Healthy Lifestyle

[rz123]

Today most of us are engrossed in our works, assignments, wordily matters and mostly we ignore the fact that we are able to carry out our endeavours just due to our health.
We don't realise the importance of this wealth. we see people dying due to different diseases. health campaigns are going on, media talks on health matters but we don't take much effect of it i think, probably ignoring the luxury.

Lets discuss about health issues and talk about any diseases which you may have encountered in your life. tell us how and from where you got your treatment. maybe someone's personal expereince can help others..

 

[rz123]

Breast Cancer: The most common cancer in woman. every 9th woman unfortunately gets the disease in Pakistan.
Breast cancer is a tumour (a mass of abnormal tissue) within the breast tissue. The majority of breast cancers begin in the milk ducts (intraductal cancers) however a small number start in the milk sacs or lobes.

The sign and sympotms: In the majority of woman breast cancer is first noticed as a lump in the breast. There are however other signs and symptoms which are important:-
swelling of the upper arm
rash on the skin around breast tissue
a lump or thinckening inside the breast
dimpling or puckering of the skin on the breast

How common it is?
Among 200 types of cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the woman of the world and in Pakistan. Men can also develop breast cancer as they have breast tissue as well but it is uncommon. The chances of breast cancer increases as woman grow older.

Who is at risk?

All woman are at risk of developing breast cancer. there are a number of factors that put some woman at greater risk. These are:-
Family histories of breast cancer- woman whose mothers, grandmothers, aunts or sisters have developed breast cancer.

Age chances of developing breast cancer increase.

It is important to remeber that if several risk factors are present it does not mean that breast cancer will develop for certain. it is also important to note that 75% of women who develop breast cancer have no risk factors at all.

Breast Cancer Myths

there are many myths about breast cancer. the following factors may help to clarify what you have read.
a blow to the breast will not cause it
breast cancer is not contagious
breast feeding does not cause or protect from breast cancer

Examination by a doctor:
In addition to self breast examination, every woman over 35 years old of age should ask her doctor for diagnose..

Mammography
Mammography is a very special x ray of the breast and gives mor einfromation about the lump..
to be continued......
reference Shaukat Khanam Hospital and Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation trust, London.

 

[GetSomeLife]

Guess i should contribute to this thread after all.

INTRODUCTION: Celiac disease is a permanent intolerance to gluten (a
protein present in wheat, rye and barley), which
causes damage to the small intestinal mucosa by an
autoimmune mechanism in genetically susceptible
individuals. The villous atrophy that ensues can lead
to malabsorption of a variety of macro and
micronutrients including iron, calcium, folate and fat
soluble vitamins.1 Celiac disease was thought to be a
rare malabsorptive disorder of infancy and childhood.
However, it is now considered to be a common,
chronic, multi-system disorder that can present at any
age when gluten is present in the diet.

SYMPTOMS: Typical symptoms of celiac disease are
abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss. However,
many individuals present with non-gastrointestinal
(atypical) symptoms including anaemia, extreme
weakness, short stature, osteoporosis, elevated liver
transaminases, neuropathy, menstrual irregularities
and infertility. Additional symptoms in children
include vomiting, delayed growth and puberty and
dental enamel defects. Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH)
is ‘celiac disease of the skin’ and presents with a
chronic, severely itchy, blistering rash that is poorly
responsive to conventional therapies. A skin biopsy
helps confirm the diagnosis of DH.

TREATMENT: Celiac disease can be effectively treated by a
strict, life-long adherence to a gluten-free diet.
However, a gluten-free diet should not be started
before a biopsy is done, as the diet will heal the
intestinal lesion and affect the interpretation of the
biopsy making confirmation of the diagnosis
difficult.

The REFERENCES are many and most of them are trustworthy!

 

[smzimran]

This is turning out to be a biology lecture.

 

[GetSomeLife]

This is turning out to be a biology lecture.

and just what did u expect?!

but u r right no less.

LETS SHARE SHORT ARTICLES AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES ONLY! although i'll need Rvel's permission to authorize this...

 

[rz123]

and just what did u expect?!

but u r right no less.

LETS SHARE SHORT ARTICLES AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES ONLY! although i'll need Rvel's permission to authorize this...

yeah share articles, any new research in medical field and links as well. permission granted

if u think it's some serious bio then make it light by talking about general health tips etc whatever u feel is important for a healthy lifestyle..

 

[GetSomeLife]

yeah articles and links as well. permission granted

if u think it's some serious bio then make it light by talking about general health tips etc whatever u feel is important for a healthy lifestyle..

jee thnx boss! xP

 

[rz123]

jee thnx boss! xP

good now get to work! :|

 

[GetSomeLife]

good now get to work! :|

oops...YES BOSS!

