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Children, Abdominal Pain & Guided Imagery Possible Cure for Cluster Headaches Alarming Statistics and |
August 25, 2010
Breast cancer in men is rare. However, it does occur. The ratio between female to male breast cancer in the U.S. alone is 100 to 1. That is approximately 1,910 men who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Roughly 440 men will die from it. Since breast cancer is much more common in women, many men do not realize they can develop it causing many to be diagnosed after it has progressed to later stages. Survival rates between men and women with breast cancer, however, remain the same. Because the male breast is much smaller than the female breast, it is more likely the disease will spread to the chest wall. This is why it is crucial to detect the cancer early for a successful outcome. Common symptoms include: *A lump in the chest area Factors that increase a man's risk of breast cancer include: *Family history of breast cancer (male or female), especially with a BRCA2 mutation*A genetic condition such as Klinefelter's syndrome associated with high estrogen levels *Chronic liver disorders, alcholism, and obesity *Older age Diagnosis method: *Complete medical history by your physician*Clinical breast exam *Mammorgram *Biopsy Treatment Options: Treatments for breast cancer in men are the same as for women. It generally involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy (usually with a medication called tamoxifen since most male breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive). The main treatment for male breast cancer is mastectomy or the surgical removal of the breast with the cancerous tumor. A lumpectomy (breast conserving surgery) is rarely used because of the small size of the male breast. For more information on male breast cancer, please visit www.komen.org.
Children, Abdominal Pain, and Guided Imagery Vitamin D update: Diabetes, cognitive decline, asthma, and heart attack The newest research has found that vitamin D sufficiency is important for preventing type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. BY JOEL FUHRMAN, M.D. Vitamin D is continuing to make news. Although previously well-known for its effects on calcium absorption and therefore bone health, vitamin D has now emerged as a contributor to many nonskeletal physiological processes, and functions have been attributed to vitamin D in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, infections, autoimmune diseases, and more. There are vitamin D receptors in almost every cell in the human body, and vitamin D regulates the expression of over 200 different genes. It is not surprising that sufficient vitamin D is crucial to the proper function of so many of our body’s tissues. Scientists estimate that 50% of the population of North America and Western Europe has insufficient blood vitamin D levels (as measured by 25(OH)D; sufficient is defined as greater than 30 ng/ml). Although recommended vitamin D intakes remain at only 200-400 IU per day, there is consensus among the scientific community that 2000 IU or more may be necessary for most people to maintain sufficient blood levels. Possible Cure for Cluster Headaches According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, more patients with a cluster headache (characterized by symptoms of excruiating pain usually near the eye or temple) reported being pain-free within 15 minutes of receiving treatment with high-flow oxygen therapy. Drug Money? August, 2010 According to a recent study presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., nearly 90 percent of the paper money circulating in the United States tests positive for traces of cocaine. To compare, researchers tested paper money in 30 international cities. Cocaine was found on about 90 percent of all money in the U.S. and Canada. In contrast, 12-20 percent of the paper money in China and Japan showed similar contamination. According to researchers, traces of the drug are miniscule so anyone handling contaminated money would not test positive if drug tested. Alarming Statistics and One Woman Making a Difference July, 2010Presently, in 2010, there are 42 million people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide. This continues a global emergency, claiming about 8,000 lives every day in some of the poorest countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 4.1 million people with AIDS who are in immediate need of life-saving antiretroviral drugs and an estimated 20 million children who have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS. As well, there were an estimated 9.4 million new cases of TB in 2008 with an estimated 1.8 million deaths (including 500,000 people with HIV), making this disease one of the world’s biggest killers. Malaria kills nearly 1 million people annually. Most are African children under the age of 5. On average, one child in Africa dies every 30 seconds of a malaria infection, caused by the bite of a mosquito. All of these communicable diseases require adequate healthcare delivery services — much of this by nurses — that remain lacking in these same parts of the world.
