Breasts Discharge & Lump

Most of the women face breast discharge or lumps that usually causes discomfort and to lead to the risk of breast cancer.

 

Breasts are supposed to be most attractive part of a female body. Most of the women feel pride to have beautiful breasts but what if they are not healthy? Women who provide breastfeeding to their child have breast discharge which is quite common but in any other case it might be a symptom that needs treatment. Any sort of breast lump also needs to be examined so that there is no risk of breast cancer at a later stage.

 

Circumstances other than normal breastfeeding, where a woman faces continuous breast discharge may be due to hormonal imbalance known as galactorrhoea. Any liquid release other than breast milk could be a sign of infection, inflammation or tumour in the breast. The pituitary, thyroid, adrenal and ovarian glands are responsible for the production of breast milk. If the thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones then it could lead to untimely release of breast milk. Other reason could be a non-cancerous growth on the pituitary gland and at the same time the menstruation may stop. Even if there is some diseases of the part of the brain that controls pituitary gland or causes such as stress, sexual simulation or intake of drugs such as birth control pills, narcotics, antidepressants could be held responsible for breast discharge. 

 

Most of the abovementioned cases don’t have much risk whereby the physician may ask for blood test, breast tests or analysis of the fluid. If the liquid is not milk or is bloody, thin, green, and white or yellow it could be possibly a breast tumour or infection. In case the blood levels of the hormone controlling breast milk known as prolactin increases or if your menstrual cycles changes, the physician may ask you to look for your pituitary gland. Pituitary tumours can be removed through surgery. 

 

Remember that if there is any breast lump found, it is not necessary that it is going to be cancer. The most common reason for non-cancerous breast lump is a condition known as fibrocystic breast changes. These lumps are filled with fluid and become painful and swollen few days before the menstrual cycle and again shrink after the menstrual cycle. In case the lump doesn’t disappears even after a month it needs to be examined by the physician. 

 

Non-cancerous lumps could be formed by blood clots in the breasts, any breast infection, fibroadenoma, lumps in breasts including bloody liquid from the nipple, inflammation of the tissue beneath the nipple due to some hole in the duct. 

 

For more information visit our recommended website http://www.womensreproductivehealth.info.

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Breast Cancer: ‘A Curse To Every Female Species’

As the name suggests it’s a cancer in the breast of a person. Previously only female species were observed effected by this disease but in the recent years it is found that some of the males are also falling prey to breast cancer. This disease is generally seen among matured women in the age group of 50 years and above. Every year lots of women become victim of breast cancer that ultimately leads to their death. 

 

Our medical science has not yet reached to the roots of this disease, however during the recent years our scientists and experts in the related fields are continuously progressing in the fight against breast cancer. Today one can find many options in the treatment of breast cancer and can opt according to the stage and requirements of the disease. 

 

Stages of Breast Cancer 

 

The disease of breast cancer can be divided into many stages according to the symptoms and the nature of occurrence. The measure of the tumour inside the breast also plays an important role in deciding the stage of the disease. The different stages can be described into three parts as follows: 

 

Early Stage - The early stage of breast cancer can be subdivided into these three different stages: 

• Stage 0 - In this stage there is no evidence of cancer cells breaking through the normal tissue. 

• Stage I - In this stage the cancer cells are seen breaking through or invading the neighbouring tissue and in this stage the tumour measure up to 2 cm. 

• Stage II - In this stage the tumour measure at least 2cm or up to 5cm and the cancer start spreading in the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side of the cancer. 

 

Lower Stage - The lower stage of breast cancer is divided into sub stages described as under:

• Stage III A - In this stage the tumour measures more then 5cm and the cancer spread through the lymph nodes and the nodes are sticking to the surrounding tissues. 

• Stage III B - In this stage a tumour of any size start spreading in the breast skin, lymph nodes and includes inflammatory breast cancer. 

