Encouraging News About Cancer Rates

Since we are currently talking about cancer in class I thought that this article I read was fitting. It is saying that the rate of new cancer cases between 2001 and 2005 are slightly declining. Death rates from cancer have steadily been inching downwards in the U.S. because of earlier detection rates and better treatments, and preventing cancer is also on the rise. The rate of cancer among men has declined 1.8 percent between 2001 and 2005, and has also dropped in women by .5 percent in that time span. The improvement is thanks to better treatments to common forms of cancer such as prostate, colorectal, breast, and lung.

The dropping rates may be thanks in part to state wide smoking bans in many states. For example in California people are half as likely to die from lung cancer compared to people in Kentucky. I put the picture to show how many states currently have a statewide smoking ban. (Ban highlighted in red states).

Although some experts fear that the tough economic times may put a damper on these trends. For example colorectal cancer rates are down because colonoscopies were much more popular between 2001 and 2005 because people had the correct health care to cover the procedure. However if people can't afford the proper health care, they wont be getting the screenings. For example the NCI (National Cancer Institute) has had to cut its budget back by 175 million this year, mainly due to the tough economic times.

Each specific type of cancer has seen a drop in the past years. Lung cancer dropped by 1.8% a year, breast cancer dropped by 2.2% a year, colorectal cancer dropped by 2.8% a year, and lastly prostate cancer dropped by 4.4% a year. However there are some less common types that have seen an increase lately. These include Kidney cancer and melanoma which increased by 2% and 7.7% respectively.

This drop in general is good news though. Proper health care and prevention techniques are a big reason for it. The article states that preventing cancer all together is the ultimate goal that the NCI and the American Cancer Society are both working towards. Cancer is a serious health problem and hopefully someday we will be able to say that it is completely preventable.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-health/20081127/MED.Cancer.Rates/

Reinventing Tobacco

I know that I already did a blog on the dangers of smoking, but when I read this article I felt like I had to do a post on it. The tobacco companies are trying to reinvent tobacco products to draw in new users, and switch ones who are tyring to quit cigarettes. This new product the tobacco company's are selling is called "snus" and is similar to normal chewing tobacco but you don't have the mess of spitting the juice out, you can just swallow it. They are giving coupons for a free tin of snus when you buy a pack of cigarettes. This product is said to be a safer alternative to cigarettes, and it is more convenient because you don't need to go outside to use it like you would for a cigarette. What I got from the article is that the tobacco companies are selling it as a way to wean yourself off cigarettes, but health officials really think it is just another form of tobacco for their consumers to get addicted to. Personally I feel like the tobacco companies have no motive to wean people off their products because this goes against all smart business practices, and really are just giving people a more convenient way to use their products. Another problem with snus is that because it is so new, there has been no research done on it. Health officials don't really know what is is capable of doing to your mouth, throat, and stomach because after all you are supposed to swallow the juice when your using it.

The article was focusing on West Virgina where 27% of people smoke, and 16% of people use some form of chewing tobacco. A member of the tobacco prevention is quoted as saying "The (Tobacco) industry is brilliant, and whatever they want to outspend us by- 1 million, 10 million, or 100 million- they can do it". It is a constant uphill battle for these people to try and combat what big tobacco is doing because they have far less resources. I personally feel like this is just another revenue source for the tobacco companies, regardless of how unknown and dangerous the product is. But if people are willing to buy it, I guess it is working for them. Since all of tobacco preventions resources go to anti-smoking advertisements, tobacco companies are now selling more things like chewing tobacco, and they are even developing tobacco dissolving strips you can use. It is absurd how much money big tobacco has, and they are relentless in their efforts to try and draw in more and more customers however they can. Just another thing you probably should stay away from to keep healthy.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-health/20081124/Reinventing.Tobacco/

10 Ways to Manage Stress

Now that we are coming closer and closer to the end of the semester I think it is a good time to talk about stress management. We all get stressed out at the end of the semester to some degree whether we can admit it or not. Here are ten ways of managing and reducing unnecessary stress I found in a Readers Digest Article.

