Skin Cancer Risk Factors and Prevention

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for both women and men. The number of confirmed cases has steadily increased over the past few decades. Knowing your risk factors, how to identify the early stages of this disease and how to protect yourself from skin cancer is essential for early detection and effective treatment.


There are two types of skin cancer: melanomas and keratinocyte cancers. Melanomas are less common yet more serious than other types of skin cancer. It is important that you locate and receive treatment for all types of this cancer to prevent the spread into surrounding tissues.


A major risk factor for skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight or tanning beds. UV rays can penetrate the skin even when it is cloudy, cool or hazy outside. There are some things you can do to limit your sun exposure. Many physicians recommend daily use of sunscreen. You should seek shade when spending time outdoors and try to avoid activities outside when the sun's rays are strongest, usually between 10am and 4 pm. Hats, sunglasses and protective clothing protect your skin from UV exposure. Stay away from indoor tanning beds as they have been linked to melanoma and squamous cell skin cancers.


Individuals with fair skin that freckles and burns easily are at a higher risk for this type of cancer than those individuals with darker skin. This is because pigment or melanin in your skin provides protection from UV radiation. If you have light-colored eyes and blond or red hair, you may be at a higher risk as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, some other risk factors include:


Personal or family history of skin cancer
Excessive sun exposure
History of sunburns
Moles
Weakened immune system
Increasing age
No matter what your risk factors, it is important that you examine your skin each month. Many skin cancers are highly treatable with early diagnosis. Look for any changes in moles or unusual areas on your skin. Schedule an appointment with a dermatologist for a thorough skin exam each year. These check-ups are the best way to make sure that your skin remains healthy.


If you or the dermatologist finds a spot on your skin that causes concern, he may take a biopsy of the area. If the lab finds cancerous or pre-cancerous cells, more tests may be needed to determine the stage, type and extent of the cancer. Once the cancer is staged, the physician will determine which treatment options will be most effective. Most skin cancers are highly treatable if found early. Follow up exams and tests will be needed to ensure that the cancer does not reoccur.


While there is no way to avoid UV exposure completely, taking a few precautions can make a big difference in the overall health of your skin. Be vigilant about your skin checks and contact your physician with any concerns. With a little bit of prevention and routine checks, you may be able to lower your risk for developing any form of skin cancer.


Laura Mims is a writer for FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina, which specializes in oncology, cancer care and cancer treatment for most types of cancer, including skin cancer






Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6838870

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How Ordinary Moles Can Turn Cancerous

Summary

By definition, a mole is a lesion found on or under a person's skin. The skin mole has nevus cells. Moles are typically acquired during the early stages of an individual's life, sometimes vanishing during the middle age.

The average person may have somewhere between 10 and 40 moles. The most common kind of moles are moles that occur above the surface of the skin, flat moles, and skin tags. Skin moles that lie in the dermis are embedded in the skin and those that on or covered by the epidermis rest on the skin's outer layer. They're usually benign and range in size, color, texture, and may occur at any part of the body. Although most skin moles are oval and not larger than a pea or raisin. However, some of them may resemble malignant skin lesions since they show a different color with an amorphous shape.

What is melanoma?

Some moles are melanomas which are harmful tumors that are a type of skin cancer. Although it's less common than other kinds of skin cancer, it's considered the deadliest form. Diagnosis is more prevalent in women that live in warm climates, as excessive exposure to the sun is one of the top causes of melanoma. Fair-skinned people with light-colored hair and eyes are also more at risk. This is such because the skin is less resistant towards the grueling and harsh rays of the sun which may or may not contain ultraviolet light, which further increases the chances of developing melanoma.

What are causes of cancerous moles?

While ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is usually the culprit of the most typical cause of cancerous moles, there's also other ways to become afflicted with melanoma. Tanning beds are another common cause, as well as extreme exposure to x-rays. Additionally, those who have impaired immune systems from taking various medications at once are more susceptible to fall victim to melanoma. Frequent contact with chemicals in oil, soot, and tar are contributors as well.

How are cancerous moles diagnosed?

Dermatologists are skin specialists that are most likely to detect melanoma. They may run diagnostic tests if they see symptoms, such as darkish blue coloring and irregular shaped moles, on the skin. Most indications are easy to spot with the naked eye, and it's important to act on clues early to prevent metastasis or the spread of cancer to other organs.

What treatments are available for cancerous moles?

