Venis T. Wilder @thecitydocmd-blog - Tumblr Blog

Fear will cost you greatness.

Venis T. Wilder, MD

Push past your comfort zone. Push past your self-doubt. Push.

Venis T. Wilder

Your journey is handmade for you.

Venis T. Wilder

How do you capture a rising star? You don't! Keep shining!

Venis T. Wilder

What's in your makeup? Watch my interview with the founder of Sovereignty Beauty , Nethania Abraham, to discuss the ingredients to look for in your makeup

#all

To doubt is to be human. To have faith is heavenly.

Venis T. Wilder, M.D.

The best competition is a competition with your best self. What else can you achieve?

Venis T. Wilder, MD

Push past your comfort zone. Push past your self-doubt. Push.

Venis T. Wilder, MD

Adult Obesity Basics

Obesity is a condition of having excess fat on the body. This extra fat can cause increased inflammation, heart disease, and diabetes. It is defined by having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30. Body Mass Index is a comparison of your weight (in kilograms) to your height (in meters). The BMI weight categories are:

Underweight: Below 18.5 Healthy weight: 18.5 - 24.9 Overweight: 25.0 – 29.9 Obesity:  30+ Morbid Obesity:  40+

Go to BMI Calculator to check out your BMI.

#obesity

Obesity Statistics

Nationally, nearly 38 percent of adults are obese.

Obesity rates are higher among women (40.4 percent) compared to men (35.0 percent).

Obesity rates are higher among Blacks (48.4 percent) and Latinos (42.6 percent) than among Whites (36.4 percent) and Asian Americans (12.6 percent).

Black women (16.8 percent) are twice as likely to be extremely obese as White women (9.7 percent).

Approximately one in four young adults — ages 17 to 24 — are too overweight to join the military. Being overweight or obese is the leading medical reason why young adults cannot enlist.

- The City Doc: Venis T. Wilder, MD

#obesity

Tips for a Normal Blood Pressure (Goal < 120/80)

Watch your Waistline. Keep the extra pounds off and maintain a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) to help reduce your blood pressure. Eat healthy. More fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potassium. Less sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, or cholesterol.

Be Active. Do moderate exercise 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.

Reduce your sodium intake. Decrease salt load to no more than 1,500 mg (a little more than ½ teaspoon of salt) daily. Reduce intake of processed food.

Limit alcohol intake. Remember, everything in moderation, including red wine! Excess alcohol use raises blood pressure. 1 drink per day for women, 2 drinks per day for men. A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

Minimize Stress. Get in the habit of meditating, praying, and relaxing to reduce stress hormone levels.

Other tips:

Drink hibiscus herbal tea. Has antioxidants which help decrease toxins and inflammation in the blood vessels.

Eat dark chocolate. Cocoa helps to relax our arteries.

Get evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea if you snore.

Increase your potassium intake -

Increased Potassium intake linked to better blood pressure. It helps to reduce sodium in body through urine. Foods with higher quantity of potassium: sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, kidney beans, peas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and dried fruits such as prunes and raisins.

Some other foods that are good for high blood pressure: garlic cloves, turmeric, cayenne pepper, pomegranate.

- The City Doc: Venis T. Wilder, MD

#Hypertension

High Blood Pressure

Until I went to medical school and learned differently, I thought I was doomed to high blood pressure. Almost every adult I knew growing up had it. “Managing it” was what I thought I had to do. However, I learned that even though it may run in the family, I do not have to get it. So, we all have a choice to ACTIVELY take steps to prevent it.

1. So, what is High Blood Pressure?

Blood vessels can become stiff, mostly because of lots of cholesterol in the walls or the build up of calcium due to age. When the vessels are less flexible, the blood in the vessels puts more force or pressure on the vessel walls. Think about water flowing through a same-size 1) straw or 2) pipe. Question: Which would be more flexible and potentially allow more blood to flow through it with a lower force? Answer: The straw right?!, instead of the rigid pipe! When the pressure in our vessels is consistently high, we have high blood pressure.

Blood pressure readings are made up of 2 numbers – a top number (systolic) and a bottom number (diastolic). It gives a measurement of the pressure in our vessels when the heart squeezes and when the heart relaxes.

2. Definition:

You are diagnosed with high blood pressure if your Blood Pressure is greater than 140/90. However, really our goal should be less than 120/80. This makes it less likely that we are at risk of developing high blood pressure.

Prehypertension is when your blood pressure is borderline. The values are between 120-139/80-99. It’s a sign that your blood pressure is higher than what it should be, and you should make some changes to your diet and lifestyle.

3. Why does High Blood Pressure matter?

Our heart, kidneys, and brain get tired when they have to work harder to pump against a higher pressure. Years and years of working harder lead to heart disease, kidney problems, and stroke.

Are you ready to give your body a break? You can do the following:

Maintain a healthy weight with a body mass index (BMI) < 25.

Eat 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Cut down on your sodium (salt) intake. This also means cutting down on processed/packaged foods since they have a lot of sodium.

