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This will help you know which screening tests you need and when to get them. According to the health experts at the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force these recommendations, based on scientific evidence, about which screening tests you need and when to get them.
-Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. If you are between the ages of 65 and 75 and have ever been a smoker, talk with your doctor about being screened.
-Colorectal Cancer. Have a test for colorectal cancer. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you.
-Depression. Your emotional health is as important as your physical health. If you have felt “down,” sad, or hopeless over the last 2 weeks or have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things, you may be depressed. Talk to your doctor about being screened for depression.
-Diabetes. Have a blood test for diabetes if you have high blood pressure.
-High Blood Pressure. Have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 years.High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
-High Cholesterol. Have your cholesterol checked regularly.
-HIV. Talk with your doctor about HIV screening if any of these apply:
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You have had sex with men since 1975.
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You have had unprotected sex with multiple partners.
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You have used or now use injection drugs.
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You exchange sex for money or drugs or have sex partners who do.
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You have past or present sex partners who are HIV-infected, are bisexual, or use injection drugs.
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You are being treated for sexually transmitted diseases.
You had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985
-Obesity. Have your body mass index (BMI) calculated to screen for obesity. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.)
-Sexually Transmitted Infections. Talk to your doctor about being tested for sexually transmitted infections.
Put Prevention Into Practice
-Be tobacco free.
-Be physically active.
-Eat a healthy diet.
-Stay at a healthy weight.
-If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
Helpful resources:
Find quit smoking help:http://www.smokefree.gov. -
find out about inmunizations at:
http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/.
Find a BMI calculator at: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.
Vitamin D or sunshine plays a large role in our health in that it can prevent the development of cancers as well as even help survive existing cancers. Other major problems that may be related to a Vit. D deficiency are MS, bone pain and disorders, recurring colds and flu, gum and dental decay, depression and SAD(seasonal affective disorder) high blood pressure, heart disorders . People over 65 years old are even encouraged to take extra Vit.D to prevent falls and breaks.
Sun exposure is perhaps the simplest way to assure adequate intake, though in some regions where weather conditions are unfavourable, food, and supplements may be the only source. Foods providing Vit.D are fatty fish as well as fish oils such as cod liver oil, eggs and organ meats. Some cereals and diary products are fortified with Vit.D.
With the upper limits of up to 10,000 IU daily to be considered to be relatively safe, the possibility of overdosing is very difficult. Adequate amounts of vitamin D can be made in the skin after only ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. For example, sunlight exposure from November through February in Boston is insufficient to produce significant vitamin D synthesis in the skin.
In my opinion the hype about using sunscreen to prevent developing skin cancer is just a marketing ploy to sell a product. While there are people who choose to continually overexpose themselves to the sun and the dangers of sunburn, there are far more that are Vit.D deficient and unknowingly suffering because of it .So by using sunscreens and avoiding sun exposure we are in effect starving our bodies of a natural source of health enhancers.
Gout is a form of arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid that form in the body. This condition is known as hyperuricemia. A gout attack usually happens suddenly without prior warning and may affect even the healthiest individuals. The main cause of gout is when the kidneys are unable to flush out the uric acid. The excess uric acid in the body will form hard crystals and deposit in the joints thus producing inflammation and pain.
Gout is more prevalent in males and is usually inherited. Your chances of getting gout are often also related to lifestyle: if you are overweight, drink too much alcohol (especially beer), or eat too much foods containing high levels of purines such as beans, red meat and certain seafoodsGout symptoms start commonly with an inflammation of the big toe causing painful swelling. The affected joint becomes red and swollen and very tender. Even the slightest touch on the affected area would exert severe pain associated with pricking needles. Another common symptom is fever and chills.
So now that you know the gout symptoms, the next question is how do you get gout relief? Allopurinol, Probenecid, and Sulfinpyrazone are common drugs often used to treat gout. These prescription gout treatments may provide relief, but can also cause side effects, including stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers as well as severe allergic reaction. Diuretics and aspirin use may increase increase uric acid and should be avoided. There are lifestyle and diet changes that can prevent attacks. Exercising and avoiding high purine foods helps prevent an attack. Foods that help alleviate gout effects are cherries (and cherry juice), strawberries, raspberries and celery. Drinking plenty of water helps to flush the uric acid out of the system.
What is Seasonal Shopping Syndrome?
Seasonal shopping syndrome can be a debilitating disorder. S.S.S. outbreaks occurs annually with some outbreaks lasting longer and others shorter and possibly causing long term financial damage. It can cause a sudden urge of giving, buying, and wrapping of purchases in colorful paper and ribbons. Over time, they can harm your bank account, credit rating, cause sore feet and excessive tiredness. S.S.S. most often affects adults, but in some cases teenagers.
What causes Seasonal Shopping Syndrome?
Seasonal shopping syndrome is commonly caused by overexposure to mass media advertising. Most of the time, S.S.S. is not harmful. People with larger families may have more severe side effects. Certain cultures and regions may be more affected.
Your chances of getting S.S.S. are higher if you are easily influenced by advertisements, have large families, excessive children or grandchildren, or may be addicted to sales .
What are the symptoms?
The most common sign of Seasonal shopping syndrome is , anxiety, sleepless nights, excessive reading of flyers, excessive net surfing, extended times spent walking, uncontrollable urge to buy and rapid deflation of the bank account. The attacks can last a few days or many weeks before it resolves itself and there is relief. Side effects for the very young are usually pleasant with more severe complications occuring with age .
See your financial advisor if your urges from S.S.S. symptoms are out of control. A buildup of exccesive spending can lead to harm to your credit rating.
How is it treated?
To help control a S.S.S. attack careful planning is required in advance.Often making list and drawing names randomly from a box make help with anxiety issues. Perhaps a short term credit card withdrawal may be helpful. The doses will get smaller as your symptoms go away. Relief from a S.S.S. attack often occurs within 24 hours in some cases it may be chronic.
To ease the discomfort during a S.S.S. attack, avoid malls . Avoid over indulging by having a limit on credit cards, avoid multitasking such as shopping online while working. Don’t procastronate , it can magnify S.S.S. symptoms worse by raising anxiety and increase stress levels.
The other day after talking with a friend living in Canada, I realized just how lacking their health care system is. On the surface it sounds ideal, every citizen has access to full health care coverage. But its delivery is substandard and provided in an untimely manner. In many instances the wait time for seeing a specialist and critical tests takes in some cases as long as 16 months. People are dying waiting to be diagnosed.
Family physicians are few and far between, thus leaving a large percentage of the population without a doctor. A specialist can’t be seen without a referral from a family doctor. Walk in clinics have become the medical expertise of choice for minor cuts, scrapes, sore throats or ear infection. But the in-depth care of more serious conditions get masked by a quick prescription for an antibiotic or pain killer. The old take a pill and call me in the morning- the revolving door of health care is hurting more people than helping. Hallway medicine is practiced in emergency rooms overwhelmed by patients with symptoms of conditions that are being largely overlooked.
Attempts to provide private paid health care were met by strict punishments. Many Canadians are forced to take money in hand and head for the USA where they were greeted with a smile and promptly provided the needed medical attention. Case in point my friends neighbor needed heart surgery. After patiently waiting close to a year to see a cardiologist, he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required surgery. He was promptly placed on a waiting list where he stayed 18 months. After his wife’s pleas with various levels of authorities were largely ignored they turned to an American surgeon. He is alive and well today five years later. I’m sure there are far more people dying needlessly. Medical statistics and records are being modified as normal practice to give the appearance of optimal conditions.
It sounds to me like it’s a system that has seen better days, yet not one level of authority is willing to accept it and make needed changes, because the authorities that have the power to make needed changes choose to turn a deaf ear.
Have you gone to your doctor with a persistent health concern only to be told it’s all in your head? As high as 13 million Americans may have a undiagnosed thyroid disorder. A woman has a one in five chance of developing a thyroid disorder, and that risk increases with age. Those are astounding numbers , almost epidemic proportion.
Far too often even after blood test results show normal levels many people still don’t feel well. Far too often doctors rely on test results alone and overlook how the patient feels,or resort to treating individual symptoms instead of finding the cause.
A undiagnosed thyroid disorder can cause heart disease (among other problems). Probably because hypothyroidism increases cholesterol levels, people with chronic hypothyroidism are twice as likely to have heart attacks as those with normal thyroid function.
