Women's Health

The Star of Life. Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit.

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High Blood Pressure (hypertension)

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80; blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called "pre-hypertension", and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high.

The top number, the systolic blood pressure, corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number, the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the contraction. The diastolic pressure reflects the lowest pressure to which the arteries are exposed.

An elevation of the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart (cardiac) disease, kidney (renal) disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke (brain damage). These complications of hypertension are often referred to as end-organ damage because damage to these organs is the end result of chronic (long duration) high blood pressure. For that reason, the diagnosis of high blood pressure is important so efforts can be made to normalize blood pressure and prevent complications.

It was previously thought that rises in diastolic blood pressure were a more important risk factor than systolic elevations, but it is now known that in people 50 years or older systolic hypertension represents a greater risk.

The American Heart Association estimates high blood pressure affects approximately one in three adults in the United States - 73 million people. High blood pressure is also estimated to affect about two million American teens and children, and the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that many are under-diagnosed. Hypertension is clearly a major public health problem.

Hypertension

Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure. Blood pressure is a measurement of the force against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood through your body.Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure, sometimes arterial hypertension, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries. Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated.American Society of Hypertension, Inc.ASH is the largest organization of hypertension researchers and health care providers in the United States committed to eliminating hypertension

Top Warning Signs of Diabetes

Look For These Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes:

Many of the signs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar. In both, there is too much glucose in the blood and not enough in the cells of your body. High glucose levels in Type I are due to a lack of insulin because the insulin producing cells have been destroyed. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body's cells become resistant to insulin that is being produced. Either way, your cells aren't getting the glucose that they need, and your body lets you know by giving you these signs and symptoms.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes
Frequent trips to the bathroom:

Are you visiting the bathroom much more lately? Does it seem like you urinate all day long? Urination becomes more frequent when there is too much glucose in the blood. If insulin is nonexistent or ineffective, the kidneys can't filter glucose back to the blood. They become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose. This keeps your bladder full and it keeps you running to the bathroom.

Unquenchable Thirst:

If it feels like you can't get enough water and you're drinking much more than usual, it could be a sign of diabetes, especially if it seems to go hand in hand with frequent urination. If your body is pulling extra water out of your blood and you're running to the bathroom more, you will become dehydrated and feel the need to drink more to replace the water that you are losing.

Losing Weight Without Trying:

This symptom is more noticeable with Type 1 diabetes. In Type 1, the pancreas stops making insulin, possibly due to a viral attack on pancreas cells or because an autoimmune response makes the body attack the insulin producing cells. The body desperately looks for an energy source because the cells aren't getting glucose. It starts to break down muscle tissue and fat for energy. Type 2 happens gradually with increasing insulin resistance so weight loss is not as noticeable.

Weakness and Fatigue:

It's that bad boy glucose again. Glucose from the food we eat travels into the bloodstream where insulin is supposed to help it transition into the cells of our body. The cells use it to produce the energy we need to live. When the insulin isn't there or if the cells don't react to it anymore, then the glucose stays outside the cells in the bloodstream. The cells become energy starved and you feel tired and run down.

Tingling or Numbness in Your Hands, Legs or Feet:

This symptom is called neuropathy. It occurs gradually over time as consistently high glucose in the blood damages the nervous system, particularly in the extremities. Type 2 diabetes is a gradual onset, and people are often not aware that they have it. Therefore, blood sugar might have been high for more than a few years before a diagnosis is made. Nerve damage can creep up without our knowledge. Neuropathy can very often improve when tighter blood glucose control is achieved.

Other Signs and Symptoms That Can Occur:

Blurred vision, skin that is dry or itchy, frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal are also signs that something is amiss. Again, when these signs are associated with diabetes, they are the result of high glucose levels in the body. If you notice any of the above signs, schedule an appointment with your doctor. He or she will be able to tell you if you have reason to be concerned about a diagnosis of diabetes.

Numerous chemicals linked to difficulty losing weight

(NaturalNews) As the old thinking goes, obesity is linked to improper diets, too much food, and not enough exercise. And while the old thinking may not be inaccurate, it also doesn't tell us the whole story. Scientists today are finding more and more evidence that chemicals in our bodies lead to heavier people in various ways.