 

Advanced Stage - The advanced stage known, as the stage IV is the most crucial stage of breast cancer where the tumour spreads beyond the breast, underarm, and internal mammary lymph nodes. The tumour can also spread to lungs, liver, bones or brains ultimately leading to death of the person. 

 

Symptoms and Diagnosis 

 

There are many symptoms showing the occurrence of breast cancer, listed as under: 

 

• Inverted nipple 

• Nipple discharge 

• Nipple rash 

• Cysts

• Breast pain 

 

The above symptoms if observed the person should immediately consult a doctor and should discuss about the required treatment. The best treatment of breast cancer is the early detection of the disease. However now days one can choose from much diagnosis available namely surgery, radiotherapy, tamoxifen drug, chemotherapy etc and can easily get rid of this disease and can even prevent it from occurrence in the near future.

Abnormal Mammogram - What Now?

It’s 10am on a Tuesday morning. You are getting ready for a meeting with your team when a phone call comes in for you, from your health care provider. It seems your routine annual mammogram has found a small spot that needs further evaluation. Now what?

 

No doubt about it, an abnormal mammogram is a scary thing. The first thing you should remember is that 80 percent of these lumps turn out to be benign, meaning they are not cancerous. However, it’s prudent for your health care provider to arrange for you to have a biopsy done to insure that your spot does indeed fall into that 80%.

 

What’s a biopsy? A biopsy is a procedure that allows for tissue to be removed and tested for cancer. In many cases, the produced for taking tissue results in little to no pain and there is minimal to no scarring involved.

 

There are for main types of breast biopsies that are done.

 

Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) - This is the least invasive form of biopsy. The FNAB uses a tiny needle that is inserted directly into the lump. The content of the lump is then pulled back into the needle and syringe and the whole thing is withdrawn. In many cases, done properly, these procedures are painless, leave no scarring, and can be done in your providers office.  Best of all, results can be ready in a few days.

 

Core Needle Biopsy (CNB) - The needle involved is a bit larger, with a bit of discomfort. The needle is again guided into the lump and the sample is obtained just like the FNAB. Again, the results are available in just a few days - often in 48 hours.

 

Image-Guided Breast Biopsy -  In this type of biopsy, instead of guiding the needle by ‘feel’ (feeling the lump to guide the needle), the needle is guided into the lump using ultrasound. This is often called a Stereotactic needle biopsy. In this case, the procedure is often performed by a radiologist or surgeon where equipment is available.

 

Surgical Biopsy - While often not used just to diagnosis breast cancer alone, they are performed when the decision is made by you and your surgeon to remove either part (incisional biopsy) or the entire (excisional biopsy) lump. This can be performed on an out-patient basis.

 

Undergoing any type of procedure on our breasts can be scary, especially when we are faced with possibly receive a diagnosis of breast cancer. However, having an understanding of what is going on, what to expect, and why something is being done can alleviate some of that fear and help you become an active partner in your quest for further information.

 

8 Steps for a Woman Dancing with Cancer

In this short article, Susun Weed looks at 8 steps a woman can take after a diagnosis of cancer.

 

Submit. Give up. Make room for the miracle.

 

Inform yourself. Listen to your intuition. Examine all the options, but only use what feels right to you.

 

Accept support. Surround yourself with loving friends, healing music, special colors, prayer and affirmation. Create a ceremony of healing/wholing and invite your supporters.

 

Anoint your breast(s) with healing herbal oils such as calendula, dandelion, or poke. Visualize healing energies suffusing your tissues. 

 

Maximize the healthy qualities of your diet:

• Use organic olive oil and butter to the exclusion of other fats.
• Increase your use of beans, especially lentils, and fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, tamari, homemade wines and beers. 

 

Include immune building and anticancer herbs in your diet:

• Daily use of a nourishing infusion, especially red clover flower or burdock root or violet leaf infusions. 
• Daily use of fresh herb vinegars, especially yellow dock, burdock, and dandelion root vinegars.
• Frequent use of a long-cooked soup containing seaweed (such as kombu or wakame), astragalus root, and medicinal mushrooms (reishi, shiitake, puffballs, etc).

 

Increase you exercise level. Take a yoga or tai chi class weekly. Walk daily. Get a weekly massage. Pamper yourself with activity. 

 

Use drugs (chemotherapy, tamoxifen, anaesthesia, pain killers) as required but:

 

• consider a short trial of a powerful herb such as poke root before resorting to drugs; and
• always combine drug use with complementary herbs. For instance, protect the liver with milk thistle seed tincture.

 

Use radiation and surgery as needed but:

• always combine with complementary herbs; and
• be willing to set limits that you feel comfortable with - they can't take your lymph glands if you say "No."

 

For more information, see Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way by Susun Weed. Visit www.ashtreepublishing.com.

 

Susun Weed

PO Box 64

Woodstock, NY 12498

Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Cancer Prevention: Eat Your Cabbage?

Can eating your broccoli and cabbage help protect you against lung cancer? According to a study published in the October 29, 2005 issue of the British medical journal, Lancet, the answer is yes. 

 

This isn’t the first time that it’s been suggested that cruciferous vegetables may have a preventive effect against lung cancer, but it is the largest scale study to date. There have been a number of smaller observational studies that reported a possible link between the vegetables and lung cancer prevention, but they were considered to be too small to be definitive. This study, conducted by a group of researchers at the Genetic Epidemiology Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, compared 2,141 people diagnosed with lung cancer with a group of healthy people in the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. They chose countries where the consumption of vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts has been traditionally high.

 

“We found protective effects with at least weekly consumption of cruciferous vegetables,” the research letter in the Lancet stated. 

 

Researchers believe that the beneficial effects of cruciferous vegetables are due to the high content of isothiocyanates, phytonutrients that seem to have a strong anti-cancer effect. They are a more bioavailable form of glucosinolates, which also have been shown to have anti-cancer effects. The research conducted at Lyons takes the knowledge a step further.

 

Studies have shown that isothiocyanates neutralize cancerous cells by inhibiting cell proliferation. The cycle of a normal cell in the body proceeds from cell division, through specialization, and eventually, when the cell has either become damaged or has finished doing its job, to apoptosis - or cell death. The problem with cancer cells is that they don’t go through apoptosis. For some reason, their mutations make them resistant to the message that it’s time to die. Isothiocyanates appear to be a catalyst that triggers apoptosis. In laboratory experiments, they’ve induced apoptosis in a number of cell lines. They also seem to slow proliferation of a number of types of cancer cells, including lung cancer lines.

 

The researchers at Lyons found that there is also a correlation between genetics and the preventive effect of cruciferous vegetables. There are two genes that produce an enzyme that remove isothiocyanates from the body. The Lyons study correlated the results from a diet questionnaire with blood tests to determine whether those studied had inactive or active forms of those genes. They found that in people who had an inactive form of one of the two genes had a 37% lower risk of developing lung cancer. Those with an inactive form of the other had a 33% lower risk of developing lung cancer. In those with both genes inactive, there was a 72% reduction in lung cancer risk. In those who had two active gene types, there was no difference in risk at all.

 

Said Paul Brennan, lead author of the research letter, “, this indicates that there is a specific protective effect against lung cancer from cruciferous vegetables.”

 

Random trials to absolutely confirm the findings would be expensive and time consuming, Brennan notes. In the meantime, though, including cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli or turnips in your diet at least once a week may help reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.

Cancer Patient Beats the Odds, Hopes to Inspire Others

James Nebus, 71, never expected to walk his daughter down the aisle or see the birth of his first grandson. 

 

While the holiday time is supposed to joyful, that was not the case for the Nebus family. In December of 2000, they received the grim news that Nebus had a brain tumour and only had months to live. But with highly aggressive treatment, a fighting spirit and a supportive family, he is now a cancer survivor who is hoping to inspire other patients with his story.

