When the Cleveland Browns’ team captain Christian Kirksey, 27, was sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle after game two last September, he was in prime condition to make it through his operation and post-op recovery. His regular offseason workout includes mind-boggling exercises that strengthen his back, abdominals and arms (Google “Christian Kirksey shows off his offseason workout”). That helped him get reactivated on Dec. 7.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to bounce back from an operation.
In a study published in the journal Surgery, University of Michigan researchers found that “prehab,” consisting of small lifestyle adjustments made 15 to 30 days before surgery, can cut your hospital stay by almost a third. Their recent follow up study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that 66% of patients who went through prehab were discharged to home, in contrast to 57% of those without the training. So, what are the docs recommending you do for prehab?
Get moving: Add an hour of walking a day to your routine. Not possible? Try a stationary recumbent bike.
Eat right: Eliminate highly processed foods, and red and processed meats.
Quit smoking: Smoking anything dramatically increases your risk for surgical complications. Visit DoctorOz.com; search for Smoking Cessation Fact Sheet.
Plan ahead: Don’t let worries about your post-op care, family, finances, etc., derail recovery. Talk to friends, family and your doctors about your concerns; work together to find solutions. Remember: Even pro athletes need help to bounce back from surgery.
Straightening out confusion about hair dyes and straighteners
Political activist Angela Davis in the 1960s, writer bell hooks in the late 1990s (she wrote “Happy to Be Nappy”), and singer/actress/dancer Zendaya today (check out her “Curly Wavy Hair Routine” video on YouTube) all embrace naturally curly hair. Smart moves.
A new study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reveals that using hair-straightening chemicals puts you on a straight path to trouble. Looking at data on 46,709 women, researchers found that both African American and Caucasian women who used hair straighteners every five to eight weeks (or more frequently) upped their risk of developing breast cancer by 30%!
But straightening hair isn’t the only hazard the researchers spotted. Using at-home or salon permanent dyes (but not semi-permanent or temporary colors) every five to eight weeks jumps the risk of breast cancer by 60% for African Americans and 8% for whites.
What’s going on here? The main caustic ingredient in hair straighteners is formaldehyde, previously linked to myeloid leukemia and rare cancers, such as cancers of the nasal cavity. Some chemicals in permanent hair dyes, such as 4-diaminoanisole sulfate and para-phenylenediamine, have been found to induce tumors in the mammary gland of rats, as well as bladder and blood cancers in humans.
So embrace how you look, curls, grays and all. If you want to make some changes, enjoy a streak of temporary purple or some gray-hiding semipermanent color. Then use a hair-straightening iron (careful not to burn or damage your hair) if you want to smooth out your curls.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