"There are between fifteen and twenty chemicals that have been shown to cause weight gain," says an obesity researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. And many of these chemicals, the average person already has in their blood. Research has also found that these chemicals affect developing fetuses, which means that if the mother has them in her blood, or has them in high levels, her child will more likely become obese. Thus these chemicals create generational problems that may also have affected people who are already alive today.

Of course, obesity isn't just a health problem. It's also often a social problem for those who experience it, so in several ways, it's known to diminish the quality of life. Problems such as childhood teasing and exclusion from society are often cited as stemming from the source.

The chemicals responsible often use different mechanisms which ultimately lead to easy gain and hard to get rid of weight. Some of the chemicals increase the number of fat cells you have, so you have more cells to store fat in. Others increase the size of your fat cells and make them larger so they can store more fat per cell. Still other chemicals alter our hormones which then affect our appetites, whether we feel full or not, our food preferences, and even our energy metabolism. Of course, by lowering your energy metabolism, you might feel it's impossible to lose weight no matter what you do.

It's also interesting that the chemicals can affect your food preferences, which means they affect which foods sound good to eat. And it's hard to imagine these weight gain chemicals would cause you to crave the healthy stuff.

Where Are They Found?

These "weight gain" chemicals are often found in: pesticides, pharmaceuticals and common plastics. Most of them are endocrine disruptors and they've also been found in products including handbags, wallpaper, blinds, tile, air fresheners, laundry products, and numerous personal care products. To some extent, they are all around us.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is another one, and it's often in canned foods, baby bottles, and medical devices. Frederick vom Saal, a University of Missouri biology professor, tells us that, "BPA reduces the number of fat cells but programs them to incorporate more fat, so there are fewer but very large fat cells." Vom Saal has studied BPA for the past 15 years.

When you realize how various and pervasive chemicals in your body may be related to your difficulties in losing weight, you may also come to the conclusion that detoxification is the answer. Because when you remove those chemicals, you can also diminish or eliminate the affects they are having on your body. At the very least, they will no longer continue to be there, causing the problem.


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034981_weight_loss_chemicals_BPA.html#ixzz1nuzF9G4O

Most of us are familiar with the term ‘allergy’, and use it quite frequently. By definition, an allergy is an abnormal response of the immune system if the human body to an allergen (an agent that can trigger allergy). Allergies in children are quite common in today’s context. Many children attending pediatric clinics today do so for allergy-related complaints.

An allergy can crop up at any age and can continue for months or years until the child outgrows it, or till the allergen is discovered and eliminated from the child’s environment. Allergies are usually a result of both genetic susceptibility and environmental stimulation.

Types of Allergies in children:

Allergies in children can involve any or all of three or four systems:

1)The nose, throat and chest (respiratory allergies)

2)The skin ( cutaneous allergy)

3)The stomach and intestines ( gastrointestinal allergies or food allergies)

4)The eyes (ocular allergy)

Allergic symptoms depend on the system involved.

CANCER

Cancer
Cancer -Cancer /ˈkænsər/ ( listen), known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a broad group of various diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth.Treating cancer can be very complicated, and it is difficult for even the most educated patients to be sure they have the best care.
Carcinoma; Malignant tumor
Last reviewed: August 14, 2010.

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancerous cells are also called malignant cells.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Cells are the building blocks of living things.

Cancer grows out of normal cells in the body. Normal cells multiply when the body needs them, and die when the body doesn't need them. Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too quickly. It can also occur when cells forget how to die.

There are many different kinds of cancers. Cancer can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue.

There are many causes of cancers, including:

Benzene and other chemicals

Drinking excess alcohol

Environmental toxins, such as certain poisonous mushrooms and a type of poison that can grow on peanut plants (aflatoxins)

Excessive sunlight exposure

Genetic problems

Obesity

Radiation

Viruses

However, the cause of many cancers remains unknown.

The most common cause of cancer-related death is lung cancer.

The three most common cancers in men in the United States are:

Prostate cancer

Lung cancer

Colon cancer

In women in the United States, the three most common cancers are:

Breast cancer

Colon cancer

Lung cancer

Some cancers are more common in certain parts of the world. For example, in Japan, there are many cases of stomach cancer, but in the United States, this type of cancer is pretty rare. Differences in diet may play a role.