 

[rz123]

Eating chocolate is not only a treat for the tongue —it may also have some tangible benefits for heart health, such as lowering blood pressure slightly, according to a study involving more than a thousand people.​

The study, which combined the results of 42 smaller studies and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found that participants had small improvements in blood vessel function and a dip in their insulin levels.​

A number of past studies have found that chocolate lovers seem to have lower rates of certain heart risks, such as high blood pressure.​

“My take-away message would be that if people like dark chocolate, then eating a little in place of other ‘treat’ foods is fine, and may be beneficial,” said study leader Lee Hooper, at Norwich Medical School in the UK.​

“However, the evidence is not yet good enough to suggest that we should all be doing this.”​

She cautioned that the studies involved were neither large enough nor long enough to show whether eating chocolate has any effect on a person’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke.​

In contrast to past studies, which were largely observational and couldn’t prove cause-and-effect —that chocolate itself caused the changes —the current study focused on clinical trials, where researchers assigned people to eat chocolate or not and then watched for changes in blood pressure, cholesterol and other heart risk factors.​

Hooper and her team pooled data from 42 small clinical trials involving about 1,300 people and found that chocolate eaters had a few points knocked off their blood pressure readings, along with lower insulin levels and other benefits.​

Though it’s not clear why chocolate has this affect, it’s believed to be due to compounds known as flavonoids, which are also present in foods such as nuts, soy, tea and wine.​

But researchers acknowledged shortcomings in their study, including differences in the people involved in the trials —some healthy, some with chronic health problems — and different ways of testing chocolate’s effects.​

Some studies used cocoa drinks, some solid chocolate and some cocoa supplements. They also varied in how long people were “treated,” though most trials lasted less than six weeks.​

The biggest question may be whether any benefits would be worth the downside of chocolate. Based on the studies they used, Hooper’s team writes, it could take several hundred calories’ worth of chocolate to see effects on insulin and blood vessel function —and that could mean trouble for your waistline.​

“From a practical perspective it is premature to advise individuals to consume chocolate or cocoa to decrease their risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Alice Lichtenstein, director of the cardiovascular nutrition lab at Tufts University in Boston, who was not part of the study.​

For now, she added, if you enjoy a little chocolate in your life, you can probably keep doing so. Just don’t add it in the hopes of helping your heart.​

 

[rz123]

NEW YORK: Doctors are too quick to recommend expensive genetic counseling or testing for ovarian cancer, but at the same time often fail to refer women at high risk for the disease, U.S. government researchers said.​

Ovarian cancer isn’t very common – it strikes just one in 71 women, many of them elderly, whereas one in eight women get breast cancer. But because there aren’t any good screening tests for ovarian cancer, it’s usually not discovered until it’s too late.​

But a survey of nearly 1,900 U.S. physicians, published in the journal Cancer, found that about 30 per cent said they’d refer women at average risk of the disease, although several guidelines discourage that. By contrast, as many as 60 per cent said they wouldn’t refer a woman at high risk, which guidelines do encourage.​

“You would be over-testing a lot of women, spending a lot of resources and a lot of money,” said Jacqueline Miller at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who worked on the survey.​

It’s also possible that there would be some false alarms as well, exposing women to unnecessary treatment and other harms, she added.​

“For a lot of women, just going through the test creates a lot of anxiety,” she said.​

A small per centage of women carry mutations in the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, which make them very likely to develop both breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad Genetics, a Salt Lake City-based company, charges $3,340 to test for BRCA 1 and 2 cancer-causing mutations – but told Reuters Health that patients usually only pay $100 out of pocket.​

Given that just one in 300 or fewer women carry the mutations, testing those at average risk would put needless strain on the health care system, Miller added.​

The survey was based on three fictional patient scenarios – one at average risk, one at medium risk and one at high risk.​

The US Preventive Services Talk Force (USPSTF), a federally-supported expert panel, advises against routine counseling and testing for women who don’t have suspicious cases of cancer in their family, such as two close relatives with breast cancer, one of whom got it before age 50.​

“High risk is a little bit complicated,” said Michael LeFevre of the USPSTF. “Physicians can’t be expected to carry all of these nuances around in their brain, but I think they should know what the triggers are.”​

The survey suggested that doctors who were better at assessing risk were more likely to follow the guidelines. Yet even when they correctly put a woman in the average risk category, 22 per cent of doctors still referred her for counseling or testing.​

“Physicians aren’t doing as good a job as we should at identifying people who should and should not be referred for counseling or testing,” said LeFevre.​

