4 February, 2013

Cervical cancer most common in India

Cervical cancer can be fully prevented if there is the required awareness. The tragedy, however, is that because of lack of knowledge and an it-cannot-happen-to-me attitude, it is the most common kind of cancer in India today.

Cervical cancer occurs because of a viral infection, caused by the human pappiloma virus (HPV).

According to A.K. Anand, director, Radiation Oncology, at Delhi's Max Hospital, 20-25 women of every 100,000 suffer from cervical cancer in India.

"The incidence of cervical cancer is higher in rural areas than in metros. In metros, breast cancer is very common. Herpes is a cause for cervical cancer. Then again, bad local hygiene, too many children, not enough spacing between children, low nutrition levels and early marriage all contribute to the risk factors for this kind of cancer," Anand said.

Sharma added that because the awareness level in metros is considered to be higher than in smaller towns and villages, and people there have better access to resources, the number in metros is seen to be less.

"However, some women - no matter where they are - are more vulnerable than others. The high risk group includes girls who have had premature sex as teenagers, those who have had multiple pregnancies or multiple sex partners and don't use contraceptives," she said.

The symptoms to watch out for are post-coital bleeding; continuous, smelly vaginal discharge; bleeding between the menstrual cycle and irregular periods. In the more advanced stages, there could be back pain, bone pain or fractures, fatigue, loss of appetite, a single swollen leg and pelvic pain.

Doctors, however, say that it's better to detect before the symptoms appear because in many cases, the symptoms don't appear in the early stages. If detected in an early stage, the chances of managing it are greater.

"A Pap smear test, even if it's done once a lifetime, can save you from cervical cancer. If you are in the reproductive age group, regular check-ups with your gynaecologist, even once a year, is a must," Anand said. Menopausal women are also not completely safe from cervical cancer, as seen in certain cases; hence it is always advisable to go for a check-up.

Vaccination against HPV at an early age is the best way to prevent the disease, doctors add. Not all types of HPV are carcinogenic, and HPV types 16 and 18 contribute to 70 per cent of the cervical cancer cases.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

04.02.2013

Want stronger bones? Eat more milk products and yogurt

Dairy products such as milk and yogurt promote healthier hip bones than cream, says a new finding from a Harvard Medical School affiliate. Choosing low-fat milk or yogurt over cream can increase intake of protein, calcium and vitamin D, while limiting intake of saturated fats, said Shivani Sahni, from the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), an Harvard affiliate, who co-authored the study. A quarter of those who suffer a hip fracture die within a year of the injury. About 34 million Americans alone have low bone density, facing a higher risk for osteoporosis and fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist.

‘Dairy foods provide several important nutrients that are beneficial for bone health,’ said Sahni, from the Musculoskeletal Research Team, IFAR, the journal Archives of Osteoporosis reports. ‘However, cream and its products such as ice cream have lower levels of these nutrients and have higher levels of fat and sugar. ‘In this study, 2.5 to three servings of milk and yogurt intake per day were associated with better bone density,’ she said, according to an IFAR statement.

‘More research is needed to examine the role of cheese intake (some of which can be high in fat and sodium), and whether individual dairy foods have a significant impact in reducing fractures,’ said Sahni. IFAR researchers based their findings on data collected from a food frequency questionnaire completed by 3,212 participants from the Framingham Offspring study. They then compared participants’ dairy intake with a higher bone mineral density (BMD), a measure of bone health, which revealed the benefits of milk and yogurt versus cream in largely middle-aged men and women.

This research supports the idea that proper nutrition can help combat osteoporosis and fractures. Osteoporosis is considered a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans alone, or half of those aged 50 and older.

Source: http://health.india.com

04.02.2013

If you have no critics you'll likely have no success

Malcolm X