We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar! By Julia Savacool It’s a good thing Jenn Sommermann discovered triathlons when she did. “I was turning 40 years old, and my friend and I were looking for a way to commemorate the occasion,” Sommermann said. “We decided to train for a triathlon.” Because Sommermann was on the East Coast and her friend was on the West, the two trained together virtually, exchanging workout notes and messages of encouragement. Several months later, they competed in the Danskin Women’s Tri in Seattle. “That was it, I was in love with triathlons,” Sommermann said. Little did she know, two years later the fitness she gained through the sport would help her win a battle against ovarian cancer. It was December 2006 when Sommermann received her diagnosis. She’d been feeling out of sorts for months, but had been reluctant to see her doctor. The symptoms for ovarian cancer are subtle: Bloating, weight gain, fatigue and indigestion are all indicators for the disease, but they are also common symptoms for many women during their monthly cycle. The main difference with ovarian cancer, explained Sommermann, is the symptoms don’t go away. It was by chance she discovered the cancer – she was pressing on her stomach one night and came across a hard lump. “I called my husband over, and he felt it, too,” she said. “I knew this wasn’t good.” She went to see her physician immediately, and an ultrasound revealed a tumor about the size of an eggplant. “I had Stage 3 ovarian cancer,” said Sommermann. “I was in shock. The disease is 94 percent curable if you catch it by Stage 2. But after that, the numbers are not in your favor.” Read more about Jen’s inspiring story after the break.

For several years, Medicare’s Hospital Compare initiative has published quality measures for hospitals. While the data are intended to help patients make better decisions, some experts have noted that the public nature of the information might also help spur lower-performing hospitals to shape up, improving the quality of care. But the project hasn’t led to improvement in 30-day death rates from heart attacks or pneumonia, and is linked to only a small reduction in death from heart failure, according to a new study . The research, published yesterday in Health Affairs, analyzed Medicare claims data from 2000 to 2008 to come up with mortality trends. And it concludes that with heart attacks and pneumonia, death rates were already improving for other reasons and weren’t improved further by the program. A modest improvement in the mortality rate for heart failure might be due to the program, but it might be unrelated, the researchers write. More research is needed on that point, they say. Hospital Compare began in 2005 by publishing so-called process measures for individual hospitals, which look at factors like what percentage of heart-attack patients got aspirin when discharged from the hospital. “This isn’t a total indictment of public reporting … or of Hospital Compare,” says Andrew Ryan, an author of the study and assistant professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College. But the way the program was structured during the time period it was studied doesn’t appear to have significantly reduced the number of patient deaths, at least for these conditions. In 2008 Hospital Compare began to publish mortality and hospital readmissions rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia, and has also added other measures, such as patient satisfaction , over the years. “The program has been evolving, and that could [produce] a change in how patients respond or how providers respond,” says Ryan. So far the tool has gotten more attention from the hospitals themselves than from patients; this study and others suggest that neither doctors nor patients are paying much attention to Hospital Compare when they pick a hospital. Image: iStockphoto

Running shoes aren’t exactly cheap, so make sure you’re treating them properly to extend their life. That means putting them on gently and cleaning them the right way (no washing machine!). Another simple way to keep your sneakers in good condition is to take them off when you’re done running. No matter how comfy those cushioned running shoes feel while you make your way through town, keeping them on when you’re not running, wears them down faster. After a run, make sure to always change back into your everyday shoes. On that same note, remember to not use your running shoes at the gym when your workouts don’t involve the treadmill. To further protect your investment, check out this post for more tips on extending the life of your running shoes . Source: Flickr User nanny snowflake

