Vitamin D: A Study On How It Prevents Breast Cancer

28 Aug 2014 Cancer Treatments, General Health, Well Woman

It has been said that optimizing one’s vitamin D levels can prevent up to sixteen different types of cancer from growing and developing. Doctors Clinic’s doctors in Houston have already made explicit the degree to which cancers that affect organs such as the pancrease, ovaries, testicles, and skin begin to vitiate when vitamin D doses are greatly increased. Just recently, the professionals at Doctors Clinic have noticed that patients with breast cancer start feeling stronger and healthier when they take in over 5,000 IUs of vitamin D.

Vitamin D Decreases Risk of Cancer by Over Seventy Percent

Prevention is always preferable to treatment. And when it comes to cancer, things are absolutely no different. Certainly, a great many cancer survivors are alive and kicking in the world thanks to treatment methods such as chemotherapy and even Simpson oil; though no doctor recommends that you totally rely on even the most cutting-edge treatment methodologies. None of them are fail-safe, and for this reason, it is best to focus on prevention rather than cure. A study in 2007 has shown that just raising one’s serum levels to forty ng/ml is enough to obviate the most acute forms of cancer – and breast cancer in particular.

What is most surprising of all, even to some of the most seasoned health and nutrition professionals around, is that raising one’s serum levels to forty ng/ml is not that difficult at all. It takes relatively little effort to get to said level, and fortunately, for women, it can be enough to keep breast canncer away. Regarding this particular 2007 study, there was a seventy-five percent reduction of incidence of cancers after only 5 years – a remarkable feat and one that ought to be celebrated all across the globe.

Vitamin D Destroys Breast Cancer Cells

The illustrious Dr. Ced Garland – the man around town at UCSD, who has remained among the most esteemed professors at the university’s cancner center – has made a connection between Vitamin D definiciency and the development of cancer. Mr. Ced says that in practically every single case for patients with breast cancer, there is a lack of vitamin D, which affects the structure of the all important epithelial cells. Essentially, these particular cells stick to one another by a sticky substance known as E-cadherin. E-cadherin provides structure to the cell. And we all know that withotu structure, nothing can be sustenable for any great length of time – whether we’re talking about man-made structures like buildings and skyscrapers or biological and natural phenomena at the cellular level. E-cadherin is mostly composed of vitamin D and calcium.

Without adequate vitamin D, that particular structure begins to call apart, and those cells do what they are programmed to do in order to survive – multiply. If this growth process spirals out of control, what results is cancer.

Daily Doses

Houston doctors recommend a daily dose of 8,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day. It is important to stress that we are talking about D3, and not just vitamin D. Taking vitamin D3 is much safer than the synthetic D2 version, and going over the recommended dose of D3 per day doesn’t do as much harm as doing so with D2. The only thing to keep in mind is that it is important to also increase one’s intake of vitamin K2. Without vitamin K2, vitamin D can calcify, resulting in clogged arteries. Overall, though, it is an imperative to get one’s vitamin D levels checked. Doctors Clinic Houston offers extensive vitamin deficiency testing. A minor investment of time in choosing to get one’s blood taken and tested can go a long way toward understanding what the body is lacking and what it needs in order to optimize health.

Green Tea – Its Many Health Benefits

21 Aug 2014 Cardiology, Diabetes Care, General Health

Green tea is without question among the healthiest beverages to date, with research displaying impressive health benefits not only for one’s heart, but for one’s bones, weight, vision, and even one’s brain. Anyone with an interest in improving his or her health, and specifically his or her brain health, green tea is definitely worth a consideration.

Green Tea Improves Brain Health

According to the Mercola Natural Health Center, an individual highly regarded in the eyes of Doctors Clinic Houston, a recent study of twelve virile volunteers, the participants receiving a beverage that contained just under 28 grams of green tea extract displayed an increased connectivity between the parietal and frontal cortex of the brain compared to those who drank a non-green tea beverage.

Researchers suggest that one’s cognitive functioning is strengthened if people consume pure green tea extract. And that is by far among the great benefits of tea – if you don’t particularly like it for its taste (or if you only drink it once in a blue moon), you can still get the health benefits by consuming it in supplemental extract form.

The Many Other Health Benefits of green Tea

It is not just your brain that gets these wondrous benefits from green tea. Below is a list of the other ways green tea improves ones health.

The Reduction Mortality; Chronic Inflammation

Empirical studies indicate that people who drink green tea also tend to live longer. Hear problems are reduced drastically. Research also makes the case that there are holistic benefits to consuming this wondrous herb, which include a lowering of blood pressure and chronic inflammation.

Heart Health

Dr. Mercola, health expert and founder of the Natural Health Center, states that green tea contributes to an improvement of blood flow and to the ability of one’s arteries to relax. In order to get these benefits, research suggests that a couple of cups of green tea each day may help prevent heart disease. Nowadays, just about every Houston doctor recommends a cup of green tea each day or so.

Type-2 Diabetes

A single study showed that people who consume around seven cups of green tea daily had a 29% lower risk of developing type two diabetes than individuals who consumed less than a single cup per week.

Vision Health

Catechins in green tea can also protect you against eye problems like glaucoma. Research has disinterred the fact that the compounds travel from your digestive system to the tissues of your eyes. During the study, the catechins found in green tea were absorbed into various parts of the eyes anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours after rats were given tea.

Cancer

Green tea components show a tendency to downregulate the expression of proteins involved in inflammation, cell signalization, cell motility, and angiogenesis, while an association between green tea intake and decreased risk of cancers (including ovarian and breast) has been reported.

Vitamin D Deficiency: A Major Epidemic In the US

14 Aug 2014 Drug Safety, General Health

Theories connecting vitamin D deficiency to a number of cancers have not only been tested, but established as correct, in over 250 epidemiological studies. A grasping of its foundation from a physiological standpoint has stemmed from over two thousand lab studies, as stated by doctor Ced Garland, who is also a professor at the medicinal department of UCSD. Presented below are a few of the salient points that establish the need for greater vitamin D intake:

  • Some 610,000 instances of breast & colon cancers could have been stopped every year had vitamin D levels been upped world-wide. This is only taking account of the number of deaths for 2 kinds of cancer!
  • When you optimize vitamin D levels, that can actually help you to stop at least a whopping sixteen different kinds of cancer, some of which include: cancer of the pancrease, the lungs, the ovaries, the prostate, and skin cancers.
  • A massive study on vitamin D & cancer indicated that vitamin D can slash one’s risk of getting cancer by up to 60%! When this came out, it became such groundbreaking news that the Canadian Cancer Society had actually told everyone that taking more vitamin D was the cure for cancer.
  • According to the Mercola archives, Doctor Bill Grant’s study showed that close to 30% of cancer-related deaths – which amounts to 2,000,000 all over the world and 235,000 in America – could be stopped every single year with greater vitamin D intake.

    • According to the Mercola archives, Vitamin D protects against cancer in a great many ways:

    • It can cause cells with some sort of a mutation to self-destruct
    • Reduce the spread & reproduction of cancer cells
    • Cause cells the unhealthy cells to actually begin to appear different from the healthy noes (a great many cancer cells are hard to spot out, because they don’t look abnormal)
    • Reduce the growth of newer blood vessels from ones that already exist – a step in the transition of dormant tumors that turn malignant

Getting past cancer, researchers have pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 could prevent other chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year! Vitamin D also fights colds and the flu, as it modulates and improves the expression of genes that foment your immune system to defeat deadly pathogens. In fact, it is very rare for someone with optimized vitamin D levels to come down with the flu.

A Great Many Are Vitamin D Deficient

In winter time in the US, the typical vitamin D levels is only at about 15-18 ng/ml, an extremely serious deficiency state. Additionally, it is thought more than a whopping 95 percent of senior citizens in America may be vitamin D deficient. That’s not the only whopping statistic: 85 percent of the American public is considered vitamin D deficient as well! Further, the Mercola archives claim that:

  • Being deficient in vitamn D is a major problem in adults, young or old, with darker skin, like folks whose progenitors are Africans, the Middle Easterners, or Indians, who constantly wear sunscreen, or who don’t partake in very many outdoor activities.
  • Black people and other people with darker skin, and also the folks residing in northern latitudes make much less vitamin D than other groups.
  • Sixty-five percent of people with type-2 diabetes have vitamin D deficiency.
  • Studies made clear that very low levels of vitamin D has become an epidemic among young kids, the old, and vast majority of the female population.
  • A study done in America revealed that almost one in two black women of fourteen and up may have a vitamin D deficiency.

Three Unexpected Benefits of Donating Blood

28 Jul 2014 General Health

m16140939_BloodDonorApheresis

Most folks who end up donating blood do it because they want to help others. And that is fantastic. Doing so just once may actually help save the lives of up to three people. But still, the percentage of the US population that actually does donate blood is very low, with less than ten percent making a donation every year.