Glucosamine Does NOT Ease Lower Back Pain--New Study Says July 7, 2010 Editor's Note: Since many of our readers are taking the over-the-counter supplement, Glucosamine, for joint pain, especially for lower back pain, we thought this latest study would be of interest to many of you. While it is true that Glucosamine comes from shellfish, some of our readers have stated they order a vegetarian form of this product online. Please note the following study for use of Glucosamine for lower back pain. Thank you! Chronic low back pain is one of medicine's big mysteries. It's the second most-common reason patients see their primary care docs, after respiratory problems. A popular dietary supplement doesn't stop the pain. In the search for a magic bullet, it's not surprising that more than five million of the 20 million Americans with chronic back pain turn to glucosamine, a dietary supplement that's supposed to rebuild worn-out cartilage. There's some evidence glucosamine offers a mild benefit for people with arthritis of the knee. There's dispute about whether it does any good for people with hip problems. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for low back pain according to the first big, well-done study of glucosamine for that ailment. Norwegian researchers randomly assigned 250 patients with chronic low back pain to daily glucosamine or a look-alike placebo for at least six monts. At the start, all of the study subjects had MRI evidence of spine degeneration. At the start all the patients took a standard test that measured how painful and disabling their back pain was. They all scored between 9 and 10 on a scale of 24. Six months later they took the test again. Both groups showed improvement – but the group taking 1500 milligrams of glucosamine every day didn't do any better than those on placebo pills. A year after the study started, there was still no significant difference. "Based on our results, it seems unwise to recommend glucosamine to all patients with chronic low back pain," the researchers write in this week's Journal of American Medicine. Dr. Andrew Avins of Northern California Kaiser-Permanente praised the new study as well-designed and well-conducted, in an editorial accompanying the study report. The results, Avins says, are "disappointed but should not be discouraging." After all, it's useful to know what doesn't work – just as earlier studies led doctors to stop recommending prolonged bedrest for low back pain because it actually made things worse. Still, Avins says a lot more research should be done to help doctors understand and treat low back pain. "In the competition for federal research dollars," he writes, "back pain has not been allocated funding commensurate with its societal cost and quality-of-life burden." Part the reason, he says, is that, unlike breast cancer or heart disease, back pain has no organized advocates to demand attention. So even though nearly every family has someone with back pain at one time or another, these victims tend to suffer in frustrated silence or don't get the care they need.
If you are with someone who is experiencing these symptoms and cannot reach 911 (or your emergency response system), drive them to the hospital immediately. Never drive if you are experiencing the symptoms yourself; have someone else drive you. Common Symptoms of a Heart Attack:
Common Signs of a Stroke:
If you experience these symptoms, call 911 immediately (or have someone else call if you are not alone) or call your country’s emergency response system. If you are with someone who is experiencing these symptoms, call 911 or your country’s emergency response system immediately. Every minute you wait may cause increased damaged to the heart. Do not hesitate to call! Call immediately! Tips and Techniques to Reduce Stress in Your Life: As we know, there are often “stressors” that occur in our daily life that may be unavoidable. The following recommendations are meant to help decrease your heightened reaction to the stress you experience. The following suggestions are meant to help you deal with the common, daily stressors that often occur. Try them and see if they make a difference. *If you are having increased feelings of stress or find yourself feeling uncontrollable anxiety or depression, we recommend you see a healthcare practitioner who specializes in these conditions.
