have reasons not to trust you. Being open and honest will make the relationship stronger and communication will become much easier.
Be clear
Building relationships is important, and it relies on clarity. How can you expect to understand your lawyer, if they don’t understand you? So, when you speak to your lawyer, make sure you have a solid understanding of what you want to communicate. Do you know the order of the events? Can you explain them well? Are you missing any details? Providing all the information in a clear, detailed manner will enable them to understand the facts as well as you do, and this will strengthen your relationship. If you’re worried that you’re not being clear, practice speaking everything through with a friend, relative, or partner.
Be honest
Honesty is another key part of the relationship between a lawyer and a client. If your story is missing key elements or you stretch the truth, your lawyer will have reasons not to trust you. Being open and honest will make the relationship stronger and communication will become much easier.
Ask questions
Most good lawyers will tell you everything you need to know. But if they don’t? Ask questions. This is your case, your life, and you deserve to understand everything that is happening and know all the facts. Asking questions will also help to keep the conversation two-sided and your lawyer will appreciate that you are actively participating. It will encourage him or her to keep you in the loop, whilst also demonstrating that you understand everything they are telling you.
Take notes
You might take notes when you have a lengthy doctor’s appointment, so why not do so in a lawyer’s office? Sometimes, you might feel overwhelmed or bombarded with information when your lawyer is talking, so bringing a notepad and pen and writing notes can prove extremely helpful. You can always read over the notes and, if anything is unclear, ask your lawyer about them later. It’s better to be over-prepared than feel anxious and worried that you don’t have all the relevant information.
Most good lawyers will tell you everything you need to know. But if they don’t? Ask questions. This is your case, your life, and you deserve to understand everything that is happening and know all the facts. Asking questions will also help to keep the conversation two-sided and your lawyer will appreciate that you are actively participating. It will encourage him or her to keep you in the loop, whilst also demonstrating that you understand everything they are telling you.
Take notes
You might take notes when you have a lengthy doctor’s appointment, so why not do so in a lawyer’s office? Sometimes, you might feel overwhelmed or bombarded with information when your lawyer is talking, so bringing a notepad and pen and writing notes can prove extremely helpful. You can always read over the notes and, if anything is unclear, ask your lawyer about them later. It’s better to be over-prepared than feel anxious and worried that you don’t have all the relevant information.
Be firm
Whilst you might not want to offend your lawyer, they are doing you a service, and therefore that service needs to be right. If you don’t think your lawyer is communicating effectively with you, you need to tell them. They might not have had this feedback before, and will need to work on their communication skills. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and ask for the service you deserve.
32 comments
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)