Posts Tagged ‘sickness’

Breast Cancer - A Scary Disease!

Sunday, June 28th, 2009
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INTRODUCTION: Breast Cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age, the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer) and is on the rise worldwide. Breast cancer is more easily treated and often curable if it is found early.

LUMPS: The majority of breast tumors (abnormal masses of tissue) are benign (not cancerous). By using the fingertips, a lump may be detected within the breast. If a lump in the breast is detected, the doctor may need to cut out a small piece of the lump (known as biopsy).

There are four types of biopsies: Excisional Biopsy (The removal of an entire lump or suspicious tissue); Incisional Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue); Needle Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump, suspicious tissue, or fluid, using a thin needle); Core Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue using a wide needle).

A group of rapidly dividing cells may form a lump or mass of extra tissue. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which women develop cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain.

RISKS: Women who have an altered gene related to breast cancer and who have had cancer in one breast have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast. These women also have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, and may have an increased risk of developing other cancers.

Age and health history can affect the risk of developing breast cancer. Each woman’s risk may be higher or lower, depending upon several factors, including family history, genetics, age of menstruation, and other factors that have not yet been identified. Breast feeding for several months also seems to reduce breast cancer risk.

TREATMENT: Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether it has spread to the rest of the body. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemo drugs, and endocrine/anti-hormone therapy. Treatment for male breast cancer is usually a mastectomy to remove the breast.

CONCLUSION: Previously a malady that mostly afflicted white, affluent women in the industrial hubs of North America and Western Europe, breast cancer is now everywhere. But in China, as in most other emerging economies, it is a relatively new concern, something that both patients and doctors are only haltingly learning how to treat.

The latest age-specific data in Denmark show that the incidence of breast cancer is maximal for women born between 1945 and 1950, and is on the decline for women born more recently. More than 90 out of 100 women whose cancer is found early will be cured. The leading cause of breast cancer is said to be the use of anti-perspirant. The good news is that it is a disease that can be treated and cured.

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Yeast Infection - There Be Fungus Among Us!

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
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INTRODUCTION: A vaginal yeast infection is normally created by a fungus called Candida albicans which is normally found in small quantities in the vagina. While a is certainly not a pleasant experience, there’s no need to spend too a lot of time worrying about it.

Yeast infection is also more common after menopause due to decreasing estrogen levels, which thin the vaginal walls. It is not usually spread by engaging in sex.

The only time Candida Albicans is a problem is when the conditions in its environment are such that it starts to grow and reproduce at an increased rate. When this happens a vaginal yeast infection is the result. If the yeast infection is left untreated, some physicians believe that the Candida Albican will continue to reproduce at an alarming rate. They feel that if the vaginal yeast infection is left untreated that it will create an imbalance in the bodies natural bacterias and the person’s immune system will become involved, in short the person will grow sicker and sicker.

SYMPTOMS: Signs of a yeast infection are similar to a number of other conditions, including bacterial vaginosis (a bacterial infection of the vagina), trichomoniasis (a sexually transmitted infection), and contact or allergic dermatitis (a skin reaction to an irritating or allergic substance).

They can frequently include intense and unbearable itching, rash, a burning sensation, vaginal discharge, and pain while having sexual intercourse. Your physician will ask about your symptoms and examine you. He/she may also collect samples of cells from areas were you are having symptoms, such as the mouth or vagina.

TREATMENT: Treating vaginal yeast infection may include a topical cream or tablet; the majority are applied inside the vagina at bedtime with an applicator. Treatment durations vary according to the formulation; 1, 3, and 7 day treatments are equally effective. Women with recurrent infections should use a longer course of treatment for infections, between ten to fourteen days for a topical (ointment or suppository) medication or fluconazole 150 mg orally with a second dose 72 hours later.

Treating with antibiotics can lead to eliminating the yeast’s natural competitors for resources, and increase the severity of the condition. Treating yeast infections will not help or cure sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomonas.

CONCLUSION: Let your provider help you be certain that yeast infection is the problem and, if it is, to determine why it’s not responding to treatment. If you feel that your yeast infection is immune to the over-the-counter treatment you are using, you can try using a new product, or go to your doctor for a prescription treatment.

A good home treatment for vaginal yeast infection is to elevate your immune system through proper diet and complete sleep. Probably the best way to deal with a yeast infection is prevention. This may be a major “well duh”, but one of the great ways to treat a yeast infection is to wash yourself thoroughly at least once daily.

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Symptoms And Dangers Of Skin Cancer

Sunday, May 31st, 2009
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Despite skin cancer being a highly treatable form of cancer, it is required that it is identified in the early stages and monitored to get the proper treatment quickly. Leaving skin cancer untreated may cause it to spread in other parts of the body and affect the individual’s survival rate. You shouldalways be aware of its dangers and its symptoms.

