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Does Green Tea Lower Oral Cancer Risk?

by
Aug
31
2010
Green Tea and Oral Cancer

Can sipping a cup of green tea give you protection against oral cancer? It looks promising according to a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. According to this new research, the polyphenols found in green tea may be a natural way to reduce the risk of oral cancer. Green Tea and the Risk of Oral Cancer To look at the effects of a green on the risk of oral cancer, researchers gave a group of forty-one people with precancerous leukoplakia one of three different doses of green tea extract for a period of three months. Leukoplaka is a condition where white patches form on the mouth and tongue and is a marker for a higher risk of oral cancer. The results? The participants who took the two highest doses of green tea extract showed the greatest clinical response, although all of the green tea extract users had a better response than those who took a placebo. According to what the researchers found on biopsy, the green tea extract stops angiogenesis – the process by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Oral Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Your Body Knows Best!!

by 9 Comments
Aug
27
2010
EKGBody

Greetings and Salutations to all my FLAGC members!! I hope you are all feeling well. I have been a bit under the weather (yes I know you are stunned by this shocking revelation! LOL!). Last week I decided to go to a cardiologist because my blood pressure was a bit high, for me anyway…I gauge it by my monthly visits to my pain management doctor and noticed that my systolic is always between 106 and 117 and then it suddenly jumped to 143 two months ago and 187 this month! I was a bit wigged and even though the pain management nurse and PA told me it was nothing to worry about I just felt my body saying “Something’s not right…AGAIN!” My body and I have lots of conversations and I trust my body more then I trust people with fancy degrees! If there is one thing I have learned since I’ve been sick, it is that YOU MUST BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE FOR YOUR HEALTH! Well sure enough, my body was right! As the Doctor looked at the results of my EKG he suddenly turned and said “You … [Read more...]

Filed Under: EDS Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dealing With Naysayers

by 19 Comments
Aug
26
2010
Keep Fighting Girls!

Today my feelings were hurt as a result of another person's actions towards my illnesses.  This is fairly common in my world, much to my dismay. You see...a large portion of the common public still view Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as forms of mental distress. Some have been known to call them the 'yuppie flu'.  There are still medical practitioners behind on the research who believe similar things, which has led me to spend most of my life with a psychiatrist, with absolutely no pain management. I have lost friends as a result of not being able to act like a 'normal' 23 year old female (which is apparently bars, partying, malls, and the like? - I probably just need new friends haha).  I have lost boyfriends, who have determined I am too high maintenance.  I have family who choose not to speak of the illnesses, and instead just look right through me. I am a firm believer in harnessing your demons, and Fibromyalgia, Myofascial Pain Syndrome, and ME/CFS haunt … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFS, Fibromyalgia Tagged With: , , , , ,

Coffee and Uterine Cancer

by
Aug
24
2010
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Drinking coffee has its pros and cons. People who drink coffee have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and gallbladder disease, but the caffeine can cause problems for people with heart disease, hypertension, insomnia, and anxiety. Now, a new study shows that women can lower their risk of getting cancer of the uterus by drinking coffee – which may be of benefit for women at high risk for this disease. Cancer of the uterus or endometrial cancer is a common cancer in women that starts in the endometrium or lining of the uterus. Women who are obese, have diabetes, eat a high-fat diet, use hormone replacement therapy, or who were never pregnant are at higher risk for this disease. Some women are also at a greater risk of endometrial cancer due to family history. Using data from the Iowa Women’s Healthy Study – a study that involved over 23,000 women, researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that postmenopausal women who drank more than 2.5 cups of coffee each day … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uterine Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

What does the liver do and what happens when it is damaged?

by 8 Comments
Aug
17
2010
learn-live-hope

The basics on the liver as a “Filtering System, Chemical Factory, and a Warehouse” The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, consisting of 2 lobes – The smaller, left lobe and larger, right lobe. Many don’t know that there are 8 sections in the liver, each functioning as “little livers” and that the liver can regenerate itself – making it great for sharing! The liver plays an important role in many life processes, including •    Breaking down food into chemicals our bodies need. •    Producing Bile (needed for digestion). •    Storing and controlling sugar levels, vitamins, and minerals. •    Maintaining hormonal balance •    Removing poisons and toxins from the bloodstream. •    And more… This is why when the liver goes awry, so many things in your body are affected. Any chronic liver disease can cause cirrhosis – Notice, I said CAN, not WILL. Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) can be stopped or slowed if the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Liver Disease Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer

by
Aug
14
2010
Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer

Sweetened soft drinks are one of America’s favorite beverages. Kids and young adults love nothing better than to sip a fizzy, carbonated beverage as they enjoy a bag of chips or a carton of popcorn at the movies. Despite their sweetness, soft drinks have been blamed for the growing epidemic of child and teen obesity in this country, and, now, a new study shows they may increase the risk of one of the deadliest forms of malignancy – pancreatic cancer. According to research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, drinking sugar sweetened soft drinks is associated with a high risk of pancreatic cancer. Researchers came to this conclusion after following the dietary habits of over 60,000 men and women as part of the Singapore Chinese Health Study which extended over a fourteen year period. They found that participants who drank two or more soft drinks per week had an eighty-seven percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who rarely drank … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pancreatic Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Seeing the True Beauty

by 3 Comments
Aug
13
2010
Anorexia Bulimia Inner Beauty

Just recently I turned 18 and have found myself worrying about the most superficial thing, aging. I’m currently 18 and was honestly starting to develop a phobia at the mere idea that I would eventually have to hit 30 and no longer be considered as young. Eighteen is the age I have always dreamed of being, but I never really thought what would happen once I became older. I even found myself wishing I was one of the lost boys in Peter Pan who never quite grew up. Part of me wishes this summer would never end, sitting in the passenger seat of my best friend’s car blasting the radio. Yes, I want to enjoy this summer, but I also don’t want it to become the high point of my entire existence. I’m sure a large portion of you have heard the song “Forever Young” by Jay-Z. I know that personally it was on my iPod for at least two weeks straight. But then I realized it; this song wasn’t helping me feel any better about myself. One of the lines of the song is actually “let us die … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anorexia/Bulimia Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Does Hot Tea Increase The Risk For Esophageal Cancer?

by
Aug
13
2010
1221387_21472389 E LR

Drink hot tea during the day?  You may want to give it time to cool down if you’re concerned about the health of your esophagus. According to a new study, drinking hot tea may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, a serious form of cancer with a very dismal prognosis. This study was recently published in the British Medical Journal and the results will hopefully spark further research into what causes this devastating form of cancer. This particular study was conducted on people in the Golestan province in Iran, an area where drinking hot tea is a common practice and the incidence of cancer of the esophagus is high. When tea drinkers with esophageal cancer were compared with controls who were healthy, it was shown that those who drank hot tea or very hot tea had a significantly higher risk of developing esophageal cancer compared to those who drank their tea at a lukewarm temperature. It was also shown that drinking tea within two minutes of pouring it increased the risk of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Esophageal Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Early Detection Can Save Your Life!

by 34 Comments
Aug
12
2010
Analog Mammogram vs Digital Mammogram View 1

Many of you may have heard at some point about how early detection of breast cancer (or of any cancer) can save your life. It may seem like smoke and mirrors,  but I am proof positive that early detection can save your life. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common form of breast cancer, at the end of May.  I am 36 years old.  Since many organizations recommend that a woman have a baseline mammogram around age 35 and because I work in a radiology clinic, where I could get one done for free, I decided to go ahead and get one.  I have no family history of breast cancer and no risk factors.  In fact, had I not worked at my current job, I wouldn't have had a mammogram until age 40, as I was completely unaware that one should have a baseline mammogram.  Being honest, breast cancer is not something that I ever thought I would personally get or that anyone in my family would be afflicted with.  Even with that line of thinking, my decision to have a mammogram … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breast Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Endometriosis and Cancer Risk

by
Aug
06
2010
Endometriosis and Cancer Risk

Women who have endometriosis may be at higher risk for cancer according to an article published in Medscape.com. Almost ninety million women suffer fro m this disease – almost all of them pre-menopausal. Although this disease isn’t life threatening, it can cause a lot of pain and discomfort for women who are unfortunate enough to deal with it. What is Endometriosis? Endometriosis is a disease where uterine tissue is deposited in other parts of the pelvic cavity including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, intestines, and bladder. This causes women to have very painful menstrual cramps and some women experience pain with intercourse, back pain, and infertility. No one is sure what causes it, but there’s a theory that “retrograde menstruation” occurs in women with endometriosis where the menstrual flow backs up into the fallopian tubes and abdominal cavity causing portions of the uterine lining to be deposited in other parts of the pelvic cavity. Endometriosis and Cancer … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis, Ovarian Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , ,