Eat Grapes, Lower Chances Of Colon Cancer
By admin | December 1, 2007
Do you remember the old maxim, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” In the modern era, things have progressed quite a bit. Recent studies have found that including a decent amount of grapes in your diet reduces the risks of colon cancer. Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the world. The condition is infamous for being the cause of more than half a million deaths every year. Studies conducted by the scientists of the University of Californis have suggested that grapes could be the inexpensive way to prevent this fatal illness.
Grapes are the source of resveratrol, a natural dietary supplement. Resveratrol, in turn, blocks a natural biochemical pathway — the Wnt pathway. The pathway in question is protein network which is associated with a hefty 85% in spontaneous colon cancer instances. Now, do you see the connection? Genius, isn’t it? Sometimes you can find the best tools for illness prevention have always been within your reach. So that means the more grapes you eat, the less likely you’ll have colon cancer, right? Well, if only it were as simple. Experiments showed that a moderate amount of grapes in a diet is much more likely to help prevent colon cancer than a crateful of fruits. Although grapes do help block the pathway, a grape diet would not be any significant help to someone already with colon cancer. This means that grapes are really only for cancer prevention and not sure. There’s definitely no miracle cure here, but perhaps if this knowledge is used properly, there never will be an instance of colon cancer to cure.
To help prevent colon cancer:
1. Do not eat truckloads of grapes.
2. Include them in your natural diet. Let’s say, a small bunch of grapes every day or so.
3. Eating other fruits isn’t bad. Don’t be a grape-only person. You’ll soon find you’re starting to miss apples and oranges.
Topics: Colon Cancer, Prevention | No Comments »
City Living and Breast Cancer
By admin | November 28, 2007
We all knew city living has its setbacks. Pollution, which is merely one of those with regards to city life, could cause various diseases such as lung cancer. Recent studies show, however, that city living even increases the risk of breast cancer. According to a study by Princess Grace Hospital in London UK, a big percentage of lady urban-dwellers have denser breasts than their rural counterparts. Denser breasts mean one’s breasts have a high glandular content. Women’s breasts are made of fats and tissue glands. When breasts have high glandular content, the probability of having cancer is around four times higher than women with more fats in their breasts. As if that’s not enough, denser breasts also mean tumors would be harder to spot in mammograms. And also, this higher risk is even twice as high for women in the 45 to 54 age range.
As of now, the exact causes of higher breast cancer probability in urban women are yet to be known. There are, however, many conjectures. One would be the presence of certain particles in traffic emissions. These particles could mimic the female hormones and could cause subsequent increase in glandular tissues. Another would be that the quality of living is different between urban and rural dwellers. The diet, routine and pretty much way of life are all different.
If you’re a woman in the city, what should you do then?
1. The basics of cancer prevention would be first in the list, of course. Live a healthy lifestyle — eat right, exercise and avoid vices.
2. Self-examine your breasts regularly. I’m sure your doctor has informed you of this. Any woman older than 20 should regularly perform self-examinations by feeling her breasts for possible cysts or tumors.
3. And third, since tumors might be disguised by dense breasts, look for digital mammography options in your area and get examined.
Topics: Breast Cancer, Early Detection | No Comments »
Scorpion Venom: The Answer to Cancer
By admin | November 25, 2007
When you have a vast sprawling backyard, tendency is you’re advised to watch out for insects and whatnot, particularly scorpions because they carry venom in their tails. And while the rest of the world continues to treat scorpions as nothing but treacherous critter, in Havana, Cuba, the indigenous species of blue scorpions are hailed as the answer to cancer. The research on the potency of blue scorpion venom in Cuba has been underway for a long time. Misael Bordier, a Cuban biology, has extracted scorpion venom and tested it on animals for a decade.
Misael refused to test the venom on humans for fear of possible effects. The anti-carcinogenic venom found its way into the human body for the first, when just like something which would happen in a movie, the parents of a dying 15-year-old cancer patient asked him for help. Niurys Monzon was the name of that young girl. Niurys Monzon is currently almost 40, if my computations are correct. Jubilant at the survival of his daughter, Niurys’ father then decides to help spread the word about the blue scorpion venom.
The blue scorpion’s scientific name is Rhopalurus junceus. The extract of the venom of the species could be ingested orally, taken vaginally or even applied through aerosol. Misael Bordier has registered the venom extract in the Cuban Science, Technology and Environment Ministry in 1995. It was given the name, Escozul. Though the drug hasn’t undergone strict scientific observation yet, the popularity is phenomenal. In Labiofam, the biggest laboratory in Cuba, approximately 800 scorpions are being milked using electrodes so the anti-carcinogenic properties of the venom could be closely studied. As of now, what’s known is that the venom inhibits proteases, a kind of protein. Cancer cells thrive on proteases, so when they’re eliminated by the venom, the cancer cells also are. Let’s hope that in the future, Escozul could be of much help to all the people who need it.