So why don’t more people donate? Don’t most of us have a desire to help others? Something as seemingly innocuous as spending thirty minutes donating blood to save three human life forms sounds like a deed of extraordinary effect, doesn’t it? No question, it is, but unfortunately a great many claim to have never given it a thought, for they were too busy; others, that they just don’t like needles. Whether the responses are a prevarication or are genuine, the fact is that most just prefer not to do it.

However, it may just be time for folks to reconsider their choice to forgo donating blood, because recent studies tell us that giving blood may not just help others, but it may help the one donating as well.

The Benefits of Giving Blood

Every two seconds, there is someone living in the United States that needs blood, so if you are up for doing some good out there, donating blood can be a fantastic choice. Over forty-thousand blood donations are needed every single day. We all know the altruistic reasons for wanting to give blood, but what about these other health-related reasons that are beginning to surface?

Donating Blood Balances Your Iron Levels

Many doctors and health experts say that this is by far the most important reason for wanting to donate blood. For each unit of blood donated, a person loses close to one-quarter of a gram of iron.

At first, you may consider this a bad thing, as too little iron can lead to listlessness, a weakened immunity, or anemia, which can be serious if not tended to. This is most prevalent in young children and premenopausal women.

But what many people have yet to recognize is that too much iron can be far worse, and is surprisingly far more common than iron deficiency. So for many folks, the very fact that donating blood can help your body get rid of excess iron is a prodigious health benefit. It was discovered long ago that menstruating women suffer fewer heart attacks, which was first thought to be due to hormonal reasons, but now we know that it is due to lower iron levels. Like the premenopausal women, blood donors have been found to be close to eighty-eight percent less likely to suffer from a heart failure.

Donating Blood Improves Blood Flow

Are you at all aware what a sugar-rich diet, tobacco, radio frequencies & electromagnetic radiation, high cholesterol, high uric acid levels, and stress do to your blood?

They all make your blood very thick and slow moving, which ups the chances of a blood clot or a stroke. The thickening of blood also causes inflammation, because when your blood just doesn’t flow well, oxygen cannot reach your tissues.

For instance, many of the early birth control pills were notorious for causing heart failures. The reason was that the synthetic estrogens increased blood viscosity.

Blood donations on a regular basis will lead to a better blood flow, which will limit the damage to the actual lining of blood vessels. This, in turn, should result in fewer blockages in the arteries.

Donating Blood Means You Get A Miniature Physical

Every single blood donor gets a miniature physical prior to ever donating. Your temperature will be checked, as well as your blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin. Also, your blood will be checked to make sure you don’t have any infectious diseases – diseases like syphilis, HIV, and Hepatitis.

Factors That Increase Risk of Iron Overload

A very common cause of excess iron is the regular intake of alcohol, which will increase the absorption of any iron in one’s body. Drinking wine with a steak is a bad combination. You will most definitely be absorbing more iron than is necessary. Some other potential causes of high iron levels are:

  • Cooking in pots and pans made of iron.
  • Eating foods that are fortified with iron. The majority of breads that are fortified with iron use inorganic iron, which is a lot worse for your health that the excess iron in meat, because inorganic iron does not rust.
  • Drinking well water that has a lot of iron in it. This is a great problem, but one which can be resolved simply by using a reverse osmosis water filter.
  • Taking a bevy of vitamin and mineral supplements. Many of these supplements are very high in iron.

If you find out that your iron levels are high, the best way to remedy this is to donate blood. It is the safest, cheapest, most effective way to improve your health.

Sugar: A Leading Promoter of Cancer & Heart Disease

21 Jul 2014 Cancer Treatments, Cardiology, Diabetes Care, General Health

toxic-sugar-300x223

More than 1.6 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States of America this year – and over half a million are expected to die from the disease. Another 600,000 Americans die every single year due to heart disease – it being the number one cause of death among both males and females.

Regardless of the incredible technological advances over the past century, Western medicine still has no idea of how to stop the progression of these two diseases in their tracks.

It’s becoming more and more clear that many of the conventional strategies claiming to properly and effectively treat and prevent cancer and heart disease hold many flawed assumptions that do more harm than they do good.

The sad thing is that these conventional strategies actually fail to address the core of the problem: that a diet high in sugar and processed foods is the culprit.

For many years, saturated fats have been where physicians and nutrition experts were placing the blame. They thought that eating foods high in saturated fat would lead to clogged arteries, which would then lead to the inevitable heart problems. Now, more and more folks are beginning to realize that saturated fats are healthy, and necessary for optimal brain function.

What they have realized is that a diet high in sugar, and fructose in particular, is what leads to serious health problems – heart disease, cancer, and many others. Equipped with this pivotal information puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to the prevention of these pernicious diseases.

