Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s healthy and what’s not. The science seems to go back and forth on how much of certain things you should have— one day eggs and coffee are good for you, the next day they’re not.

But when all the data is in, science usually favors all things in moderation. It doesn’t just go for eggs and coffee; wine and beer also have compounds that are beneficial in moderation. 

These three items are some of the healthiest fruits you can eat, but they’re also high-acid foods, and consuming too many acidic foods can damage the esophagus and stomach lining. Over time, this damage can result in precancerous lesions and ulcers.

Highly acidic diets can also cause reflux, which can be painful and costly to treat, and can disrupt sleep and other daily activities. Dietary acid is also known to erode tooth enamel, which can lead to cavities. To avoid consuming too much acid, limit your servings of these to two per day.

While most people don’t get enough exercise, some overdo it at the expense of their health. 

In fact, the many beneficial effects of exercise make it easy to ignore the harmful effects of too much.

Some people take exercise too far in order to control weight, and it becomes an obsession— this is sometimes known as exercise addiction. It’s often seen in those with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and it can have severe negative psychological and physical effects.

Over-exercise is also sometimes seen in athletes who are trying to reach a goal or win a championship. To excel, they train so long and so hard that they become fatigued and moody and have difficulty concentrating. In many cases, over-training backfires and performance plummets.

Sunshine is our main source of vitamin D. Although sunlight doesn’t directly contain any nutrients, it does convert a chemical found in skin cells to vitamin D, which plays an important role in calcium absorption. The body can absorb more than double the calcium from food when vitamin D levels are normal than when they’re low. Poor calcium absorption can lead to osteoporosis, which often results in stress fractures and injuries due to falling, especially in older adults.

Vitamin D deficiency is also increasingly linked to a roster of ills including heart disease, prostate cancer, schizophrenia and pregnancy complications. Previous research has also linked vitamin D deficiency to many autoimmune disorders, but further studies are needed to confirm whether this is true.

What experts know for sure is that too much sun exposure can lead to skin cancer, including melanoma, the most common cancer in America. Skin cancer can be painful and costly to treat, so sun exposure is best enjoyed in moderation and with the use of sunscreen.

Skin Cancer Types, Statistics, Costs and Prevention

by Lacie Glover on May 30, 2014 | posted in Diseases, Healthy Living, Wellness

Skin cancer is something everyone should be aware of. Even though it is the most common type of cancer in the United States, constituting one in every three cases, skin cancer isn’t high on the list in most people’s minds. It’s true that death rates are low for this cancer, but non-lethal cancers must still be treated, and treatment always comes at a cost. Before examining their true costs, let’s look at the two major types of skin cancer and their key differences.

 

Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, and the most dangerous. This type of cancer starts with melanocytes, the skin cells responsible for making skin pigment, or melanin. When the DNA in these cells is damaged, resulting in genetic mutations, melanocytes multiply rapidly and become tumors. People with more than 50 moles are at much higher risk for melanoma, and the first sign is a growing or changing mole.

The two most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, and together they make up the non-melanoma skin cancer subtype. Squamous and basal cells together make up the majority of outer skin cells. These two types of cancer result from DNA damage like melanoma, but they are much less likely to spread and appear as sores, scaly warts or lesions rather than moles.

One out of every five Americans will be diagnosed with some type of skin cancer in their lives, and 1 in 50 will develop melanoma. Before age 45, women are more likely than men to get melanoma, but by age 60 it is more common in men. At age 80, men are three times more likely than women to develop melanoma. Skin cancer is the most common in non-Hispanic whites, but minorities are more likely to die from skin cancer.

The most recent U.S. incidence estimate for non-melanoma skin cancer, in 2006, was about 3.5 million, but because some people will have multiple incidences, the total number of people affected was just over 2.1 million. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 76,100 new cases of melanoma in 2014.

One way to measure the cost of a disease is in terms of lives. The ACS estimates that melanoma is expected to take 9,710 lives in the U.S. this year, which is about one death every 54 minutes. This includes both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, though melanoma deaths make up about 75% of skin cancer fatalities.

Because skin cancer rarely involves costly drugs, it is the easiest and cheapest cancer to treat. In most cases, the skin lesion is cut from the skin in a minor procedure. When performed in a physician’s office, excisions usually cost less than $1,000 per lesion, but if the lesion is not treated in time and surgery is required, hospital visits can cost thousands.

On a national level, the cost of treating skin cancers is in the billions of dollars. The total amount spent on treating melanoma in the U.S. in 2004 was $1.5 billion, and the amount spent on non-melanoma skin cancer was $2 billion. A more recent estimate of national treatment costs put melanoma costs at $2.36 billion alone, so the true current cost of skin cancer is likely between $5 billion and $6 billion.

The best way to treat skin cancer is by avoiding risks in the first place. Some risks, such as genetic makeup and ethnicity, are unavoidable, but there are many things you do to ensure you’re not one of the millions diagnosed. Since the chief cause of DNA damage in the skin is exposure to ultraviolet rays, as in direct sunshine or tanning beds, preventive steps are easy.

For starters, skip the tanning beds and wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more when out in the sun, and wear hats and protective clothing whenever possible. If you stay in the sun for extended periods, sweat or get wet, be sure to periodically reapply sunscreen. Even when you don’t plan to spend the day outside, sunscreen should be used every day, even at a lower SPF. Finally, make sure your sunscreen protects against both UV-A and UV-B rays before buying.

Sunscreen will help reduce your risk, but there’s no way to ensure you’ll never get skin cancer. However, skin cancer has a 91% survival rate, and your best chance for treatment is early detection. Skin cancer can occur anywhere on your body, so know your skin and do a self-check once per month. Keep an eye out for any new or changing moles, and any new pink or red lesions, and schedule an appointment with your doctor if you find anything questionable.