Topics: Alternative Treatments | No Comments »
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
By admin | November 21, 2007
November is the American Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Unfortunately, I got to blog about it a tad too late. Nevertheless, the lung cancer is a timeless issue, and Lung Cancer Awareness Month or not, it’s a prevalent problem in the world today. Lung cancer kills. I don’t need to extend that sentence to emphasize the potency of the illness. I had an aunt who was afflicted with lung cancer. On her last days, her doctors had pulled her off all types of treatment. My aunt thought it was because she’s getting better. Little did she know that it was because her lungs were already damaged beyond repair. She passed away not long after that.
Causes of Lung Cancer:
1. Chain Smoking
Chain smoking is the most rampant cause of lung cancer. Young people often neglect their health — it has something to do with youth, I swear sometimes I think I’m invincible. These are busy times and people sometimes need something calm them down — such as cigarettes. And some succumb to smoking more than others, turning a simple smoke into a deadly vice.
2. Chemicals
There might be certain chemicals in the air which can cause cancer. One chemical, called radon, is colorless and odorless and can vitiate the air you breathe without even knowing it. Such chemicals are common near factories of certain kinds.
3. Estrogen in Women
There is a huge percentage of lung cancer in women who are non-smokers. Apparently, high levels of estrogen in the female body, particularly on the lung tissues, make them extremely vulnerable to lung cancer.
4. Genes
Lung cancer is one type of cancer which can run in the family. Not that you’d automatically get the condition if there are several in your family with it, but it makes you more susceptible to the illness than others are.
Topics: Lung Cancer | No Comments »
Knowing Your History: Hereditary Cancer
By admin | November 17, 2007
Last time, I’ve talked about healthy living to help prevent certain cancers. I can’t stress its importance enough especially if cancer is in your family. I was a biology major in college. There’s a family of cancer victims here in my area — everyone’s afflicted with different types of cancer, from grandparents to grandchildren. My professor said whole families afflicted with cancer are quite rare though they’re perfectly possible (unfortunately). What does this mean? It means hereditary cancer is existent and most definitely, not a myth. And yes, you can inherit cancer from your ancestors.
First thing you should know is why this happens. When someone comes from a clan with cancerous members a gene mutation has taken place in their body. This doesn’t mean you automatically have cancer. Instead, the risk of having cancer is far higher than others. Knowing this, if there are instances of cancers in your family, your best bet would be to undergo genetic testing. First off, you’d need to undergo genetic counseling, wherein experts would study the cases of cancers in your family. It all depends on the counselor’s decision whether you should undergo genetic testing.
Genetic testing is a series of laboratory tests to measure out the risk of any disease (in this case, cancer) of one person. Knowing that your risk to cancer is high, you can then seek to improve the quality of your life and try your hardest to avoid inflicting the disease. There are different types of cancer subject to genetic inheritance. These are breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer. So if there are several instances of family being afflicted with such, taking proper precaution is advised for safety measure. It will be hard at first, but at least, there’s no one else who’d benefit from it in the long run but you.
Topics: Early Detection, Prevention | 2 Comments »
The Basics of Cancer Prevention
By admin | November 15, 2007
Despite cancer being a major threat today, not many people take it too seriously. It is only when someone in the family or they, themselves, are afflicted with the illness that people actually realize what cancer is all about. This is one of the reasons why people don’t take measures to try and prevent cancer from happening in the first place. Trying to prevent cancer is easy enough — live a healthy life. If you try hard enough to live a life that doesn’t abuse your body, the chances of getting cancer could be slim.
What are the basics of everyday cancer prevention?
1. Eating Healthy
Some types of cancer could be reduced by watching, monitoring and controlling what we eat. These types of cancers include stomach, colon, liver, breast, prostate and bladder among others. So, how exactly does one eat healthy? First of all, avoid junk foods. Eat anything high in fiber. Cut down on excess salt, sugar and fats. In essence, get rid of everything unhealthy and eat those high in minerals and vitamins like fruits and vegetables.
2. Staying Out of the Sun for Too Long
Sunbathing is all right, but don’t stay out under the sun until you’re burnt to a crisp. The sun’s radiation could cause subsequent harm, cancer included. If you’re entailed to be out under the sun for long periods of time, use of sunscreen with SPF 15 and above is recommended.
3. Stop Smoking
Smoking could cause not only lung cancer but also mouth cancer. The smoke isn’t bad only for you, but everyone around. Second-hand smoke is even more potent. There’s a reason why ads always say “Cigarette smoking is bad for your health.”
