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T he P oriland O bserver • O ctober 2, 1996
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Health &Science
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Skin cancer facts
H alf o f all new cancers are skin
' cancers, according to UCSF clinical
instructor o f dermatology Jerome R
' Potozkin, M D.
• “About one million new cases o f
■skin cancer will be diagnosed in the
•United States this year,” he said.
"Most Americans don’t know the
1 signs o f skin cancer, and only a third
- examine their skin for signs o f skin
' cancer."
■ O th er skin can cer facts, from
> the A m erican C an cer Society and
the A m erican Academ y of D erm a­
tology, include:
• About 80 percent o f the new
• cases will be basal cell carcinoma
. and squamous cell carcinoma (about
■ 800,000 cases).
tc • Both basal cell carcinoma and
. squamous cell carcinoma have a bet­
ter than 95 percent cure rate if detect­
ed and treated early. About 1,200
. people will die o f basal cell or squa­
mous cell carcinoma in 1996.
• There will be about 38,300 new
casesofmalignant melanoma in 1996,
a 12 percent increase from 1995.
Malignant melanoma will kill 7,300
Americans in 1996. O f these deaths,
■‘4,600 will be men, 2,700 will be
women. O lderCaucasian males have
. the highest mortality rates.
” • Melanoma is more common than
. any non-skin cancer among people
• between 25 and 29 years old.
’ Some common questions ab o u t
m alignant melanom a and th e ir a n ­
sw ers follow:
Q. What is malignant melanoma?
A, Malignant melanoma is a very
serious skin cancer characterized by
’ the uncontrolled growth o f pigment-
producing tanning cells. Melanomas
may suddenly appear without warn­
ing and are found most frequently on
the upper back o f men and women
and on the legs o f women, but can
occur anywhere on the body.
Q. Is melanoma a serious dis­
ease?
A. Yes. In later stages, malignant
melanoma spreads to other organs
and may result in death. But ifdetect-
ed in the early stages, melanoma can
usually be treated successfully.
Q. What causes melanoma?
A. Excessive exposure to ultravi­
olet radiation o f the sun is the most
important preventable cause o f mel­
anoma. Other possible causes include
genetic factors and immune system
deficiencies. Malignant melanoma
has also been linked to past sunburns
and sun exposure at younger ages.
Q. What does malignant melano­
ma look like?
A. Melanoma generally begins as
a mottled, light brown to black flat
blemish with irregular borders. Blem­
ishes are usually at least a quarter-of-
an-inch in size and may turn shades
o f red, blue and white, crust on the
surface and bleed. They frequently
appear on the upper back, torso, low­
er legs, head and neck. A changing
mole, a new mole or a mole that is
different or "ugly" or begins to grow
requires prompt medical attention.
Q. Can melanoma he cured?
A. When detected early, surgical
removal o f thin melanoma can cure
the disease in most cases. Early de­
tection is essential. Dermatologists
recommend a regular self-examina­
tion o f the skin to detect changes in
its appearance, especially changes in
existing moles or blemishes. Addi­
Knock out the flu
-nt
¿1. Flu season is on its way, and health
. ' officialsareencouragingOregonians
to take advantage o f special flu clin­
ics or to call their health care provid­
er to get an influenza immunization.
Anyone over the age o f 65, per­
sons o f any age with health problems
including heart and lung conditions,
diabetes, and other chronic medical
conditions as well as health care
workers and others, including house-
'Jiold members, who have contact with
high-risk individuals should make
arrangements to get the immumza-
• tion, according to Fred Hoesly, influ-
’jenza surveillance coordinator at the
Oregon Health Division and mem­
ber o f the Oregon Adult Immuniza­
tion Coalition.
Hoesly adds that there are ade-
»quate supplies o f vaccine, so anyone
who wants protection from the mis­
eries o f influenza can receive a shot.
•
Health Tips
»,
“ Because the virus changes from
yearto year and protection is limited,
it is important to be vaccinated against
influenza every year - ideally from
October through mid-November,”
Hoesly states.
V a c c in a tio n s w ill c o n tin u e
through November.
On average, more than 20,000
Americans die each year from compli­
cations o f influenza and pneumonia.
Influenza and pneumonia together are
the fifth leading cause o f death for
older adults, says Hoesly. Vaccination
can prevent up to 70 percent o f hospi­
talizations and 85 percent o f deaths
from influenza-related complications.
tionally, patients with risk factors
should have a complete skin exam i­
nation annually. Anyone with a
changing mole should be examined
immediately.
Q. Can melanoma he prevented?
A. Yes. Because overexposure to
ultraviolet light is thought to be a
primary cause o f malignant melano­
ma, derm atologists recom m end the
following precautions:
• Avoid “peak" sunlight hours
10 a m. to 3 p m. — when the sun’s
rays are most intense
• Apply a sunscreen with a sun
protection factor o f at least 15, apply
15 to 30 minutes before going out­
doors and reapply every two hours,
especially when playing, gardening,
swimming or doing any other out­
door activities.
• Wear protective clothing, in­
cluding a hat with a wide brim and
long-sleeved shirts and pants during
prolonged periods o f sun exposure.
In an effort to raise public awareness
about skin cancer and self-examina­
tion, the UCSF Department o f Der­
matology, along with the American
Academy o f Dermatology and the
San Francisco Dermatology Society,
will sponsor a free skin cancer screen­
ing from 9 a m. to 1 p.m.. Saturday,
Oct. 19. on the third floor o f the
UCSF Ambulatory Care Center, 400
Parnassus Ave. For more informa­
tion about the screening, or to make
an appointment, the public should
call 415/476-9219.
