30 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • AUGUST 3, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Focusing on Family Health: August is
National Immunization Awareness Month
National Immunization
Awareness Month (NIAM),
held each year in August, is
a great time to review your
family’s vaccination records.
NIAM was established to
encourage people of all ages to
make sure they are up to date
on the vaccines recommended
for them and their family
members.
Vaccination is considered to
be one of the greatest public
health achievements of the last
two centuries. Over time, successful
In metastatic breast cancer, attitude and knowledge are power
A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer
(MBC) can turn a woman’s life upside
down. Th e disease, also known as Stage
IV breast cancer, occurs when cancer has
spread beyond the breast to other parts of
the body, including the bones, liver, lungs
or brain.i,ii MBC is not just one disease
- there are many diff erent subtypes
and treatment options can vary depending
on the subtype of each patient.
“Having an open, honest dialogue with
my oncologist about my treatment plan
and having a positive attitude have helped
me feel empowered,” says Libby, a nurse
manager and MBC patient from Ashland,
KY.
As someone who has cared for others
throughout her career - and for her
own husband battling dementia - Libby
was devastated to learn in 2015 that the
breast cancer she beat 16 years prior had
spread to her lungs and become metastatic.
She appreciated her oncologist’s
approach because he stayed focused on
what they could do as a team to treat the
cancer.
She discussed her diagnosis and the
risks and benefi ts of treatment options
with her oncologist, who prescribed an
oral medicine called IBRANCE® (palbociclib)
along with hormonal therapy called
letrozole. IBRANCE in combination with
an aromatase inhibitor, such as letrozole,
is approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) for women
like Libby who have not received prior
treatment for their metastatic disease,
are postmenopausal and have a specific
type of metastatic breast cancer that
is estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and
human epidermal growth factor 2-negative
(HER2-).iii
“Patients oft en face challenges upon
receiving a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.
It’s important for both patients and
caregivers to fi nd support and understand
the treatment options available to
them,” said Julia Perkins Smith, Senior
Medical Director for Pfi zer Oncology, the
company that developed IBRANCE. For
more stories about women living with
MBC and to learn more about IBRANCE,
please visit MBCtogether.com.
Libby off ers the following insights to
other women facing MBC:
Choose to make the most of today!
Find an oncologist/healthcare team who
can fuel your own positive thinking.
Always talk to your doctor about which
treatments may be right for your individual
situationHave a support system,
including family, friends and co-workers.
“Tomorrow is not guaranteed and
life does not come with a promise of good
health or happiness. So, instead, I choose
to focus on making the most of today.
Aft er all, it’s up to us how we spend our
time on this earth,” says Libby.
Courtesy BPT
vaccination campaigns
have contributed to the elimination
(or near-elimination)
of some diseases in the US.
Eating well, staying active
and getting enough sleep are
all great ways to help live a
healthy lifestyle. But keeping
up-to-date with recommended
vaccines is an important
part of doing everything you
can to help protect your family’s
health.
August is an ideal point in
the year to consider seasonal
health check-ups, to address
the upcoming fl u season and
back to school time.
Flu season occurs in the
winter; but fl u outbreaks can
happen as early as October and can last
as late as May.
Today vaccines can help to protect
against 14 diseases before age two, but it is
also important to know that vaccines are
not just recommended for infants. Th ere
are vaccines recommended for schoolage
children, from preschoolers to college
students. Making sure that children
receive all their vaccinations on time is
one of the most important things you can
do as a parent to help protect your children.
In the US, most young children receive
many of the recommended vaccines, but
there is room to improve vaccination
rates among all groups, including adolescents
and adults.
It’s important to help make sure that
everyone in your family gets their recommended
shots, at the recommended time.
To learn more, talk to your healthcare
provider about vaccines that may be recommended
for you and your family, and
visit www.vaccinesandyou.com.
Th is information was provided by
Merck
Courtesy BPT