Yasmin Williams - HEALTH-WISETHE EMAIL from our Jamaican reader in Orlando, Florida, was much appreciated. A Tai Chi instructor, she shared that exercise and faith helped her to survive breast cancer.
I hope that by now, all our readers recognise that sufficient physical activity is not only important for generating feelings of well-being but that adequate physical activity is important for reducing the risk of some diseases and maintaining health.
Insufficient physical activity, poor diet and tobacco use are highlighted as the risk factors for the non-communicable diseases which the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines as including the cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and the chronic respiratory diseases.
A few days ago, I had tea with one of my colleagues. We were discussing the column and I got the impression that she may have been uncomfortable with an earlier column which had a statement that the chronic non-communicable diseases were the leading cause of death, globally, regionally and locally. I referred her to the WHO paper "Non-communicable disease prevention and health promotion. World Health in Transition The increasing burden of non- communicable disease world wide."
The fifth line in the second paragraph of this paper reads "already today in the entire world, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, chronic diseases are now the leading causes of death. Unhealthy diets, caloric excess, inactivity, obesity and associated chronic diseases are the greatest public health problem in most countries of the world."
Each country must with haste, develop and implement relevant policies and interventions to address the modifiable risk factors for the chronic non-communicable diseases.
COLON CANCER
It was good to hear from our reader in the USA who has the relative in Linstead with cancer of the colon. Sorry to hear about the relative's condition. Is the reader aware of any risk factors which the relative may have had? Did he smoke or drink alcohol excessively? Those activities increase the risk for colon cancer. Was he someone who usually had a balanced diet? Research suggests that eating adequate amount of vegetables and fruits may give some protection from colon cancer because of the presence of fibre as well as other protective factors.
Additionally, decreasing the daily intake of fat (especially fat from animal source) to less than 30 per cent of the total amount of the day's calories will probably decrease the risk for colon cancer. It is said that decreased physical activity increases risk for colon cancer. Some say that increasing physical activity may decrease the risk by as much as 50 per cent. Almost certainly if left unattended, multiple outgrowths of the lining of the bowel or colon is an inherited condition called familial polyposis, will lead to colon cancer.
Our reader's relative was said to have spread of the cancer from colon to the spine with paralysis. Cancer of the colon usually spreads to liver or lungs when it spreads distantly. However, any cancer can spread to the bone such as the vertebra surrounding the spine with possible penetration of spinal cord and subsequent paralysis.
Our reader's relative would be best treated by a team of specialists which may include a gastroenterologist, a haematologist/oncologist, a radiotherapist and a surgeon. A team like this is found at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and possibly the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). The relative can ask for a referral to one of these larger hospitals if necessary for second opinions and further management. There are no centres or hospitals in the island that specialise in the complete management of cancer. However, recently a private facility for giving radiotherapy was opened in Kingston.
Best wishes for this reader's relative and I leave you with the fact that a balanced diet and adequate physical activity affect the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases not only because of the effect on obesity.
Dr. Yasmin Williams is a Family Doctor and Public Health Specialist.