Exercise questions and answers
Weekend Warriors:
I like to play basketball on the
weekends. Rut, after a weekend o f
basketball it takes m e three days to
recover. M y wife thinks that ¡should
hang up m y sneakers and grow old
gracefully. Is she right?—Fred
D on't hang up those sneakers
yet if you do some conditioning
during the week you should be able
to get through those weekend bas­
ketball games. I want you to walk
or jog three to four times a week to
build up your endurance. Start slow­
ly and gradually build on both the
time and the distance. Y ou’ll need
to do some muscle building exer­
cises also. If you can go to a gym,
go Pick two-to-three exercises for
each body part. Do at least three
sets o f 10 to 12 repetitions. Ifyou
can do more than 12 reps increase
the weight your using. Make sure
you warm up before you start to see
a difference in your recovery after
your weekend basketball games in
three-to-six weeks. So all you week­
end warriors who want to continue
warring on the courts, start the war
before the weekend.
Sweating after workouts:
Why do I sweat m ore after I f i n ­
ish m y workout than I do when I ’m
working out?— Tina
Tina, the body has a certain amount
o f blood to send to various systems.
Exercising causes blood to be shunt­
ed from the skin to the working mus­
cle which causes a build up o f heat.
Exercises such as running, walking
or biking will allow sweat to evapo­
rate during your workout. When you
stop exercising the body sends more
blood to the skin causing you to
sweat and release excess heat. Ces­
sation o f sweating after a workout is
a good way to gage whether you
have spent enough time cooling
down.
Eating after a workout:
The length o f time you should
wait to exercise after eating varies
with the type o f meal you eat and the
activity. For instance, you can eat a
light meal such as a salad and whole
wheat toast and go walking within a
half hour. If you eat a very heavy
meal before doing strenuous exer­
cise you may need to wait up to two
hours. The digestion process will
compete for the energy you need to
do exercise The more calories and
fat you eat at one sitting, the longer
it will take to digest your foods If
you eat several small meals through­
out the day you will keep your ener­
gy level constant and can avoid
having to wait for long periods o f
time before working out.
Reduce lead at the tap
Running your water for a few min­
utes first thing in the morning or after
your tap has not been used for several
hours is a proven method to reduce the
potential for elevated lead and copper
levels in drinking water. Local water
providers advise that only cold tap
water be used for cooking, drinking,
and making baby formula. Most im­
portant, use only lead-free solder to
make plumbing repairs.
Lead cannot be detected in local
water supplies, although it may occur
in standing water samples from some
taps. Plumbing components may, by
law, contain up to 8 percent lead and
may still be labeled lead-free. When
water stands in plumbing systems for
longperiodsoftime, it may leach some
lead from the plumbing.
Federal and state drinking water
regulations strive to reduce lead at the
water tap Environmental Protection
Agency regulations require that water
providers inform the public o f possi­
ble lead hazards. The EPA requires
water systems to send the attached
public service announcement to radio
and television stations. Local area
water providers have also developed
brochures tailored to local lead and
drinking water issues These are avail­
able to customers on request.
Local water providers share the
concerns o f state and federal regulato­
ry agencies on the health risks o f lead
exposure. I ( customers have a concern
about drinking water, they should con­
tact their local water provider.
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Clubs Brick Sales
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PRINT IN BLOCK LETTERS the name as you wish it to appear on
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Exp. Date:
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Name on Card:
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SIGNATURE:
MAIL TO: Bricks, 7119 SE Milwaukie Ave. Portland, OR 97202
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W e ig h t W a tc h e rs
Start Walking at 40:
o*f
We 're 40 a nd 42 years old. healthy
and want to start walking to get
started?—R am ona a n d Steve, Baida
Cynwd, Pa.
>, First get a check up. Next, invest
in a good pair o f walking footwear
with flexible soles and good arch
5nd heel support.
. Y ou’ll want to keep cool by w ear­
ing loose-fitting clothes. Protect
your ears, head, hands and feet from
being exposed to the sun. This will
help keep you from suffering sun
burn
, Walk leisurely for about five min­
utes and then do some gentle stretch­
ing for about five minutes. Begin-
fters should walk between 10 0 -110
Steps per minute. Twenty to 30
ijtinutes is good to start, but only go
¡jds long as you can.
If breathing becomes difficult, you
¿ould experience muscle pain, fa­
tigue or dizziness.
. To cool down go back to your
leisurely pace for five to 10 minutes,
then stretch.
Q
Hl
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W e e k e n d s^ O ff is making
believers out of thousands of
people just like you. They’re
discovering that, if they give
themselves a break, it's easier to
stay on track and see the results
they want.
GET s r ^
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so effective,
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you can lose a
clothing size in 4 weeks.
Believe it ...Weekends O ff
can work for you!
For Inform ation
C all collect
W eekdays 8:30 am-5:00 pm
503-297-1021
, 9
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( all 503-288-0033
Join Any Meeting Anytime!
W e ig h t W a tc h e rs
•T his is Diane Pontohllo Losecar’s experience. As people va-y, so do individual weight
loss, maintenance and results.
• 1996 Weight Watchers International, Inc Owner o(the WEIGHT WATCHERS trademark All rights reserved