Health Bits

There are so many factors to take into consideration once your have been diagnosed with cervical cancer. Various side effects not only from treatment, but also of long and short term effects both physically and mentally. Every patient is different and everyone will have his or her own personal issues and fears about it.

One of the deciding factors will be the stage that the cancer was diagnosed at. If it is caught early on, the physical aspects won’t be as long lasting as a person who got diagnosed at a crucial stage. The various types of treatment will also bring their own problems.

The first step to living through cervical cancer is to become as well researched as possible on the matter. Although it will be your doctor’s responsibility to explain, doing research into the terminology will make it easier in the long term for you. You should also be aware of the risks and effects that will happen so you can start dealing with it as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

After many years of research, scientists have discovered that the foods a man chooses to eat, or not eat, can have a huge impact on the health of his prostate gland. Therefore, prostate cancer may be the most preventable type of cancer (following smoking-related lung cancers). There has recently been a large amount of research and investigation into prostate cancer. These studies examine the use of certain nutrients and their ability to prevent and actually treat prostate cancer. These nutrients include: calcium D-glucarate, selenium, broccoli, green tea, maitake, and lycopene.

The prostate is a gland in the man’s reproduction system which makes and stores seminal fluid to be used in semen. The prostate gland can be found wrapping around the upper part of the urethra. Although early prostate cancer does not often cause any symptoms, many symptoms of prostate cancer are also symptoms of other prostate problems, including infection or benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement due to age-related changes). If you or a man you know has any of the following symptoms, see a health care practitioner for evaluation: difficulty starting urination and holding back urine, inability to urinate, painful ejaculation, and/or blood in urine or semen. Age is the biggest factor associated with prostate cancer as most prostate cancers occur in men over the age of 65. If a man’s father or brother has the disease, his risk for developing prostate cancer becomes higher. African-Americans are at a higher risk, along with mechanics, farmers, sheet metal workers, Read the rest of this entry »

Most likely, there is nothing more frightening for a woman than the discovery of a lump in her breast. Her mind is quickly flooded with cancer and all of its consequences. Most women have a friend, a sister, or a coworker who has been diagnosed with the disease and know how difficult dealing with it can be. Fortunately, 80% of all breast lumps are not cancer, as most are cysts or a benign clump of tissue. From puberty on, a woman’s breasts undergo many changes. Because of these continual changes, breast tissue requires adequate nutrition. Although everyone benefits from a healthy diet, there are additional nutrients which can specifically benefit women including B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea extract, maitake mushrooms, and iodine.

Because scientists can learn a lot about diseases from simply observing it, they have learned that certain cultures have a very low incidence of breast cancer, among these being China and Japan. As compared to women in America, Canada, and parts of Europe, the Asian cultures have a much lower breast cancer rate and it seems likely that something in their diet could be protecting these women from the disease because as Asian women adopt a western diet their breast cancer rates climb. It has also been recognized that certain types of vegetables play a large role in the prevention of all types of disease, including cancer. Based on this, scientists have carried out many studies to determine what it is about these nutrients that can prevent breast cancer.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 can result in Read the rest of this entry »

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 6.2 million new cases of sexually transmitted HPV infections reported every year. Health experts estimate there are more cases of genital HPV infection than any other STI in the United States.

There are more than 100 different types of HPV that are classified as high risk and low risk, out of which 30 HPV spread through sexual contact. Some types of HPV cause genital warts. Single or multiple bumps are seen in the genital areas of men and women including the vagina, cervix, vulva (area outside of the vagina), penis, and rectum in such Read the rest of this entry »

What is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma forms a range of tumors that usually arise in the pleura or in the abdominal cavity. Malignant tumors arising within the pleura are strongly associated with prior asbestos exposure in up to 92% of cases. The time period from initial exposure to development of the cancer may range from 25-45 years and the lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma following heavy exposure ranges from 7-10%. It spreads through the pleural space, directly invading other thoracic structures associated with pleural effusion. The underlying lung is usually encased within the tumor.

The abdominal peritoneal variant is also related to asbestos exposure and 50% of these patients may have pulmonary fibrosis. Although 50% of these cases may be limited to the abdominal cavity, intestinal obstruction is common frequently leading to death. The classic histopathology of the mesothelioma is a biphasic tumor with both an epithelioid and sarcomatoid or spindle cell component. From this description, it can be readily appreciated how the diagnosis may be very difficult to confirm.

