All That You Need To Know About Pancreatic Cancer

 Cancer that begins in the tissues of the pancreas is known as pancreatic cancer.  Pancreatic is responsible for releasing enzymes that help in digestion and producing hormones that manage the blood sugar levels in your body. Pancreatic cancer is rarely detected at its early stages, its symptoms mostly appear too late. It often spreads to other organs of the body at later stages and treatment/cure becomes difficult. Hence, the best way to avoid this cancer is to be regular with your preventive health checkups that can catch it early if it develops.

The most common type of pancreatic cancer is the one that begins in the cells of the lining of the ducts that carry digestive enzymes out of your pancreas. It is known as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

What can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer:

• Addictive lifestyle habits like smoking & drinking
• Pancreatitis
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Having a BRCA2 gene mutation, Lynch syndrome 
• Family history of pancreatic cancer
• Aging

Many studies have shown - the combination of one’s health and lifestyle, like smoking, having diabetes, and an unhealthy diet drastically increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer:

• Unaccounted weight loss
• Abdominal pain that reaches your back
• Sudden loss of appetite 
• Jaundice
• Itchy skin
• Fatigue

Even as pancreatic cancer progresses, it can cause these above-mentioned complications especially jaundice and bowel obstruction. 

Treatment of pancreatic cancer:

Treatment depends on the stage that cancer has reached. Specialists might include radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, or all these in combination according to the extent of cancer.

How to prevent pancreatic cancer:

Reduce your risks for pancreatic cancer by modifying your lifestyle habits, and following the below suggestions:

• Quit smoking
• Maintain an ideal BMI/healthy body weight
• Eat a nutritious and balanced diet
• Keep a check on your family history
• Know your genetic risks for cancer mutations
• Never miss your yearly full body health checkups

Know how a full body health checkup assists in finding out diseases like pancreatic cancer at an early stage thereby helping in complete cure with a low cost and non-invasive treatment.

  

High White Blood Cell Count In Your Report? Here’s All You Should Know

 

White blood cells (WBC) also known as leukocytes, play a major role in your body’s immune function. They help by looking for invading viruses, and bacteria in your blood. WBCs recognize and destroy the invading elements before they develop into any disease. Some WBCs even have a role in allergic reactions.

 

How to know your WBC count?

It can be known through a simple blood test during your full body health checkup.

 

Normal WBC count (per microliter of blood):

• Neutrophils: 3150 - 6200
• Lymphocytes: 1500 - 3000
• Monocytes: 300 - 500
• Eosinophils: 50 - 250
• Basophils: 15 - 50

 

What does it mean when your health checkup report shows a high level of WBC count?

Increased WBC numbers are not beneficial. A high WBC count can indicate an underlying health problem, like an infection, stress, allergy, inflammation, trauma, etc. High WBC count requires further investigation for checking the actual cause. Your health checkup report shows the levels of different types of WBCs in your body by which your physician can know the cause of the elevation.

 

Types of white blood cells:

• Neutrophils
• Lymphocytes
• Monocytes
• Eosinophils 
• Basophils

 

Neutrophils make 70% of the total WBCs. They usually indicate a response to bacterial infections and stress. Lymphocyte count may indicate viral or bacterial infection, and increased monocytes indicate chronic inflammation. 

 

Diseases that high WBC count can lead to:

• Viral or bacterial infection
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 
• Leukemia 
• Immune disorders
• Emotional or physical stress

 

How to prevent these health conditions from developing?

Your food intake and physical activity affect your overall white blood cell count. Be physically active and include the following nutrition in your diet:

• Vitamin C - eat fruits like lemons, oranges, berries, and pineapples, and vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers
• Antioxidants - Eat leeks, garlic, onions, green tea
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids - available in fish, flaxseed, and walnuts

Along with these, avoid foods that are rich in sugar, salt, and fat. Also, cut down on addictive habits like smoking and drinking. A simple modification in your lifestyle can help you live a healthy and happy life. Know how health checkups can help you personalize your complete lifestyle and live a better life.

 

Create Your Own Personalized Self Care Plan To Be Healthy

 The current circumstances make it very important for you to have a self-care plan that can help you in strengthening your health and overall wellness. It includes controlling your stress levels and maintaining a healthy body. 

 

Why should you have your own personalized self and health care plan?

Just following anything you are suggested by your friend because it helped them might not work for you. Or just changing just one aspect of your daily lifestyle also won’t help. The reason being - many self-care activities are interdependent on each other so that they can help you. If you are following a few stress-relieving activities but not taking care of your health, it would be of no use to you. Adopting meditation in your daily routine would not help much if you are not getting enough sleep. Proper sleep is required for cell repair and rejuvenation. Your gymming and exercises won’t help if you don’t consume a balanced diet and keep your addictions.

 

How to create your self-care plan?

You need to start from the basics of self-care and create your own plan according to your current lifestyle. Your self-care plan should include your physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and mental health. More importantly, self-care should be a priority and not a luxury! Include the following in your self-care plan:

• Prioritize yourself and your happiness
• Get adequate sleep
• Consume a well-balanced diet 
• Avoid junk food
• Quit smoking and alcohol
• Take meal breaks
• Take out time for walks in between your work
• Plan your weekly exercise routine
• Make time for your friends and family
• Find activities that stimulate your mind
• Look for fulfilling spiritual practices
• Know the ways to process your emotions in a healthy way

 

Another important aspect that should be included in your self-care plan is to keep a check on your body’s health. Go for your full body preventive health checkups every year, and create micro-plans to manage/treat any health conditions that you are detected in your reports. If you want to know more about how health checkups help in keeping you healthy, click here.