Researchers have found more evidence that annual prostate cancer screening, called PSA test,  in men doesn't save lives.   Scientists followed 76,000 men for 10 to 13 years and found annual screening for prostate cancer led to more diagnoses but didn't result in less deaths from the disease, according to a new study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Last October, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine PSA screenings for most men because of similar concerns about the accuracy of screening using a blood test that measures a protein called prostate-specific antigen or PSA. Dr. Otis Brawley,  the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society said the harms of screening are better proved than the benefits,which is why he supports the USPSTF recommendations.  A substantial number of men receive unnecessary treatment because of the annual tests,which can lead to harms such as impotence and incontinence and can even lead to premature death, he wrote. For the population at large, PSA screening may not be beneficial and the harms may outweigh the benefits, said Dr. Gerald Andriole, the study's lead author and chief of division of urologic surgery at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.  The majority of prostate cancers are very slow-growing tumors and men will probably not die from it.  However, in the U.S. if a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer he's most likely going to choose the most aggressive treatment. Researchers found that some subgroups of men did benefit from annual screenings.  "For the healthiest men, there was a significant reduction in prostate cancer mortality among men who got screened.  In addition to that group, also men who have strong family history of prostate cancer, and African-American men [who are twice as likely to die from  prostate cancer as caucasian men] should also get PSA testing," said Andriole. "In the case of a man undergoing an annual checkup, I would not recommend that a PSA test be included with other 'routine' blood test without a specific conversation between the doctor and patient or caregiver and patient about the pros and cons for him, the patients specific circumstances," said Andriole. Dr. Lee Ponsky, a urologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland is part of a group of researchers looking at more sensitive ways of detecting prostate cancer. He said for now, "the PSA test is the best we've got, but it certainly has its shortcomings." While researchers are looking into different ways of screening and how to classify prostate cancer once diagnosed, Ponsky said we are several years from a simpler test such as a blood or urine one that can detect cancer and determine whether or not it needs aggressive treatment right away. The study was published Friday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Filed under: Cancer , Men’s Health Tagged: Trisha Henry – CNN Medical Producer

Where does emergency medicine fit into the new era of medical homes , accountable care organizations and bundled payments? In a new editorial in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, several emergency physicians warn of the challenges of incorporating what ER docs do into new models that move away from the current fee-for-service payment to an episode-of-care approach that reimburses providers for caring for a population of patients over time. In particular, the ER docs fret that they haven’t been involved in current projects to develop new payment models, such as pilots being designed by federal health agencies, the National Quality Forum, the Brookings Institute and others. They call for more emergency-medicine participation in such projects, and an emergency-medicine research agenda that quantifies the economic value of emergency care within a CARE “episode.” David Seaberg, president of the American College of Emergency of Physicians, tells the Health Blog that ER docs are in a unique position to play a vital role in new care systems. In 2009, they saw 136 million patients and tens of millions of family members who accompanied those patients to the ED. “We should start using that access better, to do health-care screenings, preventive services and disease management and serve as a link to integrated care delivery,” Seaberg says. “Maybe we are not the medical home, but we should be part of the medical neighborhood.” In the editorial, the ER docs  — who are from several large institutions — also warn that increased pressures on emergency physicians to save money could raise the probability of missed diagnoses, and boost medical-liability risks. ER physicians, who often make the decisions to admit patients to the hospital, will also face challenges given that hospitals are under pressure to limit admissions and readmissions, the editorialists contend. “Prevention of injury and disease is the ideal health objective, but in the real world, timely treatments, such as addressing hyperglycemia in a diabetic patient or preventing tissue damage in heart attack patients, provide both value and cost savings,” says Seaberg. “Medical emergencies are never planned, and the ability of an emergency department to conduct rapid diagnosis, intervene in acute illness and mobilize multiple resources to care for patients have tremendous value to both society and patients,” he says. Image: iStockphoto

Too embarrassed to ask your doctor about sex, body quirks, or the latest celeb health fad? In a regular feature and a new book, " What the Yuck?! ," Health magazine medical editor Dr. Roshini Raj tackles your most personal and provocative questions. Send 'em to Dr. Raj at whattheyuck@health.com. Q: When I get nervous or upset at work, I always get diarrhea. A co-worker says it could be IBS. Really? It’s possible. What people sometimes call "nervous stomach" can also be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common disorder of the colon that can cause diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and/or bloating. Stress can trigger it, since some of the same chemicals, such as serotonin, that affect your brain when you’re anxious can change the movement of your intestines, too. To combat the messy effects of this gut-brain connection, try an over-the-counter antidiarrheal medicine, such as Imodium, on the mornings you know you’ve got something stressful ahead of you, like a meeting with the boss. Relaxation techniques (yoga, cardio, or meditation) may also help. In any case, see your doctor to confirm that you have IBS; she may want to rule out other conditions, or she may suggest therapy and possibly an antidepressant, among other treatments, to ease the problem.