Also this interview claims Fibromyalgia may be linked to hypothyroidism:
http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/candidayeast.htm
The thyroid controls the brain, skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissue; therefore symptoms that may be related to poor thyroid function are varied.
Symptoms such as:
Depression, forgetfulness, fatigue, weight gain, hoarse voice, constipation, intolerance to cold, coarse hair and skin, hair loss, dry skin, reduced libido, persistent sore throat, tingling hands and feet, heavy, irregular and painful periods, infertility or recurrent miscarriage, carpal-tunnel syndrome, sleep irregularities.
Since a blood test alone will not convince your doctor to help regulate your thyroid function and start feeling better, one needs to educate themselves. Other blood tests that should be considered are antibodies, low free T-4 and free T-3 levels, as well as checking the adrenal function.
An excellent resource for the thyroid is: http://search.about.com/fullsearch.htm?terms=thyroid&SUName=search
As the H1N1 is making it’s appearance, some parts of the world seem to be getting hit harder than others. While parts of Europe are nearing the peak of the pandemic, other parts of the world seem to be stabilizing. According to the WHO to date there are 503,536 reported cases and at least 6,260 deaths worldwide. Though this may be inaccurate as some countries have stopped reporting mild cases.
A recent story comes out of Ukraine claiming the H1N1 has combined with a parainfluenza. According to Professor Victor Bachinsky a Ukrainian pathologist: “Yet more strains of influenza which have combined, a strong indication that we are dealing with a laboratory developed bio-weapon. Those with a strong immune system will survive. Those with weaker immune systems will succumb to the disease”.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16088
Parts of Europe are taking action to prevent further spread of the virus by taking children out of schools and avoiding needless public exposure. Hand washing as a preventative and eating garlic to help boost the immune system is highly encouraged.
Today’s media hype stresses environmental health…clean energy efficient vehicles, and fuels. What about the chemicals we consume daily ? I’m not talking about the additives and preservatives in our food . What about the variety of chemicals found in our toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, perfumes we use daily. It’s difficult to make health conscious choices today when the market is flooded with products that are blown out of proportion by multi million dollar ad campaigns to sell every day products. Much like the environment is being polluted so are our bodies. The products safest are also the simplest with little or no mass media exposure and or labelled organic. A perfect example, Vaseline petroleum jelly rates 0 on the toxicity chart, while Vaseline lotion is 8. Once they started adding ingredients they messed with a good thing.
Stats for a variety of cosmetics found in my bathroom:
O lowest hazard, 10 being most toxic
Foundation, and eye shadow –10
Lipsticks –7
Kids shampoo-9
Toothpaste-average –5
Deodorant/antiperspirant -8
Non- aerosol hairspray –2
Perfume, cologne- average 7
Hand lotion-6
Hand soap-5
The ratings are based on a variety of points. How and if the ingredients in this product are linked to:Cancer, Developemental/reproductive toxicity, violations-restrictions – warnings, Alleries-immunotoxicity as well as a variety of other concerns such as: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes.
Based on these findings a typical young girl exposed to the chemicals found in everyday cosmetics showed unusual hormone levels. Often producing breast development as early as 10 years of age. Also increased the possibility of depression, and breast cancer. Now imagine the effects of a lifetime of exposure to these chemicals.
I’m not saying we should loose the shampoo and forget the deodorant but there are safer alternatives. Check out what chemicals may be lurking in your bathroom .Go to http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
Are you getting the H1N1 vaccine ? What’s your opinion. I’ve read people are dying from it .
The warm sunny, lazy days of summer are winding down. The long leisurely days of soaking up the sun on beaches and parks, entertaining restless kids, picnics, and family road trips. It’s all captured as memories on a computer or photo album somewhere to be enjoyed later. The days of shorts and sandals are soon to be replaced by holiday shopping lists and Thanksgiving gatherings.
And yet for others it’s a welcome return to the old routines of packing lunch boxes, and hustling kids off to school and sporting events. The last minute mad dash shopping spree to get school supplies and lastest and greatest fashions are hopefully completed.
The season of pumpkin pies, trick and treaters, and the beautiful colors on the trees is around the corner. That’s just fine by me I’m not the sandals and shorts type anyway.
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