Traveling this summer....Read on!

One of the benefits of weight loss is decreased joint pain, which typically results in increased mobility and activity. Many of my patients tell me that now they are able to walk without pain and have a strong desire to travel and "see the world." I have many patients who report increased travel with weight loss to destinations such as China, Cruises, Ireland, Italy and South America! But did you know, travel carries many risks? As someone who was once in the hospital on a cruise ship, which was miserable, my ears were perked up and my attention was grabbed by Dr. Kanayo Odeluga ("Dr. KK") when he presented on travel at the January bariatric support group.

Dr. KK, a physician at the St. James Travel Clinic, is a wealth of information about travel, vaccinations, travel insurance, mountain climbing, water, motion sickness and even bug spray! Anybody considering traveling out of the country or planning a big trip should take the time to visit St. James' Travel Clinic to meet with Dr. KK.

Who should schedule an appointment with the travel clinic?
-Anybody traveling out of the country for vacation
-Mission or Humanitarian trip participants
If you are going to visit your country of origin (if not from the US), especially if you have not been there for some time
Individuals who travel out of the country for business
Exchange students
Individuals planning to travel to a significantly higher altitude

Why visit the travel clinic?
People are traveling more and brining disease back into this country and onto planes. Remeber the SARS and Avian Flu surges in the past? Dr. KK and the travel clinic staff are up-to-date on current travel and risk information
Cruises are notorius for repiratory and diarrheal diseases
Prevention of altitute sickness which would, in turn, ruin your trip

Blood clot prevention for prolonged air travel
Receive specific immunizations to avoid contracting an illness (not prevalent in the US) for the country you are visiting
Receive assistance from Dr. KK about adjusting medications (especially for medications such as insulin) when crossing multiple time zones and the international date line.

The goal of the St. James Travel Clinic, according to Dr. KK, is to "empower you as a traveler so you can be an informed traveler" and minimize travel risks. For those of you who were unable to attend this wonderful presentation, here are a few tidbits that you missed. Use caution on cruises, as they are notorious for respiratory and diarrheal diseases. Swim in pools versus ponds, streams or lakes when you travel to avoid contracting a gastrointestinal or other disease. To reduce risk for hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever, avoid contaminated food and/or water including ice. Re-consider spending money on travel insurance. Ask questions when purchasing, some travel insurance will find and evacuate you should an event such as a hurricane, earthquake or other disaster occur while you are out of the country. Should you fall ill while away, insurance (including Medicare) most likely will not cover out-of-the-country healthcare expenses. Travel insurance often covers such incidents. Schedule your appointment with the Travel Clinic 3 -4 weeks before you travel. Immunizations or pre-vacation medications can take up to 2 week to be effective.

St. James Travel Clinic
http://www.stjameshospital.org/services/travelclinic/
(708) 503-3222

Making Healthy Choices when Eating Out

Cruciferous vegetable consumption linked to improved breast cancer

from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/aafc-cvc032812.php

CHICAGO — Eating cruciferous vegetables after breast cancer diagnosis
was associated with improved survival among Chinese women, according to
results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 -
April 4.

"Breast cancer survivors can follow the general nutritional guidelines
of eating vegetables daily and may consider increasing intake of
cruciferous vegetables, such as greens, cabbage, cauliflower and
broccoli, as part of a healthy diet," said Sarah J. Nechuta, M.P.H.,
Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, Tenn.

She and her colleagues investigated the role of cruciferous vegetables
in breast cancer survival in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study,
a prospective study of 4,886 Chinese breast cancer survivors diagnosed
with stage 1 to stage 4 breast cancer from 2002 to 2006.

After adjusting for demographics, clinical characteristics and lifestyle
factors, the researchers found cruciferous vegetable intake during the
first 36 months after breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a
reduced risk for total mortality, breast cancer-specific mortality and
recurrence in a dose–response pattern. Across increasing quartiles of
cruciferous vegetable consumption, risk for total mortality decreased by
27 percent to 62 percent, risk for breast cancer-specific mortality
decreased by 22 percent to 62 percent, and risk for recurrence decreased
by 21 percent to 35 percent.

Nechuta noted that cruciferous vegetable consumption habits differ
between China and the United States and suggested this fact be
considered when generalizing these results to U.S. breast cancer survivors.

"Commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in China include turnips,
Chinese cabbage/bok choy and greens, while broccoli and brussels sprouts
are the more commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in the United
States and other Western countries," she said. "Second, the amount of
intake among Chinese women is much higher than that of U.S. women. The
level of bioactive compounds such as isothiocyanates and indoles,
proposed to play a role in the anticancer effects of cruciferous
vegetables, depend on both the amount and type of cruciferous vegetables
consumed."

She suggested that future studies with direct measurements of bioactive
compounds such as isothiocyanates and host factors that influence the
effects of these biological compounds be conducted to better understand
the association of cruciferous vegetable intake with breast cancer outcomes.

Must Watch Tonight: Is Sugar Toxic on 60 minutes

Set your DVR's for an eye opening exploration of sugar tonight on CBS http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57407128/is-sugar-toxic/

(CBS News) Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, believes the high amount of sugar in the American diet, much of it in processed foods, is killing us. And as Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, new scientific research seems to support his theory that sugar is toxic, including some linking the excess ingestion of sugars to heart disease. Gupta's report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Americans are now consuming nearly 130 pounds of added sugars per person, per year. Those include both sugar and high fructose corn syrup. And while many vilify high fructose corn syrup and believe it is worse than sugar, Dr. Lustig says metabolically there is no difference. "They are basically equivalent. The problem is they're both bad. They're both equally toxic," he says.

Dr. Lustig treats sick, obese children, who he believes are primarily sick because of the amount of sugar they ingest. He says this sugar not only leads to obesity, but to "Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease itself." Something needs to be done says Dr. Lustig. "Ultimately, this is a public health crisis...you have to do big things and you have to do them across the board," he tells Gupta. "Tobacco and alcohol are perfect examples," he says, referring to the regulations imposed on their consumption and the warnings on their labels. "I think sugar belongs in this exact same wastebasket."

A recent study supports the idea that excess consumption of high fructose corn syrup is linked to an increase in risk factors for heart disease by increasing a type of cholesterol that can clog arteries. The University of California, Davis, study also indicated that calories from added sugars are different than those from other foods. Subjects had 25 percent of their caloric intake replaced with sweetened drinks. Nutritional biologist Kimber Stanhope was surprised to see that after only two weeks, "We found that the subjects who consumed high fructose corn syrup had increased levels of LDL cholesterol and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease," she tells Gupta. "I started eating and drinking a whole lot less sugar.".....

Click link above to read entire article