SCREEN TIME Dr Bill Nielsen has been practising in Duncan for thirty years
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ogether, we did it! Over $500,000 Raised for 3D Mammography Equipment for Cowichan. Congratulations, and thank-you to all. Your generosity keeps our hospital state-of-the-art. The 3D Mammography Unit is great because, as part of the screening protocol, it detects breast cancers early and often saves women from needing chemo and radiation. Mammography is safe and accurate and saves lives because breast cancer is common and curable when caught early. The right time for Screen Time What actually is screening? Which cancers does screening help with? Screening is a specific medical term. Screening assesses large numbers of people with no signs or symptoms of those common cancers. Only a few cancers are amenable to screening. For example, breast and colon and cervical cancer are so common a lot of us are going to get them. They are curable. Why not catch them early so we can nip them in the bud? Test accuracy is everything. Tests must be sensitive enough to identify the disease 95% of the time if it is there, but not be positive if the disease isn’t. Obviously there is no use screening for an
illness that is incurable, very rare, or requires expensive, painful or dangerous screening tests. Consult your doctor for what is best for you personally, as screening recommendations vary by age, family history and which tests are available. Here’s what to get screened if you don’t have a family doctor to advise you: Cervical cancer by PAP smears every three years, starting age 25. Breast cancer by monthly self exam, yearly doctor visits and mammograms every 1-2 years starting age 40 or 50 up to age 74, depending on your personal risk factors. Colon cancer with FIT tests (home stool tests) every two years after 50 and colonoscopy for a positive FIT test. If a family member had colon cancer, colonoscopy is every five years starting ten years younger that the relative was when they got cancer. Colonoscopy is a scope up the bum with you sedated in hospital. No fun for patients, but saving lives is lots of fun for doctors and nurses. Prostate cancer with rectal exams and PSA blood tests every 1-2 years, ages 50 – 72 depending on family history. Yearly check–up: The physical exam and tests at your yearly medical checkup look for diabetes, anemia, heart and kidney disease, and some types of cancers. If you have swollen glands that don’t go down within six weeks, or an unusual mole, show your health care provider. Unexplained bleeding from anywhere needs to be checked out ASAP.
REIKI WELLNESS 250-743-8122 Debbie Shkuratoff Reiki Master-Teacher-All Levels Usui-Karuna-Komyo-Seichim
SARA TILLIE ACUPUNCTURE 250-812-9813 Sara Tillie Registered Acupuncturist Traditional Chinese Medicine
Reiki Therapy & Classes - Detox Foot Spas Acupuncture - Amethyst Mat - YL Essential Oils Daytime • Evening •Weekend • By Appointment Only #13- Upper Level • Valleyview Centre • Cobble Hill www.reikiwellness.ca • reiki-wellness@shaw.ca
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