If you don’t pay close attention to your skin, then you may not notice the signs of developing skin cancer. To prevent any problems from developing, you need to examine your own skin thoroughly at least once every 30 days.

You should be on the lookout for irregularly shaped new growths on your skin. The surface may be uneven, and there may not be an obvious outline or border to the growth. Skin cancers come in many colors, including blue, red, white, black, brown, or any combination of these. If you have found any such growth that matches this description, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Take careful notice of any injury or cuts which do not heal properly. It can be one of the indications of skin cancer. There is a variety of skin cancers and you should be aware of how they appear in order to correctly inspect your skin for any indications. If you come across an unusual injury or development on your skin, ask your doctor to check it out.

Skin cancer is dangerous because it can spread to other parts of the body if it is not treated. Cancers that spread to multiple body parts are much more likely to be lethal. Skin cancer can spread rapidly once the cancerous cells are within other organs. By learning more about skin cancer and how to spot warning signs, people can better prepare themselves to prevent and minimize the associated risks. Through proper training, a self examination can help to recognize early symptoms of melanoma, and can be done by anybody in the privacy of their own home.

It is not hard to treat most skin cancers. You can prevent skin cancer by limiting your exposure to direct sunlight. Excessive exposure to the sun is the major cause of cancers affecting the skin. You should wear sunblock with an SPF of 15 or higher whenever you are exposing any skin to direct sunlight.

Wear hats and clothing to minimize your exposure to the sun whenever you are out. Use these precautions in all seasons not just during the summer months. The sun can cause harm at any time of the year. Now that you know a few of the symptoms and dangers of skin cancer you are better armed than you were before.

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Warning Signs Of Skin Cancer

Friday, May 29th, 2009
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In order to detect skin cancer before it gets out of control you must be aware of the warning signs. Pay attention to what is going on with your body and the changes that may be occurring to the discolorations and moles on your skin. You must be vigilant in the care of your health and your skin to catch the problem before it is out of hand. So learn the skin cancer warning signs and watch out for them.

If you find a growth on your skin that suddenly appears or changes in its size you should have it checked out by your doctor. This is especially true if it is translucent, tan, pearly, brown, black or has multiple colors. This could be one of the early signs of skin cancer and you should have it checked as quickly as possible so that you can get it treated and dealt with while it is still in the early stages.

This is a potential sign of an early-stage skin cancer. You need to have it examined as soon as you can so that it can be treated and eliminated before it gets too serious. To be sure that your skin cancer self examination is performed correctly, you should make note of any moles or lesions that you’ve had for an extended length of time. Ensure that they have not changed in shape or color, two of the biggest signs of skin cancer. When in doubt, consult with your physician if any suspicious anomalies are found to determine if skin cancer is present.

An early warning sign of skin cancer is noticeable lacerations that do not heal. If you notice any wounds or cuts that do not heal in a reasonable amount of time, you should contact a doctor to check it out.

Being aware of the signs of skin cancer is your responsibility and only you can monitor your own health. To ensure that you fight the battle against skin cancer, do everything you can to protect yourself including consulting a doctor and using sunscreen when outdoors.

Stay out of the sun during the sun’s strongest times between the hours of ten AM and three PM. This is the period when the most harm can be done if you are exposed to the sun without any protection.

Take the time to learn the skin cancer warning signs and protect your skin and you should be able to do your part to prevent skin cancer or catch it in an early enough stage to fight it successfully.

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Does The Sun Cause Skin Cancer?

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
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When the sun is sitting high in the sky many people set off for a day at the beach to bake their bodies in the sun. We now know that exposure to the sun can cause us serious harm to our skin.

Most people are well aware that it is advised that sunscreen be worn on a daily basis, or whenever you are outdoors even for a brief period of time. Yet, it seems that while many people are aware of the benefits of sunscreen, it is not a part of their daily routine. Most people only consider wearing sunscreen when they are planning a day out in the sun or are partaking in an outdoor activity.Most people hear warnings every day to keep out of the sun when it is strongest, and to prevent damage to our skin from the sun’s rays. Generally, people, especially younger adults, tend to pay little attention to this advice about the sun and skin cancer.

It is important that you keep your skin protected from the sun regardless of your age. The harmful effects of overexposure to the sun may not show up for years but it will eventually begin to take its toll. That is why when you are young you should take care to prevent the damaging effects of sun exposure. There are many things you can and should do to protect yourself from sun exposure.

It is important to remember to wear sunscreen any time you go out into the sun, not just on days you’re hitting the beach. We’re exposed to plenty of sun in our everday lives, from waiting for the bus, to walking to work, to having lunch outside.