Advance Directives: Controlling your future medical care What medical interventions would you want to receive if you suddenly suffered a stroke that left you brain-damaged and unable to swallow – would you want physicians to provide you with artificial nutrition through a feeding tube? If you were injured in a car accident and unable to breath – would you want doctors to place you on a ventilator? If you suffered a severe heart attack and stopped breathing – would you want to be resuscitated? These scenarios occur every day to people around the world. When these tragedies occur, the victim is unable to speak for himself and tell his doctor which treatments he wishes to receive or not receive. Unless you have a written document to speak for you, your family will be faced with some very difficult decisions. If you prepare legal documents called “advance directives,” however, your family can be released from this burden. You can make your wishes known in writing, so that the burden of making these decisions are lifted from your family and you receive the exact care you wanted. The path of Krishna consciousness is preparation for one moment – the moment of death. The most important preparation for death is the chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. But there are other preparations as well, to help make your death successful. In other words, there are practical steps you can take right now to ensure that at the end of this life, you will go back home, back to Godhead. One of those practical steps is the preparation of legal documents called “advance directives.” Advance directives are so crucial in the United States that very nama hatta and bhakti vriksha group in the US ought to dedicate at least one session discussing them. If there is an attorney in your congregation who is qualified to speak on advance directives, you can invite that person to your class. Advance directives are legal documents that give you some control over your future medical care. In the US, the most common advance directives are the “living will” and “health care power of attorney.” Most estate planning attorneys recommend both documents, in order to cover all situations. A “living will” allows you to tell your health care provider what types of life-prolonging treatments you want or do not want. For example, your living will might discuss artificial life support, tube feeding, hydration, and resuscitation. Many states will also honor your wishes regarding organ donation. A living will becomes active only when you are unable to communicate your medical preferences yourself. In other words, as long as you have the capacity to make your own decisions and communicate those decisions, you will be allowed to do so. Furthermore, a living will generally becomes active in only two specific circumstances: (a) you become terminally ill; or (b) you enter a permanent vegetative state. For example, if you suffer a heart attack, but otherwise do not have any terminal illness and are not permanently unconscious, a living will does not have any effect. You would still be resuscitated, even if you had a living will indicating that you do not want life prolonging procedures. A living will is only used when your ultimate recovery is hopeless. If a living will is properly drafted and executed, it binds health care providers to its instructions. Find out ahead of time what your doctor's views are about advance directives and your specific wishes. If there is disagreement, you may wish to find a new doctor ahead of time. A “health care power of attorney” is a second type of advance directive. It allows you to appoint a representative (“proxy”) to make health care decisions on your behalf in the event that you are unable to do so yourself. Some states call this document a “health care proxy” or “durable power of attorney for health care.” This document gives your proxy a lot of control. The document does not expressly tell the proxy what to do. Therefore, you must have a lot of trust in this person. Your proxy must understand your desires, and have your best interests in mind. Your proxy should be well aware of the choices you have articulated in relevant documents, and should support those instructions. It is best to ask the person’s permission before appointing him as a proxy. You can explain your medical preferences and obtain his agreement. Your proxy may need to argue your case with doctors or family members. Your proxy may even be required to go to court. Therefore, an assertive and diplomatic individual is preferred. Whenever possible, name one or more alternate or successor proxies in case your primary proxy is unavailable. Preferably, do not name co-proxies, because it opens up the possibility of disagreement between them. If there is anyone whom you absolutely want to keep out of playing any role in your health-care decisions, you may be able to disqualify that person expressly in your document. In Krishna consciousness, your life is a preparation for one moment – the moment of death. You hope to remember Lord Krishna at that crucial moment, and thereby gain entrance into the spiritual world. It is crucial that you plan ahead for that moment. Your preparation should include preparing advance directives. You should appoint a proxy who understands the process by which Vaisnavas leave this world, and who will do everything in his power to make your departure successful. Ideally, all preparations will be made. There will be a devotee on either side of you, reminding you to chant. You will be surrounded by devotees chanting the Holy Name. Another devotee will hold a picture of Radha and Krishna in front of you, so that your eyes can focus on Their beautiful forms. When the devotees see that you are about to leave, they will sprinkle Ganges water and Vrindavan dust on your head, and place Tulasi in your mouth. In the United States, the law governing advance directives varies state by state. Therefore, nama hattas and bhakti vrikshas are the perfect forum for discussing these issues. Please talk to your local leaders and educate yourself. Do not leave this to chance. Editor's Note for those who live within the United States: |
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The Symptoms of Heart Attack and Stroke
Symptoms of a Heart Attack Seen in Women:| Translate this page:__ |
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