Vim & Vigor - Fall 2012 - North Mississippi - (Page 29)

What Are the Chances? Though Couric’s husband was just 41 when his disease was discovered, the primary risk factors for colon cancer are age—being 50 or older—and a family history of the disease, according to Durado Brooks, M.D., MPH, director of prostate and colorectal cancers for the American Cancer Society (ACS). He advises compiling your family medical history and sharing that information with your doctor to determine whether you need to start screening earlier. And the big takeaway here is that screening can detect and also prevent cancer from starting. “There are many people who do not believe we can prevent cancer, and certainly not by doing a test like colonoscopy,” Brooks says. “But the reality is that we have seen a steady decrease in both the incidence of and deaths from colon cancer over the last 20 years, and a lot of that is felt to be related to screening—ﬁ nding polyps, removing them and keeping cancer from ever occurring.” screened, I wanted to demystify and destigmatize the procedure,” Couric says in her book. Mission accomplished. What followed has come to be known as the Couric Effect: Colonoscopy rates increased more than 20 percent, according to a 2003 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. (Couric refers to it as “The Jay Monahan Effect.”) > The Perks of Being Perky Most people don’t achieve the kind of success in one arena that Katie Couric has amassed in three—as anchorwoman, author and advocate. Although she may once have bristled at being called “perky,” with a career—and life—like hers, it’s hard to knock the benefits of a cheery outlook. Just take a look at how it has paid off for her, and how Couric has paid her good fortune forward. The Payo s: Becomes the first female solo anchor (at CBS) in the history of network news. Writes a best-selling book with some of the world’s most influential movers and shakers. Paying It Forward: Uses her celebrity to encourage others to get screened for colon cancer. Donates all her proceeds from the book to Scholarship America, a nonprofit that raises money for and allocates college scholarships. Helps to raise $180 million in research funds for the Stand Up to Cancer movement. Courage on Display Although there are other screenings for colon cancer, only the colonoscopy allows a physician to both ﬁ nd and remove polyps—growths that can become cancerous—during the same procedure. Couric has done more than her part to boost colon cancer awareness and screening efforts. In 2000, she asked her Today show boss Jeff Zucker, a colon cancer survivor himself, if she could have an on-air colonoscopy, and he immediately agreed. “Since colon cancer has a better than 90 percent cure rate if detected early, and so many people do not get Signs with ABC for a reported $40 million to develop her own show, Katie. Vim & Vigor · FAL L 2012 29

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2012 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2012 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Winning the Weight War
Ladies First
30 Days to Better Sleep
I Can's Ask My Doctor That!
He Said, She Said
Hold On to Your Health
Still a Screening Star
Your Joints: An Owner’s Manual
Weighing Your Options
No Greater Gift
Weather Alert
Virtual Health
Special Report
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2012 - North Mississippi