The Dr. Oz Show
Airdate: October 5, 2012
Dr. Oz The Silent Killer: America's
Fastest Growing Cancer
- Silent reflux can lead to esophageal cancer
- At-home test for silent reflux
- Lower risks for esophageal cancer
- Super fans share their favorite tips (Including my family!)
Common symptoms, similar to cold and allergy symptoms, could be a sign of this silent killer. Half of all women in the US are at risk
for developing esophageal cancer and don't know the warning signs to
look for. Dr. Oz talks to experts about the symptoms for and reducing
the risks of esophageal cancer. Super fans, including my family!,
share their favorite health tips.
Photo credit:
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Dr. Oz The Silent Killer:
America's Fastest Growing Cancer
It's America's fastest growing cancer: esophageal cancer. Half of all
women across the country experience the warning signs. The symptoms
can often be silent and go misdiagnosed until it's too late.
Sandra experienced trouble swallowing and a persistent cough for
months and both symptoms continued to get worse. Doctors told her she
was healthy and there was nothing wrong with her. She began to feel
pain along her throat and could feel the smallest bite of food
traveling down her esophagus.
What Sandra thought was allergies was something much more serious.
She insisted on seeing a specialist who diagnosed her with stage 3
esophageal cancer. Sandra underwent radiation treatments and then
surgery to remove most of her esophagus. Doctors took part of her
stomach and stretched it to replace the portion of the removed
esophagus. She had to relearn how to eat to support her body and her
new esophagus.
Dr. Oz said the symptoms of esophageal cancer can easily go
undiagnosed because they are so similar to common issues such as a
cold and allergies.
Dr. Oz:
Symptoms of Silent Reflux
- Post nasal drip;
- Persistent cough;
- Hoarseness in the throat.
To be clear, said Dr. Oz, this is not heartburn but silent reflux.
Dr. Oz's team set up a mobile health care center at a mall to provide
free screenings for silent reflux. The turnout was tremendous and
several women learned that they suffered from silent reflux. For most
of these women it was the first time anyone mentioned the word reflux
to them.
Christy was diagnosed with asthma at age 14, now in her 20s she
experienced persistent coughing and choking. Without insurance, the
free clinic was a great opportunity for her. At the clinic, doctors
told Christy that she doesn't have asthma but has likely been
suffering from reflux for years. Christy has been on asthma
medications for nearly 10 years without experiencing any relief. The
free screening allowed Christy to receive the proper diagnosis and
begin treatment to reduce her cancer risks.
Dr. Oz: At-Home Test For Silent
Reflux
Dr.
Jamie Koufman, MD, Founder and Director of the Voice
Institute of New York, coined the term silent reflux. Dr. Koufman
explained that symptoms of heartburn, chronic allergies, can chronic
sinus congestion have all been associated with a greater risk of
esophageal cancer.
Dr. Jonathan Aviv, MD, Clicnical
Director of the Voice and Swallowing Center [and
contributing blogger to DoctorOz.com], said if the
symptoms described above last more than 8 weeks, indicating they are
not associated with a cold or allergies, the issue may have something
to do with the larynx and reflux.
Dr. Oz: Reflux
Symptom Index Quiz
This five question
quiz is designed to determine the extent a person may be suffering
from silent reflux symptoms. For each question, rate your answer on a
scale from 0 to 5 with 0 being no symptoms and 5 being the worst.
Within the last
month, have you had any of the following problems:
- Hoarseness or raspy voice or other problems with voice
- Excess throat mucus or postnasal drip
- Troublesome or annoying cough
- Sensation of something sticking in the throat or lump in throat
- Heartburn, chest pain, or indigestion
These are the five
questions featured on today's Dr. Oz Show, click
here for the full nine question quiz on DoctorOz.com.
For the five
questions above, if your total score is greater than 10 it's
important to see a specialist for a throat examination to determine
if it's silent reflux as well as the severity of the problem.
Forty percent of
today's audience said they scored higher than 10 on the five question
quiz.
At the Voice
Institute of New York, Dr. Koufman explained that the exam she
preformed on Christy included the questions above as well as a more
comprehensive visual examination of the sinus cavity and throat.
Grading all those factors, Dr. Koufman can then provide patients with
a grade from A to F, much like in school where A is the most
desirable score and F being an indicator of risk.
Christy's received
a score of F-. Dr. Koufman found a tremendous amount of swelling and
inflammation, even a polyp, in Christy's throat. All these signs
point to Christy being at high risk for esophageal cancer.
Dr. Koufman said
silent reflux and symptoms that put a patient at high risk for
esophageal cancer are all completely treatable. Most patients of the
Voice Institute of
New York graduate from therapy within a year.
Dr. Oz: Lower
Esophageal Cancer Risks
Silent reflux
is precursor to esophageal cancer. To help people manage their risks
and reduce acid in their diet, Dr. Koufman has authored the book
Dropping
Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure.
Reflux
allows for the enzyme pepsin to populate the esophagus. Pepsin
thrives in an acidic environment. Anytime an acid food is eaten or
acid comes up from the stomach it allows the pepsin in the esophagus
to thrive. Over time, pepsin can eat away at the tissues of the
esophagus and increase risks of developing esophagus cancer.
