Breast cancer is a major health threat to women around the world. The number of women affected by breast cancer is shooting up every year. The sad thing is early diagnosis and treatment can lead to an almost 100 per cent cure rate among those affected by this illness.
Often the problem is not the unavailability of treatment for breast cancer, but late diagnosis. Awareness of the symptoms of breast cancer is the only way to assure that every person with the disease will get an early diagnosis. Many charities and cancer foundations have launched breast cancer awareness programs with this fact in mind.
The mass appeal of the LiveStrong yellow cancer bracelets from the Lance Armstrong foundation led breast cancer foundations to launch the breast cancer awareness bracelets. Pink was chosen as the color for these bracelets as an expression of the feminine character. Currently millions of dollars are being generated from the sale of pink ribbons and breast cancer awareness bracelets, which is going towards supporting cancer research and for spreading awareness of the disease.
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Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the Central Nervous System which consist of the brain and spinal cord. It is also called the disease of the ‘white matter’ tissue. White matter consists of nerve fibers which are responsible for transmitting communication signals both internally within the CNS and between the CNS and the nerves supplying the rest of the body. Multiple Sclerosis can be very slow in destroying your CNS, which is why it makes it hard to characterize. People who are affected by this disease have patches of damage called plaques or lesions that seem to appear randomly on the CNS white matter. Multiple Sclerosis never affects any two people the same way and each intervals disease is unique only to him or her, just like fingerprints. The body’s immune system attacks the outer nerve sheath or myelin , which causes scarring or sclerosis , and this scarring interferes with the transmission of the signals required for normal operation.
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Overexposure to the sun and UV rays is rarely obvious at the time, — and on many occasions, probably quite unintentional. However repeated exposure has rather more adverse long-term implications for our bodies and our health.
We’re all well aware of the more obvious and painful symptoms of sunburn including hot, red, tender skin, which in the case of a more heavy burn can also include blistering, peeling and dehydration.
The damage that occurs beneath the skin as a result of sunburn is considerably ‘less obvious’ at the time of exposure, and may in fact take years to produce symptoms visible to the naked eye.
The fact that damage caused to skin cells during sunburn can not only accelerate the aging process, but also increase the risk of cataracts and skin cancer, should certainly demand our attention.
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Leukemia is a disease of the bone marrow and blood that is known to affect normal blood cell production. Normal blood cells have a limited period of life and they need to be constantly replaced by fresh, young cells to carry on their activity. There is a type of cell within the bone marrow (stem cell) that matures into the type of blood cells that the body needs. In normal condition, these stem cells develop either into red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets, into a controlled way. Leukemia perturbs the normal development of blood cells and causes the accumulation of partially developed cells, that aren’t able to fulfill their role inside the organism.
Judging by the speed of development and the persistence of the disorder, there are two types of leukemia: acute leukemia and chronic leukemia. Judging by the types of stem cells affected by the disorder, leukemia can either be lymphocytic or myelogenous.
Acute leukemia differs from chronic leukemia by the levels that stem cells are able to reach in their development (stem cells that present anomalies still manage to partially develop and either resemble immature cells or complete, normal white blood cells).
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Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which is being discovered more and more frequently in elderly men. The most common cause of mesothelioma is from asbestos exposure and affects the membrane of many of the most vital internal organs such as the lungs and heart. Mesothelioma is particularly hard to diagnose because it shows similar symptoms to many other more common diseases.
The most common form of mesothelioma is called pleural mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma accounts for 75% of all mesothelioma cases. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs and has symptoms such as chest pain, coughing, breathing and swallowing difficulties, shortness of breath, wheezing and weight loss. These symptoms apply to many less serious diseases but anyone with signs of these symptoms are strongly advised to consult their doctor as soon as possible.
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Prostate cancer as one of the most common types of cancer in men according to the American Cancer Society. Fortunately if caught early, the prognosis is good. Even better than treating it, is of course, avoiding it altogether. The search for the cause of prostate cancer is ongoing and a recent study was recently completed.