- The City Doc, Venis T. Wilder, MD

#Hypertension

The City Doc Cancer Screening Infographic

Lung Cancer Screening:

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the US and the 3rd most common type of cancer. If you are age 55+ years old and you have at least a 30 pack-year smoking history (which means you have been smoking approximately a pack a day for 30 years or double that for 15 years), you should get a yearly CT scan done of your lungs. Screening should be stopped once a person has not smoked for 15 years, or has a shorter life expectancy.

Colon Cancer Screening:

Colon cancer is the 3rd most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women. Colon cancer screening begins at age 50 until age 75. The test most used for colon cancer screening is a colonoscopy – a camera is inserted into the colon to evaluate for a tumor. If normal, this test is done every 10 years. Another less commonly used scope is a sigmoidoscopy. A stool test can also be used as alternative for colon cancer screening. It is done yearly, and looks for blood in the stool.

Cervical Cancer Screening:

Death rates from cervical cancer amongst black women are high! A pap smear tests for changes to the cervix, which is the bottom part of the uterus (a.k.a the womb). Recommendations have changed over the years. Pap smears are recommended for ages 21 to 65. For ages 21 to 29, pap smears should happen every 3 years. For women ages 30 and older, pap smears also test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer. When this co-testing is done, pap smears can be spaced out to every 5 years.

Breast Cancer:

Black women are diagnosed with more advanced breast cancers than other groups. The United States Preventative Task Force recommends screening for breast cancer starting at age 50 until age 74 for women with average risk with a mammogram. The screening should be done every 2 years. Some other organizations recommend screening earlier, starting at age 40 or 45. There’s a risk if you start getting mammograms too early that you may get unnecessary radiation, and that tests may come back abnormal when they really are okay, causing unnecessary worry. If breast cancer runs in your family, you should start screening earlier. If it’s a first degree relative (like a mother or sister), start getting your mammograms at least 10 years earlier than the age the breast cancer was diagnosed in your relative.

Prostate Cancer Screening:

Prostate cancer rates are highest in black men. The screening test for prostate cancer, the Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) test, is controversial. A discussion with a doctor should occur with black men and men who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (before age 65). The man should have a life expectancy of at least 10 years, since prostate cancers are usually very slow growing. The PSA discussion can start at age 45, and screening takes place usually every 2 years.

#Cancer

Breast Cancer Screening:

Black women are diagnosed with more advanced breast cancers than other groups. The United States Preventative Task Force recommends screening for breast cancer starting at age 50 until age 74 for women with average risk with a mammogram. The screening should be done every 2 years. Some other organizations recommend screening earlier, starting at age 40 or 45. There’s a risk if you start getting mammograms too early that you may get unnecessary radiation, and that tests may come back abnormal when they really are okay, causing unnecessary worry. If breast cancer runs in your family, you should start screening earlier. If it’s a first degree relative (like a mother or sister), start getting your mammograms at least 10 years earlier than the age the breast cancer was diagnosed in your relative.

Check out more statistics about cancer at: https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts- statistics/cancer-facts- figures-for-african-americans.html

NOTE: PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR WITH ABOUT INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANCER SCREENINGS.

- The City Doc, Venis T. Wilder

#Cancer

Cervical Cancer Screening:

Death rates from cervical cancer amongst black women are high! A pap smear tests for changes to the cervix, which is the bottom part of the uterus (a.k.a the womb). Recommendations have changed over the years. Pap smears are recommended for ages 21 to 65. For ages 21 to 29, pap smears should happen every 3 years. For women ages 30 and older, pap smears also test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer. When this co-testing is done, pap smears can be spaced out to every 5 years.

Check out more statistics about cancer at: https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts- statistics/cancer-facts- figures-for-african-americans.html

NOTE: PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR WITH ABOUT INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANCER SCREENINGS.

- The City Doc, Venis T. Wilder

#Cancer

Prostate Cancer Screening:

Prostate cancer rates are highest in black men. The screening test for prostate cancer, the Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) test, is controversial. A discussion with a doctor should occur with black men and men who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (before age 65). The man should have a life expectancy of at least 10 years, since prostate cancers are usually very slow growing. The PSA discussion can start at age 45, and screening takes place usually every 2 years.

Check out more statistics about cancer at: https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts- statistics/cancer-facts- figures-for-african-americans.html

NOTE: PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR WITH ABOUT INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANCER SCREENINGS.

- The City Doc, Venis T. Wilder

#Cancer

Colon Cancer Screening:

Colon cancer is the 3rd most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women. Colon cancer screening begins at age 50 until age 75. The test most used for colon cancer screening is a colonoscopy – a camera is inserted into the colon to evaluate for a tumor. If normal, this test is done every 10 years. Another less commonly used scope is a sigmoidoscopy. A stool test can also be used as alternative for colon cancer screening. It is done yearly, and looks for blood in the stool.

Check out more statistics about cancer at: https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts- statistics/cancer-facts- figures-for-african-americans.html

NOTE: PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR WITH ABOUT INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANCER SCREENINGS.

- The City Doc, Venis T. Wilder

#Cancer

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