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Show Volume XVIII Issue XII The Ogden Valley news Page 11 December 1, 2010 Strength Training and Injury Prevention for There’s a Cure for Breast Cancer— critical Success in Enjoying Your Winter Passion By Patricia A. BairEarly detection • Axillary lymph nodes/sentinel lymph node By Sidney Reeves Skiing, especially downhill skiing may be highly dependent on strong leg muscles, but overall conditioning builds a routine that burns calories, increases metabolism, and can target muscles important for skiing, but not usually worked in other routine activities. For example, the inner and outer thigh muscles don’t get a lot of work while hiking or biking; however, building and strengthening these muscles is important because they surround and stabilize the very, very important knee joint. It’s the time of year when people can’t wait to strap on their skis or snowboards and hit the slopes. Unfortunately, too many people have an early end to their winter holiday as a result of injuries. What’s worse, the injury may be serious enough to prevent sporting activities for some time afterwards. With this in mind, the maxim is, prevention is better than cure! Snowboarders tend to suffer upper limb injuries (thumbs, wrists, and shoulders), sustained when trying to break a fall with outstretched hands and arms. Skiers are much more likely to sustain sprains in the knees and ankles, usually caused by catching an edge in a fall. While the range of injuries can be extensive, the knee joint takes the most punishment. The main knee ligaments, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, bear the brunt of the physical abuse. WRESTLERS cont. from page 1 a two-time state champion, Dustin Martin was a state champion, and Logan Hubbard was a twotime state runner-up. There have been several great wrestlers from the Valley. Levi Woolsey, who was an instructor for the Weber High School’s wrestling clinic in October, is also a great wrestler.” Other Weber High School wrestlers helped conduct the clinic. Weber High sponsors kindergarten through sixth grade wrestling clinics each fall, culminating in a Little League Tournament. The school with the winning team in the tournament has the honor of showcasing the first place trophy for the remaining year. This trophy is a “traveling” trophy—the school that wins the tournament gets to display it in their school for a year. The clinics are designed to teach the students wrestling skills and techniques, along with the fundamentals of wrestling. Valley’s 2010 champion little league wrestling team includes: ESSAY CONTEST cont. from page 1 test materials, including lesson plans meeting national academic standards, are provided at no cost to teachers who want to incorporate the essay topic into the classroom. The names of the top three prize winners in the nine contest regions will be announced at a special Washington, D.C. Awards Gala in the spring of 2011. The first place winners in each region and their sponsoring teachers will each receive $5,000 cash awards, second place winners $1,000, and third place winners $500. Honorable mention prizes of $100 will be awarded to seven students and teachers from each contest region. The winners will also be treated to a tour of prominent national landmarks and will hear from a range of important voices on American citizenship. This year’s keynote address to the winning students will be given by FOX Business Host John Stossel, and author and FOX News Commentator Juan Williams will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Past years’ winners met with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who keynoted the awards gala; retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; Pro Football Hall of Fame Cornerback Darrell Green; and FOX News Commentator Judge Such injuries are bad news and can spoil a lot more than your brief holiday. So, to get maximum enjoyment out of your winter passion, without the tears, enroll in a fitness program prior to hitting the slopes to get in shape. Specific strength-training exercises, improving your technique, and learning a preand post-activity stretching routine will play a big role in injury prevention and longevity to your winter fun. Cardiovascular Training It is important to adopt a variety of cardiovascular training exercises. You will need to do a minimum of 20 minutes of work at each session, with three or four sessions per week. This will increase to 45 minutes to an hour per session after a few weeks of training. Resistance Training Resistance training should make use of weights and be total body training, covering the arms (biceps and triceps), shoulders (deltoids), chest (pecs and serratus anterior), back (lats and trapezius), core strength (abs and obliques) and legs (quads, glutes, and calves). All of these muscle groups are used during your activity. A good fitness program should address cardio, weights, and nutrition to include the key variables for success and safety as you engage in the ski/snowboard season. If you have questions about how to design your fitness program, call personal trainer “Dr. Fit,” Sidney Reeves, at 801-603-0497 who is now working in conjunction with Arc Physical Therapy and High Altitude Fitness. Kindergarteners – Jordan Hess (2nd Place), Jonas Stewart, Carter Roberts (1st Place) First Graders – Reice Marvell Spencer Poon (2nd Place), Gabe Velasquez, Josh Waldrip (3rd Place), Barrett Roberts (3rd Place), Kole Haymond Second Graders – Landon McDowell Porter Pilkington (3rd Place), Eric Poon (4th Place), Jonathan McKinney (1st Place), Lee Woolsey (1st Place), Braxton Rigby (2nd Place) Third Graders – Hylen James, Jake Woolsey (1st Place), Tieg Marvell (4th Place), Branson Pilster, Luke Tawzer, Jacob Wilkins, Jackson Jenkins (1st Place), Deston Anderson (2nd Place), Hunter Harris (2nd Place) Fourth Graders – Brennan Stevenson, Mark Poon (4th Place), Taggart Nielson, Jace Velasquez Fifth Graders – Joey Gehrlein (3rd Place), Brayden Shaw Congratulations Valley wrestlers! Andrew Napolitano. “The Being an American Essay Contest encourages students to see how vital it is to the future of our country and Constitution that they embody key civic values every day,” said Bill of Rights Institute Vice President of Education Programs Jason Ross. “By thinking about the civic values evident in our Founding documents and in the lives of American civic heroes, students can begin to see how their own actions are significant in supporting the experiment in self-government started by our Founders.” The contest, which has fast become the largest high school essay competition in the country, totaling over 100,000 student submitted essays, is hosted by the Bill of Rights Institute, an organization based in Arlington, Virginia that provides free materials and a host of educational opportunities focused on civics and history for teachers and students across the country. The contest is sponsored by the