10 | CFHN centralfloridahealthnews.com W hen Nakia Bennett of Lakeland checked his lab results last May, he was not expecting to find the first sign of prostate cancer. Bennett, who has Graves’ disease, has bloodwork done every four to six months. During his routine labs, his primary care doctor included a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test because of his age. The result came back at 4.2, slightly above the range Bennett understood to be normal. When the Army veteran asked to be retested, Bennett said he was initially told the elevated result was likely a spike and could be checked again in a year. He pushed back. “One of my biggest fears in life is going to a doctor for a problem that I’ve been having, that I’ve been putting off, and hearing that doctor say, ‘Mr. Bennett, there’s nothing else that we can do for you,’” Bennett says. “If something doesn’t feel right, I go get checked out because I want to know why.” Two months later, his PSA had risen to 4.4, prompting a referral to a urologist. By October, following a biopsy, Bennett received the news. “[The doctor] walks in with these papers in his hands and all in one breath, before he can even sit down, it’s like, ‘We got your lab results back on your biopsy. You have cancer,’” Bennett says. THE WEIGHT OF THE WORD Bennett, who had just turned 51 four days earlier, is the 11th person in his family to face the diagnosis. “My father was in his mid-70s when he got diagnosed,” Bennett says. “My grandfather was living in his 80s when he got diagnosed. So I wasn’t expecting anything this early.” Dr. Kenneth Essig, a board-certified urologist with BayCare Medical Group in Winter Haven, says those with “a first- degree relative with prostate cancer” are among those most at risk for developing the disease. Essig says men should typically start getting screened for prostate cancer at age 50. But, he adds, for men with a family history, screening should start at 45. After his doctor said cancer, Bennett says he couldn’t absorb the rest of the conversation. ADVERTORIAL HEART NEWS P hysical activity helps to burn calories, in- crease the heart rate, and keep blood flow- ing at a healthy rate. A regular exercise routine may reduce the risk of stroke, which is the fourth-leading cause of death in America. Studies have also shown that patients with pe- ripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be success- fully treated with supervised exercise therapy (SET) and possibly avoid interventions, which are risky and expensive. Regular physical ex- ercise also decreases the growth rate of ab- dominal aortic aneurysms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of physical activity per week for adults aged 18-64. The activity can be a combination of moderate-intensity aerobics and strength training and should continue for at least 10 minutes at a time. Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities that increase the heart rate and cause sweating include: • Walking briskly (about a mile in 15 minutes) • Riding a bicycle at a casual pace (slower than 10 miles an hour) • Water aerobics • Ballroom dancing • Playing doubles tennis • Actively playing with children • Mowing the lawn • Gardening, raking or batting leaves Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities that increase the heart rate, cause sweating and heavy breathing that limits talking, include: • Race walking, jogging or running • Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack • Riding a bicycle fast or riding hills more than 10 mph • Swimming laps • Playing singles tennis • Playing basketball, football, soccer etc. • Jumping rope • Aerobic dancing • Heavy gardening Examples of twice-weekly muscle strengthening activities include: • Sit-ups, push-ups • Weightlifting • Yoga • Heavy gardening such as digging and shoveling A lack of regular physical activity results in 250,000 deaths annually according to her 2003 report in the medical journal Circulation. People who are the least physically fit have a mortality risk 4.5 times higher than physically fit people. BIO: Dr. Aparajita is a fellowship-trained vascular and endovascular surgeon. She is a co-author of 20-plus journal articles and publications and was recently nominated for an Inspiration Award by the American Medical Association. This column is sponsored by KSC Cardiology, and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFHN or of its advertisers. RITU APARAJITA, MD, RPVI KSC Cardiology Don’t Underestimate the Power of Physical Activity EDITION FEATURE A Family History, A Family History, A Personal Battle A Personal Battle After Prostate Cancer Diagnosis, Lakeland Man Urges Others to Advocate for Their Health by SHAYLYNN MARKS photo by GLENDA HOLCOMB ESSIG
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