Archive for February, 2011
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. The disease can occur in men although breast cancer in males is only a tiny proportion of all who are diagnosed – approximately 1%. As a matter of interest, breast cancer in women has been, in recent years, on the increase and why this is so is a matter of debate.
There are many symptoms of breast cancer and many factors involved in the risk of contracting the disease. Whether or not you fit into the risk areas and whether or not you find you have one or more of the symptoms, every woman should have a regular health check particularly once they reach the age of forty.
Symptoms you may find for possible breast cancer include the following:
o A lump or thickening near the underarm or breast
o Any change in the shape or the size of the breast
o Any change in the feel or appearance of the breast
o Any discharge from the nipple
o Swelling in the breast or breast area
These are the most common symptoms. If one or more occur you should consult your doctor as soon as possible. Remember that such symptoms do not mean you have breast cancer but that they are the symptoms often found in women who develop the disease. In fact a cyst or an infection may have a similar symptom to those of cancer but have none of the possible serious implications of cancer.
As well as the above symptoms, there are various stages or categories where it is believed that there is a higher than normal risk of contracting the disease. These beliefs are based on a series of studies which have been conducted over many years. Some studies are on-going. These factors or categories include the following:
o Age – three-quarters of all diagnosed cases of breast cancer occur in women aged 50 or older
o Family history – if there is a history of the disease in your family
o Time of body changes – the early beginnings to menstruation [younger than 12] or the later onset of menopause [older than 55]
o Childless women or those who have their first child after the age of 35
o Women who taken the oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy
The point needs to be reinforced that the above factors or categories are believed to present a case where the risk of breast cancer is higher than the average but there is no certainty in predicting that the disease will occur at all because a woman fits into one or more of these factors.
One of the most important factors in the treatment of breast cancer involves the early detection of the disease. Any symptom must be reported immediately. In fact success in beating breast cancer is directly related to the time it takes to diagnose the disease in its early stages.
The main point to understand is that being aware of your body, self-examination and regular check-ups brings a certain peace of mind, and should the worst happen, you are in the best position to defeat the disease.
By: Rita Goldman
About the Author:
As isolated as you may feel right now, you are not alone. Cancer diagnosis is no longer the end of the story. Cancer survivors prove every day that this can be the beginning of a whole new positive chapter in your life. Join our unique community of cancer survivors to be right now and receive a FREE report on Cancer Survivor’s tips.
Dogs, our furry and faithful best friends, are much like children in that they need constant care, love, and supervision to be healthy and happy. The responsible pet owner will see to it that their dog has a safe environment, including everything they’ll need in which to grow and thrive throughout their life.
Here are 10 simple tips for keeping your beloved dog both healthy and happy:
1. Have Your Dog Vaccinated: All dogs should be properly vaccinated at all times, not only for their benefit, but for the other animals and people around them. Vaccinations can often mean the difference between a long, happy life, or a painful, fatal illness.
2. Provide Healthy Food and Fresh Water: Be sure to give your dog the right amount of food for his size, age, weight, and breed. Any dog, of course, should always have a supply of fresh water all throughout the day and night.
3. Provide Shelter and a Safe, Clean Living Environment: Regularly wash your dog’s bedding in a mild detergent, and keep their cage or doghouse clean and free of debris and fur. Never leave your dog outside if you aren’t going to be home, and always be mindful of the temperature. Dogs should be provided with a warm place in the colder months while outdoors, as well as a cool place to relax in the shade during the hot summer months. Also, remember that water freezes rather quickly in the winter, so be sure your dog has access to water instead of ice if they’re going to be outside for a bit.
4. Routinely Treat for Fleas and Worms: Fleas and worms can cause your dog to become very uncomfortable and quite ill, not to mention how hard it is to keep fleas from invading the whole house. Always see to it that your dog is routinely tested for worms and free of fleas or ticks.
