Ovarian Cancer - Early Assessment And Initial Tests

1.    On physical examination done by a doctor, he/she may feel an enlarge ovary and other suspicious abnormalities.

2.    An ultra sound scan assessment, a painless test which uses sound waves to create images of structures inside the body may confirm an enlarged or abnormal ovary. Here the probe of the scanner may be place on the abdomen or inside the vagina to scan the ovaries.

3.    CA-125 blood test – a sample of blood from the patient can detect a protein called CA -125. The level of CA-125 is high in more than 8 in 10 women with advanced ovarian cancer and in about half of women with early ovarian cancer. Other non-cancerous conditions can also cause a high level. This means that this test does not conclusively diagnose or rule out ovarian cancer, but it can be helpful in monitoring the effects of ovarian cancer in those already undergoing medical intervention.

Other Test/Staging The Cancer

Depending on the symptoms that the concern individual has and the results of the initial tests, further tests may be recommended. These tests can help to confirm the diagnosis and ‘stage’ the disease. The aim of staging is to find out:

1.    How much the tumour has grown and whether it has grown to other nearby structures such as the uterus, bladder or rectum.

2.    Whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body (metastasized)

3.    Whether the cancer has spread to local lymph glands (nodes).

Stages of ovarian cancer range from ‘borderline’ and stage 1 (where the cancer is totally confined to an ovary) to stage 4 (where there is extensive spread of the cancer). Tests that are used may include one or more of the following:

•    CT scan or MRI scans of the lower abdomen. These scans can provide details of the structure of the internal organs.

•    A chest x-ray to check if the cancer has spread to the lungs.

•    Blood tests to assess the general health and to check if the cancer has affected the function of the liver or kidneys.

•    Scans of the bowel or urinary tract. These tests are more likely to be needed if there are symptoms such as constipation or too frequent urination which may indicate the cancer has spread to these areas.

•    Aspiration of fluid in the abdomen and screen for cancer cells.

•    Laparoscopy – this is procedure done to look inside the abdomen by using a laparoscope which is passed through a small incision made on the abdomen skin. It light up and magnifies the structures inside the abdomen. The ovaries and other internal organs can be seen whilst small samples (biopsies) can be taken for inspection under the microscope to detect and confirm cancer cells.
 

What Serum Will Do For Your Skin.

The skin is one organ of the body that we all have. You are born with your skin, and you live and die in that skin. It grows old, wrinkles, and stretches. It can be dry as the years run along, even though it was plump and dewy in your youth. The skin renews itself by developing new cells as it sheds dead cells, throughout a lifetime.

However, the process is slow and it often leaves it mark on the appearance, as the skin become ashy and dull.

This is why a myriad of cleaning and exfoliating products were developed to remove the dead cells and give the skin its youthful glow…

Serums can be used by any woman and even men, aged 25 and above.

They are available as lotions, capsules, oils and creams and may include active ingredients such as vitamin C or E, white tea, orange, bergamot, thermal spring water and vitamin A.

Serums may be used by pour the content into the palms and then applying it to the facials skin, avoiding the eye area.

Serums may be useful for treating the skin and experts suggest that they be used regularly to fight puffiness, dehydration, hyper pigmentation, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. They could also be used to return the moisture balance to stressed or irritated skin, firm sagging skin or renew the radiance of the skin.

Shop around before buying a serum. Read the labels carefully to understand the combination of ingredients and what each product promises to do before laying down the cash. If in doubt, consult a skincare expert for advice on the serum for your specific skin type.

Special Vegetarian Meat Analog Macaroni

This tasty special macaroni prepared in a simple and attractive way allows one to forget meat in the transition process from an omnivorous to a healthy diet based on plant origin.

Change from animal based food to plant based food is the most successful way for to preserving health. Although meat is a good source of protein, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and fat (mostly saturated fatty acids) but the more meat one eats the greater the risk of developing heart disease, heart attack, artery diseases (arteriosclerosis), obesity (excess fat) some types of cancer (ovarian, prostate and breast cancer) and finally death because of high fat and cholesterol content of meat.

