Mammograms and Breast Cancer prevention

The nice thing about blogging is that I can have an opinion and express it as such. This may be in direct contrast to the official 'recommendations' of the medical establishment.
A case in point are the new mammogram recommendations. Last year someone who was writing an article for 'Good Housekeeping' called me and asked how the new recommendations would change my practice. I told her honestly, they wouldn't.
My response must have been either uninteresting or not politically correct as it wasnt published!

Now that Breast Health awareness month is back (October) I get asked this question again quite a bit.
As far as I'm concerned the new recommendations dont make sense and I believe if my patients see the facts they will agree.
Some of the most egregious recommendations include: discouraging women from doing their own self breast exam and not starting mammograms until the age of 50. Do these jokers know how many of my patients would have been dead by now if I followed these recommendations?

While glancing through a recent edition of Family Practice News I noticed a reference to a study done in Michigan, with more than 5000 women, which agrees with me. The study was reported at the symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. It found that many breast cancer patients would have more advanced disease and face harsher treatment if the recently updated screening guidelines of the US Preventive Services Task Force were widely adopted.
In women under 50, 48.3% of breast cancers were detected by mammography, 46% by palpation.
The speaker concluded that " you are better off if you can have your cancer detected by mammography .....you will have more options and likely need less aggressive treatment......we would support the societies that continue to recommend annual screening mammography starting at age 40"

Do not misunderstand me, mammograms are not perfect and there is some radiation exposure but if you have breast cancer they definitely beat the alternative! I think if you are under 50 you can work it where you can get more thermograms and less mammograms but you still need to get that baseline mammogram to know where you stand. They dont hurt anymore and can be life saving.
Breast cancer treatment has come a long way but we still have a long way to go to eradicate the disease.

Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure.

Stay Well

Dr Tuakli

DOCTORS ABUSING PAIN MEDICATION PRESCRIPTIONS !!

As a follow up to my last Blog, I had a patient last week who was seen in one of the area hospital ERs complaining of Flu-like symptoms. The doctor she saw confirmed that she did in fact have THE FLU and gave her Ibruprofen 600mg and Percocet to take every 4 to 6 hours! My incredulous medical student asked the patient several times if she was sure she hadnt complained of pain and the patient insisted that she hadnt. Quite frankly whether she had or not it is totally inappropriate for a patient to be given narcotics for THE FLU!
Unfortunately this patient was very compliant and took her narcotic medication as prescribed. She passed out at work the next day and was rushed back to the hospital. In the process of falling she scraped her leg and had some other minor injuries, she could have cracked her skull open.......... because of the flu.
Unbelievably, when the patient came to my office she was still taking the medicine because they told her in the ER that she had passed out because she had not eaten but they forgot to tell her to stop taking the medicine. Such compliance!

I plan to complain to the hospital in writing, its time we did something about this dissemination of drugs in our community. As a popular commercial on the radio says "not a sermon, just a thought".

Prescription Pain Medications

I recently had a minor procedure done and it was a very illuminating experience for two reasons:

Firstly, being a patient is a very humbling experience, I must confess I was deeply moved by the kindness of the people that took care of me. It is so different when you are the one with the clothes on giving instructions!
In those few hours I learned so much that I would venture to suggest that every doctor and medical student be required to be a patient for a day. Even though I knew all about the procedure, the staff carefully explained to me what I should expect. They were very sensitive about maintaining my privacy and making sure I was comfortable. Being on the receiving end made me realize how priviledged we are as health care providers to be able to help other people. It is amazing how a little kindness can be so affirming.
My promise to myself from now on is to be more compassionate and empathetic with my patients, I believe nothing else in Medicine is as important.

The second thing that I have pondered a lot since my procedure is how we as physicians have to a large extent caused the epidemic of prescription drug abuse. A subject that is featuring prominently in the news media these days because of Michael Jackson's death.
Prior to my procedure the resident (Intern) physician asked me which pain medication I 'preferred' Oxycodone or Tylenol #3. I was very taken aback because number 1, I don't have a preferred pain medication (and I don't believe most people do) and number two I knew that this procedure usually doesn't cause any pain. She reluctantly gave me a prescription for Motrin which I didn't even fill. I had no pain, none and can't imagine why I was expected to have any. If I didn't know better I could have gone home with a prescription for Oxycodone which has pretty good street value.

I have noticed for sometime now that many surgeons just routinely give patients pain medications in case of need, they constantly say "we want to get ahead of the pain".
What pain?! What we need to do is get ahead of the Pain Medication addiction and only give people pills when they need it. Even women who have just had a baby are given scripts "just in case". It really hit home hard with me a veteran physican being offered unnecessary pain medication by a young doctor who is already programmed to dispense it.