1. Try and eliminate as many sources of stress as you can. For example if you don't like crowds, try and go get your next semesters schedule adjusted at a time when there will be less people in Wilson104.
2. If you are constantly late, sit down with pen and paper and hash out your plans for the day, and how you should allot your time accordingly. If it takes you ten minutes to talk to class, don't leave 3 minutes before class starts. If you can''t make time for something in your day, skip it. It can always be accomplished tomorrow.
3. Be sure to avoid situations that you know are going to be stressful. For example, if you know your golf game makes you angry and stressed, avoid playing it.
4. If you can't remove the stress, remove yourself. Make sure to have enough private time in your day to relax and unwind. Another key here is to avoid stressful people. They are not helping you in your rime of stress.
5. Life is not a competition, so avoid this nasty habit. Don't let other people provoke envy in you. Being jealous is a unnecessary self-inflicted stress.
6. Try and avoid the use of "labor saving devices". Often these things just create more stress. For example your Blackberry might keep you organized, but is it encouraging you to cram too many activities into one day? If you need an electronic calender on your person 24/7 you might be trying to do to much.
7. Make sure to do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is not a good idea. Keep focused on one task, and when it is completed, move on to the next.
8. Sometimes it is okay to relax and do nothing for a while. Everybody needs some down time to recharge the batteries.
9. If you happen to be suffering from insomnia, headaches, recurring colds, or constant upset stomachs, this might be from stress. Remember that Mental health is a big part of your overall health.
10. If you feel like you can not manage your stress, seek professional help like a doctor or therapist. These people can truly help manage your stress, no matter what people might say about them or you.

These are ten good tips to keep in mind during this stressful time of year, and any time you might be feeling that stress is getting the best of you.


http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/10-ways-to-manage-stress/article12557.html

The Hidden Dangers of Facial Fillers

Now most of us are young enough not to worry yet about the wrinkles on our face, but there are a great deal of Americans who do think about things like this. I just read an article on the hidden dangers of using these "facial fillers", which is different than botox. These facial fillers are said to be equivalent to Spackle (which is the paste they fill in holes with in drywall, maybe you have seen it if you live in Lammers hall) except they inject it into your face. Apparently it just fills in the wrinkles somehow.
Last year alone in the U.S. there were 1.5 million cosmetic surgery procedures done for this filler procedure. The problem is that people are using it in a manner that it was not designed for. People are also using it to plump us their cheeks, lips, and breasts. The issue with the fillers is that the product labeling is extremely vague and doesn't really tell people what the risks are. The FDA wants to include on the label that it can cause "long lasting reactions such as bumps under the skin, blotches, and scars." Personally if I was going to get this procedure done I would definitely want to know these risks. But on the other hand I don't think I am vain enough to care if I develop some crows feet.

The FDA has had 823 patients who have had a serious reaction to the filler between 2003 and now. 638 of these people had a serious enough problem that they had to go back in for another surgery to fix it. I just cant see why this is worth it for people, most people are trying to avoid surgery at all costs. Perhaps if the FDA gets what they want on the label then less people will opt to have it done. The bottom line is that legally people need to be informed of the consequences their choices will have on them.


http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-health/20081119/MED.Face.Fillers/

Getting to the Gym

Now that its getting to be winter I know a lot of us would like to start going, or get back to the gym. After it gets cold and you cant be outside and active as much, I feel like the best thing you can do is keep active by going to the gym. Of course there are two different types of exercise routines you can do there, anaerobic, or weight training, and aerobic, or cardio. Here are two simple routines for beginners that would like to start up either one.

Weight training is defined as a type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. A basic 3 day a week total body weight training routine consists of:

• 75 Degree Incline DB Bench Press
• DB Bench Press
• One Arm Rows
• DB Pullovers
• Bent Over Lateral Raises
• DB Upright Rows
• Dumbbell Curls
• Overhead Triceps Extensions
• Leg Extensions
• DB Squats
• DB Lunges (Press with heels)
• Lying Leg Curls Calf Raises

This is a fairly simple routine that you could do with one days rest in between, like on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday for example. The other type of exercise most frequently done at the gym is aerobic exercise, better known as cardio. Here is a simple beginners routine for cardio.

• Choose an activity that you actually enjoy. The best exercise for you is one that you'll actually do, not one you think you should do. Walking is a great place to start, but you can try any activity that involves some type of continuous movement like cycling, swimming (if your gym has a pool), running, rowing, stairclimbing, etc.
• Start with 2 or 3 days of your chosen activity a week with a rest day between workouts.
• Begin with a 5-10 minute warm up of light cardio to gradually increase heart rate.
• Increase your pace and intensity to slightly harder than comfortable and go as long as you comfortably can. Begin where you are, not where you want to be. You may only be able to exercise for a few minutes at a time, but that will change if you're consistent.
• End each workout with a cool down of light cardio and stretch the muscles you've worked to relax and keep your muscles flexible.
• Each week, increase your workout time by a few minutes until you can work continuously for 30 minutes a session.
• Don't worry about distance or pace. For the first few weeks, focus on showing up for your workouts and building time. You have plenty of time to work on your speed and distance.
• After 4-6 weeks, change your routine by adding another day of exercise, increasing your pace/intensity, adding a new activity and/or increasing the amount of time you exercise.

These are two simple exercise routines that you can use to get yourself going at the gym. Now all you have to do is actually get up and do it.

Hygiene for Health

Hygiene is an important aspect of our overall health that I think some people tend to overlook. Not to say they don't practice it, sometimes it can be overlooked and forgotten. Merriam-Webster actually defines Hygiene as "a science of the establishment and maintenance of health". In medical terms hygiene actually refers to the maintenance of health and healthy living. Although hygiene consists of more than simply washing your hands and brushing your teeth. It also includes things like proper food safety while cooking and eating, and good medical hygiene (like putting a band-aid on a cut).

The type of hygiene we think of first is personal hygiene. This consists of the typical things we all learned as kids. The list includes washing your hands regularly, brushing and flossing your teeth, washing your face everyday, combing your hair, taking a shower everyday, etc. Perhaps not directly connected to this, but I will throw it in there anyway is doing things like keeping regular visits to the dentist and doctor, especially when you become an elderly citizen. Good personal hygiene is directly related to good physical and emotional health. People who don't take care of themselves are at a higher risk of getting sick, and more often than other people, which can lead to poor emotional health.

Another important aspect of hygiene is good food preparation and cooking hygiene. I can attest to this because I had food poising before and it sucked big time. There are so many ways you can get sick from food contamination it is important to always do things such as: clean preparation areas, use correct type cutting boards for the situation, proper dish sanitation, washing hands before and after touching food, not using the same utensil to prepare multiple food items, no licking of fingers, proper food storage and refrigeration, etc. The list here could go on much longer, but I believe most people understand the basics. One thing I think is important is choosing the correct cutting board. There are advantages to using wood ones compared to plastic and vice versa. The soft surface of plastic cutting boards can get scored more easily, leaving a nice place for bacteria to hang out and grow. On the other hand a good wood cutting board like you would see on a food network show may not have this problem, but if you get a cheap one like most of us would have they are more susceptible to scoring and have larger pores that can retain dirty water. Perhaps you could just get a glass one and replace your knives more often.

The last big part of good hygiene is typical household medical hygiene. Things in this category include using a band-aid and some antibiotic ointment like neosporen, or for those of you who have piercings and tattoos you should check out the safety of the place where your intending to get it done (like do they have an autoclave or are the instruments laying on the table), and afterwards keeping it clean so it does not get infected.

Lastly there is a thing known as excessive hygiene. For example your ears clean themselves and it is not necessary to use a Q-Tip everyday, and excessive washing can reduce the bodies natural protective fat layer over the skin and lead to eczema. Like all things you need to use common sense and some discretion. However good personal, food, and medical hygiene are an important part of a persons overall health and an important thing to keep up in order to live a healthy lifestyle.

The section of the food pyramid that I want to talk about is the vegetable section. I think as college students its very possible that some of us don't get enough of this section, and actually avoid getting our daily dose of vegetables. However this is an important part of our diet, and can be less painful to consume than it is made out to be.

A vegetable is generally considered any part of a plant that is consumed by humans, and is not part of any other food group. they can be eaten regularly, or the you can just drink the juice, which counts as a serving as well. Vegetables are grouped into five different sub-groups. These include dark green (broccoli and spinach), orange (acorn squash and carrots), starchy (corn and potatoes), dry beans & peas (kidney beans and lentils), and Other (green beans, onions, tomatoes, etc.).

The amount or servings per day of the vegetable group you should consume depends on your age and sex. For a college aged person, about 2 1/2 cups per day is called for, with a little bit more for men (3 cups). The amount varies from 1 cup up to 3, for all different ages and sexes. The most important thing to consider here is what 1 cup actually is, because eating one green bean for instance does not count as a serving. Generally, mypyramid says that one serving from the vegetable group is one full cup of raw or cooked vegetables, or one cup of 100% vegetable juice. For example one whole 3" tomato would count as one serving.

The most important part of the vegetable group is the health benefits that you get from eating them. Vegetables have many vitamins and minerals, but its important to consume a variety of different types, because different vegetables have different vitamins and minerals in them. This means it is important to eat a wide variety so you can cover all your bases. Some vitamins you can get include A, E, and C, and some minerals in vegetables are iron, calcium, and potassium to name a few. Vegetables can also reduce your risk for some chronic diseases, and many other illnesses like diabetes, cancer, or heart disease. Overall I would say that it is worth it to choke them down, because it will benefit you greatly in the long run.