Some other types of cancers include:

Brain cancer

Cervical cancer

Hodgkin's lymphoma

Kidney cancer

Leukemia

Liver cancer

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Ovarian cancer

Skin cancer

Testicular cancer

Thyroid cancer

Uterine cancer

Symptoms

Symptoms of cancer depend on the type and location of the cancer. For example, lung cancer can cause coughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Colon cancer often causes diarrhea, constipation, and blood in the stool.

Some cancers may not have any symptoms at all. In certain cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, symptoms often do not start until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

The following symptoms can occur with most cancers:

Chills

Fatigue

Fever

Loss of appetite

Malaise

Night sweats

Weight loss

Signs and tests

Like symptoms, the signs of cancer vary based on the type and location of the tumor. Common tests include the following:

Biopsy of the tumor

Blood tests (which look for chemicals such as tumor markers)

Bone marrow biopsy (for lymphoma or leukemia)

Chest x-ray

Complete blood count (CBC)

CT scan

MRI scan

Most cancers are diagnosed by biopsy. Depending on the location of the tumor, the biopsy may be a simple procedure or a serious operation. Most patients with cancer have CT scans to determine the exact location and size of the tumor or tumors.

A cancer diagnosis is difficult to cope with. It is important, however, that you discuss the type, size, and location of the cancer with your doctor when you are diagnosed. You also will want to ask about treatment options, along with their benefits and risks.

It's a good idea to have someone with you at the doctor's office to help you get through the diagnosis. If you have trouble asking questions after hearing about your diagnosis, the person you bring with you can ask them for you.

Treatment

Treatment varies based on the type of cancer and its stage. The stage of a cancer refers to how much it has grown and whether the tumor has spread from its original location.

If the cancer is confined to one location and has not spread, the most common treatment approach is surgery to cure the cancer. This is often the case with skin cancers, as well as cancers of the lung, breast, and colon.

If the tumor has spread to local lymph nodes only, sometimes these can be removed.

If surgery cannot remove all of the cancer, the options for treatment include radiation, chemotherapy, or both. Some cancers require a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

Lymphoma, or cancer of the lymph glands, is rarely treated with surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are most often used to treat lymphoma.

Although treatment for cancer can be difficult, there are many ways to keep up your strength.

If you have radiation treatment, know that:

Radiation treatment is painless.

Treatment is usually scheduled every weekday.

You should allow 30 minutes for each treatment session, although the treatment itself usually takes only a few minutes.

You should get plenty of rest and eat a well-balanced diet during the course of your radiation therapy.

Skin in the treated area may become sensitive and easily irritated.

Side effects of radiation treatment are usually temporary. They vary depending on the area of the body that is being treated.

If you are going through chemotherapy, you should eat right. Chemotherapy causes your immune system to weaken, so you should avoid people with colds or the flu. You should also get plenty of rest, and don't feel as though you have to accomplish tasks all at once.

It will help you to talk with family, friends, or a support group about your feelings. Work with your health care providers throughout your treatment. Helping yourself can make you feel more in control.

Support Groups

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer often causes a lot of anxiety and can affect a person's entire life. There are many resources for cancer patients.

See: Cancer resources

Expectations (prognosis)

The outlook depends on the type of cancer. Even among people with one type of cancer, the outcome varies depending on the stage of the tumor when they are diagnosed.

Some cancers can be cured. Other cancers that are not curable can still be treated well. Some patients can live for many years with their cancer. Other tumors are quickly life-threatening.

Complications

One complication is that the cancer may spread. Other complications vary with the type and stage of the tumor.

Calling your health care provider

Contact your health care provider if you develop symptoms of cancer.

Prevention

You can reduce the risk of getting a cancerous (malignant) tumor by:

Eating a healthy diet

Exercising regularly

Limiting alcohol

Maintaining a healthy weight

Minimizing your exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals

Not smoking or chewing tobacco

Reducing sun exposure, especially if you burn easily

Cancer screenings, such as mammography and breast examination for breast cancer and colonoscopy for colon cancer, may help catch these cancers at their early stages when they are most treatable. Some people at high risk for developing certain cancers can take medication to reduce their risk.

References

Moscow JA, Cowan KH. Biology of cancer. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 187.
Thun MJ. Epidemiology of cancer. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 185.
Review Date: 8/14/2010.

Reviewed by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.



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