 

Diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain tumours, Nebus took his prognosis head on and researched available treatment options. That was when he found Dr. Phillip G. St. Louis, a Florida Hospital neurosurgeon, and Dr. Nicholas Avgeropoulos, a Florida Hospital Cancer Institute neuro-oncologist, who teamed up to help give Nebus his fighting chance.

 

Shortly after the initial diagnosis, Nebus underwent brain surgery to remove the tumour and implant Gliadel Wafers. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, these chemotherapeutic wafers are inserted directly into the cavity where the tumour was removed. 

 

Over several days, the wafers release chemotherapy and attack cancer cells. Gliadel Wafers are the only FDA-approved treatment to provide highly concentrated chemotherapy directly to the brain, while avoiding systemic side effects usually associated with chemotherapy. These biodegradable wafers are clinically proven to prolong survival without jeopardizing quality of life, as is often the case with such aggressive therapies. 

 

It has been more than five years since Nebus had this initial operation. Since his diagnosis, Avgeropoulos has carefully watched over Nebus, administering additional therapies, to provide combined benefits of the treatments.

 

"Implanting the Gliadel Wafers only added a few minutes onto the initial surgery, yet the effects have contributed to James living more than five years after surgery" said Avgeropoulos. "We are thrilled by the progress of this remarkable man."

 

Soon after the brain surgery, Nebus returned to his normal life. He played cards, travelled and spent time with his family. And although he retired, his family has maintained the family business, Rock Creek RV Resorts in Naples, Fla.

 

Each year, the family organizes a fundraiser at the RV resort to raise money for the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute and inspire other local GBM patients with Nebus' story of survival. They want to tell other families to never lose hope, no matter what the diagnosis.

 

Nebus' tumour has returned twice since that initial operation. Both times, St. Louis removed the tumour and implanted additional Gliadel Wafers. Nebus' family cannot be certain how much time he has left, but they are incredibly thankful for the past five and a half years and the priceless memories they have shared as a family. - NU

Cancer Lies Impoverish You Before You Die

"We put the patient first." The picture of a dedicated doctor, not interested in money is no longer true - if it ever was. Nowadays the bank account rules. Even the Hippocratic Oath has fallen by the wayside. This second article of ten about health lies exposed describes how you could be callously killed by doctors interested only in your money.

 

Cancer Lies

 

Lie 1: Conventional medicine can cure your cancer.

 

Lie 2: It is criminal the way alternative medicine holds out false hope and diverts patients away from reliable medical treatment.

 

Lie 3: We put the patient's interests first.

 

You'll notice that lie 2 refers back to lie 1.

 

Conventional medicine has three weapons against cancer.

 

1. Surgery
2. Chemotherapy
3. Radiation therapy

 

Surgery is successful if the cancer is removed before it has spread. So it could be described as a cure for cancer.

 

Radiation therapy is based on the theory that your body is better at fighting the damage done by radiation therapy than the cancer is. So if you almost kill the body there is hope that you will completely kill the cancer.

 

Chemotherapy is based on the hope that healthy tissue will be better at fighting the poisons administered. All chemotherapy drugs use the patient as a guinea pig, because the drug companies argue that it would be cruel to do placebo controlled tests on patients who thought that they were getting medicine and were getting a sugar pill.

My theory about chemotherapy tests

 

When alternative medicine has 40% success the drug companies claim that it is the placebo effect. Now the placebo effect should work just as well for conventional medicine as for alternative medicine so if we subtract 40% from the success rate of chemotherapy, we will have the true success rate. 

 

That means that when chemotherapy has a 1.5% success rate the figures would work out like this.

 

Out of 200 patients:

 

• 80 are cured by the placebo effect (40%), then
• 77 of these survivors are killed by the chemotherapy leaving
• 3 chemotherapy "cures" (1.5%)

 

If these are the figures expected by the drug companies, it's not surprising that they refuse to do placebo controlled tests.