Tobacco use effects

It is known that over 1.1 Billion people globally use tobacco in some form or another. This is over 1/6 of the worlds population. Now i am not trying to preach here because i believe that people should be able to do whatever they want, but i would like to talk about the health effects of using tobacco in its most popular form.

Generally tobacco is smoked in the form if cigarettes, so this is what i will focus on. There are a multitude of health concerns that can happen to a person when they smoke. Generally speaking the part of the body that is most affected is the cardiovascular system. Particularly things like heart attacks, cardiovascular disease, asthma, emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and cancer in the form of lung, larynx, and tongue. I wont explain individually what each of these health risks are, but for a rule of thumb, they are all very bad and could easily kill you or severely cut down on your quality of life.

Another key to your chance of developing these problems is the amount you smoke. For example if you have less than half a pack (10) a day, your mortality rate increases by 40% over a non smoker. Double that amount to around a pack a day and it increases to 70%. For a pack and a half a day is shoots up to 90%, and for two packs a day it increases to 120%. This mortality rate is essentially the chance of you getting lung cancer for instance over a non smoker. If you look at those numbers they are pretty bleak.

I could go on forever with all of the risks, carcinogens, SIDS, etc. but i think that you can get the picture from just what i have already said. You can smoke if you please but you just need to know that it is a gamble, and your life is at stake.

Melanoma

Melanoma is a type of rare skin cancer, but in terms of skin cancer related deaths it is the major culprit. The more serious type of melanoma is "malignant melanoma". This kind, like most forms of cancer is the uncontrolled growth of a specific type of cells. With Melanoma it is the pigment cell in our skin. I am interested in learning about this type of cancer because I knew people who suffered from this malignant melanoma and it seems to be a serious problem. Every year 48,000 people die from Melanoma.

It is known that it affects Caucasians and males most commonly, so i personally would be at a greater risk for this. Generally there are two causes for a person to develop melanoma. These are a predisposed risk (such as a family member who may have had it previously), and the amount of sun you are exposed to throughout your life. When i say sun, i mean specifically the ultraviolet rays in sunlight, which are the damaging ones. These rays can cause damage to the DNA in your cells, potentially leading to cancer. However it is worthwhile to note that the occasional sunburn is only partially related to the chance of you getting melanoma, but tanning beds that have UV rays have been positively linked to it. There are a few solid ways to prevent the development of melanoma. First you can simply minimize your exposure to direct sunlight. Second, wearing pants instead of shorts, long sleeved shirts, and a hat. This is to protect the areas of your body that regularly receive direct sunlight. Lastly what I found interesting was that sunscreen (even with an SPF over 30) has not been proven to prevent melanoma.

The last thing to think about is the treatment methods because science is always coming up with better methods of treatment for any type of cancer these days. The most common form of treatment is surgery of the afflicted area, where they will completely remove the tumor, and a little of the surrounding area to make sure it is completely gone. Another common form of treatment is chemotherapy. This is where they will use the chemical treatment to try and kill the cancer cells completely. The last type is radiation. this is reserved for people with very localized tumors. this is a last resort type of treatment, as it generally does not provide a long term solution for the problem.

However I think the best thing to do would be preventative maintenance. if you can take the steps to prevent melanoma before it starts you wont have to worry about it later in your life.

The Problem of Air Pollution

When people think about air pollution or smog they think of big cities and places far away, like Beijing for the summer olympics this year where smog was a serious problem leading up to the games for the athletes. But the truth is, smog is a serious problem for everyone, and poses serious health effects for all of us.

Technically smog is a combination of of the words smoke and fog and nowadays is generally a result of car emmissions reactiong with the atmosphere and you can see it when its hit by sunlight. After doing a little reading on the internet i found out how much of a problem smog can be. Some large metropolitian areas around te world seiously affected by smog are London, Mexico City, Tehran, Los Angeles, and many places in Indochina. This type of heavy air pollution seriously affects the elderly, children, and people with cardiovascular conditions such as asthma or emphysema. Smog can irritate the eyes, nose and lungs, and cause shortness of breath and coughing. Specifically in the nasal passages it can dry out the protective membranes in the nose and interfere with the bodys ability to fight off infections, making people more susceptibility to getting sick. It is a fact that respiratory deaths are always increased when there are increased levels of smog in a certain place. The last piece of information that perhaps is most inportant is that smog is responsible for depleting the ozone layer that protects the earth from the suns damaging UV rays. Once the ozone layer is depleted or destroyed in a certain area it can not be replaced and this is a very serious problem we are trying to deal with.

This blog was simply written to inform you about smog, and the harmful effects it can have, and perhaps we can find a way in the future of reducing of emmissions and tackling the serious smog problem we all face.