Most Common Health Problems After 30 And Their Prevention

 Some latest healthcare studies have shown that few health conditions that were previously only associated with old age are affecting younger adults who are in their 30s. Most of these conditions are chronic lifestyle diseases that are caused due to lifestyle choices such as smoking, alcohol dependence, improper food intake, and lack of physical activity.

 

The first step is to understand the reasons and spread awareness about them. Let your peers know that:

• Early detection helps in preventing and treating these diseases by recognizing them at an early age
• Lifestyle diseases are preventable and treatable
• Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase the risk of developing these diseases
• Yearly health checkups are essential for catching them early and thereby taking early actions for your health
• Lifestyle modifications based on the health checkup report can keep these diseases at bay

 

Which are the common lifestyle diseases that affect you in your 30s?

Type 2 diabetes: The leading risk factor for developing diabetes obesity. Young adults are at higher risk for diabetes because of sedentary lifestyles, stress, and improper eating habits.

Hypertension or high blood pressure: it is also known as the silent killer because it doesn't show symptoms. It can damage the major organs like heart, kidneys, and brain. If left untreated, high BP can lead to heart diseases and strokes. 

Cancers: They can also develop due to excessive alcohol intake and smoking. Cancer causes the second most of all the deaths in the world. However, early screening and treatment can help in cure and survival.

 

How to prevent such chronic and prevalent lifestyle diseases?

Adopt a healthier lifestyle and follow the below mentioned preventive actions:

• Keep a regular check on your blood pressure
• Consume a healthy and balanced diet
• Increase your physical activity
• Keep control on your cholesterol and blood sugar
• Maintain a healthy weight/BMI
• Quit smoking
• Reduce alcohol consumption
• Be regular with your full body health checkups

 

Coronavirus Is Bad For Your Heart. Know-How It Impacts Your Heart.

Coronavirus causes much more than respiratory diseases. COVID infection’s impact on the body is quite serious and it worsens in the cases of an already existing health condition.

 

Many studies and reports since the coronavirus outbreak have found

that even some of the healthy persons who have recovered from COVID start

showing signs of heart issues and damage. And for the ones who already have

heart problems, COVID might also increase the mortality risk. 22% of patients

who died from COVID suffered from cardiac problems. (said a study done by China

CDC Weekly).

 

Keep an eye on these signs and symptoms of these heart conditions

if you have recovered from COVID:

·       

Tachycardia - develops signs like dizziness, palpitations,

light-headedness

·       

Angina - causes chest pain; although it is also a symptom that is

associated with improper lung function, it can also indicate heart damage.

Chest pain is also observed to be the first sign of a heart attack.

·       

Arrhythmia - confusion state, trouble with speech, excessive

sweating can indicate heart failure and might need immediate attention

·       

Myocarditis - It is the inflammation of the heart muscles and is a

common cardiac complication associated with COVID infection

·       

Cardiac damage - fatigue, severe exhaustion, and chest pain can be

indicative towards heart damage

 

The most important thing to note is you should not panic. If you

are experiencing any of these symptoms, make sure you contact your physician

and follow their guidance. COVID causes complications because the virus

obstructs the oxygenated blood flow in the body that results in a hypoxia-like

condition. This kind of interference in the blood flow might result in blood

clots and make it harder for the heart to function.

 

It is also imperative that you become regular with your full body preventive health checkups. It will help in detecting any developing disease or

health condition at an early stage. Early detection increases the chances of

cure as the treatment procedures then are easier, non-invasive, and inexpensive.

Know which is the best health checkup that includes complete heart preventive

healthcare.

Want To Prevent Arthritis? Here’s All You Need To Know To Plan Your Wellness

  The swelling and tenderness in the joints is Arthritis. It is accompanied by stiffness and joint pain, and it worsens with age. Not only does it impact your everyday life, but it also needs complete management to ease the pain and inflammation. With aging, it might also cause joint and organ damage. One way is to improve your quality of life and your lifestyle. 

Who is at risk of arthritis?

Some factors that increase arthritis risk:

• Family history
• Increasing age
• Gender
• Joint injury
• Being overweight

Types of arthritis:

The major types of arthritis are:

• Osteoarthritis 
• Rheumatoid arthritis 
• Psoriatic arthritis 

All of them are different from each other but they are similarly painful and entails deformity and organ damage.

Signs and symptoms of arthritis:

The signs and symptoms of arthritis depend on the type of arthritis. They may commonly include:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Redness
• Decreased range of motion

 

How is arthritis detected?

• A physician supervises the signs and symptoms
• Performs physical examination to check for swollen joints 
• Uses blood tests and x-ray for confirmation

 

How to prevent arthritis?

Arthritis is not always preventable. However, there are some healthy lifestyle habits that can be adopted to reduce the risk of developing painful joints. Follow these lifestyle modifications to prevent arthritis:

• Manage weight - lose the extra weight if needed
• Quit addictions - give up smoking and alcohol
• Exercise daily - be physically active
• Eat healthy - consume a balanced and nutritious diet
• Protect your joints from injury - take care while sitting, working, and lifting things to protect joints from strains
• Take action to prevent other diseases - go for yearly health checkups

 

Click here to know where to find the best complete body health checkup in your city that has all the tests for detecting arthritis.