Thousands of women are living with ovarian cancer in Canada. It’s estimated that this year 2,800 Canadian women will be newly diagnosed. Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer for women.
 
Rick Factors

• Age:  your risk increases as you get older, ovarian cancer is more common in women aged 50-79.
• Ethnicity – Jewish women of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) background have a higher risk. French Canadians of certain ancestry may be at increased risk. 
• Family history – your risk is higher if your family has a history of ovarian, breast, endometrial or colorectal cancer.
• Gynecological surgery – your risk is lower if you have had your fallopian tubes and/or ovaries removed.
• Reproductive history – your risk is higher if you have not delivered a child or have had difficulty getting pregnant.
• Oral contraceptives/hormone replacement – your risk is lower if you have used oral contraceptives. Your risk may be higher if you have taken hormone replacement.
• Other factors – your risk may be higher if you have a history of a condition called endometriosis.

 
If you have a family history, it is important that you let your health care provider know.  Ask for a referral to a genetic counsellor.  This is an important step to help you understand the risks and benefits of genetic testing.


Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms associated with ovarian cancer are often vague and can be mistaken for other things.
Common symptoms include: 
1.     Bloating - increased abdominal size/persistent bloating
2.     Eating - difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
3.     Pain - in pelvic or abdominal areas
4.     Urinary symptoms - urgency or frequency
Occasionally there can be other symptoms such as changes in bowel habits, extreme fatigue or unexplained weight loss. Just because you have the symptoms does not mean you have ovarian cancer.

However, if the symptoms are:

• New – they are not normal for you and may have started in the last year
• Persistent – they have been present for more than 3 weeks
• Frequent – you notice the symptoms happen frequently

…then it is important that you see your health care provider. If you are aware of symptoms and communicate these to your health care provider, it may help you to get diagnosed and treated earlier.
 
 
Early detection is key.
Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

Most people are fairly healthy, but as we age, we are faced with challenges, choices and risks specifically in relation to food, alcohol, tobacco and inactive lifestyles.  Unfortunately, the common result of these choices is obesity, physical inactivity, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and unhealthy diets.  All of these things contribute to today’s epidemic of heart attacks and strokes, cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and other diseases.
 
The good news is that it’s possible to reduce your risk by adjusting your lifestyle and taking better care of yourself.
 
Self-Care includes:

• Knowledge & Health Literacy – the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make the right decisions about your health.
• Mental wellbeing, self-awareness and prevention – being more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you (also known as mindfulness), can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges; In terms of prevention, know your body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, blood pressure and participate in health screening.
• Physical Activity – The World Health Organization defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure – including activities you do while working, playing, carrying out household chores, travelling, and engaging in recreational pursuits. Adults aged 18-64 should try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week.
• Risk avoidance – quitting tobacco, limiting alcohol use, getting immunized, practicing safe sex and using sunscreen.
• Good Hygiene – hand washing, brushing your teeth and washing your food, e.g. fruits and vegetables
• Rational and responsible use of products and services (diagnostic testing and medication) –  being aware of dangers and using as prescribed.

Is self-care hard to do?  Absolutely – some elements definitely are, such as quitting smoking.  Small steps in a positive direction are the best way to achieve long-lasting results.

If you are a patient of the Temagami Family Health Team and would like to see our dietitian, our mental health worker, our respiratory therapist or one of our primary care providers, please feel free to call the office at (705) 569-3244 to schedule an appointment. 
 
Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

Nobody wants to stay inside when the sun’s shining. So when you’re outside, be safe and protect yourself and your family from getting too much sun.
Sun Safety Tips:

• Check the UV index daily
  • A UV index of 3 or higher means that you need to use extra caution to protect your skin.  The sun’s rays are strongest between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. so try to reduce your time in the sun during these hours. In Canada between April and September, the UV Index can be 3 or more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., even when it’s cloudy.
• Seek Shade
  • If your shadow is shorter than you are, it’s time to find some shade.
• Cover Up
  • Cover up as much of your skin as you can - clothes provide better protection than sunscreen; wear a hat.  Many skin cancers happen on the face and neck so be sure to put sunscreen on your ears, chin and neck even when you’re wearing a hat.
• Wear sunglasses
  • Sunglasses can help prevent damage to your eyes so keep your shades on and make sure your children do too. Close-fitting ones with UVA and UVB protection in a wraparound style are the best option.
• Use Sunscreeen properly
  • Use an SPF of 30 or higher.
  • Make sure the sunscreen is labelled broad-spectrum (offers both UVA and UVB protection).
  • If you’re in the water, make sure your sunscreen is water-resistant
  • Apply a generous amount and put it on before make-up
  • Use a lip balm with SPF – your lips need protection too
    
    

Talk to your health care provider about any changes to your skin like:

• a birthmark or a mole that changes shape, colour, size or surface
• any new growth on your skin – pale, pearly nodules that may grow larger and crust, or red, scaly, sharply defined patches
• any sore that doesn’t heal
• any patch of skin that bleeds, oozes, swells, itches or becomes red and bumpy

Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

How does age affect your driving?
Everyone ages differently so there is no hard and fast cut off as to when someone should stop driving.  As we age, things like decreased vision, impaired hearing, slowed motor reflexes, and worsening health conditions can become a problem.  Aging also tends to result in a reduction of strength, coordination and flexibility which can impact your ability to safely control a motor vehicle.  For example:

• Neck pain or stiffness can make it harder to look over your shoulder
• Leg pain can make it difficult to move your foot from the gas to the brake pedal
• Reduced arm strength can make it hard to turn the steering wheel quickly
• Reaction times can slow down with age

 
Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/temagamifamilyhealthteam for exercises and stretches that are important to the daily activities of living and maintaining independence.
 