So How Much Sugar Is in Your Diet?

So high sugar consumption deleteriously affects one’s health. But hold on a second, cutting out sugars is not the be all end all. Many food ingredients out there do even more damage than sugar, and the bad thing is that there are a few that are in over half of the boxed foods that you find in the grocery store. They all have funky, difficult to pronounce names. The word sugar isn’t appended to them to warn you of how unhealthy they are. Rather, it seems as though there is an attempt to obscure the truth from the general public, so that they do not know what they are eating. If they did, they would be able to make wiser, healthier choices and thus boycott the companies that pump out foods with harmful ingredients.

Hidden sugar, in the form of high fructose corn syrup is in just about every single processed food imaginable. You can even find it in stuff that you would generally consider to be the healthiest foods of all – like yogurt and certain juices. They are in just about every soda you can think of, and now, they are beginning to appear in just about every other bread or sauce that you buy from the store. The majority of the grains have this noxious corn syrup. Grain-based staples, like pancakes, muffins and cereals, have a bunch of sugar in them already (they quickly turn to sugar in your body). Now, adding high fructose corn syrup into the mix is just adding fuel to the fire.

Studies indicate that if you limit your sugar, you dramatically decrease your chances of developing cancer – and that includes breast and colon cancers. Those who want to optimize their health need to think long and hard before they make their next trip to the grocery store. Chances are, they are consuming far too much of both sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Fructose Increases Cancer Risk

As we mentioned earlier, high fructose corn syrup is in just about every single soda out there. Many companies have attempted to conceal this fact by using a different name for the ingredient instead. Regardless, the body’s reaction to the exposure of such unhealthy stuff is going to be the same. DNA damage, altered cellular metabolism and inflammation are all symptoms that develop as a result of drinking too much soda.

Tumor cells thrive in glucose. This, by itself, confirms the old adage that sugar feeds cancer. Cells have the capacity to use fructose for cell division. A rapid and unmitigated growth of cells is what causes cancer. The tumors you see are a bunch of cells that have reproduced at a rate much faster than normal.

This by no means suggests that one ought to totally avoid fruits just because they are high in sugar as well. The benefits of fruit definitely outweigh any concerns regarding fructose. It is recommended not to juice fruits and to eat them whole. Fruits today are a great deal sweeter than they were in the past, and for that, should be consumed in moderation. The greatest problem, though, is the high fructose corn syrup that is in practically each and every one of the processed foods and drinks you see.

Don’t Forget the Exercise

Exercise actually does more than merely help you look thin and good. Controlling your blood-glucose and insulin levels can be an incredibly effective way of recovering from cancer. Exercise is a fantastic way of doing this. Of course, this is not the be all end all by any stretch of the imagination. But exercise is a big factor, if not in recovering from cancer, at the very least, preventing cancer. Folks who spend a great deal of time getting their heart rate up and running do seem to develop cancer much less than the inert who remain listless on a regular basis.

In short, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising on the regular creates an incredibly healthy feedback loop that makes certain that insulin and leptin levels are at an optimal level. Insulin and leptin resistance – mostly driven by not exercising and by eating a lot of refined sugars – are the underlying factors that result in pretty much the majority of chronic diseases.

Allergy Glossary

19 May 2014 Allergy Treatment, General Health

print_header

GLOSSARY OF ALLERGY TERMS
Allergen: A substance that triggers an allergic reaction.

Allergic rhinitis: An allergy affecting the mucus membrane of the nose. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is often called “hay fever.”

Allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to protien substances — either inhaled, ingested, touched or injected — that normally do not cause an overreaction in non-allergic people.

Allergist: A doctor that diagnoses, treats, and manages allergy-related conditions.

Anaphylaxis: A life-threatening allergic reaction that involves the entire body. Anaphylaxis may result in shock or death, and thus requires immediate medical attention

Animal dander: The small scales or pieces of skin, often containing proteins secreted by oil glands, which are shed by an animal. These proteins are the major causes of allergies to pets.

Antibiotics: A class of medications used to treat bacterial infections. Certain antibiotics, such as penicillin, may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Antibody: A protein in the immune system that recognizes and attacks foreign substances in the body.

Antihistamines: A class of medications used to block the action of histamines in the body and prevent the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Allergic asthma: A chronic, inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by wheezing, breathing difficulties, coughing, chest tightness, wherein these sypmtoms are caused by an allergic reaction to an inhaled allergen, rather than an irritant or other non-allergy factor. (See “non-allergic asthma” for more information.)

