Your doctor has given you the lowdown on how to protect yourself against breast, colon, and lung cancer: Get yearly mammograms (check) and regular colonoscopies (check), and don’t smoke (double check). But when was the last time she asked if you had any persistent mouth sores, unexplained fevers or joint pain, or discomfort during sex?
These can be symptoms of three cancers — oral, leukemia, and endometrial — that don’t get the attention they deserve. Even though they are among the most common cancers affecting women over age 55, these diseases can fall through the cracks as doctors focus on the biggest killers hogging the health headlines, says Elmer Huerta, MD, MPH, president of the American Cancer Society.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Babies who gain weight rapidly in the first months after birth may have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure as adults, British researchers said on Tuesday.
Researchers have been trying to understand more of the causes of high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Low birth weights also have been associated with an increased risk for high blood pressure later in life.
The new study sought to determine if growth patterns in the first five years of life also were associated with a risk of high blood pressure in adulthood. The researchers tracked 679 young adults around age 25 in Britain.
Walking on the treadmill can help stroke survivors by rewiring the brain and helping with unassisted mobility as well as improve cardio. While it hasn’t been determined whether the improvements to the brain functionality were caused by walking or if participants walked better because of increased brain functionality, walking on the treadmills seems to help stroke victims regain their brain and body functions. Anyone who has suffered a stroke and had their lives changed by new disabilities should be thrilled by the new avenue for treatment, that seems to even help long after their stroke.
Strokes are usually caused when the blood supply is either cut off or significantly reduced to the brain, cutting off the oxygen supply, which can leave those who survive paralyzed or significantly impaired and eventually lead to chronic disabilities. Physical rehabilitation and therapy is one aspect of treatment following a stroke.
Your pain is unique. Only you know where your pain is located, how it feels, how much it hurts, how long it hurts and what makes it better. The key to getting the best pain relief is talking with your doctor and nurse about your pain. They will want to know how much pain you feel, where it is, and what it feels like.
The First Step: Talk About Your Pain
Telling your care team in detail about your pain is the best thing that you can do to assist in your cancer treatment. Sometimes patients don’t receive the best pain treatment because they don’t let their care team know about their pain. Patients may not want to complain, they may fear becoming addicted to pain medications, they may fear the side effects of pain more than the pain itself, or they may want to save their pain treatment options until they "really" need them. Each of these beliefs will hinder pain treatment and also hinder cancer therapy.
If you watched the Olympics, you can’t help but be inspired by the athletes’ physical abilities. I’ve been trying to lift heavier weights, take extra time to stretch and jog with just a bit more speed. And judging by the crowd at the gym lately, I’m not the only one feeling motivated.
Exercise has the obvious benefits of helping you look and feel better. Make a habit of it, though, and you also could be doing something to improve your financial future.
According to researchers, multiple rounds of heating – plus a little extra oil – enhance the health benefits of processed tomatoes.
The technique alters the structure of the tomato molecule lycopene so that it is more easily transported into the bloodstream.
Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, has been shown to prevent cancers and may also combat heart disease and diabetes.
Earlier studies have indicated that processing raw tomatoes into purees or sauces increased the benefits.
Managing a chronic illness, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, may seem overwhelming.
Here are helpful suggestions for people with a chronic illness, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
- Take a look at your unhealthy behaviors, and choose one or several that you want to work on and improve.
- Come up with a specific plan and goals for dealing with each unhealthy behavior.
- Devise alternate plans to help you stick to your goals — for example, how to handle weather that affects your exercise plans.
- Make sure your goals are realistic, and that you feel confident that you can reach them.
- Talk to your doctor about your goals, and discuss your progress. Read more
