Dr. Henri Lanctin, a urologist at Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, was honored on February 22, 2014, in Brooklyn, NY, by the Aesclepius Medical Society for his work to improve urological care in Haiti.

"Dr. Lanctin was selected because of his outstanding medical care he has been providing to the indigenous population of Pignon, Haiti, for the past few years," said Nicole Francis of the Aesclepius Medical Society. "Dr. Lanctin is instrumental in the practical medical education of the urology residents of the Faculty of Medicine and he has worked diligently to bridge the gap between the different foreign medical entities providing urological services in Haiti."

Dr. Lanctin has been actively involved in Project Haiti, a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life for the people of Haiti, for 3.5 years. In addition to sending teams to the area to provide medical care for the community, Project Haiti puts a strong emphasis on providing medical education to Haiti's own health care workers. Dr. Lanctin has organized and led many urology teams to Pignon, Haiti, where team members work side-by-side with Haitian urologists.

"Haiti has 26 urologists," said Dr. Lanctin. "The goal of our work in Haiti is to work with these urologists—teaching them, supporting them and increasing their knowledge of urological care."

In November 2013, an international committee was formed to try to coordinate urological care efforts in Haiti. Dr. Lanctin is part of this committee, which includes both administrators and doctors from America and Haiti. The committee’s goal is get a bigger return on the efforts to improve urological care in Haiti.

"This award was very unexpected," said Dr. Lanctin. "I do not do this work for personal accolades. I do it for the love of the Haitian people."

Prairie Business magazine has selected Jill Fuller, President and CEO of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, as a Top 25 Women in Business.

Jill’s profile in the March 2014 issue of Prairie Business magazine reads: “Jill joined Prairie Lakes as vice president of patient care services in 2000 and was promoted to president and CEO in 2009. She has overseen the organization’s growth while remaining a financially strong, independent healthcare system during a period of rapid consolidations, decreased utilization and increased costs throughout the health care industry. In 2013 alone, the organization recruited nine physicians, added outreach sites, established a pulmonology program and added several other services. It received an A+ rating from Standard & Poor and was recognized by the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations for having a 1S percent Medicare margin while continuing to provide low-cost service for its patients. Jill is a very active member of the local community and serves on multiple committees. She is a board member of the Watertown Development Co. and was named the 2013 Business Woman of the Year by the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at South Dakota State University, where she taught executive leadership courses, and consults for the American Hospital Association.”

Around 1 million deaths a year are caused from lung cancer, which makes this one of the three most common cancers.

While smoking and other exposures to chemicals is the number one cause of lung cancer, there is also a correlation with significant lower UVB exposure.  According to the researchers from the University of California at San Diego, there is a connection between higher rates of lung cancer and less exposure to the sun.

This is not the first time researchers have connected the two.  In 2001, the British Journal of Cancer stated that cooked and raw fish lowered the risk of lung adenocarcinoma.  Most recently a study has been conducted on Norwegian men and women who have eaten cod liver oil, this was found to protect against lung cancer.  Both fish and cod liver oil are rich in vitamin D.

The average adult needs a significant amount of vitamin D that supplements and sun exposure cannot supply alone.  In order to take advantage of cancer protection benefits from vitamin D, the Anticancer Research Journal suggest higher levels of as much as 4,000-8,000 IU.  This means supplementing, getting sun exposure and eating foods rich in vitamin D are a must.

 

 

Although you can’t change family history, age or sex there are ways to avoid heart problems before it’s too late.

There are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take, starting with not smoking or using tobacco. Tobacco use is one of the leading factors in developing heart disease. The chemicals in cigarettes can lead to the narrowing of arteries, ultimately causing a heart attack. No amount of smoking is safe, but the more you smoke the greater the risk of heart disease.

Another prevention step is exercising for 30 minutes most days of the week. This doesn’t mean running a marathon, it can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood. This will allow you to maintain a healthy weight which reduces your chances of developing not only heart disease, but high blood pressure, high cholesterol or even diabetes.

Along with maintaining a healthy weight is a well balanced diet. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help protect your heart. Beans and other low-fat sources of protein are important as well.

Quality sleep is another key prevention step in reducing the risk of heart disease. Those z’s are important because people who do not get enough sleep are at risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Setting a sleep schedule and making sleep a priority in your life is extremely important when it comes to heart health.

Finally get regular health screenings so your doctor can monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol. If the numbers are not good doctors can take action before it’s too late.

Stay heart healthy by doing these six prevention steps:

    1- Don’t smoke or use tobacco

    2- Exercise for 30 minutes a day

    3- Eat a well balanced diet

    4- Maintain a healthy weight

    5- Get enough quality sleep

    6- Get regular heart screenings