For those women at high risk, getting genetic counseling and possibly testing may help them decide how they want to deal with that risk.​

For instance, 57 per cent of women with BRCA 1 mutations get breast cancer by age 70, and 40 per cent get ovarian cancer.​

Choosing to have the breast and ovaries removed, or taking certain medications, will cut that risk, said Miller.​

The most important lesson from the new findings are to make sure that women at high risk are identified so they can get the right counseling, she added. But she said that women should never agree to get tested without knowing the reasons.​

“You should have that conversation with your provider: why do you feel I’m at high risk? If a physician tells you you should get genetic counseling, you should understand why,” she added​

 

[rz123]

Healthy environment, active daily life help to cure insomnia
Updated at 15:1 PST Monday, February 06, 2012

ISLAMABAD: A person's surrounding atmosphere and active daily life are important helpful factors to cure the disease of insomnia.​

Talking to PTV, Psychiatrist Aysha Mokim Qurashi said on Monday insomnia has many kinds such as primary and transitory insomnia. Sleeplessness in patches leads to chronic condition of insomnia in which the patient could never sleep properly in the normal sleeping hours.

She said treatment of insomnia patients differ from person to person. Insomnia is primarily caused due to depression and in some cases is self-imposed. It is a disorder in which a person could never sleep properly adding in both the conditions pressure of heavy work and tense environment are the main reasons to be cured by the doctor.

She advised insomnia patients not to use medicines on their own which could cause adverse rection and besides that person can become addict to these.

Worries can disturb the sleep so at first the reasons for such worries should be resolved than there may not be need of taking such medicines, she said.

Replying to a question she said insomnia affects women more than men. In elder age this is major problem faced by people as they feel alone most of the times.

She said that unnecessary medicines before sleep like vitamins should not be used rather its best to take these in the day time.

She recommended certain tips for sound sleep and to avoid insomnia, sleeping patterns should be established, use of coffee and caffeine should be avoided; environment should be congenial; one should do work himself as due to tiredness a person enjoys normal and healthy sleep; last but not the least a person should try to sleep when others are slept. (APP)

 

[AlphaCentauri]

And the most important part of being healthy is to cultivate your persona by watering it with good manners and shielding it from parasitic temptations.

 

[enginhill]

Very informative section about breast cancer! It is certainly a big health issue in Pakistan, but unfortunately due to lack of awareness, education, and most importantly hesitation to have yearly medical checkup causing the disease to persist.
I recommend every one to have his family thorough checkup yearly, so that we get over the disease before it gets over us...
nice work, rvel !

 

[rz123]

Very informative section about breast cancer! It is certainly a big health issue in Pakistan, but unfortunately due to lack of awareness, education, and most importantly hesitation to have yearly medical checkup causing the disease to persist.
I recommend every one to have his family thorough checkup yearly, so that we get over the disease before it gets over us...
nice work, rvel !

Thank you for your post. i totally agree with you. exactly and you know the most important thing is timely diagnose. if you will get early diagnose means you have to go thru less painful or lengthy treatment.

 

[AlphaCentauri]

Breast cancer is, according to some studies, also caused by body sprays.

Be cautious and use roll-ons.

 

[rz123]

Breast cancer is, according to some studies, also caused by body sprays.

Be cautious and use roll-ons.

Breast cancer
this is what wiki has to say bout it..
A 2002 study stated "[t]he rumor that antiperspirant use causes breast cancer continues to circulate the Internet. Although unfounded, there have been no published epidemiologic studies to support or refute this claim." The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) were very much concerned about the e-mails rumors directly linking antiperspirants to cancer that both put out information on the Internet stating there was no evidence linking the cosmetic products with cancer. According to the ACS "studies have not shown any direct link between parabens and any health problems, including breast cancer. What has been found is that there are many other compounds in the environment that also mimic naturally produced estrogen." According to researchers at the NCI, they "are not aware of any conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer." "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of a harmful effect" and "these chemicals are being directly applied daily, by very large numbers of people, and the long-term health effects of exposure are essentially unknown," toxicologist Philip W. Harvey tellsWebMD in an interview. But ACS epidemiologist Michael Thun argued that "even if the parabens do promote estrogen-dependent tumor growth, the risk from cosmetic use is "minuscule" compared with other known tumor promoters." The cosmetics industry insists the paraben chemicals used as preservatives in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics, which are regulatory approved, are safe.
A study published in 2003 by the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, found a correlation between earlier diagnosis of breast cancer and antiperspirant/deodorant use. A 2003 study indicated "underarm shaving with antiperspirant/deodorant use may play a role in breast cancer." A 2004 study reviewing the evidence for and against the possible link between breast cancer and underarm cosmetics wrote "Although animal and laboratory studies suggest a possible link between certain chemicals used in underarm cosmetics and breast cancer development, there is no reliable evidence that underarm cosmetics use increases breast cancer risk in humans."
2004 and 2005 studies led by researcher Phil Darbre, hypothesizes that particular substances in deodorants, such as preservatives calledparabens, or bolts such as aluminium chloride used in antiperspirants, get into the bloodstream or accumulate in breast tissue, where they enhance or emulate the effects of estrogen, which stimulates the growth of cancerous breast cells. A 2007 study found that personal care products are a potential contributor to the body burden of aluminium and newer evidence has linked breast cancer with aluminium-based antiperspirants. A 2008 study stated that no scientific evidence supports the hypothesis that deodorants and/or antiperspirants increase the incidence of breast cancer. A study published in 2009 by the journal The Breast Cancer Research proposed a link between breast cancer and the application of cosmetic chemicals including phthalates and aluminium salts in the underarm region, because of their oestrogenic and/or genotoxic properties, which provides an evidence-based hypothesis capable of further research.