History Channel and the Stuart Family Foundation. Visit the Being an American web site at www.BeingAnAmerican.org for complete rules and materials, including submission details, lesson plans, and background information on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Founders, and other Americans who have contributed to America’s shared civic values. Red Cliff RanCh & Cafe Friday & Saturday EvEningS at 6 p.m. Enjoy T-bone Steak Dinners along with our dutch oven cheesy potatoes, salad, and dutch oven cobbler for dessert. Perfect Weather for Horseback Riding Located below Causey Dam, “the gateway to Monte Cristo.” This week I went in for my breast cancer checkup. My doctor, Sheila Garvey, agreed with me that there is a cure for breast cancer. Shocking news? Not really. The proven “cure” is early detection and treatment. How do I know this? I am the “poster girl” for early detection. First, a little background. My sister died of breast cancer in 1994 after eight years of aggressive treatment—both traditional and experimental. Why did she die? Her cancer was not diagnosed early. She probably had carried that cancer around in her body for over three years. My mother had a double mastectomy and aggressive treatment due to breast cancer in 1987. She will be 91 years old in a few months. Why is she alive? Early detection and aggressive treatment. I have such a high percentage for probability of developing breast cancer due to this family history that I have had four negative biopsies over the last ten years. I am diligent about my annual mammography and conduct self-breast examinations at least weekly. In August 2009, I discovered a lump during one of these self-breast examinations. My breast surgeon, Dr. Sheila Garvey, saw me within 48 hours, ordered all the appropriate tests, and determined that the lump was, indeed, breast cancer. This lump was not observable on my previous annual mammography. Because of such early detection, I was able to have a lumpectomy. (In fact, several studies have shown that 80% of women with early detection are well suited for breast conservation via lumpectomy. If your surgeon recommends mastectomy, be sure to ask why!) My lymph nodes were clear so I was fortunate to skip chemotherapy, but was a candidate for radiation via brachyherapy. And now this is the part where you really need to pay attention. Many doctors and most women believe that whole-breast, external beam radiation is the only treatment for breast cancer. WRONG! Previous research, that I have if you would like it, and research released just this last month by the American Medical Association has shown that breast brachytherapy or partial breast irradiation has the same “cure” rate as external beam. Brachytherapy has been used for years and is not experimental. With external beam radiation, daily treatments of external beams are given to the entire breast Monday through Friday for six to eight weeks. This treatment affects the entire chest including breasts, ribs, lung, heart, and skin. Breast brachytherapy delivers radiation deep into the breast, in and around the lumpectomy area where microscopic cancer cells are most likely to remain. It is very convenient since treatment is complete in just five days. Radiation is given only to the part of the breast adjacent to the original cancer. There is little or no negative effect to the ribs, lung, heart, and skin. The selection criteria for brachytherapy includes at least three of the following five indicators: • Age 45 years old or greater • Invasive ductal carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ • Total tumor size less than or equal to 3 cm in size • Negative microscopic surgical margins of excision negative Brachytherapy is usually covered by the majority of insurance companies. Of the ten major insurance companies in Utah and Medicare, all covered brachytherapy except SelectHealth. Of course, as luck would have it, SelectHealth is my insurance company. They denied approval of my treatment. With the support of my doctors and my insurance agent Karen Leonardi, I appealed their decision. I provided support letters from my medical team and a file of extensive research into brachytherapy. I presented the following to the panel: • The American Society of Breast Surgeons published a consensus statement in 2005 recommending brachytherapy for breast cancer in lieu of whole breast radiation; • The American Society for Radiation oncology, the leading radiation oncology organization in the world, published a similar consensus statement in 2009; • The Tumor Board has provided the consensus statements and relevant research to doctors, oncologists, and radiation oncologists at their in-service meetings at McKay Dee Hospital in the summer of 2009; • The cost of whole breast radiation and brachytherapy are basically the same; • The amount of time for brachytherapy is 5 days as apposed to 6 to 8 weeks for whole breast radiation. • SelectHealth approves brachytherapy for treatment of prostate cancer for men but not breast cancer for women. (Don’t even get me started on this one!) Bottom line: My appeal was reviewed by an Independent Review Organization who overturned SelectHealth’s denial based on the research I provided. I was able to receive the brachytherapy and now one year later, I am cancer-free. I was shocked to learn that most women do not appeal when denied insurance coverage for this therapy. Moral of this story: 1. Early detection can not only save your breast, it can save your life. 2. If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, ensure that you have complete information to determine if a lumpectomy or a mastectomy is the right approach. Don’t just blindly follow your doctor’s recommendation. 3. When you are referred for radiation, cover all the options including whether brachytherapy is appropriate for you. If your doctor doesn’t support or know anything about brachytherapy, find one that does. (Gamma West is a good choice; Dr. Hansen and his staff preformed brachytherapy for me). 4. If your insurance company denies any treatment that is the best option for you, APPEAL! Last month I was able to hold my new grandson within his first hour of life. I plan to be there for all the important events during his growth into manhood. Early detection will help me with this goal. I want all women to be able to reach these important goals. Please contact me if you would like a copy of the research and contacts that can help you get the best breast cancer treatment possible for you. Note: Patricia A. Bair is a resident of Nordic Valley. You may contact her at patriciaabair@ gmail.com or by phone at 801-745-4923. Dear Ogden Valley Residents, We at Grass Plus lnc. want to THANK YOU for your business this last summer and now it’s time to think SNOW! Let us help you with all your Snow Removal needs Driveways ~ Walks ~ Roofs and More! When experience matters Call for a free quote today. Thanks again from all of us at Grass Plus lnc. |