Family History of Breast Cancer
​Prompts Man to Get Examined

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother and both of her sisters had breast cancer in their 30s, with my mother eventually passing after her third bout at age 43. They all grew up in the same house that I grew up in. I’m now a 34-year-old father of three small children. I don’t want to die early because I need to be around for them, but the generalized advice I’m seeing is that I don’t need a cancer screening until my 40s.

Am I overly sensitive, or am I missing something that I should potentially screen for? — M.M.

ANSWER: With your mother and two aunts having breast cancer at such a young age, I would be concerned about an inheritable cancer gene such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. This gene may not have been identifiable at the time they had their cancers, as the first test became available in 1996. It is worth a discussion with a genetic counselor to consider testing for you.

Men with the BRCA1/2 genetic mutations are at risk to develop breast cancer themselves and are recommended to do monthly breast self-examinations starting at age 35, with a clinician exam yearly. A PSA test is also recommended for men who are positive for BRCA2 (and maybe for men with BRCA1), as men with these mutations are more at risk for prostate cancer at a younger age than average-risk men.

Although BRCA increases the risk of colon cancer, all men should get colorectal cancer screenings at age 45, regardless of BRCA status. Those with a strong family history of colon cancer should speak with an expert about the right time to begin screening.

I honor you for considering your family and expect you are doing as much as you can with your lifestyle to keep yourself healthy. A diet including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, with little to no processed meat, has been shown to reduce cancer risk as well as heart disease risk, which is still the major cause of death in industrial societies.

The most likely causes of death in men your age include motor vehicle accidents and suicide. These are not completely preventable, but driving safely, not texting while driving, never driving while intoxicated and seeking help with symptoms of depression go a long way at reducing your immediate risk so that you can continue to be there for your children.
• • •

DEAR DR. ROACH: I first tested positive for COVID eight days ago. Should I start Paxlovid now? — P.M.

ANSWER: This medicine has made a huge reduction in the number of people who get so sick from COVID that they need to be hospitalized, but only when used properly. This means it has to be used at the right time — ideally within 24 hours of getting sick and certainly within five days. It’s not likely to be of any help to you eight days after symptom onset.

The medicine is of most value to people who are at high risk of severe COVID. This includes people who are unvaccinated, people over 65 and people with high-risk conditions such as advanced HIV, organ transplantation or other severe problems with the immune system (including cancer chemotherapy and similar powerful drugs used for autoimmune diseases). Healthy, younger, vaccinated people with initial mild to moderate symptoms are at low risk for severe COVID (as of the time of this writing, with the omicron strains currently circulating) and do not benefit much from Paxlovid.​

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer
​individual questions, but will incorporate them 
in the column whenever possible. 
Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. 

© 2023 North America Synd., Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Planning for Peace of Mind: 
​Social Security Advance Designation

When planning your financial future, it’s important to think about the unexpected. That includes preparing for a time when you’re not able to manage your own money. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights a helpful resource. 

Social Security Advance Designation lets you to choose up to three people to serve as your “representative payee.” A representative payee is someone who the SSA appoints to manage your Social Security benefits if you are unable to do so. You can change your designees at any time. If you choose advance designees, the SSA will send you a notice each year so you can review the people you chose. When picking a designee, choose someone who you think has a genuine concern for your well-being. You may not designate an organization to be an advance designee.

Social Security Advance Designation is not the same as appointment of a representative payee. With Advance Designation, you still manage your own benefits for as long as you’re able. But if your situation changes and you need help, the SSA will evaluate your Advance Designation to make sure the person you chose is suitable to serve as your representative payee at that time.

You may make an Advance Designation if you are:

• A capable adult 
• Receiving or claiming Social Security retirement or disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Special Veterans Benefits; and
• Do not have a representative payee currently.

You can submit your Advance Designation Request when you apply for benefits or after you are already receiving benefits. If you are not yet receiving or claiming Social Security benefits, you must wait until you are receiving benefits to name advance designees.

You may submit or change your Advance Designation in a few ways:
​

• Online using your personal my Social Security account
• By telephone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778)
• In person by going to your local field office (ssa.gov/locator/)

February 5 – 11, 2023 is National Burn Awareness Week. This year’s theme is Hot Liquids Burn Like Fire! Approximately 70,000 people visited the emergency department in 2018 due to contact burns (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, NEISS).