Dr. Oz: Silent Reflux Prevention
Plan #1: Deacid your Foods
The most important step to reduce risks
of silent reflux is to get rid of the acid in your diet. Avoid fried
foods, chocolate, mint, tomato and onion all should be avoided in the
initial stages of managing silent reflux.
Focus on foods that support a balance
of acid in the system. Foods such as bananas, cantaloupe, anything
green, almond milk, and oats do not contribute to acid levels in the
body.
Dr. Aviv explained that the initial
stages of managing silent reflux typically runs from 2 to 4 weeks.
Studies show that in 14 days of removing acidic foods from the diet,
a patient can take their reflux index score from 10 down to 5.
Dr. Oz: Silent Reflux Prevention
Plan #2: Three C's
Avoid caffeinated
and carbonated drinks as well as seltzer water. The bubble in the
seltzer water take up acid from the stomach to the throat where the
bubbles pop and can do damage to the esophagus.
Dr. Oz: Silent Reflux Prevention
Plan #3: Canned Foods
Most canned foods,
bottled foods, nearly all packaged foods are packaged with an acid to
prolong shelf life. Anything in a can will have more acidity than the
fresh form, explained Dr. Koufman. The label will show Vitamin C but
that's not to provide more nutrition in the food, it's to increase
the acidity and thus the shelf-life.
Dr. Oz: Super Fan Hall of Fame
[Super fans were asked to provide
videos to The Dr. Oz Show where they discussed their favorite tips
from The Dr. Oz Show. That includes my family! Back in August, The
Dr. Oz Show staff contacted me and asked if I could provide a short
video about my favorite tips. My whole family got involved and our
little video was on today's show! It's a bit of a thrill to see
myself on TV with my whole family. Thanks Dr. Oz!]
In our little video, we shared that
Todd Wilbur's healthy baked chicken is a family favorite meal and
that my kids love to sprinkle flax seeds on their Greek yogurt. Clickhere for Todd Wilbur's recipe for Healthy Fried Chicken from DoctorOz.com.
One fan shared that Dr. Oz's tip to
sleep on a contour pillow covered in silk pillow case has helped to
relieve her neck pain.
Three ladies have come together to
create what they call the Dr. Oz Club. From watching The Dr. Oz Show,
the ladies shared that they now love fish oil supplements, their
kitchens are filled with Dr. Oz approved videos. They get together
often to make recipes featured on the show from salads to blueberry
smoothies.
Brenda and Betsy are neighbors, Betsy
noticed Brenda wasn't feeling well one day so they started talking
and discovered their shared love of The Dr. Oz Show. Betsy said the
ladies tend to focus on weight loss ideas and love pomegranate juice
to support a healthy weight.
Brenda shared that she suffers from
migraines so she kept track of her food intake in a diary. Her diary
showed that headache triggers for her were cheese and chocolate. She
also noticed that soy sauce triggered her headaches as well. Remove
these from her diet have reduced her headaches.
The third woman of the group, [I missed
her name] is a busy mom with three kids. She fills up the fridge with
healthy fruits and veggies but noticed that the fresh foods goes bad
fast. To help her family eat those healthy fresh foods faster, she
created her “Eat Me Now” box which goes in the front of fridge.
Now her whole family reaches for food in the that box first.
Betsy said she loves all the anti-aging
information she gets from The Dr. Oz Show. She's taken the best
facial cleansing recommendations to create her own scrub. Mix ½ of
an avocado with 1 tablespoon of honey and a splash of tomato juice
for a scrub that smells great and does wonders for her skin.
In another fan video, a mom shared that
her kids were watching The Dr. Oz Show when Dr. Oz talked about the
dangers of sugar in the diet. Her kids volunteered to give up daily
sugary desserts and now only have them occasionally.
Dr. Oz: Super Fans Transforms
Health
This super couple wants to stay healthy
and they love all the health information they have learned from The
Dr. Oz Show. With a family history of cancer, high blood pressure,
and heart issues it's important to them to choose the best foods for
their family.
The family shared their favorite
healthy frozen treat recipe they call ice pops. Blend ½ cup
blueberries, 6 strawberries, 1 ½ ripe banana with almond milk and
drizzle in some honey. Pour mix into popsicle molds and freeze.
Change it up by using different
berries. Any non-dairy high-protein milk will do as well such as
coconut or soy milk.
Dr. Oz: Wild and Bizarre
Treatments
There's no shortage of wild and bizarre
treatments available in the world. Dr. Oz shared that he had done the
fish pedicure before and loved it. The treatment involves putting
your feet into water which holds little fish that eat the dead skin
off your feet. [Umm....]
A super fan shared her secret solution
for removing chlorine from hair. Her platinum blonde daughter loves
to swim but struggles with damaged hair because of it. Her hair
dresser recommended using tomato paste and it worked great for her.
Wet hair the apply tomato paste over
the entire scalp and all the hair. Leave paste on for 30 minutes then
rinse out. Wash and condition as normal.
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Place your vote for
this week's quiz
and return on Saturday
for the answer.
Thank you for making
Watching Dr Oz a success!
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One thing they didn't mention is that all antidepressants and antianxiety drugs can cause or aggravate silent reflux. If you must taking those drugs, what do you do?
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