 

[AlphaCentauri]

Breast cancer
this is what wiki has to say bout it..
A 2002 study stated "[t]he rumor that antiperspirant use causes breast cancer continues to circulate the Internet. Although unfounded, there have been no published epidemiologic studies to support or refute this claim." The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) were very much concerned about the e-mails rumors directly linking antiperspirants to cancer that both put out information on the Internet stating there was no evidence linking the cosmetic products with cancer. According to the ACS "studies have not shown any direct link between parabens and any health problems, including breast cancer. What has been found is that there are many other compounds in the environment that also mimic naturally produced estrogen." According to researchers at the NCI, they "are not aware of any conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer." "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of a harmful effect" and "these chemicals are being directly applied daily, by very large numbers of people, and the long-term health effects of exposure are essentially unknown," toxicologist Philip W. Harvey tellsWebMD in an interview. But ACS epidemiologist Michael Thun argued that "even if the parabens do promote estrogen-dependent tumor growth, the risk from cosmetic use is "minuscule" compared with other known tumor promoters." The cosmetics industry insists the paraben chemicals used as preservatives in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics, which are regulatory approved, are safe.
A study published in 2003 by the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, found a correlation between earlier diagnosis of breast cancer and antiperspirant/deodorant use. A 2003 study indicated "underarm shaving with antiperspirant/deodorant use may play a role in breast cancer." A 2004 study reviewing the evidence for and against the possible link between breast cancer and underarm cosmetics wrote "Although animal and laboratory studies suggest a possible link between certain chemicals used in underarm cosmetics and breast cancer development, there is no reliable evidence that underarm cosmetics use increases breast cancer risk in humans."
2004 and 2005 studies led by researcher Phil Darbre, hypothesizes that particular substances in deodorants, such as preservatives calledparabens, or bolts such as aluminium chloride used in antiperspirants, get into the bloodstream or accumulate in breast tissue, where they enhance or emulate the effects of estrogen, which stimulates the growth of cancerous breast cells. A 2007 study found that personal care products are a potential contributor to the body burden of aluminium and newer evidence has linked breast cancer with aluminium-based antiperspirants. A 2008 study stated that no scientific evidence supports the hypothesis that deodorants and/or antiperspirants increase the incidence of breast cancer. A study published in 2009 by the journal The Breast Cancer Research proposed a link between breast cancer and the application of cosmetic chemicals including phthalates and aluminium salts in the underarm region, because of their oestrogenic and/or genotoxic properties, which provides an evidence-based hypothesis capable of further research.

So, basically, that's a "no", "yes", "no"... "yes".

 

[rz123]

So, basically, that's a "no", "yes", "no"... "yes".

haha no its a plain no no no actually. no conclusive evidence which supports the idea in humans and it is the area open for research as yet. so its just a negligible factor i would conclude this from the article...

 

[AlphaCentauri]

haha no its a plain no no no actually. no conclusive evidence which supports the idea in humans and it is the area open for research as yet. so its just a negligible factor i would conclude this from the article...

A study published in 2009 by the journal The Breast Cancer Research proposed a link between breast cancer and the application of cosmetic chemicals including phthalates and aluminium salts in the underarm region, because of their oestrogenic and/or genotoxic properties, which provides an evidence-based hypothesis capable of further research.

Your post suggests that studies are still ongoing. It took a lot of time for people to finally reach the conclusion that the Earth was round, so I think we ought still be cautious. Just in case, you never know.