Atopic dermatitis: A chronic skin rash, also known as “eczema,” that often appears in the first few years of life.

Basophil: An immune system cell that attaches to antibodies and circulates through out the blood.

Beta-blockers: A class of blood pressure medications that ease the heart’s pumping action and widen the blood vessels. Beta-blockers counteract the effects of epinephrine used for emergency treatment of anaphylactic shock and should not be used during immunotherapy.

Bronchial tubes: The lower sections of the airway that lead into the lungs.

Challenge test: A test used to confirm an allergy to specific substance. A doctor will administer small but increasing amounts of a suspected allergen until an allergic response is noticed. Due to the risk of anaphylaxis, this should only be performed under a controlled setting.

Conjunctivitis: Inflammation of the conjunctiva, or the mucous membrane surrounding the eye. Also known as pinkeye.

Contact dermatitis: An allergic reaction resulting from skin contact to an allergen.

Corticosteroid: An anti-inflammatory medication used to treat the itching and swelling associated with some allergic reactions.

Cromolym sodium: An anti-inflammatory nasal spray used to treat and sometimes prevent allergic rhinitis.

Decongestants: A class of medications used for nasal congestion. Decongestants are available in oral doses, nasal sprays, or eye drops (for conjunctivitis).

Drug allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system in some people to certain types of medications such as penicillin, aspirin, etc.

Dust mites: A microscopic organism that lives in dust.

Eczema: See Atopic dermatitis.

Eosinophil: A specific type of immune cell that can cause tissue damage in the late phase of an allergic reaction.

Epinepherine: A medication used for immediate treatment of anaphylaxis by raising blood pressure and heart rate back to normal levels. Epinepherine is also known as adrenaline.

EpiPen: A device used to inject epinephrine during an anaphylaxis attack.

Eye allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to protiens get into the eye (also called “allergic conjunctivitis).

Food allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to food protiens.

Heparin: A chemical released by basophils and mast cells that causes nearby tissues to become swollen and inflamed.

Histamine: A chemical released by basophils and mast cells that causes nearby tissues to become swollen and inflamed.

Hives: See urticaria.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE): A type of antibody responsible for most allergic reactions.

Immunotherapy: A series of shots that help build up the immune system’s tolerance to an allergen.

Indoor allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to certain protiens found inside, such as mold spores, pet dander, cockroach or dust mite allergen, etc. (also called “perennial allergies”).

Insect allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to certain insect protiens such as venom from stining or biting insects (bees, wasps, ants, spiders), or even allergens from cockroaches and dust mites.

Insulin: A hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Diabetics who take insulin derived from animals may have allergic reactions.

Intradermal test: A test where an allergen is injected just underneath the skin. Intradermal tests are generally used when results from a skin prick test are unclear.

Late phase: The period 4 to 24 hours after exposure to an allergen where tissue damage may occur.

Latex allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to latex protiens found in many rubber or latex products. Latex allergies may occurr due to touching latex or even inhaling latex dust.

Leukotriene modifiers: A class of medications used in asthma and allergies to block the action of leukotrienes in the body and prevent the common symptoms of an allergic reactions and asthma.

Lymphocyte: A specific type of immune cell that can cause tissue damage in the late phase of an allergic reaction.

Mast cell: An immune system cell which attaches to antibodies and is located in the tissue that lines the nose, bronchial tubes, gastrointestinal tract, and the skin.

Neocromil sodium: An inhaled medication used to treat inflammation involved with asthma.

Neutrophil: A specific type of immune cell that can cause tissue damage in the late phase of an allergic reaction.

Otitis media: A middle ear infection. Otitis media with effusion occurs when fluid builds up within the ear.

Outdoor allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to certain protiens found outside, such as tree/grass/weed pollen, mold spores, stinging insects, poisonous plants, etc. (also called “hayfever,” “nasal allergies,” or “seasonal allergies”).

Radioallergosorbant test (RAST): A blood test that measures the amount of IgE antibody produced when the sample is mixed with a specific allergen.

Rhinitis: An inflammation of the nasal passageways, particularly with discharge.

Sinusitis: An inflammation or infection of one or more sinuses. The sinuses are hollow air spaces located around the nose and eyes.

Skin allergies: A chronic disease characterized by an overreaction of the immune system to certain protiens that come incontact with the skin (often appears as a rash, eczema, etc.). Also, “skin” allergies may refer to other types of allergies and have symptoms which appear on the skin causing hives, eczema, psoriasis, etc.