Following the advice given above and if you’re diligent enough to follow through, cancer could be avoided.
Topics: Prevention | 1 Comment »
Debunking The Myth: Beta-Carotene Not for Prostate Cancer Prevention
By admin | November 11, 2007
Last post, lycopene’s characteristics which could prevent cancer was expounded upon. It’s pretty simple, understanding its mechanism isn’t rocket science. It’s pretty simple actually. Lycopene is an anti-oxidant, anti-oxidants mop up free radicals which cause cancer, and so, lycopene could help prevent cancer. Simple, right? Unfortunately, it might not be as simple as we’ve expected it to be. A scientific experiment was conducted back in 2001 for prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers. A number of 28,000 men have participated in the experiment, all given balanced diet with, of course, tomato-based food.
Everybody expected a positive outcome. In case lycopene does indeed turn out to help prevent all kinds of cancer, it would be the answer to help prevent prostate cancer. However, results which came out in early 2007 showed that the lycopene-driven diet had no effect at all. They had found no correlation between lycopene and lowered instance of prostate cancer among their experiment subjects. Everybody was disappointed. People thought they had found something which *could* help with the increasing number of cases. It doesn’t end at that, unfortunately. Yep, there’s more.
The scientists have discovered something which had baffled the scientific community. As it turns out, they had noticed a pattern linking increasing risk of prostate cancer with beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is also a carotenoid, just like lycopene. Beta-carotene is also an anti-oxidant. This is disconcerting especially since all types of beta-carotene-based dietary supplements are sold to help prevent prostate cancer. I have no leads yet about the science behind this singular occurrence.
As of now, we’re still relying on theory that lycopene could help prevent cancer. In the future, more detailed experiments would be held and we’ll finally know whether lycopene helps or not. Personally, however, I wish lycopene really does reduce the risk of cancer because it benefits the many, being present in common fruits and vegetables.
Topics: Clinical Trials, Prevention | No Comments »
Lycopene for Cancer Prevention
By admin | November 8, 2007
If you’ve ever watched TV commercials for tomato-based products such as ketchup or tomato sauce, then you most probably have heard about “lycopene” and its ability to help prevent cancer. I think it’s smart of companies to cash in on the science behind lycopene, however only few truly understand how lycopene could help prevent cancer. Lycopene is actually what makes tomatoes red. Yep, believe it or not. Without lycopene, tomatoes would be pale fruits — yes tomatoes are fruits! Lycopene is a natural coloring called carotenoid. It is a phytochemical compound found in several plants. And most of all, it is an antioxidant which, according to earlier studies, could help prevent cancer.
Now, how could lycopene help prevent cancer exactly? The secret lies in its being an anti-oxidant. You see, the cells in your body are not static. Cells undergo numerous and various cellular reactions because we are living beings and hence, old cells die and new cells are formed. When cells undergo reactions, they release by-products. Think of it as a natural process in life. When you breathe in oxygen, you release carbon dioxide — put this in perspective. The cellular by-products which might induce cancer are called “free radicals.”
Free radicals are chemically active positively-charged molecules. The reason for this is that their electron shells are incomplete. In effect, they attract nearby molecules to complete or fill-up their electron shells. When this happens, the other molecules from which the free radical gets its electrons would be disrupted. This event, when magnified, could cause cancer. Lycopene, as an anti-radical, could wipe away or neutralize the charges of a free radical. This means lycopene might lower a person’s potential to have cancer. In more recent years, however, there have been studies which showed that this might not be necessarily true. However, true or not, there’s no harm in tomato-based product consumption and there’s always the possibility that it saves you from having cancer.
Topics: Prevention | 1 Comment »
Breast Cancer Risk and Genetics
By admin | October 4, 2007
Studies to date show that most inherited cases of breast cancer have been associated with two genes: BRCA1, which stands for BReast CAncer gene one, and BRCA2, or BReast CAncer gene two. These genes function to keep breast cells growing normally and to prevent any cancer cell growth. However, if these genes are abnormal or mutate, they are associated with an increased breast cancer risk. Studies have shown that bnormal BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes may account for up to 10% of all breast cancers.
Women diagnosed with breast cancer who have an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene often have a family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or both. But it’s also important to remember that most women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
Identifying BRCA1 and BRCA2 has led to new techniques for lowering, detecting, and treating breast cancer, and lowering the risk for the disease. For women who wish to be tested, we can now establish whether the two genes are normal or not.
But there’s still a lot more to learn about these genes. And other genes probably also play a role in the development of breast cancer, for women both with and without a family history of the disease.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »