Bahamas Local Health Fitness Page - Nassau - Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas

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October: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and also National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

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DISCLAIMER:The contents of the Bahamas Local Health & Fitness Section, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Bahamas Local Health & Fitness Section ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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(COVID 19) (NO.2) ORDER, 2020

What Is COVID-19?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

COVID-19 Prevention Tips
As the spread of coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, has evolved in recent weeks, all are encouraged to use several effective measures to prevent any virus. They include:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes.
- Disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Get a flu shot - it’s not too late!
- Stay home if you are sick... [Read More Here].
Coronavirus and COVID-19

How to stick together, by staying apart. Stay safe, stay protected, stay healthy!

HEALTH HEADLINES

OCTOBER 2020: National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in the body. They determine how a baby’s body forms during pregnancy and how the baby’s body functions as it grows in the womb and after birth. Typically, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes. Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes, chromosome 21.

A medical term for having an extra copy of a chromosome is ‘trisomy.’ Down syndrome is also referred to as Trisomy 21. This extra copy changes how the baby’s body and brain develop, which can cause both mental and physical challenges for the baby... [Read more]

AUGUST 2020: National Breastfeeding Month

Breast milk provides optimal nutrition for babies. It has the right amount of nutrients, is easily digested, and is readily available.

However, the rate of breastfeeding is as low as 30% in some groups of women.While some women are unable to breastfeed, others simply choose not to.Yet studies show breastfeeding has major health benefits, for both the mother and her baby.
Breast milk provides optimal nutrition for babies. It has the right amount of nutrients, is easily digested, and is readily available.However, the rate of breastfeeding is as low as 30% in some groups of women.While some women are unable to breastfeed, others simply choose not to.Yet studies show breastfeeding has major health benefits, for both the mother and her baby... [Read more]

JULY 2020: World Hepatitis Day (July 28)

Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver. It’s commonly caused by a viral infection, but there are other possible causes of hepatitis. These include autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis that occurs as a secondary result of medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol. Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease that occurs when your body makes antibodies against your liver tissue.

Your liver is located in the right upper area of your abdomen. It performs many critical functions that affect metabolism throughout your body, including... [Read more]

MAY 2020: Lupus Awareness Month

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune condition that can cause inflammation throughout your body. However, it tends to primarily be a localized condition, so it’s not always systemic. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your body’s own immune system is responsible for the inflammation and breakdown of its own cells.

Many people with lupus experience a mild version of it, but it can become severe without proper treatment. Currently, there’s no known cure for lupus, so treatment focuses on easing symptoms and reducing inflammation... [Read more]

MARCH 2020: National Kidney Month

March is National Kidney Month, a time when communities across the country raise awareness about kidney disease. In partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), this year’s focus is the link between high blood pressure and kidney disease.
If you have high blood pressure, you’re at risk for chronic kidney disease, a serious condition that can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and death.

The good news is that you can help protect your kidneys by managing high blood pressure with these 6 healthy lifestyle habits... [Read more]

FEBRUARY 2020: National Children’s Dental Health Month

February is Children’s Dental Health Month. Learn how most cavities in children can be prevented, and how CDC brings this program to children at highest risk for decay.

Dental cavities are one of the most common chronic diseases in children and teens; dental sealants are an effective way to prevent these cavities. Cavities are caused by a breakdown of the tooth enamel by acids produced by bacteria located in a film that collects on teeth. Left untreated, cavities can cause pain, infection, and problems eating, speaking, and learning... [Read more]

2020 HEALTH & WELLNESS AWARENESS CALENDAR

Wash your hands seems like such a simple task to be so hard for so many right? A simple task that should not have been introduced by Covid but rather enhanced by it!

We're Moving To A Bigger and Better Space.

Hand Hygiene. Today, more than ever, we know that hand washing saves lives!

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Category:: Health & Fitness Consultants
Company:: Bahamas Local Health & Fitness Page
Address:: #149 Shirley Street
Town:: Nassau
Island:: Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas
Phone: 242-698-1300

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October Is
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer overview
Cancer occurs when changes called mutations take place in genes that regulate cell growth. The mutations let the cells divide and multiply in an uncontrolled way.
Breast cancer is cancer that develops in breast cells. Typically, the cancer forms in either the lobules or the ducts of the breast. Lobules are the glands that produce milk, and ducts are the pathways that bring the milk from the glands to the nipple. Cancer can also occur in the fatty tissue or the fibrous connective tissue within your breast.