Skin prick test: A test where a needle is used to scratch the skin with a small amount of allergen. A response can usually be seen within 15 to 20 minutes.

Urticaria: Raised areas of the skin that are often red, warm, and itchy. Urticaria is also known as hives.

Urushiol: An oil found on poison ivy, oak, and sumac.

MERS Case Investigation

19 May 2014 General Health, Immigration Physicals

CDC: First case of MERS infection transmitted inside the U.S.

051414_ANR_MERS_640

U.S. investigation

The case was discovered as part of an investigation by U.S. health officials to track people who came in close contact with the Indiana man, who became the first person diagnosed with MERS in the United States. He was diagnosed with the virus on May 2.

MERS, first found in the Arabian Peninsula in 2012, is a coronavirus — the same group of viruses as the common cold. It attacks the respiratory system.

Symptoms, which include fever and a cough, are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea have also been seen, according to the WHO. There is no vaccine or special treatment, and it can be fatal in up to one-third of cases, Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general for the U.S. Public Health Service told CNN recently.

To date, there have been more than 570 confirmed cases of MERS, including 171 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The number of countries with confirmed cases expanded to 18, with a case in the Netherlands, according to the WHO.

Many of the cases are in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

No one knows exactly how the virus originated, but evidence implicating camels is emerging. In a recently published study in mBio, researchers said they isolated live MERS virus from two single-humped camels, known as dromedaries. They found multiple substrains in the camel viruses, including one that perfectly matches a substrain isolated from a human patient.

2 health care workers exposed to MERS patient

Indiana case

The Illinois case was discovered as part of an investigation by U.S. health officials who tracked the movements and contacts of the Indiana man, who was an American health care provider who had been working in Saudi Arabia and was on a planned visit to Indiana to see his family.

He traveled April 24 from Riyadh to London, then to Chicago, and took a bus to Indiana, officials said.

The Indiana man “had extended face-to-face contact with a business associate (Illinois man) on April 25, and then another brief contact on April 26,” Swerdlow said.

The Indiana began experiencing shortness of breath, coughing, and fever on April 27, the Indiana State Department of Health has said.

He was admitted to Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, on April 28, the same day he visited the emergency department there, the health department said. The man was released from the hospital last week.

Health officials tested 53 health care workers, six family member and an additional business associate.

The MERS virus appears to have presented differently in the Illinois man, who reported only mild-like cold symptoms.

“There is a broader spectrum of MERS than first thought… you can have no symptoms,” Swerdlow said.

There are no travel restrictions to the Arabian Peninsula; however, the CDC suggests that people who visit there monitor their health and watch for any flu-like symptoms. If you do feel unwell after such a trip, be sure to tell your doctor about your travel.

Texas Family Welcomes ‘One in a Million’ Quadruplets

19 May 2014 Family and Internal Medicine, General Health , , ,

It might be a good time for the Hall family to buy lottery tickets after they welcomed a “one in a million” set of quadruplets into the world this week.

Anna and Josh Hall from Fort Worth, Texas, became the proud parents of Brooks, Sadie, Elle and Ivy on Monday at the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine. The babies were born at only 31 weeks and will remain in the hospital for six weeks, giving them a chance to gain weight before going home.

Even with fertility treatments, experts say a quadruplets birth is extremely rare. Dr. Sherry Kappler, a neonatologist at Baylor Regional Medical Center and Pediatrix medical group, called the chance “one in a million” and said the biggest risk for quadruplets was being born premature.

“Most [quadruplets] are born at 29 weeks but [they] made it to 31,” said Kappler. “When they’re born early, we worry about their lung and brain development.”

The babies were the first set of quadruplets to be delivered at the hospital and Kappler said the team made sure they were prepared.

“Just to take care of the babies is 12 people,” said Kappler. “We did a walk through and practice [with] practice babies. By the time Monday happened we all knew where we needed to be…We thank the babies for being such good patients.”

Josh Hall, already a father to two older daughters, said the quadruplets’ birth was even more special since it fell on his 36th birthday.

“It was a really fun birthday that will never be one upped,” said Hall, who acknowledges he’ll probably never get his own birthday celebration after the quadruplets’ birthday. “It went out with a bang.”

Hall said they were surprised when they learned about the number of infants during Anna’s pregnancy, but were thankful all four babies were healthy and happy.

