Web Site Helps Men Evaluate Risk of Prostate Cancer

Evergreen Park, IL (PRWEB) September 18, 2006 –

In 2006, more than 234,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 27,000 men will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. while it is estimated that 1 man in 6 will suffer from prostate cancer in his lifetime, only 1 man in 34 will die from it. the earlier the disease is diagnosed and treated, the more likely it is for patients to survive and remain disease-free.

A new Web site published by Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers in the Southwest Chicago area (PursuingPainFreeCancer.org) encourages men to learn more about prostate cancer, and to take a free confidential on-line risk test to evaluate their prostate cancer risk. the Web site’s prostate cancer risk test evaluates a man’s risk based on certain genetic and lifestyle factors that scientists believe affect one’s prostate cancer risk.

Knowing one’s risk can significantly increase a man’s chance for surviving prostate cancer. According to Dr. Paul Y. Song, a prostate cancer specialist at Little Company of Mary, “Knowing your risk and early detection provide the best tools to fight prostate cancer. if the disease is diagnosed early, a patient has an excellent prognosis, many treatment options, and typically suffers from fewer side effects.” When the disease is still confined to the prostate, the five-year relative survival rate is nearly 100 percent. “Men whose cancer is diagnosed early may be candidates for any of the accepted prostate cancer treatments,” Dr. Song said.

Some of the treatment options include radiation therapy and surgery. “During the last 20 years, major clinical evidence has shown that both surgery and radiation therapy offer an equal chance for cure in the treatment of prostate cancer,” Dr. Song notes.

Little Company of Mary Hospital is the only hospital in the entire greater Chicago area to offer both High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy for prostate cancer treatment and the da Vinci robotic prostatectomy.

High dose rate brachytherapy provides the most precise delivery of radiation possible in the treatment of prostate cancer. unlike permanent seed implants, patients have temporary placement of radioactive catheters which can be custom tailored to deliver precision internal radiation and better avoid the urethra, rectum, and nerves to reduce overall toxicity without being radioactive and exposing family members to radiation. it is a one-day procedure where patients can go back to work the very next day. “HDR brachytherapy takes the prostate implant procedure to a whole new level, and is more precise and less toxic than conventional seed implants,“ Dr. Song said.

The da Vinci robotic surgical system is a state-of-the-art minimally-invasive technology which allows surgeons to perform complex surgeries through tiny openings. Patients who undergo daVinci prostatectomies typically enjoy fewer overall side effects, shorter hospital stays, and earlier returns to full activities.

At its earliest stages, prostate cancer does not present with any symptoms. Therefore knowing one’s risk and early detection for prostate cancer are a man’s best defenses. “Once cancer cells are found outside the prostate, a man has much fewer treatment options and less potential for cure,” Dr. Song said. Little Company of Mary’s on-line prostate cancer risk test at PursuingPainFreeCancer.org “is a great tool to become more knowledgeable about prostate cancer.”

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ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2011) — Asthma is one of the world’s most common chronic diseases, affecting as many as 300 million people. it is estimated that by 2025 there could be an additional 100 million people with the disease. This rapid increase in asthma is most likely due to changing environmental or lifestyle factors, and over the last 15 years, changing diet has emerged as a promising contributor.

Two studies published in the in the February 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association explore the possible relationship between nutrition and asthma. Researchers review the rationale for investigating associations between diet and asthma, discuss the potential for dietary intervention to complement conventional asthma treatment, and summarize the recent data suggesting that diet may influence the development of asthma.

Investigators from the University of Aberdeen, UK, review three dietary factors that have been hypothesized to explain the increase in asthma — a changing antioxidant intake, an increasing ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) consumption and changing vitamin D status. although there is insufficient clinical evidence for the use of nutritional supplements to complement conventional asthma treatments, the authors note that ongoing studies may change this picture. They also review a small number of studies of maternal diet during pregnancy that suggest that dietary modification during pregnancy might reduce the incidence of childhood asthma.

According to Graham Devereux, MD, PhD, "The generally weak observational and very limited intervention data suggest that whilst there are associations between diet and asthma, the nature of the associations (with PUFA, antioxidants, nutrients, food), the timing (antenatal, infancy, childhood, adulthood), and the therapeutic potential of the associations are far from clear." He continues, "Future studies should consider the use of dietary intervention to increase the intake of nutrients highlighted by birth cohorts (vitamin E, PUFA, vitamin D, zinc) in order to capture the complexity of dietary nutrient intake. if shown to be efficacious, such a dietary intervention could be the basis for a low cost, safe public health intervention to rapidly reduce the prevalence of asthma in children and ultimately adults, with obvious beneficial consequences for the wellbeing of individuals and society as a whole. until the results of ongoing and planned trials are available, the practical consequences of research linking diet with asthma are minimal, and based on the available evidence, people with asthma, pregnant women, parents, and children should not be advised to change or supplement their diet in order to treat or reduce the risk of developing asthma."

In a study published in the same issue a multi-institutional team of researchers in Greece examined associations between salty snack consumption and TV or video game viewing and asthma symptoms in young adolescents. while noting that although both factors have been implicated in asthma development, results have been conflicting. In their cross-sectional study of 700 children 10-12 years old, living in and around Athens, Greece, they found that there was a 4.8 times higher risk of having asthma symptoms when salty snacks were consumed more than 3 times per week. This association was even more prominent in children who watch TV or play video games more than 2 hours per day.

The authors also found that children who consumed a "Mediterranean diet" were less likely to have asthma symptoms, consistent with previous studies evaluating the association between the Mediterranean diet and asthma in children. The Mediterranean diet has a high content of vegetables, fresh fruits, cereals and olive oil, with a high intake of beta-carotene, vitamins C and E and various important protective substances like selenium, flavonoids and polyphenols with marked antioxidant activity.