It is recommended that sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 is applied to all exposed body parts. Even so, you should stay out of the sun during the afternoon hours, when the sun’s ray are the most damaging. Overexposure to sunlight isn’t limited to summer months. Skin damage due to sunlight can occur year-round, and could lead to skin cancer. To protect yourself, always wear sunscreen.

Remember to reapply sunscreen several times throughout the day. This is especially important if you have been swimming or engaging in physical activity. Special attention is needed for children; they will not apply sunscreen on their own, and are the most at risk. If they are under six months of age, keep them out of the sun, as sunscreen is not suitable.

Babies and children have extremely delicate skin, and thus are at high risk for sun exposure and even skin cancer. Limit their sun exposure by covering skin and outfitting them with hats.

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Skin Cancer Treatment Options

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
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There are many skin cancer treatment options that will treat your cancer depending on the stage of cancer you have. They will vary with each individual?s medical condition and ability to withstand treatment. Skin cancer treatments have a very high success rate and you will have a greater chance of survival when you catch it early and begin your treatment. Don?t wait to see if something will go away. Always check with your doctor.

Different options for the treatment for basal cell carcinoma exists. One treatment is ‘Mohs Micrographic surgery’ which helps in removing the cancer without removing the surrounding tissue which is healthy. With this procedure, successive layers of cancerous tissue is removed and examined..

During the examination, if the doctor finds cancer cells he starts removing the thin layers continuously. Once the doctor finds that only normal tissue is left, he stops removal of further layers. Alternately, the doctor might use a normal incision to remove the skin cancer; however, in this case he might also remove some of the normal tissue along with it.

Skin cancer cells can be frozen and then killed by the use of Cryosurgery. Laser light is focused on the skin cancer cells to kill them. Skin cancer can also be treated by the use of radiation therapy. The skin cancer tumors will be shrunk and killed by the use of x-ray. There are topical ointments used in chemotherapy can also be used in the treatment of skin cancer. The lotion is applied to the area of the skin where the cancer cells are present, and the chemotherapy kills the cells in that area.

Each case of skin cancer is different and the options for treating it are determined by your doctor. You should be sure to talk about the different options and question side effects and rate of success for each one.

You will need to have all of the information so that you can make an informed decision. Skin cancer must be treated so that it does not begin to spread to other parts of the body. If you have been lucky enough to catch it early you will have a great many more options available to you than if you are in a later stage of skin cancer.

Most important is that skin cancer be caught in its early stage, in order to treat it with the best chances of cure. For this reason, a monthly self-examination is advised.

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Detection Of Skin Cancer

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
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Each year, more skin cancers are diagnosed than any other form of cancer. Skin cancer is easy to detect if you examine your skin carefully on a regular basis. You should do everything you can to ensure that skin cancers do not form, in addition to detecting any skin cancers that do appear in your body.

As part of a routine physical your doctor should be examining your skin for any abnormal growths or discolrations. You should also be checking your own skin at least once a month. Checking your skin for skin cancer is quick, easy, and painless.

Conduct your self-examination in a room with good lighting and a full-length mirror. If you cannot see some of your skin during your examination, then use a hand-held mirror to see those tricky places. You should be familiar with any unique features of your skin during your first self-examination. If you notice that your skin has blemishes or discolorations, it is important to keep an eye on them to watch for change in growth or color for future exams. Check all over and see if there are any spots that you did not see before.

Start with your face and carefully work your way down the length of your body. You may need help for parts of your body that are hard to reach. Ask your spouse or trusted friend with help for your upper thighs and lower back. You can use a mirror to help you if you have no such assistance available.

You should examine areas more closely if they are regularly exposed to the sun. You want to know if moles and other discolored areas change in color or size. Detailed descriptions of many kinds of skin cancers are readily available.

You should know what skin cancers look like. You need to inform your doctor as soon as possible if you find something on your skin that looks different or suspicious. There may not be a problem, but you cannot know that for sure until a doctor checks you out. You can eliminate skin cancers more easily if you find them quickly.

You will need to be more careful about your skin if it is very fair. Cover it at all times when you go outside, and wear sunscreen on any skin that is exposed. Deflect the sun’s harmful rays on your face with hats. Early skin cancer detection and a solid prevention regime will help you defend against skin cancer.

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Skin Cancer Signs

Friday, May 15th, 2009
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Knowing the five signs of skin cancer and the appearance that skin cancer will take on will help you to determine if you should check with your doctor. Always if you notice anything unusual on your skin that you cannot identify you should check with your doctor. The signs of cancer can be broken down by the letters of the alphabet.

When examining your skin, remember that the letter “A” stands for asymmetrical growth patterns. Cancers will grow in patterns that are irregular or unevenly shaped. Monitor your skin regularly to check for any new growths with unusual shape patterns.

“B” is for the border of any new growths. As cancerous growths have borders that tend to be indistinguishable, be sure to monitor your skin for any suspicious growths.

“C” stands for color, in that you should monitor the color of any new growths on your skin. This can be one of the five signs of skin cancer, watch our for and beware of red, brown, black, blue, or transulscent growths.

It is important to remember that the letter D is for the diameter of the growth. A growth with a diameter of more than a quarter of an inch should always be looked at by a medical professional. Growths that are of this size or larger have a greater chance of being or becoming cancerous.

Elevation is just one of the five signs to look out for when watching for skin cancer. The letter “E” is usually used as a term to represent what elevation means. It defines that a growth can grow elevated above the skin and appear uneven. It is important to watch out for.

It is your body and your health so pay attention to any skin change. Paying attention is your best chance for a healthy life. Consulting your doctor immediately is the most important thing to do if you notice any of these five signs of skin cancer. A medical professional will make a proper diagnosis of whether you have skin cancer or not. To increase the success rate for curing or even completely eradicating skin cancer at its early stages depends on evaluating and testing any unusual skin growths at the beginning stages.

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Skin Cancer Radiation Treatment

Friday, May 15th, 2009
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Sometimes skin cancer is resilient, and will either keep returning, or resist treatment. When this occurs, an alternative is to use x-ray radiation to eliminate the cancer calls. This treatment requires multiple visits over a period of time. The X-ray treatment is repeated until the cancer is completely destroyed.

Radiation treatment is not the first and default choice for curing skin cancer, but in many patients it is the only available treatment. The condition or the health of the patient, or other circumstances may necessitate the use of radiation treatment.Radiation treatment may be used against skin cancers for many reasons. Other forms of treatment may be ruled out because of the patient’s other health conditions.

Radiation treatment may also be used if the area of your skin cancer is very large, or if it is in parts of your body that are not amenable to other methods. A skin cancer may have already been treated, but may have recurred more than once.

This type of treatment has been shown to have some success for difficult skin cancers. In patients who were experiencing a fifty percent reoccurrence of their skin cancer the radiation treatment dropped that number to twenty five percent.

However, there are a number of threats that accompanies rays of radiation while treating skin cancer. Fresh skin cancer may develop in the part that encloses the affected area. To a great extent,It might be difficult to cure skin cancer once it reoccurs after nursing it because of the radiation. And damage might reoccur to the healthy skin in the same area.

Many possible side effects must be kept in mind as you think of skin cancer radiation treatment. Fatigue, nausea, hair loss, and redness are all possible experiences. When the treatment is stopped, though, such effects will usually dissipate.

If you are considering this kind of skin cancer treatment, your doctor should have already discussed the potential costs and side effects that it may cause. You need to be sure that this treatment is worth the risks that you are assuming. Radiation treatment may not be your best option for fighting skin cancer, and your doctor should be asked if any other means of treatment will be effective.

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Skin Cancer Early Stages - Skin Cancer Detection Is Important

Thursday, May 14th, 2009
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People often feel devastated when they are told that they have been diagnosed with skin cancer. You may wonder what your next step needs to be, and you will likely be frightened. Fortunately, the chances of surviving skin cancer are excellent if the condition is detected in its earlier stages.

It is important that skin cancer be caught early enough to begin removing the skin cancer or stopping it in its tracks. You must do your part to catch your skin cancer. Early stages are your best chance to beat it.

During skin cancer’s first stages you will learn whether or not you have a non-melanoma skin cancer or melanoma. In the early stages, the survival rate is quite good for both. With basal cell carcinoma, spread past second stage is rare. For that reason, the prognosis for this type of skin cancer is generally quite good.

If it is not stopped, melanoma skin cancer will advance rapidly past stage I and into stage II. That is why it is important to take immediate steps if you have a diagnosis of melanoma. If it is detected during stage I or II, melanoma has an almost 100% survival rate over five years. If detected at stage III, the survival rate decreases to sixty percent. This is quite a drop and makes it clear that early detection makes a big difference in success of treatment of melanoma skin cancer.

It is very important that you do a self exam at least once a month. See your physician regularly and be sure that a skin check up is included in your regular physical. Anytime you notice any suspicious lesions on your skin, be sure to see your doctor right away. If a mole or discoloration begins to change in color or shape, be sure to get to your doctor quickly.

If you have a wound that doesn’t heal, be sure to let your doctor know about it. Ask your doctor what melanoma skin cancer looks like. Armed with this knowledge, you will know what to look for when you do self exams. It is important that you be able to identify any skin cancer you find.

While skin cancer first appears, it averages about a pea-sized growth, it steadily grows larger and can spread to other organs or tissue throughout the body. At this point, removal and treatment becomes difficult and the risk of death increases.

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