An eight year study of 29,361 men has just been completed. The study examined the impact of antioxidant supplements on the rate of prostate cancer. “There has been definite interest in their use, based on a few earlier studies that have been done” said lead researcher Richard B. Hayes, senior investigator in the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
Reporting in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Hayes’ team calculated the risk of prostate cancer for 29,361 men aged 55 to 74, all of whom were participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Screening Trial.
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The colon is one of the most important organs in the body. It’s intended purpose is to return water and nutrients into our bodies and help us eliminate waste. American diets are low in fiber and digestive enzymes. This causes the body produce digestive enzymes at the expense of immune system enzymes.
The low level of fiber prevents the colon from cleaning itself and causes a buildup of toxic matter in the colon. The buildup of toxic matter in the colon can lead to many health problems, the most serious of which is colon cancer. The weakened immune system is unable to fight the disease.
Colon cleansing helps the body rid itself of toxic matter. This in turn allows the colon to aid in the digestive process and allows the production of immune system enzymes to return to normal.
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Dr Christiane Northrup has some interesting insights into the emotional and energetic issues associated with ovarian cancer. Whilst it is impossible to generalize emotional and energetic responses, she highlights the issue of rage in ovarian cancers. She describes the ovaries as being ‘female balls’ which means they relate to an active participation in the world in a way that expresses our unique creative potential, as women, on an individual basis.
She says: “…we as women must be open to the uniqueness of our creations and their own energies and impulses, without trying to force them into predetermined forms. Our ability to yield to our creativity, to acknowledge that we cannot control it with our intellects, is the key to understanding ovarian power.” (p187, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom)
She relates the issue of rage as deriving from being in an abusive relationship - not necessarily physically abusive, though of course this could be the case. And it may not necessarily be a personal or intimate relationship. It could be with work, societal, or even spiritual. But it embodies a way of relating and dealing with something or someone, where the woman involved feels controlled by the situation and does not believe in her ability to change it, or herself. It is a denial of her innate power and self-sovereignty. A denial of a woman’s innate dignity, creativity, spirituality, and complexity.
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Modern medicine is based upon the notion of battle. We battle germs and fight for life. As soon as we feel pain or discomfort, we immediately try to stop it from happening and look for some way to soothe what we are going through. We feel we must change our illness or problems, overpower them with our expertise.
This orientation leads to a never ending battle with all that impinges upon us. After one illness or problem is conquered, another arises. We live in a state of constant insecurity where there is little room for ease of mind.
Healing from within brings inner peace with it. It arises from a different orientation towards all the experiences of life. We are taught to stop, pay attention and respect all that comes to us. It is as if we were re-focusing a camera, receiving our experience through a different lens.
Usually there is a deep sense that pain is bad, and must be removed at any cost. Pain is not bad. Pain arises from lack of balance and contains much information. It brings many messages along with it. When we see our pain as a messenger and learn how to respect and listen to it, healing begins in all kinds of ways.
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Many people experiencing premature hair loss simply resign themselves to a process that is as inevitable as growing old. This is a positive and healthy reaction to what is a natural process for many. But for others the onset of premature balding or excessive hair loss represents a traumatic development that causes untold worry and suffering. This too is a legitimate reaction regardless of whether the hair loss is caused by hereditary factors or some other more complex cause.
Should these sufferers just grin and bear it? No, they should not because there are a number of potentially effective treatments they could utilize, depending on the nature of their hair loss. In this article I will outline some of the most popular hair loss treatments currently available in order to reinforce the fact that hair loss can be treated. The next article in the series will look closely at the treatment regimes best suited to specific ailments such as alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.
At present only two medications have been approved as hair loss treatments by the FDA. These are minoxidil, better known as Rogaine, and finasteride, better known as Propecia. Several other drugs have proven to be effective in combating hair loss, dutasteride for example, but have not yet been approved for this particular use.
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