“Everything changes,” said Hall of learning about the quadruplets for the first time. “We left the doctor’s office and we prayed together and talked about how we knew these babies were a blessing. We had wanted kids for so long, we were in fertility  treatments for six years,” said Hall. “There was no other way we could look at this other than this as a blessing. ”

Source: ABC News Health

Alcohol Awareness

18 Apr 2014 Cardiology, General Health, Occupational Medicine

April Is Alcohol Awareness Month

April marks Alcohol Awareness Month, a nationwide campaign intended to raise awareness of the health and social problems that excessive alcohol consumption can cause for individuals, their families, and their communities. Excessive drinking is a dangerous behavior for both men and women. This year, CDC is drawing attention to the risks to women’s health from binge drinking, the most common type of excessive alcohol consumption by adults.

Binge Drinking and the Risks to Women’s Health

  • Binge drinking is defined as consuming 4 or more drinks per occasion for women and 5 or more drinks per occasion for men. It is a common and dangerous behavior that contributes to more than 11,500 deaths among women in the U.S. each year—approximately 32 deaths per day.
  • In 2009, more than 1 out of every 10 women reported binge drinking during the past 30 days. On average, women who binge drink said they engaged in this risky behavior at least three times per month. Among women binge drinkers, they consume, on average, almost six drinks per drinking occasion, which exceeds the threshold for binge drinking.
  • Binge drinking usually leads to impairment, and women who binge drink with greater frequency and intensity put themselves and those around them at increased risk of experiencing alcohol-related harms, particularly if they are pregnant or may become pregnant.
  • Binge drinking increases the risk for breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke, all of which are leading causes of death in women.

Gender Differences and Alcohol Consumption

  • Upon drinking equal amounts, women tend to absorb more alcohol when they drink, and take longer to break it down and remove it from their bodies compared to their male counterparts. These differences are caused by differences in body composition and chemistry between men and women. Even when they drink the same amount of alcohol, women tend to have higher levels of alcohol in their blood than men, and the immediate effects of impairment occur more quickly and last longer.
  • Alcohol tends to leave the body at a slower rate in women who take birth control pills compared with those who do not. The result can be greater alcohol impairment in women who take birth control pills.

Risk for Sexual Assault

  • Binge drinking is a risk factor for sexual assault, especially among young women in college settings. The risk for rape or sexual assault increases when both the perpetrator and victim have used alcohol before the attack.

Risk of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Alcohol Consumption and Pregnancy

  • No amount of alcohol is safe to drink while pregnant.There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink, and no safe kind of alcohol.
  • Women who drink alcohol while pregnant increase their risk of having a baby with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). This group of conditions includes physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as problems with behavior and learning. Often, a person has a mix of these problems. FASDs are a leading known cause of intellectual disability and birth defects. FASDs are completely preventable if a woman does not drink while she is pregnant or may become pregnant.
  • Women should not drink alcohol if they are planning to become pregnant or are sexually active and do not use effective birth control because they could become pregnant and not know for several weeks. In 2001, about one-half of all pregnancies in the United States were unplanned.
  • National surveys show that about 6 out of every 10 women of child-bearing age (18–44 years) use alcohol, and about one-third of women in this age group who drink alcohol binge drink.
  • Female binge drinkers are more likely to engage in unsafe sexual activities compared with women who are not binge drinkers. Binge drinking increases the risk for unintended pregnancy which may lead to a delay in recognizing pregnancy. If a woman does not recognize that she is pregnant and she continues drinking, she can expose her developing fetus to alcohol without realizing it.

Alcohol Consumption and Chronic Diseases:

Women are often more vulnerable than men to the long-term effects of alcohol on their health. Over time, drinking too much alcohol can lead to

  • Cancer: Alcohol consumption increases the risk for breast cancer and cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon.
  • Liver Disease: The risk for cirrhosis and other alcohol-related liver diseases is higher for women than for men.
  • Heart Problems: Studies have shown that women who drink excessively are at increased risk for damage to the heart muscle than men. Binge drinking can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk for heart attack and stroke.

Prevention Works

Binge drinking and the harms that result from it can be prevented. Prevention strategies require action at individual and population levels and must consider ways to create community environments that discourage binge drinking by women and their families.

All Women Can

  • Avoid drinking alcohol if pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Remember—Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable.
  • Choose not to binge drink and help others not to do it. Binge drinking leads to many health and social problems for the drinkers, their families, and their communities. If women choose to drink alcoholic beverages, they should do so in moderation. Moderate drinking is defined as the consumption of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Adobe PDF file [PDF – 967KB]External Web Site Icon
  • Seek care from a health care provider for excessive drinking. The U.S. Preventive Services Task ForceExternal Web Site Icon recommends screening and behavioral counseling for alcohol misuse by adults, including pregnant women. Screening and Brief Intervention has been shown to significantly decrease the number of drinks consumed per week and the number of binge drinking episodes.