 

Money is the only consideration

 

In 1983, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D. (an oncologist and bioethicist), presented the results of a study that examined the medical records of almost 8,000 cancer patients. Dr. Emanuel found that in cases where chemotherapy was administered in the final six months of life, ONE-THIRD of the patients suffered from cancers that are known to be unresponsive to chemotherapy!

 

According to Gordon Zubrod, M.D., (a researcher for the National Cancer Institute), chemotherapy is considered to be highly effective only in these cancers: 

 

• Burkitt's lymphoma 
• Choriocarcinoma
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia 
• Hodgkin's disease 
• Lymphoscarcoma
• Embryonal testicular cancer 
• Wilms' Tumor 
• Ewing's sarcoma 
• Rhabdomyosarcoma
• Retinoblastoma

 

These cancers affect very few people so it isn't profitable to restrict chemotherapy only to patients that will benefit from it. So if you know of someone who died of pneumonia after being given chemotherapy for breast cancer you will know that she was killed for profit. Because breast cancer is not on the list.

 

What happened to "We put the patient first."?

 

If the cancer industry put patients first, patients wouldn't be given chemotherapy that wouldn't work.

 

If cancer patients came first, the industry wouldn't suppress successful competitors.

• A Canadian nurse invented an effective brew from four weeds. The cancer industry suppressed all sales of the weeds, and of the finished brew.
• The CSIRO (a government research organisation) in Australia discovered a native plant that cured skin cancer. So the cancer industry managed to get it made "on prescription only", and it is never prescribed.
• Vitamin B17 was shown to fight cancer. So a concerted campaign was conducted to convince everyone that it would kill them. The campaign took advantage of the fact that most people wouldn't know that the staple diet in parts of Africa is millet, which is rich in B17. Everyone is scared of cyanide, so it was emphasized that B17 contains cyanide - so does cobalamine, another vitamin that we need.

 

It looks as if the second lie is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. It should be the victims of chemotherapy who are complaining about the way conventional medicine holds out false hope and diverts patients away from reliable medical treatment.

 

One cancer specialist resigned from his work because he could no longer live with his conscience. He said that it was usual to get half a million dollars out of each patient before they died.

 

Prevention

 

Although the record of conventional medicine for curing cancer is deplorable, it is non-existent when it comes to preventing cancer. The only preventive treatment that I ever heard of was the suggestion that all women should have their breasts removed to prevent breast cancer.

 

Alternative medicine excels at prevention. Many of the treatments are every day foods for some cultures and others are readily available.

 

Have you heard of any of these powerful cancer fighters?

 

• Garlic
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Curry
• Selenium
• Curry
• Apricot Kernels

 

That's not an exhaustive list but this page is about health lies, not about proper treatment.

Cancer - The Real Facts

Cancer has a fearsome reputation. Not without reason either. It is a disease that has not yet fully yielded to the skills and intelligence of medical scientists and doctors. And, as if the pain from the disease is not enough, the treatment for cancer, too, inflicts heavy suffering on the body. 

 

Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled and abnormal cell division. Cancer spreads in the body and destroys tissues when the cancer cells travel through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. The runaway growth of cells is caused by mutations to the DNA in the cells that makes the cells unable to control cell division. This mutation can either be inherited or acquired. The mortality rate in cancer depends on the type of cancer and where it develops. 

 

Among cancers, lung cancer is the biggest killer, causing up to 3 million deaths every year worldwide. It affects the above-50 age group population most and is one of the most common types of cancers that occur in the Western countries. The main risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. Cigarette smoke, especially, contains several carcinogens. It is estimated that 80 per cent of all lung cancers are caused by smoking. The role of passive smoking in causing lung cancer is also being recognized by studies.

 

Another carcinogen that causes lung cancer is asbestos. This substance, which is widely used because of its fire-resistant qualities, causes a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma cancer. In mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer or asbestos cancer, malignant cells develop in the pleura, the outer lining of the lungs and the chest cavity. 

 

The problem with asbestos cancer is that diagnosis is difficult. For one, the symptoms of mesothelioma cancer occur only 30-50 years after the exposure to asbestos. Second, the symptoms of asbestos lung cancer, such as shortness of breath and chest pain, are similar to those of many other medical conditions.