Lead investigators Demosthenes Panagiotakos, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition — Dietetics, Harokopio University, and Kostas Priftis, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece, conclude, "since the prevalence of asthma is quite high in industrialized populations, and has continued to increase during the past years, future interventions and public health messages should be focused on changing these behaviors from the early stages of life, by informing parents, guardians, teachers and any other person that could teach children a healthier lifestyle."

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Elsevier Health Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal References:

1. Keith Allan, Graham Devereux. Diet and asthma: Nutritional implications from prevention to treatment. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011; 111 (2)
2. Fotini Arvaniti, Kostas N. Priftis, Anastasios Papadimitriou, Panagiotis Yiallouros, Maria Kapsokefalou, Michael B. Anthracopoulos, Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos. Salty-snack eating, television or video-game viewing, and asthma symptoms among 10- to 12-year- old children: The PANACEA study. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011; 111 (2)

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes is a disease where your blood glucose (sugar) levels are above normal. it results from the inability of the glucose to get into your cells. as a result your cells are starving for their food (glucose). it would be like a starving person surrounded by tables of wonderful food but their mouth has been sewn closed and they can’t eat.

A side effect of several forms of diabetes medications, such as Metformin and Exenatide (Byetta), has been observed to be a decrease in appetite. This side effect is not an unpleasant one, necessarily, as it seems to make losing weight a little bit easier for the diabetes sufferers who are taking these types of drugs. for one thing, weight loss is often the goal of diabetes sufferers, since diabetes symptoms worsen when there is too much weight on the body, but for another thing, it is good for the overall health to be able to lose weight effectively and easily.

Eating sugar does not cause diabetes. Diabetes is caused by a combination of inherited and lifestyle factors. However, eating a diet high in fat and sugar can cause you to become overweight. being overweight increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, so if you have a history of diabetes in your family, a healthy diet and regular exercise are recommended to control your weight.

Diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful. Studies show that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight. You can do it by eating healthier and getting 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. In other words: you don’t have to knock yourself out to prevent diabetes. the key is: small steps that lead to big rewards. Learn more about your risk for developing type 2 diabetes and the small steps you can take to delay or prevent the disease and live a long, healthy life.

Symptoms of diabetes are difficult to distinguish. most of the time, we mix up these symptoms with other diseases. for this reason, it is necessary to observe these symptoms of diabetes in children carefully. You should take proper steps immediately to make a better life for your children. for this disease, amount of glucose in the blood increases while the amount of glucose decreases in the body. Insulin producing cells in the body get died for this disease. So the victim will face a lack of insulin and surely it expresses some symptoms. those symptoms of diabetes in children can easily be detected by some proper observation and medical tests.

Diabetes Symptoms may vary from person to person but most of the time anyone with diabetes will experience some or all of these symptoms. some symptoms are: going to the restroom more often, staying thirsty, fatigue, blurred vision, stomach pain and occasionally people suffer from weight loss.

Symptoms of diabetes in children are described here with important information for your better observation. Your children will visit bathroom more frequently. it is the most common symptoms of diabetes. it happens for the high percentage of glucose in the blood. the kidneys cannot filter properly due to lack of insulin. for this reason, your bladder full and you need to urinate whole day long. Babies can soak their diapers and bed clothes in less than half an hour, lose weight, develop flu-like symptoms, have yeast infections, and the odd smell to their breath that develops in later stages of untreated high blood sugar, but may still not be checked for diabetes with a simple blood or urine test.

A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body.An organ called the pancreas makes insulin. the role of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel.

Diabetics are at much greater risk for heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes. Diabetics are not necessarily prone to zinc deprivation, but zinc supplements help control blood sugar levels. Zinc, therefore, could be a natural health remedy for diabetes. A magnesium deficiency is a predictor of diabetes; diabetics both need more magnesium and lose more magnesium than most people.

Serious symptoms of diabetes mellitus include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, flushed skin and a musty or fruity odour to the breath. these are the symptoms of very high blood sugar. these symptoms are more often seen in someone that has type 1 diabetes. if a person has these symptoms it is very important to contact a doctor right away and be followed up with testing.

Diabetes is considered a serious affection due to its permanent existence, procedures and moreover the complications that involves. even though many people all over the world suffer from diabetes, the specialists haven t discovered yet the real source of its occurance. it is very important to mention that people who suffer from diabetes should ask for medical help as soon as they notice changes in their body and unusual symptoms.

Concern about having diabetes can be stressful. Oftentimes a person who is thinking that they may have diabetes is afraid to go to the doctor to get the diagnosis confirmed. it should be noted however that just because a person is diagnosed with diabetes, it doesn’t mean that the person will suffer from poor health for the rest of his or her life. the good news is that a person living with diabetes can live a long and healthy life. This is done by learning how to keep the blood sugar levels within a target range.

Diabetes Control Diet should also involve close monitoring your day by day food consumption and calculating carbohydrates and sugars taken. This will significantly influence your blood glucose levels. Consistently taking readings of your blood sugar levels on a daily basis and adjusting your caloric consumption accordingly is the finest measure. You have got to hold back your consumption of excessive calorie carbohydrates that give rise to spikes in your blood glucose.To attain glucose levels within the standard limits as affirmed in medical guidelines, often many smaller meals with controlled portions is an optimum methodology. most medical practitioners will advocate that the diabetic patient work closely with a dietician to create a diet set up that the patient can adhere to. there are many low carbohydrate food options that may be exchanged in place of the high caloric choices. Uncomplicated changes from over-processed food to slow metabolic burn items made from natural, whole grains is recommended.

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