There's several forms of treatment for cancerous moles that are often performed by nuclear medicine technologists or plastic surgeons. Many people choose to undergo cosmetic surgery to have their mole(s) removed. Some endure chemo and/or immunotherapy while radiation therapy may work better for others.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6729264

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Protect Yourself From the Sun, Not Your Sunscreen

Check your sunscreen label. If the active ingredients include one or more of the chemicals listed in this article, you need to look into a mineral based alternative.

In 1927, 12,745 physicians endorsed smoking Lucky Strike® cigarettes as a healthful activity; by 1999 smoking-related illness had become the number one cause of death in United States. Similarly, the rate of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been on the rise since the first sunscreen arrived on the market in the late 1960's. Worldwide, the greatest rise in melanoma has been experienced in countries where chemical based sunscreens have been heavily promoted.

While it is important to protect your skin from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation, it may be just as important to protect yourself from the chemicals used in most sunscreens. Chemical-based sunscreens include ingredients that absorb UV radiation from the sun. These chemicals get into the skin and absorb UV radiation which leads to free radical release. Free radicals can damage cells and are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and aging.

Health-related U.S. government agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all have important information about potential dangers of these chemicals.

The good news is avoiding chemical-based sunscreens may be easier than you think. Below is a list of some potentially dangerous sunscreen chemicals.

Oxybenzone Oxybenzone is a chemical that can be absorbed by the body and mimic or block hormones thereby disrupting their normal functions. Oxybenzone was found in 96.8% of human urine samples analyzed as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008. The same study found a lower birth weight in baby girls whose mothers were exposed to Oxybenzone during pregnancy.

Oxybenzone is a photo-carcinogen, a chemical that can potentially cause cancer when exposed to light. Known as a powerful free radical generator, oxybenzone is used to destabilize chemicals in a number of industrial processes. In addition Oxybenzone has been known to trigger photo-allergic reactions. These allergic reactions are caused by exposure to UV radiation.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), an organization that specializes in environmental research and advocacy, identified nearly 600 sunscreens sold in the U.S. that contain Oxybenzone, including leading brand names like Hawaiian Tropic, Coppertone, and Banana Boat, and many facial moisturizers as well.

Avobenzone Similar to Oxybenzone, Avobenzone is a chemical that absorbs UV radiation and is easily absorbed through the skin, potentially releasing free radicals. Avobenzone has been shown to degrade significantly in light, resulting in less UV protection over time.

Octocrylene According to recent studies, Octocrylene, causes bleaching in the algae that lives on coral, often killing the entire structure. The UN World Trade Organization estimates 78 million tourists visit coral reefs each year, releasing between 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen into the water. Several marine reserves in Mexico have banned sunscreens that use oils and chemical ingredients.

Octinoxate

The little amount of data on Octinoxate noted estrogenic effects as well as disruption of the thyroid hormone and brain signaling. Estrogenic effects can potentially increase cancers, cause birth defects in children, and cause fertility and other developmental problems.

Homosalate

Homosalate is a penetration enhancer that may promote the absorption of other harmful chemicals. Very little data exist on the effects of homosalate exposure, but preliminary data has found it to be a possible carcinogen.

Octisalate

Alone, octisalate may not be harmful. However, similar to homosalate, octisalate is a penetration enhancer and may promote the penetration of other harmful chemicals.

Solution

Although these reports are alarming, safer sunscreens do exist. Most physicians continue to support the use of sunscreen, but now advocate using physical barrier sunscreens instead of chemical based sunscreens. Rather than absorbing into the skin, a physical barrier sunscreen reflects or scatters UV radiation. It's like wearing millions of tiny mirrors. Most physical barrier sunscreens contain either zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Click on any of the sunscreen ads located in this blog to purchase a safe and healthy sunscreen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6803427

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Curing Grey Hair Naturally!

When you think of grey hair,you think  that only people who are over 50 year old  can have grey hair.But this is not true.Grey hair can be seen in people in their 20s,30s,even in their late teens.  Causes of Grey Hair Or Premature Grey Hair:





1.Growing old. As a person ages, the cells in the hair root reduces the production of melanin and the hair slowly turns grey.

2.Heredity.Genes play a large role in graying.

3.Stress.Being constantly under stress can make your hair turn grey.

4.Smoking.Smoking is linked to premature graying.A 1996 British Medical Journal study conducted by J.G. Mosley, MD found that tobacco smoking may cause premature graying. Smokers were found to be four times more likely to begin graying prematurely, compared to nonsmokers in the study.

5.Lack of Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA).

PABA is typically known as the hair color vitamin.PABA is required for the synthesis of folic acid within the body and contributes to the proper metabolism of protein. It has the ability to block against the UV rays of the sun and is commonly used in sunscreen preparations.The usual dose of PABA is between 25 and 300 mg for adults.
A deficiency in PABA may lead to grey hair. Research has shown its effects on animal hair cells. It is seen that when animal cells have been reintroduced to the vitamin, normal coloration is restored.

Like wise,studies conducted on humans found that when every meal was supplemented with 200 mg of the vitamin PABA, seventy percent of the grays returned to their original color.Another study found that PABA, combined with Folic Acid, successfully reversed gray hair as well.Good sources of PABA include:Sources: Brewer's yeast, molasses, liver, kidney, whole grains.

6.Lack of Omega-3 fatty acids such as cod liver oil,salmon..etc in one's diet.

7.Excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and fried foods.

8.Unclean condition of one's scalp.

9.Deficiency of B vitamins such as Biotin, Folic Acid, B12 and Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5).

10.Lack of copper in the body.premature graying is a sign of a copper deficiency.

11.Thyroid Imbalance.

12.Werner syndrome and pernicious anemia can also cause premature graying.Werner Syndrome is a very rare disorder characterized by premature or  accelerated aging.Recommended Treatment of Grey Hair Or Premature Grey Hair:

To prevent and reverse premature and excessive greying of hair,do the following:

1.Ensure that you diet includes foods rich in Protein,vitamins,and minerals.

2.Massage your scalp with Omega 3 rich shampoos or oils such as  Emu oil.These oils actually treat the hair follicle and rejuvenate the pigment generating cells called Melanocytes.

3.Reduce stress .

4.IncludeYogurt,Honey,vinegar,Blackstrap Molasses,Apple Cider, Black Walnuts,Sesame Seeds,Pumpkin seeds,Flax seed,and bean sprouts in your diet.

5.Take anti-gray hair tablets and creams such as Melancor,Reminex, Fo-Ti Root,Shen Min,and Restoria Discreet.

6.Quit smoking for good.

7.Take Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA) tablet or include food such as( Brewer's yeast, molasses, liver, kidney, whole grains) in your diet.

8.Reduce intake or better yet avoid caffeine, salt,refined sugars.spicy and fried foods.

9.Eat adequate zinc rich foods.ZINC helps prevent hair loss and greying.

10.Take vitamin C.Vitamin C ensures the health of capillaries supplying blood to hair follicles.

11.Get enough sleep everyday.

12.Exercise.

13.Take a copper supplement.Colloidal Copper is recommended.

14.Take Tyrosine Supplement.Tyrosine is fundamentally required for melanin formation. A product known as Gleevec, which reversed gray hair in some people who used it, is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

15.Take Antioxidants.Antioxidants help destroy free radicals in the body which cause Oxidative stress that damage cells including hair cells.

16.Take Biotin.Biotin delays the onset of gray hair and may retard the further progression of gray hair.

17.Take Folic acid.Folic acid helps to prevent gray hair.

18.Take Vitamin B12 and Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5).

19.Try Eugenol Oil.Eugenol is the technical name for clove oil.When applied topically to the scalp has been demonstrated to restore hair color.

20.Try Ligustrum.Ligustrum is used in China to prevent gray hair.

21.Try Ashwagandha.Ashwagandha is also referred to as "Indian Ginseng'".Ashwagandha helps prevent and treat gray hair by increasing the melanin content of the hair.

22.Try Indian Amla Oil.Amla is one of the richest sources of natural Vitamin C.

23.Try Maka (Eclipta Alba).Maka helps prevent falling hair, stops premature greying and treat insomnia.

24.Try Motia Rosha Oil.Motia Rosha helps stimulates pigment cells of hair.It helps hair growth, treats and prevents grey hair, dandruff, split ends and imparts healthy glow to hair.

25.Try Eclipta alba (Bhringraj).The fresh juice of Eclipta alba (Bhringraj) blackens the hair,and it is the best natural hair dye. 

26.Wash your hair with with cool or lukewarm water when bathing.Avoid hot water.Washing your hair with very hot water or using hair-dryers excessively weaken roots, and may lead to premature greying.

27.Try Rosemary oil.Rosemary oil is believed to gradually darken grey hair over a period of time.