When stretching out the lower body, the hips often get passed over in favor of the calves, quads, and hamstrings. Bad idea! Hip flexors are what help lift the legs while running, which means they are prone to tightness. Even if you don’t run, but you sit a lot during the day, you’re probably tight in your hips, so get a stretching! There’s also an added bonus to incorporating some Pigeon Pose into your life: stretching out your hips also reduces back pain . Get yourself loose and limber by incorporating the following hip stretches into your daily routine. Treadmill Stretch Pigeon Crescent Kneeling Hip Flexor Wide Squat Head-to-Knee Stretch Butterfly

It seems like everyone is freaked out about bedbugs . Considering the little buggers — while certainly gross — don’t carry disease or pose any serious health threat, maybe people should be more concerned about properly using the insecticides they’re wielding against the insects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports today on 111 cases of acute illnesses, including one death, associated with excessive use or misuse of the pesticides. The cases occurred in seven states — California, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Texas and Washington — between 2003-2010, with most illnesses falling in the last three years of that period. New York City, which seems to be in a perennial panic about bedbugs, was the site of 58% of the cases. Most of the illnesses — 81% — were of low severity, the CDC says. That means they “usually resolve without treatment and cause minimal time [less than three days] lost from work,” it says. So what made people ill? “The most common factors contributing to illness were excessive insecticide application, failure to wash or change pesticide-treated bedding and inadequate notification of pesticide application,” the CDC reports. The single reported fatality was a 65-year-old woman in North Carolina, who died in 2010. She had multiple medical conditions and was taking at least ten medications. When she complained to her husband about bed bugs, he applied insecticides not approved for bedbugs throughout their home and to their bed and released nine cans of insecticide fogger in the home, then repeated the whole routine a few days later. Both times the woman and her husband left the home for a few hours, but didn’t air it out. Moreover, the woman applied a bedbug and flea insecticide directly to her arms, chest and hair (before covering it with a plastic cap). Two days after the second application, her husband found her nonresponsive. “Although the number of acute illnesses from insecticides used to control bedbugs does not suggest a large public health burden, increases in bedbug populations that are resistant to commonly avilable insecticides might result in increased misuse of pesticides,” the CDC says. Research published earlier this year illustrated how bedbugs have evolved to withstand pesticides . Image: iStockphoto

The H5N1 strain that caused the original outbreak in 2003 never quite went away.

I had no idea that when I started rock climbing a few years ago that it would impact my life the way it does today. Besides being the number one way I stay in shape, it’s taken me all over the country and introduced me to people I would have never met otherwise. And, most importantly, it’s taught me things that I apply to my everyday life. Rock climber or not, some of the core principles of the sport are valuable lessons that anyone can benefit from. Don’t let go . When I first started climbing, I lacked cojones. If a climb seemed out of my reach, I let go and gave up instantly – not anymore. I’ve learned that in order to succeed, letting go is not an option; fear and feelings of inadequacy are totally normal in anything new or challenging. And while I may fall in my attempt to get better, I never let go. Trust your partner . A rock-climbing partner can be the difference between life and death – literally. Things fall apart when you start losing your cool with one another, and thrive when you genuinely have each other’s best interest at heart. My climbing partner (see picture) does whatever is needed to make sure I succeed. This means a ton of encouragement, clear communication, constructive criticism, and watching out for my safety. Just like real life relationships, no? If you don’t succeed at first, try a new approach . In climbing, there’s usually more than one way to make it to the top – and what works for one person, might not work for another. For times when you feel like you’ve tried everything to make something work, get creative and start thinking outside of the box. And, don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. I can’t even count the number of climbs I’ve finished because my partner helped guide me along the way, or because I looked at the problem in a new way. There’s more! To find out what else I’ve learned, keep reading.