Special vegetarian meat analog dish, garnished with cheese and vegetarian meat analog makes a good source of calories and protein. This dish has an advantage of little or no cholesterol and very low saturated fat compared with dishes that are prepared with meat and animal products.

Vegetarian meat analog, the main ingredient of this dish is made from plant-based product using gluten flour, soy sauce and vegetable broth without salt. It is rich in protein and does not contain cholesterol or saturated fat. The combination of this pasta’s protein together with soy sauce protein from vegetarian meat analog supplies all amino acid required for the proper functioning of the body.

Special vegetarian meat analog macaroni is nutrition, an excellent source of carbohydrate, a good source of B vitamins, iron, calcium quality protein and calcium, as well as other nutrients such as phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and niacin. This nutritious dish helps in transition towards a healthier diet that is low in fat and contains low or no cholesterol. All the ingredients used in the preparation of this dish are available in health food stores.

How Common Is Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer is relatively common in woman, rivaling closely cervical cancer in the incidence rate. The majority of cases are in woman over 50 years old, although it can occur in younger women.

TYPES
There are various types of ovarian cancer. They are classified by the type of cell from which the cancer originates as noted below:

1.    Epithelial ovarian cancer- it is the most common type (about 90% of cases). This type of cancer develops from one of the cells that surround the outside of each ovary. Epithelial ovarian cancer mainly affects women over 50. It is rare in younger women.

2.    Germ cell ovarian cancer – this develops from connective tissue cells (the cells that fill the ovary and produce hormones). This type of cancer is however rare.

As it is inferable in earlier articles on cancer, the treatment and prognosis (outlook) are different for each type of ovarian cancer. However, because of its relatively high prevalence, we shall mainly focus on the epithelial type of ovarian cancer.

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

In most cases, the cause of ovarian cancer develops is not known. However, there are factors which are known to alter the risk of ovarian cancer developing. These include:

1.    Age: most cases occur in women over the age of 50.

2.    Ovulation factor. Factor that reduce the number of times a woman will ovulate slightly lower the risk. For example, taking the combined oral contraceptive pill, having children and breastfeeding. In contract, not having children and having a late menopause slightly increase the risk.

3.    Being overweight or obese increases the risk.

4.    Taking the combined oral contraceptive pill provides some protection from ovarian cancer. This protection seems to continue for many years after stopping the pill.

5.    Sterilization or hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) appears to reduce the risk slightly.

6.    Taking HRT (hormone replacement therapy) may slightly increase the risk.

The Vital Myth

Deciding what to eat for dinner can be mind bending. How do we keep track of the ever evolving recommendations for what to put on, and leave off, the plate? Red meat might cause cancer! But don’t replace it with tofu-soy concoctions might be carcinogenic, too! Don’t even try to figure out where crabs stand this week. And the verdict on coffee, chocolate, and alcohol changes faster than you can order a mocha martini.

Vitamins with their promise to bridge the gap between the nutrients our bodies need and those they get have always seemed reassuring simple: just pop a multivitamin and let your body soak in those extra nutrients. But not any longer, during the past few years, study after study has raised doubts about what, if any, good vitamins actually do a body. They could even pose some real medical risks.

Half of all American adults take some sort of nutritional supplement. But research on a wide variety of patient populations and medical conditions has failed to find much evidence that multivitamins, the most commonly used of the lot, prevent major chronic disease in healthy people. The most recent knock came this spring, when a study of more than 160,000 post-menopausal women, published in the Archives of internal Medicine, found that the all-in-one pills did not prevent cancer, heart attacks, or strokes and did not reduce over mortality.

Individual vitamins and mineral haven’t fared much better under scientific scrutiny, with research debunking some of the reputed benefits of vitamin B6, calcium, niacin, and others. In 2006, the national institutes    of health convened an independent panel of experts to evaluate the evidence that vitamins could prevent chronic disease. The scientists ultimately issued a report stating that studies “do not provide strong evidence for beneficial health related effects of supplements taken singly, in pairs, or in combinations.”

Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer

More often for victims of ovarian cancer, no symptoms manifest for quite time after the cancer first develops. Symptoms may only be noticed when the tumour has become quite large. As the tumour grows, the most common early symptoms are:

1.    Constant pain or a feeling of ‘pressure’ in the lower abdomen.

2.    Difficulty eating and feeding full so quick. Other symptoms that may also develop include:

3.    Loss of appetite.

4.    Pain in the lower abdomen when having sex.

5.    Passing urine frequently (as the bladder is ‘irritated’ by the nearby tumour).

6.    Change in bowel habits such as constipation or diarrhea.

7.    A more marked swelling of the abdomen. This is caused by as cites, which is an extensive collection of fluid in the abdomen indicating increased growth and spread of the cancer to the main inside of the abdomen.

It is importance to note however that all the above symptoms can be caused by various other conditions other than ovarian cancer. Similar, when symptoms first start they often appear ‘vague’ for some time, example as mild discomfort in the lower abdomen, which may be thought to be due to other conditions. The possibility of ovarian cancer may not be considered for some time until the symptoms get worse.

In the same win, if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, various other symptoms can develop. For an example, if it so reads to lungs in the chest, chronic cough may occur.

Better Antiseptic Curbs Post-Surgery Infections

Look like doctors aren’t the only ones who should scrub before surgery. Bathing patients with an antiseptic and squirting medicated ointment up their noses dramatically cut the rate of dangerous staph infections afterward, researchers found.

A second study found the antiseptic did a better job of preventing infections than the reddish brown iodine solution that’s been used for decades to swab the skin before an operation.

Infections are a vexing problem for hospitals. Some 30 million surgical procedures are done each year, and up to a half million Americans develop surgical site infections, mostly from staph bacteria.

While attention has been focused on ways to stop health care workers from spreading bugs, patients can also contaminate themselves with the germs they harbor in their noses or on their skin.

“A lot of people think it’s all from the outside world, but these are your own germs” said Dr Robert Weinstein an infectious disease expert at Cook County’s Stronger Hospital in Chicago.

Two new studies published in New England Journal of Medicine, tried different approaches to killing those bacteria to see if that reduced the number of post-surgery infections.

U.S research test a never antiseptic against the iodine solution commonly used to prep surgery patients and found it cut all surgical site infections by 40 percent. The study’s leader Dr. Rabih Darouiche, of the Medical Center in Houston, and other experts expect the newer antiseptic to replace iodine.

In the Netherlands, where the newer antiseptic prep is already used, researchers screened patients and treated those who had staph bacteria to see if there was any additional benefit.

Energy For The Skin

Ever wonder about creams and lotions claims to have vitamin E? Perhaps you have worried about the truth of these claims and whether they are really useful? The claims are true and vitamin E works. It is available in synthetic form as Tocopherol acetate, and it is a natural moisture binder that entraps moisture into the skin and allows the skin to be restored. Vitamins E are an amazing beauty ingredient. It plumps the epidermis giving the skin a more youthful appearance, helps with reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, soothes the skin after sun burn or overexposure, and acts as an antioxidant.

It has become an active ingredient in many cosmetic products as well as products used for curing dematological problems such as psoriasis.

Vitamin E is also beneficial in treating burns and the resultant scars. To get the best of this ingredient, buy lotions or cream. The skin gets immediate benefits as the lotions are absorbed easily.

Fight Against Fat Goes High-Tech With New

The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits. Scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives.

The experimental devices are designed to keep track of how many minutes they work out, how much food they consume and even whether they are at a fast food joint when they should be in the park. The goal is to cut down on self reported answers that often cover up what’s really happening.

In a lab at Los Angeles suburb, two overweight teenagers help test the devices by taking turns sitting, standing, lying down, running on a treadmill and playing Wii. As music thumps in the background, wireless sensors on their chests record their heart rates, stress levels and amount of physical activity. The information is sent to a cell phone.

“I can’t feel my legs.” 15 year old Amorette Castillo groans after her second treadmill run.

Traditional weight loss interventions rely mainly on people’s memory of what they ate for dinner and how many minutes they worked out. But researchers have long known that method can be unreliable since people often forget details or lie.