28.Try to massage your scalp with Almond Oil,and Coconut oil.Allow enough time for oil to be absorbed. Most oils are not easily absorbed by the hair, which is why you need to leave oil on for at least 30 or forty-five minutes.Keep in mind that you won't see drastic overnight results Following these recommendations; any results will be seen gradually over the course of a few months. And it should also be mentioned here that if you stop following these recommendations, you will lose any benefit you gained and the grey will return.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-loss-articles/curing-grey-hair-naturally-438444.html

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Kidney Stone and a High Sugar Diet

Our kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of our fists. They are located near the middle of our back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are sophisticated trash collectors. Every day, our kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to flush out about 2 quarts (fourth part of gallon, two pints) of waste products and extra water which together become urine that flows to our bladder through tubes called ureters. Our bladder stores urine until we feel urge to go to the bathroom.

The wastes in our blood come from the normal breakdown of active muscle and from the food we eat. Our bodies use the food for energy and self-repair. After our bodies have taken what they need from the food, waste is sent to the blood. If our kidneys do not remove these wastes, the wastes would build up in the blood and damage our bodies. In addition to removing wastes, our kidneys help control blood pressure. They also help to make red blood cells and keep our bones strong.

Many ions circulate in our bloodstream, some combinations of which can precipitate to form kidney stones. Kidney stones, or renal calculi, are solid concretions (crystal aggregations) of dissolved minerals in urine; calculi typically form inside the kidneys or ureters. The terms nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis refer to the presence of calculi in the kidneys and urinary tract, respectively.

There are four major types of kidney stones:


1. The most common type of stone contains calcium that is a normal part of a rich diet. Calcium that is not used by the bones and muscles goes to the kidneys. In most people, the kidneys flush out the extra calcium with the rest of the urine but in some people it is accumulated in their kidneys. The calcium ions that stay behind in kidneys join anionic waste products such as oxalate and phosphate ions to form a stone.

2.  A struvite stone may form after an infection in the urinary system. These stones contain the mineral magnesium and the waste product ammonia.

3.  A uric acid stone may form when there is too much acid in the urine. Those of us, who have acquired tendency to form uric acid stones, should vow to cut back on the amount of meat they eat.

4. Cystine that is a sulfur-containing amino acid produced by digestion or acid hydrolysis of proteins, and sometimes found in the urine and kidneys, and readily reduced to two molecules of cysteine, can build up in the urine to form a stone. Though cystine stones are rare, the disease that causes cystine stones runs in families.

Kidney stones may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl. Some stones are even as big as golf balls. Stones may be smooth or jagged. They are usually yellow or brown. A stone may stay in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract. A small stone may pass out of the body without causing much discomfort. A larger stone may get stuck in a ureter, the bladder, or the urethra. Problems arise when stones block the flow of urine and cause great pain. Some stones can become large enough to be extremely painful and even life-threatening, requiring treatment by drugs, lasers, or surgical removal.

It has been discovered that kidney stones generally consist of insoluble calcium and magnesium compounds such as calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, magnesium ammonium phosphate, or a mixture of these. For calcium oxalate kidney stones, the following equilibrium applies:

CaC2O4(s)           Ca2+ (aq) +C2O42-(aq)

High intake of foods rich in calcium or oxalate can cause a rise in the urinary concentration of either ion or both, sufficient to shift the equilibrium to the left and cause the ionic product to become greater than the solubility product that is the product of concentrations of ions in a saturated solution of a highly soluble salt, each raised to the power of the coefficient in a balanced equation. The result is precipitation of calcium oxalate as a kidney stone. Thus, foods rich in calcium, such as milk, ice cream, and cheese etc., or high in oxalate ions, such as chocolate, spinach, and black tea, and likes, can trigger the onset of a kidney stone through the common ion effect (A common ion is an ion that is produced by more than one solute and the shift in an existing ionic equilibrium caused by the addition of common ions is called the common ion effect). Such foods are restricted in the diets of individuals prone to developing kidney stones. A high sugar diet may also create kidney stones because excessive sugar promotes excretion of calcium and magnesium ions, which increase the concentration of these ions while passing through the kidneys.

In order to avoid both the onset of kidney stone and formation of more stones one should drink more water. In fact we should try to drink 12 full glasses of water a day as drinking lots of water helps us flush out the substances that form stones in the kidneys. We can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, and fruit juices. But water is the best. We should limit our coffee, tea, and cola to one or two cups a day because the caffeine may cause us lose fluid too quickly. Generally doctors ask patients to eat more of some foods and to cut back on other foods. For example, if one has a uric acid stone, the doctor may ask him/her to eat less meat, because meat breaks down to make uric acid. Besides, a doctor may give the patient some medicines to prevent formation/aggravation of calcium and uric acid stones.

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