Juice cleanses are all the rage, and despite the fact that the benefits claimed by proponents are questionable, many people find it easier to get their recommended fruit and vegetable servings in when they’re in liquid form.

But whole fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber— a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of.  Most experts consider juice cleansing or fasting unnecessary. Our organs efficiently remove toxins that juices can’t, and fasting is not a healthy way to lose weight.

by Lacie Glover on July 2, 2014 | posted in Healthy Living, Wellness

Juicing is the new fad in the wellness arena, and with a number of celebrities jumping in, it seems like all the cool kids are doing it. Popular premade juice cleanses advertise benefits such as removing toxins, improving skin tone and shedding weight – they’re no doubt big moneymakers. But you don’t want to get duped while the cleanse companies get rich. After all, the weight loss industry brings in $60 billion a year, despite a less-than-perfect record.

If you’re newly interested in juice cleanses, you’ll have to do some homework to find out if they’re worth the hit to your budget. Part of being financially responsible is getting good value out of all that you buy. When it comes to prepared food items, you’ll want to make sure the product is high quality and worth paying for. More importantly, you’ll want to make sure that any juice cleanse you choose will not have any negative health effects.

Many prepared juice companies promise organic, non-GMO products, and the juices you receive are likely to be high quality. That said, most juices intended for cleansing are pressed and purposely leave the fiber out. If you have nut or dairy allergies or dietary preferences such as all-organic or gluten-free, there are companies that will cater to your needs. In order to keep it safe, make sure juices are pasteurized or made no more than three days before they are consumed and shipped in refrigerated containers.

You can probably find a juice bar in most cities, offering fresh juices and smoothies for less than $15. That seems expensive enough, but it’s fresh and it’s usually not a meal replacement. For serious juice cleanses meant to replace food for one to five days, prices range from $20 to $70 per day. And that doesn’t include shipping, which is usually around $60, because juices need to stay refrigerated in transit (although some do offer free shipping). The industry standard start-up cleanse is usually a three-day cleanse for between $60 and $200. Because juicing is trendy, it’s hard to know whether the price of these juices is because of quality or demand.

The alternative to purchasing bottled juices is buying the produce and making them yourself. The benefit is that you know exactly what’s in the juice. But a blender or juicer is typically a higher-end appliance. If you plan on buying a home juicer, you’d better also plan on using it more than a few times to justify the cost. Apart from the purchase of produce, home juicing machines can be more expensive than the price of a single cleanse, with average prices around $200. For those looking to keep the fiber in, masticating juicers can run anywhere from $230 to $1,150 for home models.

There are pros and cons to the juice trend, and the Internet is rife with conflicting information. For an expert’s opinion, I reached out to Lori Zanini, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with HealthCare Partners. She notes that the main upside to fruit and vegetable juices is that they are nutrient-dense, and they contain lots of vitamins and minerals in a small volume. Plus, juicing “can increase fruit and vegetable intake in individuals who would otherwise not consume enough,” Zanini says. This is a common concern of hers, since most adults don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in their diets, but she doesn’t recommend juicing for long-term weight loss.

Juicing is often not nutritionally balanced, and without protein or healthy fat, hunger will set in sooner. Fruit juices “contain only carbohydrates with minimal fiber, which will digest in approximately five minutes and raise blood sugar, especially for those with diabetes,” Zanini warns. Fiber not only helps you stay full longer, it also lowers cancer risk and cholesterol levels, aids in digestion and controls blood sugar levels.

For those at a high risk for infection, Zanini recommends boiling homemade juices or buying only pre made juices that are pasteurized. This includes children, the elderly, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and people with immune disorders. Additionally, unboiled homemade juices should be consumed the same day they are made to reduce the risk of consuming bacteria.

While spending upward of $200 for three days of nourishment might be offset by the cost of food you’re not eating, pressed juices aren’t a great value. The benefits of long-term juice fasting, such as detoxification and weight loss, are unsubstantiated. Your body does an excellent job of removing toxins on its own, and any weight loss you experience will likely be water and therefore not permanent. Without the lure of these claims, you may want to examine whether prepared juices are worth fitting into your budget.

Supplementing your diet with fresh juice probably won’t have any negative health effects, and it can easily fit into a healthy diet. “I recommend juicing always be in addition to someone’s eating plan, not the entire eating plan itself,” Zanini says. To reap maximum benefits and avoid consuming too much sugar, she recommends using vegetable-based juices with some fruit rather than pure fruit juices as well as sticking to 4-ounce portions. If you don’t want to make a big investment, many larger cities now have juice bars offering fresh, high-quality juices that make a great occasional snack.

Limiting animal protein is generally considered to be a heart-healthy choice, and soy protein is thought of as a healthy alternative. In moderation, soy products such as tofu, edamame and soy milk can help control blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

However, eating too much soy can prevent iron absorption, which can contribute to anemia, especially in vegans and vegetarians. Additionally, soy contains estrogen-like compounds that, when consumed in excess, can lead to uterine cancer. While there is no standard recommendation on soy limits, two servings per day is considered safe.

Like food, sleep is one of our most basic necessities. Without it, the body shuts down and slowly stops functioning. And, as with food, too much of a good thing will have a negative impact on health.

Too much sleep can result in an increased risk of chronic diseases, including America’s No. 1 killer, heart disease. While most people don’t get enough sleep, there are plenty who get too much. Limit your sleep to nine hours for best health results.

Compare your Explanation of Benefits against your medical bill to check for mistakes.

Appeal any denied claims and negotiate your bill.

Apply for financial aid from the hospital, a charity, or even crowdfund your bill.