 

The incidence of mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer has increased in the last two decades. Still it is considered a relatively rare form of lung cancer, because the incidence rate is only 1 per 1,000,000 people. This could be as high as 7-40 per 1,000,000 in the industrialized nations. By contrast, the incidence of lung cancer is 1,000 per 1,000,000.

 

The common lung cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, the conventional treatment methods have not been very successful in the case of asbestos cancer, yielding only a median survival rate of 6-12 months after the presentation. 

 

Again, surgery does not have much effect on small-cell lung cancer. A treatment method for lung cancer that has become increasingly popular in recent years is radiofrequency ablation. This technique is especially effective in destroying the cancerous cells inside the tumours. These cells are 'cooked' by inserting a small heat probe into the tumour. This technique is also non-toxic and causes very little pain for the patient.

 

However, there is hope for the cancer-affected. Scientists are developing new techniques of treatment, such as molecular targeted therapies, for lung cancer. Better and more effective therapies can be expected as scientists and researchers coax out more secrets from the human cells.

Cancer - Courage and Love

By Lorraine Kember

 

Every day, we hear of people dealing with incredible sadness and loss and we wonder; how do they do it? Where do they find the courage the strength? We may even ask ourselves how we would cope under the circumstances. Sadly, we only become aware of the answer, when tragedy visits us and our own lives are thrown into turmoil.  

 

When someone we love is diagnosed with a terminal cancer, life as we knew it changes forever. Suddenly we enter a new world, a world filled with helplessness, despair and fear of the unknown. We no longer walk aimlessly around shopping Malls; we walk the Hospital corridors and sit in chemotherapy waiting rooms and are shocked by the number of people afflicted by cancer. We cannot help but wonder if one day we too may be a patient and we fear for our own mortality. 

 

Sitting in a Chemotherapy ward is an experience not to be forgotten. Cancer has no respect for gender, age or wealth. There are people from every race, colour and creed; rich, middle class and poor; and none of this makes the slightest difference.  They are all untitled in their suffering, fellow human beings on the same sad journey.

 

One cannot bear witness to the incredible courage of those who have cancer, without being deeply affected. My husband’s courage in the face of his terminal mesothelioma cancer held me in awe and I decided to do everything within my power to help him.

 

I learned about the stages and symptoms of his disease; the pain he would experience and ways to bring it under control, so that I could work with his doctors, to achieve for him, the best possible quality of life for whatever time he was granted.  It was incredibly hard to wake each day with the knowledge that my husband was dying; my anticipatory grief often overwhelmed me but somehow I managed to carry on. One day a lady said to me, “You are such a strong woman.” and I wondered what had made her say that. I didn’t feel strong, I felt like I was breaking.

 

Despite a prognosis of three to nine months, my husband survived for two years and was not bed bound until three short days prior to his death. My journey beside him as he travelled to the end of his life, has taught me many things, above all the true meaning of love and the strength of the human spirit.  

 

Deep within ourselves there is strength and courage to sustain us in times of personal tragedy. I have come to realize that during my husband’s illness, I was indeed strong. I may have staggered with the burden of my grief but I did manage to help my husband achieve a quality of life few thought possible considering the nature of his disease. And, thanks to the expertise and dedication of the Palliative Care Team, I was able to fulfil my promise to him that he would not die in hospital. His death at home was as loving, sharing and peaceful as anyone could wish for. 

 

I have witnessed courage; that of my husband as he battled his disease and of my own as I stood beside him, determined to improve the quality of his life. The knowledge that I was successful in this has brought me much peace. My husband’s illness and death have wounded me deeply yet I have emerged far stronger than ever before and gone on to achieve things I never thought possible. 

 

My experience has taught me not to take life for granted and to live each day with thanks for the wonderful gift that it is. I have witnessed death; my awareness of the fragility of life, despite the strongest of wills strengthens my determination to grasp everything life offers me, with both hands.