One can only imagine how much pain medication Micheal Jackson was given after all his surgeries, and I have no doubt that is probably where his addiction started.

We physicians must first do no harm but if we doctors wont change at least the patients can.
Here are my suggestions:
Decline a script if you don't need it and don't obediently take any for your family members either without questioning.
If an over the counter pill will take care of your pain don't even fill the prescription.
Get only small amounts of pain medication if needed and flush away any remaining pills when you no longer have pain.

This is my personal opinion and I feel very strongly about it.I really think that with all the technology and other advances we have made we should be able to eliminate the scourge of drug addiction.

Help spread the word.
Be well and stay active!

HCG DIET

For years I have been recommending this diet to a select group of my patients. I have to admit, it has been so successful I have expanded the range of patients I offer it to.

This is the ONLY diet I have seen where people do not gain back the weight, really!!

On average you will lose 20 to 40 pounds depending on what your starting weight is and how diligent you are with it
.
Unfortunately with all the recent publicity a lot of fake products have popped up. All kinds of potions are sold on the internet as "HCG" and even reputable nutrition stores seem to be selling ""HCG alternatives" or substitutes. These products give the diet as a whole a bad name when they don't work or cause side effects like hair loss.

HCG is a hormone, if you pick up a bottle of "HCG" at GNC for $60 and it says "this product contains no hormone" put it down!

HCG is very safe and effective when done with Physician supervision.

I will be be discussing this diet and its pro and cons in my Laurel Office at 11.30 on Saturday October 8th, you will be able to speak to people who have done the diet. Call to reserve a spot...... you will be glad you did.

Video from the Spring Seminar

What a busy summer! My son videotaped me (from the side) at the last seminar and has put it on youtube. I thought it was worth sharing the link with those of you who might be interested in listening to the kinds of topics I cover at my seminars. The angle is not deliberate but hopefully it is informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1p2bd0UN5w

Telomeres on the Today's Show

Here is an interesting snippet from the Today's show about Telomeres.
I have discussed these at 2 of my prior seminars, let me know if you have any questions,


http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/43737929#43737929

Enjoy!
Dr Tuakli

Anti-Aging Seminar summary

Here is the link for my son's Youtube video of the seminar in May

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXyY5HF8Mp0 , Let me know what you think!

A Supplement for Whatever Ails You!

People ask me all the time "what supplements should I take?" Well, the answer to that question depends on the individual but there is one supplement I would recommend to everyone if I had it: The one that prevents Procrastination!
Just imagine if I could invent such a supplement, perhaps I would call it 'Dr T's major motivator'. I could create that and retire young!
Unfortunately, Motivation, which is the antithesis of procrastination, doesn't come in pill form. It has to come from inside.

The good news is that sometimes something external to ourselves can trigger that magic 'M' button and get us going.
Think of all we could achieve if we could eliminate procrastination in our lives.

Are you reading this because you want to live longer with the best quality of life you can? Do you need to lose weight?

Get past the procrastination and take that first step, call us...............TODAY! I will do my darndest to keep you motivated, you are not alone :)

Go for it, be well!

Dr T

Our Spring Seminar: A good time was had by all!

Hello there! We had such a great time at the seminar on Saturday, they keep getting better, and better. What a wonderful and enthusiastic crowd. They had so many great questions and were so much "into" it!
The next few blogs will be about the seminar and I will try to recap some of the information shared as I get further into it
.
We started the day as usual, with some NIA, led by our expert instructor Ms. Claudia Salomon, she got the blood flowing to everyone's brain.

Next we looked at what Anti-Aging means and what an Anti-Aging program does. After this, we listened to a compounding pharmacist: Sam Georgiou talk about 'how to get your libido back'. He gave out little red cards with his 'turbo charge' formula.
I know Trader Joe's got a run on Brazil nuts and Cod Liver Oil after his talk :)! Both the male and the female participants were feverishly writing down all of Sam's tips.
I then gave a talk on what I call the Untold Truths of Hormone Replacement where we discussed the common misconceptions about what exactly Menopause and Andropause entails. I'll get more into that in another blog.
Dr Scott Buckner, an Interventional Radiologist, talked about Varicose Veins and a non surgical alternative for Fibroid treatment.
After lunch and an additional stretch with the NIA instructor we talked about .........Feet!
Watching the audience, it was clear that most people had never really given much thought to their feet however at the end everyone had a new appreciation of the two things that carry us around all day long! Everyone was planning to get their feet checked at their first opportunity. I really wished I had been a little more pro active with my feet, we really need to embrace every part of our bodies and what they do for us.
Every one loves show and tell, so I showed before and after pictures of Acne Treatment, Wrinkle Therapy with Dysport and Fillers, Obagi and skin tag removal. This was followed by a demonstration of Filler insertion on Cindy Battle and Free Dysport for everyone which was really popular.
We rounded the day off with a Zumba class.
Last but not least, I would like to throw a shout out to our sponsors for being so forward thinking as to support an Anti-Aging Seminar : The Vein Clinic, Professional Arts Pharmacy, Arbonne, Chef Tracey, and Angela Riddick, Obagi and Spectracell. What a great day! Hope to see you all at the next seminar in October. In the meanwhile, please be healthy.

Spring Seminar Agenda

Spring is here and its time for another seminar!
Our Spring Seminar will take place at Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center in Ellicott City on May 21st 2011. It starts with registration at 9.30 am and ends at 4 pm.

We will be discussing:

Anti-Aging

Hormone Balancing

Restoring the Sex drive in Women and Men

Non surgical treatment of Fibroids and Varicose Veins

Taking care of our Feet as we age

Weight loss; The HCG diet

Dysport as an alternative to Botox, Restylane and Perlane fillers

and of course:

Practice NIA and Zumba

The seminar is open to men and women of all ages, hope you can make it!

Sign up on line at this website or by phone at 410 992 0011. It is $20 in advance, imagine that for an all day program you can't beat it, and $25 at the door. Hurry, its filling up fast!

Thank you!

Last weekend I was thrilled and amazed to receive an honor from the local chapter of the AKA at their annual International Women's Day luncheon.
Interestingly, some of my patients think that my volunteer and teaching activities are a distraction to my practice so I really thank a patient of mine Ms. Shawn Jackson who nominated me for the award. Shawn realizes that volunteering is not only OK, it is actually necessary for professional women to give what we can to uplift our communities. I also commend the AKA for their acknowledgement that we should all use our gifts to help others and we should think globally. Women the world over look to women in the United States as role models and mentors.
It has indeed been an exciting 2 weeks for me, one weekend I am returning from Haiti where I was doing what I love: Helping people take better care of themselves and teaching and then the next weekend I am receiving an award for for it.
I think there is a need in all of us to help our fellow human and in my case volunteering fills that void. I love it! I receive so much more than I give every time.There have been times when I have been depressed at the scope of the work to be done and the smallness of my contribution but now I realize that even if you only help one person, you have made a difference.
As Livingston said:" Sympathy is not a substitute for action"

Thank you AKA for the wonderful award, I am proud and grateful to have been selected.

How old is your spine? Can it keep up?

No that's not a typo, how old ARE your bones? And can they keep up with everything that you would like to do?

This may seem like an odd question and probably not one you have asked yourself lately, however you should. In fact you should question the age of all your organs and do what you can to maintain their vitality. Many people spend a lot of time focusing on what age their face may appear to be and with modern medicine they are able to adjust that but what about their other systems?

This is the essence of what Anti-Aging or Age Management medicine is about. Figure out what damage has been done and slow it down or fix it. Figure out if you have enough of what you need nutritionally to get through the day. How do you know what your Glutathionine and Selenium levels are if you don't get them checked? What is your anti-oxidant level and why don't you care?

Time marches on and it will be harder tomorrow than it is today to repair and revive yourself, if you allow yourself to deteriorate completely it may actually become impossible. So don't wait. Lose the weight, do some form of exercise daily, exercise your brain and have a plan.

A study done at the Deaconess Medical Center in Boston showed that by the time a person is 75 they will have three of these six conditions: Frequent falling, urinary incontinence, confusion and memory loss, osteoporosis or arthritis, heart disease and depression. But this should not be looked upon as inevitable and remember with each condition comes more medication!
I read this today: You know you are old if your back goes out more than you do! What a pleasant prospect.

Anyway! Coming back to those bones, if you are over 50 or a post-menopausal women you should have a bone density scan ( along with a colonoscopy and an Anti-Aging evaluation). Remember that your bones are as strong as they will ever be at the age of 18 from then on your goal is to hang on to what you have. Weak bones can lead to misery and death as you get older.

Then again it doesn't hurt to take care of the outside AS well so I'll throw in a little plug for our February special. You can get "Botox" for as little as $50 before the end of February and $50 BACK on fillers, only through the end of the month.

Stay Young, Healthy and Happy!