Safety tips for older drivers:
Getting older does not automatically mean a total loss of driving ability.  There are many things you can do to continue driving safely, including staying on top of your health.
 
Regular check-ups are critical to keeping you in the best possible driving shape.

• Get your eyes checked every year
• Have your hearing checked every year
• Talk with your primary care provider about how certain conditions and/or medications may affect your driving ability.  For example, if you have glaucoma, tinted eyeglasses can help to reduce glare.
• Get plenty of sleep. 

 
Know your limitations:
If a driving situation makes you uncomfortable, don’t do it.  Many of us voluntarily begin to make changes in our driving practices as we get older by:

• Only driving during daylight hours if seeing well at night is a problem
• Staying off busy highways to avoid fast-moving traffic
• Not driving in bad weather

 
If you are a patient of the Temagami Family Health Team and would like to speak to your primary care provider about driving concerns, please call (705) 569-3244 to schedule an appointment. 
 
Committed to keeping you as healthy as possible!
 

Vaccines protect an entire population by preventing the spread of disease from one person to another…the more people immunized, the less chance there is for disease to spread. 

Preventing infection by immunization is a lifelong process that does not stop when you become an adult!  Childhood immunization programs have significantly reduced vaccine-preventable diseases among children, but Canada's population has an increasing number of adults who remain vulnerable to these diseases. 

All adults should be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.  As well, adults 65 years of age and older and those with conditions that increase their chances of complications (COPD or Diabetes for example) should receive one dose of pneumococcal vaccine in addition to a yearly Influenza vaccine.

What is Seasonal Influenza?
It’s a common and highly contagious respiratory infection that affects the nose, throat and lungs.  In Canada, flu season usually runs from November to April.

Most people will recover from influenza within a week or ten days, but some - including those over 65 and adults and children with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cancer - are at greater risk of more severe complications, such as pneumonia. Approximately 3,500 Canadians can die from influenza and its complications annually, depending on the season.

Thinking of travelling? 
Be sure you are protected against illnesses such as hepatitis, typhoid, meningitis, yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis depending on where you are going. If you’re not sure what you might need and have access to a computer, you can go to http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/index-eng.php to learn about any travel advisories that may be applicable.

As you grow older, you don’t outgrow your need for immunization.  Whether you are a parent, a young adult or a senior, talk to your health care provider about being up-to-date on your immunizations.

Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

One of the main causes of skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet radiation, or UV rays. UV rays are invisible, and are produced by the sun and tanning lamps. Most often, skin cancer is the result of overexposure.

Most cases of skin cancer are preventable.
You can reduce your risk of getting skin cancer by taking some simple but important steps. To avoid the harmful effects of UV rays, everyone should:

• Select shaded areas for outdoor activities.
• Wear a broad-brimmed hat and clothing with a tight weave, including a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, if you have to be in the sun for long periods of time.
• Use a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15. Make sure it has both UVA and UVB protection. Apply to exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before going out in the sun, and re-apply 15 to 30 minutes after sun exposure begins. You should also re-apply sunscreen after vigorous activity that could remove the product, such as swimming, toweling or excessive sweating and rubbing.
• Avoid overexposing yourself to the sun without protection, especially between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
• Certain medications can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays. Consult your health care provider if you have questions about your medication.

Remember that babies and children are at greater risk than adults because of their more sensitive skin.  

Talk to your health care provider about any changes to your skin like:

• a birthmark or a mole that changes shape, colour, size or surface
• any new growth on your skin – pale, pearly nodules that may grow larger and crust, or red, scaly, sharply defined patches
• any sore that doesn’t heal
• any patch of skin that bleeds, oozes, swells, itches or becomes red and bumpy

DID YOU KNOW…

• One in three adults over the age of 65 falls at least once per year; 
• Falling can cause injury, loss of mobility and independence;
• Falling is the sixth leading cause of death in seniors; 
• Seniors’ falls and injuries cost Canadians $3 billion per year. 

The good news is that falling can be prevented!

FOUR THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT FALLS:

1. Begin a regular exercise program
   Exercise is one of the most important ways to lower your chances of falling.  It makes you stronger and helps you feel better

1. Have your health care provider review your medications
   As you get older, the way medicines work in your body can change.  Some medicines, or combinations of medicines, even over-the-counter medicines, can make you sleepy or dizzy and cause you to fall.

1. Have your vision checked
   It’s important to have your vision checked at least once per year.  You may be wearing the wrong glasses or have a condition like glaucoma or cataracts that limit your vision.  Poor vision can increase your chances of falling.

1. Make your home safer
   About half of all falls happen at home.  Stop by the Temagami, Great Northern or Haileybury Family Health Teams to pick up a copy of the Independent Living Guide which has an extensive checklist for each room of your home in terms of things you can and should do to prevent falls.

 

The Temagami Family Health Team will be hosting another 12-week Stand Up Program starting in August.  If you are interested in attending or know someone who could benefit, please call the office at )705) 569-3244 to register.  Space is limited so register early!

 

Many falls can be prevented. 
By making some simple changes, you can lower your risk.