Avoiding and Preventing Cancer: Simple Steps to Take

With its fairly unique characteristics, cancer strikes intense fear in many people and all would like to find ways to preventing and avoiding cancer. Obviously, any disease that is a) fatal, b) incurable and c) derived from unknown causes will earn a position of esteemed concern among the general public.

 

The faulty basis regarding the incurability of cancer is something you will find in my most recent book, but for now let us acknowledge that most people believe this to be true.

 

Cancer is a unique illness, in that it is created within our cells, by our cells. Damaged DNA causes a cell to divide without limits, producing more cells with damaged DNA that divide without limits. Soon, the cells create a massive tumour which is often fatal. Is it really possible to avoid and prevent cancer?

 

The most reliable medical treatments for cancer are essentially poisonous. We poison our body, depending on the fact that the cancerous portion will perish first. This theory has proven itself workable, though it often generates effects which are as lethal as the cancer.

 

Luckily for us, our bodies were created with an inherent set of tools, our immune system, designed to keep illness from settling in and destroying us. Not so luckily for us, we live in an age where the maintenance of those tools is incredibly poor.

 

To increase the abilities of our immune system and ensure that it can do its job, we must strive to be as healthy as possible. Our immune system will help us prevent and defeat disease, but it won’t do it all by itself: we must be willing to help. There are indeed some simple steps you can take to avoid and prevent cancer.

 

After all, if we don’t care enough about our health to fight for it, why should our immune system? If you do care enough to fight for it, how do you go about it?

 

Start exercising. This is actually one of the cheapest, easiest and potentially most effective tactics we have in promoting a healthy, active and forceful immune system. We make it hard, even though it doesn’t need to be. There is no need to join a health club or purchase fancy equipment.

 

If you have stairs in your home, spend 15 minutes a day walking up and down them. Do sit-ups and push-ups. The key is to do something, which will always be better than doing nothing regarding exercise.

 

Eat better. While there may not be a scientifically backed study indicating that a regular diet of deep fried fast food causes cancer, it has certainly been linked to a variety of health problems. Remember that any health problem drains your immune system which, in turn, makes you more susceptible to other health problems.

 

I’m not suggesting that you become a vegetarian and start shopping exclusively at organic health stores, although you may want to look into those options. But you may stop giving into the so-called “easy” way of eating.

 

Look at it from a new perspective. Certainly, every time you pick up a quick dinner at the local grease market you are saving yourself the time and trouble of preparing a healthy meal.

 

What’s really happening with those “savings,” however, is that you’re stashing them into a “time bank.” Like most savings, that time earns interest. In this case, the interest you are earning is pain, problems and suffering. When you finally withdraw all of that saved time, later in your life, you have to withdraw the earned interest as well.

 

Reduce stress. Stress is a massive immune system inhibitor. It comes at you from all angles, in every direction and with varying intensity. Recognize the sources of stress in your life and then work on healing them. A great number of options exist to reduce stress, you simply need to find the one that works best for you.

 

Of the options, one that is particularly viable to the prevention and avoidance of cancer is meditation. Drop the images you may be having of monks in robes. Meditation can be done in a very secular way, with no dogma attached.

 

Simply sit undisturbed in a comfortable position while visualizing yourself at the peak of health. When your mind strays, as it will, from the visualization of yourself at peak health, all you need to do is simply bring it back.

 

After practicing this for a while, you’ll find that your mind hardly drifts at all. You’ll also find yourself feel much better than you’ve felt in a long time, and it won’t even cost you a penny. This simple step could indeed be the start of avoiding and preventing cancer.

An Overview Of Cancer

Cancer is a disease that affects cells of the body. Cells are extremely small units that build together and form all living things, which include human beings. In any given person’s body, you will find billions of cells.