The uncontrolled cancer cells often invade other healthy breast tissue and can travel to the lymph nodes under the arms. The lymph nodes are a primary pathway that help the cancer cells move to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer symptoms
In its early stages, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms. In many cases, a tumor may be too small to be felt, but an abnormality can still be seen on a mammogram. If a tumor can be felt, the first sign is usually a new lump in the breast that was not there before. However, not all lumps are cancer.

Each type of breast cancer can cause a variety of symptoms. Many of these symptoms are similar, but some can be different. Symptoms for the most common breast cancers include:

- a breast lump or tissue thickening that feels different than surrounding tissue and has developed recently
- breast pain
- red, pitted skin over your entire breast
- swelling in all or part of your breast
- a nipple discharge other than breast milk
- bloody discharge from your nipple
- peeling, scaling, or flaking of skin on your nipple or breast
- a sudden, unexplained change in the shape or size of your breast
- inverted nipple
- changes to the appearance of the skin on your breasts
- a lump or swelling under your arm

If you have any of these symptoms, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer. For instance, pain in your breast or a breast lump can be caused by a benign cyst. Still, if you find a lump in your breast or have other symptoms, you should see your doctor for further examination and testing.

Male breast cancer
Although they generally have less of it, men have breast tissue just like women do. Men can get breast cancer too, but it’s much rarer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is 100 times less common in white men than in white women, and 70 times less common in black men than in black women.

That said, the breast cancer that men get is just as serious as the breast cancer women get. It also has the same symptoms.

Breast cancer stages
Breast cancer can be divided into stages based on how large the tumor or tumors are and how much it has spread. Cancers that are large and/or have invaded nearby tissues or organs are at a higher stage than cancers that are small and/or still contained in the breast. In order to stage a breast cancer, doctors need to know:
- if the cancer is invasive or noninvasive
- how large the tumor is
- whether the lymph nodes are involved
- if the cancer has spread to nearby tissue or organs
Breast cancer has five main stages: stages 0 to 5.

Stage 0 breast cancer
Stage 0 is DCIS. Cancer cells in DCIS remain confined to the ducts in the breast and have not spread into nearby tissue.

Stage 1 breast cancer
Stage 1A: The primary tumor is 2 centimeters wide or less and the lymph nodes are not affected.
Stage 1B: Cancer is found in nearby lymph nodes, and either there is no tumor in the breast, or the tumor is smaller than 2 cm.

Stage 2 breast cancer
Stage 2A: The tumor is smaller than 2 cm and has spread to 1–3 nearby lymph nodes, or it’s between 2 and 5 cm and hasn’t spread to any lymph nodes.
Stage 2B: The tumor is between 2 and 5 cm and has spread to 1–3 axillary (armpit) lymph nodes, or it’s larger than 5 cm and hasn’t spread to any lymph nodes.

Stage 3 breast cancer
Stage 3A:
- The cancer has spread to 4–9 axillary lymph nodes or has enlarged the internal mammary lymph nodes, and the primary tumor can be any size.
- Tumors are greater than 5 cm and the cancer has spread to 1–3 axillary lymph nodes or any breastbone nodes.
Stage 3B: A tumor has invaded the chest wall or skin and may or may not have invaded up to 9 lymph nodes.
Stage 3C: Cancer is found in 10 or more axillary lymph nodes, lymph nodes near the collarbone, or internal mammary nodes.

Stage 4 breast cancer
Stage 4 breast cancer can have a tumor of any size, and its cancer cells have spread to nearby and distant lymph nodes as well as distant organs.
The testing your doctor does will determine the stage of your breast cancer, which will affect your treatment.

Breast cancer treatment
Your breast cancer’s stage, how far it has invaded (if it has), and how big the tumor has grown all play a large part in determining what kind of treatment you’ll need.

To start, your doctor will determine your cancer’s size, stage, and grade (how likely it is to grow and spread). After that, you can discuss your treatment options. Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. Many women have additional treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation, or hormone therapy.

