3 "In The News" Health Topics To Discuss With Your Doctor

There are a number of "hot topics" that have been making a buzz in the medical community for years, however, many patients never discuss them with their family practice doctors. While you should never try new therapies without first discussing it with your physician, there are a number of natural and over-the-counter treatments that may have a positive impact on your current and future medical status. Here are three medically-related "hot topics" to discuss with your family practitioner and how they may help improve your health status:

Coffee

If you love coffee, you might have given a passing thought to how caffeine affects your heart or blood pressure, and may also have noticed that you feel a little jittery after consuming too much. What you may not have realized, however, is that drinking coffee may lower your risk for developing diabetes.

As revealed by Mayo Clinic, "some studies suggest that drinking coffee, caffeinated and decaffeinated, may actually reduce your risk of developing diabetes." The reasoning behind this may be that coffee, especially higher consumption of coffee, may be linked to better glucose tolerance in the body.

If you have risk factors for diabetes such as family history, or if you already have diabetes, talk to your family doctor to see if drinking more coffee might help prevent this disease or improve your blood sugar levels if you already have diabetes. 

Aspirin

Aspirin has been in the news for years; however, many health care providers are hesitant to recommend a daily dose of aspirin because of its potential for gastrointestinal bleeding. Aspirin is a potent anticoagulant and it decreases platelet aggregation. This causes your blood to become less sticky and thinner, reducing the risk for life-threatening blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. In addition to aspirin's ability to thin the blood, it can also help dampen systemic inflammation, including the inflammation in your arteries.

Arterial inflammation may also be another risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease because when the insides of your arteries are inflamed, blood flow may be impaired. If you want to know how taking a daily low dose aspirin might help you stave off a heart attack or stroke, talk to your family practice doctor to see if aspirin therapy is right for you.

Antacids

If you suffer from heartburn or acid reflux disease, you're probably familiar with over-the-counter calcium carbonate antacids. While they may taste rather "chalky," antacids quickly relieve your symptoms, if only for a few hours. In addition to relieving heartburn, your calcium-based antacids may also play an important role in the prevention of colon cancer.

According to Pub Med, "clinical trials have shown that calcium supplementation modestly decreases the risk of colorectal adenomas." Colon cancer develops from adenomas and polyps, so if calcium supplementation can help modestly reduce the risk for these growths in the colon, it may stop colon cancer from developing.

While calcium antacids are available without a prescription, they may not be appropriate for everyone, such as people with a condition known as hypercalcemia, which refers to high levels of calcium in the blood. If you have a strong family history for colorectal cancer or if you have other risk factors such as obesity, heavy alcohol consumption, or if you smoke cigarettes, talk to your doctor to see if supplementing with calcium carbonate antacids might lower your risk for colorectal cancer. 

If you want more information on how any of the above interventions might help improve your health, have a discussion with your healthcare provider. If you are at high risk for developing heart disease, colon cancer, or diabetes, these widely available substances may dramatically lower your risks for developing these diseases. 

For a family practice doctor, contact an office such as Choice Medical Group.