Mesothelioma Symptoms: Many of the early symptoms of mesothelioma are often over looked due there similarity to symptoms of less serious diseases. A lot of patients do not show any signs of sickness in the beginning stages of the disease. The most common symptoms of mesothelioma include pleuritic pain, lasting cough, weakness, and weight loss. Most early symptoms will not be attributed to mesothelioma unless the patient is examined by a knowledgeable doctor who orders the appropriate tests. Test for mesothelioma, may include CT scans, x-rays, or MRI.  Read the rest of this entry »

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the United States, around 1000 patients die each day from complications of cancer. Approximately 2.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the dreaded disease in 2007. The exact cause of cancer is unknown. It is only characterized by the abnormal cell division and growth. Genetics, exposure to chemicals and lifestyle are just some of the risk factors in cancer.

Colon cancer is a particular cancer in which the primary affected area is the colon. Many studies showed that people with colon cancer are those who have been smoking, drinking excessively, suffers from inflammatory bowel disease and are obese. Regular colon cancer screenings should be accomplished if you are considered to be at risk. This kinds of screenings can help you fight against any kind of colon cancer that might decide to rear its ugly head. It’s important to take care of the matter before it becomes too much of a problem. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever noticed the difference between men and women’s ability to lose weight? A man can simply stop eating junk food and two weeks later will have lost ten pounds. On the other hand, after hours in a gym and weeks of calorie counting many women will have not lost a pound. The main reason for this huge difference is an imbalance of too much estrogen as compared to lower levels of progesterone, which is called estrogen dominance. This imbalance leads to weight gain and obesity, as well as cervical dysplasia, breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers. Up until now, women have been told that the only way to treat a hormone related health problem is to take additional hormones. However, the correct answer is finding a balance of hormones, which can be done by using diindolylmethane (DIM), a powerful nutrient that is found in broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables that have a direct effect on hormone balance. This does not mean that eating broccoli will eliminate estrogen dominance. When broccoli is chewed, plant enzymes are activated that release healthy compounds. However, many of these compounds are too unstable to constantly provide health benefits. In turn, these unstable compounds lead to the release of diindolylmethane, which is a very stable compound. Although broccoli is a very nutritious vegetable, we would have to eat at least two pounds of broccoli each and every day in order to get the adequate amounts of DIM. Thanks to ongoing research, the development of a stable pure DIM dietary supplement with special absorption enhancing formulas has been created. These DIM supplements can easily and efficiently restore hormonal balance and eliminate the symptoms of estrogen dominance.

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Asbestos is a generic name given to six fibrous minerals that have been used in commercial products. It is mined in various parts of the world, especially in South Africa and Canada. Natural asbestos is found in two varieties: serpentine asbestos and amphibole asbestos. Asbestos it is usually mixed with other materials to actually form the products such as building materials and vehicle brakes.

Asbestos is very well known for its unusual qualities as an insulating material that is heat and fire resistant. It is widely used as a binder in cement, as insulation, and in anti-fire walls. Asbestos is found in many workplaces Read the rest of this entry »

Since Beta Carotene breaks down into Vitamin A in the body, it has basically the same antioxidant qualities of Vitamin A and may affect the chances of getting lung cancer. For a long time it was thought that mega doses of Beta Carotene would help prevent cancer and even fight cancer because it’s an antioxidant.

It is shown that low to moderate doses of Beta Carotene reduce the risk of cancer in people. Recently, scientists carried out studies to test the theory that regular higher doses of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A can be even more effective. The studies were the Alpha-Tocopheral, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Trial and the Beta Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) and the Physician’s Health Study. Read the rest of this entry »

Because there are so many kinds of cat’s claw supplements, such as: cat’s claw leaves, cat’s claw bark, and cat’s claw twigs, cat’s claw is one of the most confusing nutritional supplements currently available in health food stores. Although all cat’s claw supplements claim to help the immune system, only the root of Uncaria tomentosa gives the true health benefits by possessing the healing power to treat and prevent diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, degenerative diseases, and also providing anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-microbial benefits. However, only those Uncaria tomentosa roots that contain “good spirits,” seen by Ashaninka healers of the Ashaninka tribe contain healing properties. If these good spirits are mixed with any root that does not contain good spirits, the healing power is lost. With the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), scientists can now see the “good spirits” too. These good spirits are actually medicinal compounds called pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs). Read the rest of this entry »