According to Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, 2018, between 2013 – 2017, most burns that were associated with cooking were caused by contact of a hot liquid or object. Always use oven mitts when taking dishes out of an oven or microwave. If you need to reach farther into an oven to grab a dish use longer oven mitts to avoid touching the top of the oven or rack. 

Make sure that you have at least a three-foot radius around the stove clear of anything that could catch on fire or that could absorb heat. A metal pan sitting on the stove on an “off” burner could absorb heat from a burner that is “on” resulting in a contact burn if you grab the pan. Also, keep the area clear of potential trip hazards that could result in you reaching out as you are falling and placing your hand on a hot stovetop. This includes kitchen cabinets, the oven door or other items laying in or around the stove area.

When going to sleep make sure to shut off heating blankets and/or heating pads. Many do not have a heat regulator to control the temperature. When outside on a hot surface protect your feet by wearing shoes or sandals. 

If using an item that heats up such as a curling iron, clothes iron or other item make sure to allow it to properly cool before touching it or putting it away. And finally set your hot water heater to around 120 degrees to avoid scalds and burns when taking a shower, a bath or doing dishes. 

​If you have any questions or would like further information I can be reached at 563-589-4195 or at Dpaulson@cityofdubuque.org.

• Bring egg whites to room temperature before whipping. You will get better volume, and they will be more stable.

• Wash bath towels in cold water. It preserves color and still cleans them well. Add a clean, dry bath towel to smaller dryer loads to speed up drying time.

• Turn down the maximum temperature on your family’s water heater. You will do two things: One is to avoid accidental scalding, which is especially important if you have young children or seniors in your house. The other is to lower your electric bill, because the water heater will not have to work as hard to keep that big tank of water so hot. — T.D. in New Mexico

• If your straw broom isn’t working as well as it did when new, try giving it a spruce-up. Beat any dust out of the ends, then trim off any bent straws. Trim a section from a leg of stretched out pantyhose or tights and wrap it around the bristles, about two inches up from the bottom. This keeps the bristles nice and tight, and it will collect dirt better.

• When you replace old brushes — hairbrushes or toothbrushes — wrap a length of masking tape around the handle. That way you can use them for cleaning purposes, and they will never be mistakenly used for the wrong purpose.

• “When cooking rice, add a little bit of lemon juice to the water. It does not really flavor it, but it will keep it nice and white, plus it seems to be a bit fluffier when I do this.” — R.E. in Mississippi

• Store extra plastic grocery bags in empty tissue boxes. They are easy to store this way, and you can keep them under the sink or in the car for easy access.

• “Keep your garage floor nice by lining the area where you park with carpet remnants. Road salt and other nasty business that your tires pick up will not corrode the floor. You can shake out the rugs outside.” — C.Y. in New York

• Keep a few bandanas handy in cold weather. They can be used as a mouth/face cover to keep your nose from freezing. They are easy to store in a pocket, and easy to put on and remove.  

Send your tips to 
Now Here’s a Tip,
628 Virginia Drive,
Orlando, FL 32803.

​© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Kids Can Help Bake This One-Step
​Lemon Pound Cake

PHOTO CREDIT: Donna Erickson

Dog-eared recipes deserve some review now and again, and I’m glad I rediscovered this classic from my mom’s recipe box. It’s a never-fail, fabulous, one-step pound cake that is a perfect “first” cake baking experience for kids.

Read the recipe together and let them search for the dry ingredients in the pantry, measuring cups from a kitchen drawer, eggs and sour cream from the refrigerator, and lemons in the fruit bowl. Grate, measure, pour and mix it all together in just one step.

Nothing could be easier than dumping it all in a bowl and mixing it up for a delicious cake to serve as your next afternoon snack or as a dessert at a family picnic. You can easily change up the flavor by substituting orange zest for lemon, and even reducing the sour cream and replacing it with orange juice. Don’t be surprised if it becomes your family’s signature recipe. Let’s get started:

ONE-STEP LEMON POUND CAKE
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup soft unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest


To glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour one Bundt cake pan. Put all of the cake ingredients into a mixer bowl and blend at low speed for about 1 minute. Beat an additional 3 minutes at medium speed. It will be a light yellow color and creamy. Pour into prepared pan. 

Bake 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake upright on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before glazing.

To glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Add more juice for a pourable consistency. Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake and let the glaze dry.

•  •  •
Donna Erickson creates relationships and community through food and fun. Find more to nourish and delight you at 
www.donnaerickson.com. 
​
© 2023 Donna Erickson
Distributed by King Features Synd.

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