Health and Medication

Men have a tendency to take care of their bodies on the outside. They go to the gym, lift weights and do various other exercises that will give them a great physique. But what do they do for their inner bodies? This may be one of the reasons that men come down with diseases that are often preventable with a little knowledge. As men, we need to do a little more research and have an understanding of what we can do to protect our inner bodies.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. At firdt the symptoms of the disease are asymptomatic; for this reason it is commonly referred to as the silent killer. Prostate cancer has very few early symptoms and those such as trouble urinating or painful ejaculation are also symptoms of much less serious disease such as enlarged prostate.

The function of the prostate is to close the urethra after ejection. It is also essential for ejaculation. There will be more than 200,000 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed this year that will result in over 30,000 deaths. Maintaining good prostate health requires us to have the necessary information available to us. We would like to review a few things that men can do to assure good prostate health.

1. GET SOME EXERCISE

We are all aware that exercise is good for getting our hearts pumping, lowering cholesterol and protecting us from heart attacks and strokes. But, did you know that exercise can also protect us from some forms of cancer, especially prostate cancer? Research has shown that men who maintain a daily exercise schedule have a 75% less chance of developing cancer and heart disease than men who do not participate in a regular program.

By participating in exercise you get the blood flowing to your vital organs. This has a beneficial effect because it enhances the exchange of nutrients and helps with the elimination of waste products from our cells and tissues. It can also keep our weight under control further reducing the risks of some types of cancers. Stronger muscles also generate better blood flow and circulation to our cells and tissues.

2. EAT A HEALTHY DIET

When we eat a diet high in vegetables and low in saturated fats we are actually reducing the risks of some forms of cancer. Scientists don’t know why but men that eat a diet high in red meat are more likely to get prostate cancer. Some feel that there may be fats in red meat that are harmful to the prostate and others feel that chemicals produced during grilling may be responsible. It may also be that increasing the amount of red meat one consumes reduces the amount of fruits and vegetables we eat.

It is recommended that we eat 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Research has shown that men who follow this type of diet have much lower rates of cancer than men who do not. While consuming this many servings a day may be difficult for many, supplementation is also an option. Free radicals in the body have been shown to convert normal healthy cells into cancerous ones. For these reason tomatoes based products are particularly useful. They contain a high amount of Lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant that can reduce the number of free radicals in our bodies.

3. SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR

Screening is an important part of prevention. This involves looking for signs of the disease before symptom arise. There are a few ways this can be done now and your doctor will be able to suggest the one that best fits your situation. This is the time when treatment will be most effective.

He or she will be able to access any risk factors such as family history or race and put you on a screening schedule suited for your particular situation.

In conclusion, while prostate cancer can be a killer there are things that we can easily do to reduce the risk of us contracting it. The added benefit of some of the things suggested above is that they are also positives to your overall health in general. Just by reducing the risk of chronic heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancers with some simple lifestyle changes we can all live longer and healthier lives.

The idea of a World War was something that couldn’t be imagined prior to the 20th century. Then we had two world wars in a matter of 35 years. The number of people killed in the wars was staggering. The fact that people continued to die for forty or fifty years after the end of World War II was all the more shocking until the cause was discovered.

Asbestos has long been considered a miracle material of sort. It is highly resistant to heat, which makes it a great insulator and fire wall wherever heat and electricity are found. This was a known fact for hundreds of years, but never really led to its use in a major way. Then World War II rolled around. Despite being the second of the two huge wars, it was the first that involved a really massive production of military materials. This led to the widespread use of asbestos and a resulting Mesothelioma nightmare.

Hawaii notwithstanding, the World War II battle arena was in other countries ranging from Europe to much of Asia. This necessitated the movement of resources across vast stretches of the ocean. This in turn called for the construction of a huge number of transport ships to move the resources as well as naval ships to protect them and dominate the seas. To achieve this, ships were put on the fast track in construction.

The war effort saw hundreds of thousands flow into factories and docks to help. In the case of ship building, this meant a hoard of people willing to do just about anything to speed up production. A Liberty cargo ship took only two weeks to build at Kaiser Shipyards at one point. The problem was many shortcuts were taken to make this happen, many that exposed the workers to massive health risks.

Asbestos is a cause of Mesothelioma. In the construction of the various types of ships being created, the workers used everything from rope to gloves to caulking to insulation and so on that incorporated asbestos as their key material component. The war is long over, but it is now believed as many as 100,000 died from Mesothelioma and lung cancer caused by this exposure to asbestos. As a mater of comparison, there were roughly 10,000 casualties of which 2,500 died for the Allies on D-Day.