5. Provide Exercise and Socialization: While all dogs are different in some way, most will benefit from daily exercise that leaves them tuckered out and content. All dogs or puppies need to be around other dogs, as well as people, including children, in order to be well socialized.
6. Brush Your Dog Every Day: Regular brushing keeps your dog smelling fresh, and helps their coat to stay shiny and healthy looking. While brushing, take the opportunity to check their skin to look for any potential problems.
7. Brush Your Dog’s Teeth: Dental care is an often overlooked, but extremely important aspect of your dog’s good health. Daily brushing is the best for avoiding tooth decay and other related health issues.
8. Regularly Check Your Dog’s Eyes and Ears: Dog’s ears are especially prone to infection caused by yeast, fungus, and bacteria, and should be inspected regularly. The eyes should always appear bright and alert, as well as free from any abnormal discharge.
9. Watch for Common Health Problems: Common health problems such as bloat and kidney disease are serious conditions that dog owners will want to watch for diligently. If you have any special concerns related to your dog’s specific health or breed, consult with your veterinarian for their professional advice.
10. Give Your Dog Plenty of Love: No dog can ever have too much love, care, or attention. The unconditional love a dog bestows on his owner should be unconditionally reciprocated.
By: Kristi Patrice Carter
About the Author:
For additional information on how to keep your dog healthy and happy, please visit http://www.DogEarYeastInfection.com, a website that features helpful dog-related articles, information, resources, and E-books for health-conscious and loving dog owners who want the best for their canine companion.
Your eyes are one of the most important organs in the body. Maintaining eye health should be a top priority. Diseases, allergies, infection, and injury can all cause serious problems for the eyes. Doing everything you can to prevent eye injury is imperative. Here are some ways you can protect your eyes.
o Stay healthy: There are diseases and conditions that can affect eye health. Some of them are diabetes, thyroid problems, high blood pressure, and autoimmune conditions. You can’t control whether you get an autoimmune or thyroid problem, but you can do your best to prevent diabetes and high blood pressure. Living a healthy lifestyle, keeping your weight in a healthy range, and doing what’s required if you do have one of these conditions is very important. If you already have a health condition that could impact eye health be sure and follow your doctor’s orders and take all medications as prescribed.
o Wear safety glasses: Safety glasses are a must when working around flying objects or with substances that cause dust and debris to float up into the air. Don’t complain when your company requires safety glasses when performing your job, they are doing it for you own good.
o Sunglasses: Wearing sunglasses will protect your eyes from the sun’s dangerous rays. Ultraviolet rays are harmful to the eye just as much as the skin.
o Contact Lenses: Always clean contact lenses thoroughly between each use. Clean the container that you keep the lenses in often also. It’s even a good idea to change it out every few months. Do not put contact lenses in without cleaning your hands first. Use eye wash and refreshers to keep the contact lenses moist. Dirty or dried out contact lenses can damage the eye. Getting dry contacts out of the eyes can cause cuts and scratches that are very painful, often requiring professional care. Dirty lenses can cause eye infections. Practice healthy contact lenses use.
o Allergies: Take allergy medications, stay inside during high pollen or other high pollution days, and go to the eye doctor if allergies get too bad. If the itching, burning, and redness won’t go away with over the counter treatment, go to the eye doctor.
o Eye contact: Don’t rub or touch your eyes too often. When our eyes itch we automatically want to rub them. Doing this can cause redness and produce a rash around the eye lids. It’s better to get a wet washcloth and gently wash the eyes. Doing this every morning upon waking will clean any gunk that’s accumulated on the eyes overnight.
o Eye doctor: Go to your eye doctor for yearly checkups. Getting the health of your eye checked once a year plays a very important role in eye health.
Doing all of these things will help you maintain good eye health. Take the health of your eyes seriously. The eyes are your window to the world. Make sure the window stays clean and crack free!
By: Veronica Valentine
About the Author:
Veronica Valentine is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about eye health [http://eyehealthblog.info/eye-health-tips], please visit Eye Health Blog [http://eyehealthblog.info] for current articles and discussions.
When you think about exercise, do you automatically imagine yourself on a treadmill in a gym? Or doing laps in a swimming pool? If so, you might be surprised to know just how many calories you can burn doing everyday activities.
Housework is one chore that everyone has to do at some point. Rather than dread it, proceed briskly through your chores and you can have an excellent workout. A 150 lb person can spend as much as 140 calories by mopping the floor for a half hour. Vacuuming for 30 minutes spends about the same number of calories. Take off another 75 calories by ironing for a half hour.
Outdoor chores also provide great opportunities to burn calories. The same 150 pound person will burn 177 calories pulling weeds for half and hour and another 120 calories mowing the lawn. Because gardening often involves stretching and bending, it offers muscular as well as cardiovascular benefits. Save 300 calories by spending an hour washing your car. Bagging leaves and grass clippings burns 136 calories in 30 minutes.
If you like to entertain, you can make up for that slice of cake by cleaning up after the party. If it takes you an hour, you’ll burn over 300 calories. If you wash the dishes as well, you’ll burn another 152 calories. If you spend an hour rearranging furniture before and after your party, that’s a whopping 450 calories. However, keep in mind that all these activities need to be performed at the same intensity level over time in order to receive the full benefits. Still, even if you only burned half the estimated calories preparing for and cleaning up after your party, that would still be 500 calories worth of cake.
Home improvement tasks can burn calories as well. An hour of indoor painting burns 204 calories. Removing and installing carpet spends calories in 30 minutes. Roofing burns a whopping 400 calories an hour, just be sure you drink a lot of water if you’re spending the day up on a hot roof.
Even something as simple as going to the grocery store can be a calorie-burner. A half hour of brisk grocery shopping will spend about 130 calories. If you walk a half hour to the store, subtract another 100 calories from your daily total. Just don’t spend all your savings on Oreos.
If all else fails, simply sleeping for 8 hours burns 50 calories.
By: Kadence Buchanan
About the Author:
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Fitness [http://yourfitnesssource.net/], Nursing [http://thenursingcenter.com/], and Aging [http://4aginginfo.com]
A lot of people miss-judge themselves when it comes to the subject of obesity, when mentioned it can conjure up an image for a lot of people of a vastly oversized person that possibly struggles from overweight issues on a day to day basis the truth however can be a shocking reality and wake-up call for many people…
Generally a trip to the doctor can often open up more about us than we were aware of or bargained for. Nowadays it is general practice for them to monitor our weight issues more than ever.
With a consistent gradual rise in diabetes sufferers coming to light a weight to height check is standard practice, you can be advised practically immediately of any possible obesity issues, current or on the cusp and a blood test is then probably pretty much guaranteed to check your blood sugar count as well as blood pressure etc.
Most doctors can help or advise straight away if there are any signs of being overweight and as a general rule of thumb can print off a calorie counting chart that can show which foods can be a danger area or to steer clear from.
With this in mind it is clear to see that as we age it becomes harder and harder to keep the waistline as trim as we would like, but with a little disciplined exercise and recommended healthy diet we can keep the weight gaining process at bay. The obesity nightmare can hit us at any time in life, but by maintaining regular health checks with our doctor we should be able to quash any issues before they get a chance to become a real health problem.
There is nothing like maintaining a healthy lifestyle to insure weight problems are not on our menu…
By: Clive Anderson
About the Author:
Weight loss in Any event takes as much forethought and planning as it actually does in doing. Anything worthwhile is worth planning.
Selecting a weight loss plan or diet is never an easy decision. There are literally thousands to choose from and all will boast their system or formula to be the best. One of the best solutions to this dilemma is to select one that can offer a complete package and will support and guide you all the way.
http://www.MyWeightStripper.com
Clive Anderson





