Ho Ho Ho!  The Holidays are here which means, for most of us, stringing up multicolored lights, decorating the house, watching the snow fall, and sharing with family the indulgences of homemade warm cinnamon rolls, sweet tea breads, and pumpkin pies.  But many years of overindulging in too many calories, sugar, and fat can also mean putting on the pounds and for some who suffer from high cholesterol the extra pounds and rich high-fat foods puts them more at risk of heart attacks and strokes.  High cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) affects an estimated 26 percent of American adults, according to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III carried out from 1988-1991. It is also more common in those who are obese, a condition that has now reached epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting as much as half of the adult population.

'Tis the time of year when change of seasons and crisp cool air bring with them the familiar dry coughs and nagging aches and pains of the flu (technically known as influenza). The flu is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory tract. Flu symptoms are usually more severe than those of the common cold, and may include fever, headache, sore throat, sneezing and runny, stuffy nose, loss of appetite, muscle soreness, general weakness, and sometimes nausea or vomiting. The flu typically lasts one to two weeks. If left untreated, the flu can lead to life-threatening complications such as pneumonia, especially among the elderly, women who are pregnant, or people with chronic illnesses. Flu epidemics cause an average of 20,000 deaths each year in the United States.

“I woke up and they told me I had an colostomy bag and they told me that I had cancer all in my stomach.”

Those were the haunting words Sheila West-Yorek heard from her doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas in November, 2003. The cancer was a result of new tumors that had grown on her ovaries and metastasized to her stomach. The cruel irony of this is that her once healthy ovaries had received preventative radiation treatments during a bout with cervical cancer eleven years before, and now her worst fears were realized.

There is a significant chance that you will go through surgery at some point in your life, your chances for a full and speedy recovery do not necessarily lay in the hands of your doctor or other health care professionals. You have more control over your recovery than you may think. But you have to prepare yourself for a healthy surgical procedure. The lack of proper care for your body before, during, and after your surgery will often determine how quickly you will recover and perhaps even survive your surgery.