State and Community Leaders Can

  • Support efforts to implement effective population-level strategies to prevent binge drinking. States and communities can reduce excessive alcohol use, including binge and underage drinking, among their residents by implementing evidence-based population strategies recommended by the Guide to Community Preventive ServicesExternal Web Site Icon. These strategies include increasing alcohol excise taxes, regulating alcohol outlet density, and maintaining and enforcing the age 21 years minimum legal drinking age (MLDA).
  • Continue to monitor binge drinking levels. Measuring the magnitude of binge drinking in the general population and specific groups at high risk (e.g., women of childbearing age) provides evidence for the need to implement population-level public health strategies for reducing binge drinking. The resulting data also serve as indicators of progress in reducing overall binge drinking levels, including binge drinking occasions and the number of drinks consumed.

Cancer Control Month

18 Apr 2014 Cancer Treatments, General Health
 

April Is Cancer Control Month

What Is Cancer Control?

Cancer control month highlights advances in fighting cancer. This includes prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer. One way to control cancer is to find cancer cells and get rid of them. Cancer screenings can help find cancer early. The earlier the cancer is found, the better the prognosis. The American Cancer Society’s recommendations for cancer screening can be found on the next page.

What are the Key Statistics about Cancer?

  • After heart disease, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States.
  • About 1,665,540 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2014.
  • Over a lifetime, about 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the United States will develop cancer.
  • Cancer rates and deaths have been on the decline since the early 1990’s.
  • One third of cancers detected will be related to overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and nutrition.

Who’s at Risk?

While everyone is at risk for cancer, some people are at greater risk than others are. Age is the greatest risk factor for cancer, since nearly 77% of cancers are detected at age 55 and older. Also, people who use tobacco, drink heavily, are physically inactive, eat a poor diet, are regularly exposed to carcinogens (cancer causing agents) in their occupation, or have prolonged and unprotected exposure to sunlight are all at increased risk for certain cancers.

Everyone should follow cancer prevention and screening guidelines. Those at highest risk for specific cancers should pay close attention to symptoms and screening recommendations and should seek prompt medical attention if they occur. Below are screening guidelines published in the American Cancer Society’s 2014 Cancer Facts and Figures.

Can Cancer Be Found Early or Controlled?

Scientific or medical discoveries have a major impact on controlling cancer. Some examples of controlling cancer are:

Genetic Testing

Researchers have found changes (mutations) in genes may cause cancer. Some genetic changes may increase a person’s chance of getting cancer. People who are concerned about cancer in their family should talk to their doctor. The doctor may send them to a cancer genetics specialist. People with a strong family history of cancer may be recommended to have a blood test. These tests may show if they have inherited any of these genetic changes. Genetic counseling helps people decide if testing is right for them as well as understand and deal with the results.

Genetic counseling is available through The Hereditary Oncology Prevention and Evaluation (HOPE) program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Please call 732-235-7110 to schedule an appointment or for more information about the program.

Gene Therapy

Cells normally have genes that help prevent cancer from developing. A large part of cancer cells have changes in these genes. This is still experimental, but it may be possible to treat cancer by placing a healthy gene into the cancer cells.

Vaccines

Scientists are studying cancer vaccines that can stop (or in some cases, prevent) certain cancers. Vaccines help the immune system to fight the cancer.

Chemopreventive Agents

New chemopreventive agents (agents given to prevent cancer) are being developed. They can act alone or with other medications to reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Early Detection

The development of new and more accurate cancer screening methods will allow earlier detection of some precancerous lesions and early-stage cancers. This allows physicians to treat people before the disease progresses.

Lifestyle Changes

The development of new findings about lifestyle changes, especially concerning diet, nutrition, and physical activity, may prevent some cancers.

Chemotherapy

Clinical trials are in progress to test new chemotherapy drugs or combinations. Other studies are testing new ways to combine proven drugs to make them even more effective. These medications can help control or cure cancer once it has developed.

Immunotherapy

Scientists are testing treatments that work with the immune system. This type of treatment can help fight cancer or control the side effects caused by some cancer treatments. You may also hear this referred to as biological therapy, biotherapy, or biological response modifier (BRM) therapy.

Antiangiogenesis Agents

Tumors cannot grow without a blood supply. Researchers are studying antiangiogenesis therapy, which is the use of drugs or other substances to stop cancerous tumors from developing new blood vessels.

©Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Patient Education Committee

1 2 3 4 … 7

Search

+