Mesothelioma is a horrible disease and it is a bit shocking that our government would so hastily expose hundreds of thousands to its ravages. The story of asbestos use without notice is a ghastly one that has been repeated throughout history.

Hundreds of people walked to get the word out about the importance of breast cancer awareness in downtown Bakersfield and at the park at River Walk on Thursday. Dozens of people laced up their walking shoes to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It’s also a fundraiser to raise money so that local women under the age of 40 can get mammograms and ultra sounds if they need it.

Event participants were treated to lunch for showing their support.

Meanwhile All Tennessee’s Chris Johnson needs to complete his outfit for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville in a pink mouthpiece.

The Titans running back has the pink gloves and his pink shoes should arrive Friday. Johnson, one of four or five players on each NFL team wearing pink during National Breast Cancer Awareness month, doesn’t have a personal connection to the disease. He says it doesn’t matter if pink isn’t a manly football color, “it’s about breast cancer. You’re supporting them.”

Johnson, the AFC’s leading rusher with 351 yards, also leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 457. He says his new shoes are mostly pink with some white thrown in. He says he won’t wear them until game day, he doesn’t “want to get them dirty.”

Mesothelioma is a unique type of cancer. It affects different parts of the mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most of the body’s internal organs. Depending upon the organ it covers and protects, the mesothelium has different names and the types of mesothelioma are called after those different membranes.

For instance, the mesothelial tissue, or membrane, surrounding the lungs and lining the wall of the chest cavity is named the pleura. Cancer of this membrane is called pleural mesothelioma.

Human heart is veiled by the pericardium. Cancer of that membrane is called pericardial mesothelioma.

The membrane surrounding most of the organs in the abdominal cavity is known as the peritoneum, so cancer of that membrane is named peritoneal mesothelioma.

No matter which organs of the body it covers, the mesothelium is made up of two layers of cells. The first layer closely surrounds each organ. The second layer forms a sac around it. Between these two layers, the mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid which allows the surrounded organs to move easily. This lubrication allows our lungs to expand and contract effortlessly as we breathe in and out. It also lets our heart beat smoothly.

Pleural mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma is caused by malignant (cancerous) tumors which form in the lining of the membrane surrounding the lungs and the chest cavity. Fluid often builds up between the lining of the lung and the chest cavity. This is known as pleural effusion, which often causes shortness of breath and pain.

Pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common form of malignant mesothelioma. Like all forms of mesothelioma, those who’ve been exposed to asbestos for long periods of time – generally by working with or around asbestos or by living near mines or factories where asbestos was processed – are the most likely to develop this type of asbestos mesothelioma. However, family members who inhaled dust bought home on workers’ clothes and people with brief exposures to asbestos can also develop this and other forms of malignant mesothelioma. In all types of mesothelioma, it takes anywhere from 10 to more than 50 years for symptoms to develop.

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma can resemble pneumonia and other less serious diseases, so it’s important to tell a doctor if you’ve been exposed to asbestos. Symptoms include shortness of breath, constant cough, or chest pain.

Although there is a form of mesothelioma in which benign (non-cancerous) tumors form in the pleura, nearly all cases of pleural mesothelioma are malignant (cancerous).

Peritoneal mesothelioma

Peritoneal mesothelioma, which attacks the tissue surrounding the abdominal area, is much less common than pleural mesothelioma, but it is also caused by breathing in asbestos dust and fibers.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can include weight loss, abdominal pain and swelling, bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. Just like pleural mesothelioma, the symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are similar to those of other less serious conditions or different diseases, which can make it hard to detect, especially if your doctor doesn’t know that you’ve been exposed to asbestos.

Pericardial mesothelioma

Pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare form of asbestos mesothelioma. Many of the symptoms are similar to those of pleural mesothelioma: a constant cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Palpitations are another symptom. As with the other forms of mesothelioma, these symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, so tell your doctor if you’ve been exposed to asbestos.

In all types of mesothelioma, as with other forms of cancer, the cancer cells can metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body, leading to other types of cancer.

Even with treatment, the outlook for most people diagnosed with mesothelioma is about 18 months after diagnosis, although some patients have lived for four or more years after diagnosis and treatment. Untreated, the prognosis is often as little as four months.

Until recently, treatment options have been limited, but awareness of the disease and continued research, including clinical trials of new treatments, mean that the outlook for survival is starting to look better.