advancedcareforwomen

Endometriosis: Dr. Coussons' Guide to Diagnosis & Treatment

help@promarketing.team (Ann K.) — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 16:10:31 GMT

Understanding Endometriosis: A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment

February is Heart Disease Awareness Month for Women

help@promarketing.team (Ann K.) — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 15:24:32 GMT

Heart Disease: Risk factors, protections, symptoms, and treatments

February is heart disease awareness month for women. I want to highlight reasons to pick a specialized provider in women’s health. Traditional medical research and treatments for heart disease included men, not women. February is dedicated to highlight the unique differences and overlooked problem of heart disease for women.

Most emphasis is on how different the symptoms of a heart attack present in women compared to men. I am more concerned about the unique difference in prevention of heart disease in women. The risk factors, protections, symptoms, and some treatments are drastically different in women compared to men. But did you know that many primary care providers are unaware of these differences, and they recommend interventions that can be more harmful to women?

Insulin, Weight Control and New Medications

help@promarketing.team (Ann K.) — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 19:36:05 GMT

Insulin, Weight Control and New Medications

Insulin has been known for years as a problem hormone. It is secreted by the pancreas, and it spikes higher in the bloodstream after a meal. It spikes higher based on the diet we consume. Certain foods, such as sugars, carbohydrates and starches, cause insulin to rise faster and higher based on the structure of the carb. Simple carbs and sugar cause a very rapid peak of insulin, whereas complex carbs and fiber cause a much slower rise.

Insulin’s job is to lower the blood sugar by opening channels in our cells to store unused sugar as fat. Insulin is a powerful growth hormone and leads to fat storage. Over time and with age our bodies become resistant to insulin. Family history also may contribute to the problems, but it takes more and more insulin to control the blood sugar, until the pancreas can’t make any more. When the pancreas fails to keep up, the blood sugar rises, and type 2 diabetes develops. Smoking is the only risk factor that is more dangerous in the development of vessel damage. Diabetes is a close second leading to strokes, heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure, and potentially amputations.

The number one way to control insulin (and therefore diabetes) is to eat a healthy diet low in simple sugars and processed carbs. Fiber and complex carbs along with moderate protein and low animal fats can lead to healthy weight loss and reversal of diabetes. Even pre-diabetes and obesity can be treated medically with right medical care. Medications that improve sensitivity to insulin ( metformin ) and newer treatments for diabetes ( Victoza, Ozempic, and Mounjaro ) lower insulin and help patients lose weight. Ozempic for diabetes was released as Wegovy for weight loss. See how these medications can help with your weight loss struggles.

Hereditary Cancer Screening

help@promarketing.team (Ann K.) — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 14:17:22 GMT

Hereditary Cancer Screening
Information to inform more personalized health care decisions.

October is well-known as breast cancer awareness month. We all know friends and may have family members that have been diagnosed and fought this horrible disease. My mother and her sister were both diagnosed with breast cancer, so I know first-hand the pain it can cause.

The average risk for a women being diagnosed with breast cancer over her lifetime is 1 in 8. Current guidelines for breast self exams, clinical breast exams and mammograms for screening are all aimed at early detection, meaning the diagnosis comes after developing breast cancer. While early diagnosis is the best way to survive breast cancer, prevention would be so much better. My mother was diagnosed very early and has lived decades cancer free. Her sister was diagnosed at a later stage and died after a long fight with breast cancer that lasted over 10 years, undergoing several surgeries and many rounds of chemotherapy.

What if we had the means to diagnose patients before they developed cancer? Imagine the lives saved and the families freed of the pain of this disease. That time is now. We are using a new term called “previvor” This is a patient that is a survivor of cancer by preventing cancer. Not the majority, but a significant number of breast cancers are hereditary especially those that are diagnosed before 50 years old.

It has become very easy and affordable to screen patients for genetic mutations that increase the risk of cancer. If a positive test returns showing a gene that leads to increased cancer risk, additional screening to catch cancer even earlier or surgery can be offered to prevent cancer before it develops. Watch this short video to learn more:

There was no genetic screening available when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Years later the BRCA gene was discovered and now we know of over 200 genes that increase the risk of cancer. Some of these are less understood but about 50 lead to the majority of hereditary and familial cancers. We can test for these with a simple blood test.

I have partnered with Natera to offer my patients the Empower test and offer counseling on the best ways to prevent or screen for cancers if the test returns positive. Having access to this information can be life-saving for my patients and life-changing for their families and loved ones too.
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