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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2012)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, August 1, 2012 To Your Health! By Judy Hargis, P.A Skin Cancers – A Growing Problem Skin cancer is the most com- mon form of cancer in the Unit- ed States. More than 2 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer annually. Many people are diagnosed with more than one skin cancer. Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of breast, colon, prostate and lung cancers. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. Skin can- cer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. Skin cancers can spread to surrounding areas caus- ing tissue damage, and in some cases to vital organs, becoming deadly. There are several types of skin can- cer you should be aware of: Actinic Keratosis is the most common precancer. It usually appears on sun exposed areas such as the face, bald areas on the scalp, lips and back of hands. It can appear as a slightly raised, scaly red patch. If di- agnosed early, it can be easily treated, preventing the development of skin cancer. Basal Cell Carcinoma is the most frequently occur- ring skin cancer. It often appears like a red open sore, red patch, or pink, shiny growth. It can be diagnosed with a biopsy. Dysplastic moles (atypical moles) can resemble a melanoma. They tend to have irregular borders and may have more than one color such as black and brown. People have increased risk of developing melanoma if they have multiple dysplastic moles. It is important to have regular follow up with your health care provider, if diagnosed with atypical moles. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin can- cer. There are approximately 120,000 new cases each year. Approximately half of them are invasive melanomas. It is curable if diagnosed and treated ear- ly. They are often dark in color with irregular borders. The important thing to remember is that if you see a change in a mole’s size, shape or color, or if it be- comes crusted or bleeds, it needs to be checked by your health care provider. Squamous cell carcinomas are mainly caused by sun exposure over time. There are over 70,000 cases diagnosed each year. They can become deadly if not diagnosed early. They often appear as a persistent, scaly red patch with irregular borders, sometimes with crusting or bleeding as it becomes more advanced. Early diagnosis by biopsy is critical to effective treat- ment. The important message to you is that if you see change in your skin that appears abnormal, go to your health care provider and have it checked immediately. Some skin cancers can be difficult to diagnose by ap- pearance alone. Skin cancer can often be diagnosed by a simple in-office biopsy, if it is brought to your health care provider’s attention early. Your health care provider will know what to look for. Check your skin on a regular basis, so you know it well enough to recog- nize a change. Early detection is critical to successful treatment. There are some excellent resources that provide more detailed information on skin cancers, di- agnosis and treatment. Remember the most important thing that you can do is to prevent skin cancer from developing by avoiding sun exposure and using sun screen, as discussed in my last column. Be safe and enjoy your summer! Two reliable resources for information on skin can- cers are; American Cancer Society at www.acs.org and National Institutes of Health at www.nih.gov . Choose correct canning guidelines The food preservation sea- son is here. Be prepared by gathering up-to-date instruc- tions for home canning. Al- though other preservation methods such as drying and freezing may allow some room for creativity, canning must be done with precision. Home-canned foods will be safe to eat if you follow re- search-based instructions ex- actly. It’s especially important to can low-acid foods (meat, fish, poultry, non-pickled veg- etables) correctly to avoid botu- lism, a sometimes fatal food- borne illness. A pressure can- ner is needed to destroy the bacterial spores. Home-canning recommen- dations are developed by re- searchers in food science labo- ratories. The type of canner and length of processing time needed are influenced by sev- eral factors including the acidi- ty of the food (or food mixture), the way it’s prepared, and the size of the jar. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been the major source of research-based home-canning instructions. Their recommendations are published in the Complete Guide to Home Canning. Copies of this publication may be available for purchase at your local county OSU Exten- sion Office or to view, down- load and print on the National Center for Home Food Preser- vation web site at http://www. uga.edu/nchfp/publications/pu blications_ usda.html . Extension Services in Ore- gon, Washington and Idaho have included USDA canning recommendations in their Pa- cific Northwest food preserva- tion publications, available at your local county OSU Exten- sion Office. Most of these are also available online. To ac- cess them, go to http://exten sion.oregonstate.edu/fch/food- preservation . Publications are available on canning fruit, veg- etables, tomatoes, salsa, meat and poultry, seafood, and smoked fish, as well as pickled vegetables. The current version of the Blue Ball Book Guide to Pre- serving is also based on USDA recommendations. Only up-to- date editions should be used because home canning recom- mendations have changed through the years. USDA up- dated their canning recommen- dations in 1988 and revised them in 2009. Don’t assume that all home- canning recommendations on the Internet are safe. Be espe- cially wary about personal web- sites, recipe sites, and cooking exchanges. They may not be based on research. Source: Carolyn Raab, OSU Ex- tension Food and Nutrition Spe- cialist State Farm ® Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Bunny Girt, Agent 503-901-1705 1229 N. Adair PO Box 543 Cornelius, OR 97113-0543 Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667 bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com Columbia County Domestic Abuse Mental Health 800-294-5211 Hotline 503-397-6161 ----------------- or Suicide Hotline 1-800- 866-397-6161 784-2433 or Military Helpline 1-800-273- TALK(8255) ----------------- 888-HLP-4-VET (888-457-4838)