| Celebrate life, even when the way is hard
Editor's note: This is the first in an occasional series of columns by Kent Davy, editor of the North County Times, about how he and his wife, Joel, are coping with her cancer.When she sleeps with the afternoon sunlight falling in mottled leaves of shade across her quilt, she is an angel, my angel struck low with cancer. As I sit by her bedside watching the slow rise of her breathing, I reflect that we've changed roles. I am the housewife and guardian; she is my charge. I am the cook and caregiver; she the ward. .
Esophageal Cancer Rates Climb With Obesity; UM Study Finds ...
The rapidly climbing obesity rates in the United States have created a higher risk of esophageal cancer linked to reflux disease. And this has some surgeons wondering if a currently popular procedure to remove the esophagus is as safe in obese patients.
According to a new study at the University of Michigan Health System, obese patients who underwent a procedure called transhiatal esophagectomy primarily for esophageal cancer had outcomes similar to their lean counterparts.
"The type of patient who currently develops esophageal cancer has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Esophageal cancer used to be primarily squamous cell carcinoma found in people who drank alcohol and smoked excessively. In association with the horrendous epidemic of obesity in this country, we have seen a 350 percent increase of adenocarcinoma over the last 30 years.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY | JOE GRAEDON, TERESA GRAEDON: Extra iron might be causing constipation
Q. I have been taking iron to prevent restless leg syndrome and wonder if this supplement could be causing a new issue: constipation. Is it possible that iron tablets can cause constipation? Many medicines cause constipation, including antidepressants, blood pressure pills and pain relievers. Iron and calcium supplements are notorious for this problem. Chewing sugarless gum daily might be enough to solve the problem. Blackstrap molasses dissolved in hot water supplies iron and may ease constipation as well. We are sending you our "Guide to Constipation with Ten Tips to Combat Constipation" plus recipes for power pudding and dynamite pumpkin-bran muffins. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (63 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No.
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