Surgery
Several types of surgery may be used to remove breast cancer, including:
Lumpectomy. This procedure removes the tumor and some surrounding tissue, leaving the rest of the breast intact.
Mastectomy. In this procedure, a surgeon removes an entire breast.In a double mastectomy, both breasts are removed.
Sentinel node biopsy. This surgery removes a few of the lymph nodes that receive drainage from the tumor. These lymph nodes will be tested. If they don’t have cancer, you may not need additional surgery to remove more lymph nodes.
Axillary lymph node dissection. If lymph nodes removed during a sentinel node biopsy contain cancer cells, your doctor may remove additional lymph nodes.
Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. Even though breast cancer may be present in only one breast, some women elect to have a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. This surgery removes your healthy breast to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer again.

Breast cancer care
If you detect an unusual lump or spot in your breast, or have any other symptoms of breast cancer, make an appointment to see your doctor. Chances are good that it’s not breast cancer. For instance, there are many other potential causes for breast lumps.
But if your problem does turn out to be cancer, keep in mind that early treatment is the key. Early-stage breast cancer can often be treated and cured if found quickly enough. The longer breast cancer is allowed to grow, the more difficult treatment becomes.

If you’ve already received a breast cancer diagnosis, keep in mind that cancer treatments continue to improve, as do outcomes. So follow your treatment plan and try to stay positive.

Risk factors for breast cancer
There are several risk factors that increase your chances of getting breast cancer. However, having any of these doesn’t mean you will definitely develop the disease.
Some risk factors can’t be avoided, such as family history. You can change other risk factors, such as smoking. Risk factors for breast cancer include:

Age. Your risk for developing breast cancer increases as you age. Most invasive breast cancers are found in women over age 55.
Drinking alcohol. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol raises your risk.
Having dense breast tissue. Dense breast tissue makes mammograms hard to read. It also increases your risk of breast cancer.
Gender. White women are 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer than white men, and black women are 70 times more likely to develop breast cancer than black men.
Genes. Women who have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who don’t. Other gene mutations may also affect your risk.
Early menstruation. If you had your first period before age 12, you have an increased risk for breast cancer.
Giving birth at an older age. Women who don’t have their first child until after age 35 have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Hormone therapy. Women who took or are taking postmenopausal estrogen and progesterone medications to reduce their signs of menopause symptoms have a higher risk of breast cancer.
Inherited risk. If a close female relative has had breast cancer, you have an increased risk for developing it. This includes your mother, grandmother, sister, or daughter. If you don’t have a family history of breast cancer, you can still develop breast cancer. In fact, the majority of women who develop it have no family history of the disease.
Late menopause start. Women who do not start menopause until after age 55 are more likely to develop breast cancer.
Never being pregnant. Women who never became pregnant or never carried a pregnancy to full term are more likely to develop breast cancer.
Previous breast cancer. If you have had breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of developing breast cancer in your other breast or in a different area of the previously affected breast.

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month - What is Down syndrome?

Down syndrome (sometimes called Down’s syndrome) is a condition in which a child is born with an extra copy of their 21st chromosome — hence its other name, trisomy 21. This causes physical and mental developmental delays and disabilities.
Many of the disabilities are lifelong, and they can also shorten life expectancy. However, people with Down syndrome can live healthy and fulfilling lives. Recent medical advances, as well as cultural and institutional support for people with Down syndrome and their families, provides many opportunities to help overcome the challenges of this condition.

Living with Down syndrome
The lifespan for people with Down syndrome has improved dramatically in recent decades. In 1960Trusted Source, a baby born with Down syndrome often didn’t see their 10th birthday. Today, life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has reached an average of 50 to 60 years.
If you’re raising a child with Down syndrome, you’ll need a close relationship with medical professionals who understand the condition’s unique challenges. In addition to larger concerns — like heart defects and leukemia — people with Down syndrome may need to be guarded from common infections such as colds.

People with Down syndrome are living longer and richer lives now more than ever. Though they can often face a unique set of challenges, they can also overcome those obstacles and thrive. Building a strong support network of experienced professionals and understanding family and friends is crucial for the success of people with Down syndrome and their families.

Treatments
Down syndrome is a lifelong condition. Services early in life will often help babies and children with Down syndrome to improve their physical and intellectual abilities. Most of these services focus on helping children with Down syndrome develop to their full potential. These services include speech, occupational, and physical therapy, and they are typically offered through early intervention programs in each state. Children with Down syndrome may also need extra help or attention in school, although many children are included in regular classes.

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