 

Cancer occurs when unusual and abnormal cells grow and spread very quickly. Normal cells in the body divide, grow to a certain size and then stop. Over the course of time, cells will even die. Cancer cells do not follow this normal pattern of division and growth, however. They divide very quickly and just continue to grow. Normally, cancer cells do not die and they clump together in groups to form what are called tumours.

 

The cancer cells in a tumour can damage and destroy surrounding healthy body tissues. When these healthy tissues are damaged and destroyed, the person with the tumour can become very sick.

 

Cancer is capable to spreading to other parts of the body, as well. It is not unusual for part of a tumour to break off and travel to a distant area. Once that piece of the tumour comes to a stop in another area of the body, it will continue to grow and can create a new tumour. When cancer spreads like this, it is called metastasis.

 

When in the body, cancer can cause a person to feel very sick. Since early detection is a big factor in treatment, it is good to be aware of the signs of this disease. Some signs of cancer include:

 

• A lump in the breast or testicles
• A change in the skin, a wart or a mole
• Persistent sore throat that doesn’t heal
• A significant change in bladder and bowel movements
• Coughing blood or a persistent cough that won’t stop
• Indigestion and trouble swallowing
• Unusual bleeding or vaginal discharge
• Chronic fatigue

 

Many of these symptoms can be from other illnesses which are not as serious as cancer. However, if you are ever faced with any of the symptoms above, it might be a good idea to see your family physician right away. Although the exact cause of cancer is still somewhat of a mystery, it is known that cancer is not contagious. You cannot catch cancer like you can the common cold. Unhealthy habits like smoking and excess drinking can increase your chances of getting cancer, but doctors aren’t sure why some people get this serious disease and others do not.

Alcohol and Cancer: Understanding the Connection

Research has shown that risks for cancer increase among men who have two alcoholic drinks a day and women who have one alcoholic drink per day. While everyone has been widely aware of the fact that smoking cigarettes greatly increase your risk of contracting cancer, there has been very little publicity of the fact that alcohol can act as a similar carcinogen.

 

By its very nature and design, the consumption of alcohol damages cells in your body. This damage can easily promote cell division, stimulate enzymes which cause the activation of other carcinogens and destroy certain nutrients that act as natural preventatives to cancer.

 

Most of the research indicates that a strong link exists between alcohol and cancers of the oesophagus, pharynx and mouth. There is a suggested, those less strongly proven, link between cancers of the liver, breast and colon.

 

According to the American Cancer Society, oral cancers are six times more common in alcohol users than in non-alcoholic users.

 

Obviously, all of this evidence points to the conclusion that you should avoid alcohol so you can lower your chances of contracting these types of cancer.

 

For most people the question then comes down to a simple decision: are the benefits of drinking alcohol larger than the potential deficits of cancer? As long as the mythology continues that there is no cure for cancer, the question should be fairly simple to answer. Very few people would happily enjoy a few nights out with friends drinking for months or years of painful cancer.

 

Put plainly, our bodies are designed to heal themselves. Our immune system was created to keep our bodies healthy. However, like any other worker, our immune system cannot do its work if we don’t give it the necessary tools.

 

One of the effects of alcohol, which isn’t one of the reasons most folks drink it, is that it reduces the ability of your immune system to do its job. So, people who regularly drink alcohol are regularly inhibiting the ability of their immune system to do its job.

 

Our cells are constantly dividing and there are a large number of ways the cell can become malignant. In reality, we probably develop malignant cells on a daily basis.  However, once they become known to our immune system as a threat, they are destroyed.

 

It’s only when our immune system somehow misses the indications that a cell is becoming a problem that we term it cancer.

 

There is no dispute about the fact that doing anything which will inhibit our immune system increases our chances for becoming ill. It’s significantly odd, then, that we all continue going about our lives while continually doing things that inhibit our immune systems.

 

In the end, we all need to evaluate the actions we take and the decisions we make with an eye towards the potential rewards versus the potential risks. Alcohol diminishes the immune system and a diminished immune system greatly elevates our chances of developing cancer. Next time you start to drink alcohol, stop and ask your immune system if it really wants to get drunk.