Cancer
screenings that CAUSE cancer
Women with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer are EXACTLY the women who shouldn't be exposed to excess radiation. Yet guess who gets zapped and scanned more than anyone else?
You guessed it -- women at risk for breast cancer.
They're "at risk," so they get MORE mammograms. More mammograms mean more radiation. And you don't have to be a scientist to know that means your already-high cancer risk will shoot right through the roof.
One new look at data on nearly 2,000 women with the genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer finds mammograms and chest X-rays can dramatically boost the odds of the disease, especially when you get them at a younger age.
Either one before the age of 20, for example, will give you a 62 percent higher risk of breast cancer before you turn 40.
And mammograms after 30 will boost those same odds by 43 percent.
You're probably wondering who the heck is getting mammograms before the age of 20 or 30 anyway. It sounds crazy... and it is crazy.
But this is the double-edged sword of genetic testing. You find out you're at risk for something, but you also expose yourself to scare tactics from doctors hoping to capitalize on your DNA.
Even if you have no genetic markers for the disease, any blast of radiation aimed at your breasts will up your risk at any age. And if the radiation doesn't do the job, the compression will -- because the way the breast is squished during the mammogram can actually cause a harmless tumor to burst.
And once it bursts, it's not harmless anymore.
Bottom line here is that mammograms are the worst possible way to hunt for cancers.
If you're "at risk" for the disease, don't let docs scare you into extra mammograms. Stick to safer screening methods instead -- and that means anything that doesn't involve the use of cancer-causing radiation or tumor-popping breast compressions.
Women with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer are EXACTLY the women who shouldn't be exposed to excess radiation. Yet guess who gets zapped and scanned more than anyone else?
You guessed it -- women at risk for breast cancer.
They're "at risk," so they get MORE mammograms. More mammograms mean more radiation. And you don't have to be a scientist to know that means your already-high cancer risk will shoot right through the roof.
One new look at data on nearly 2,000 women with the genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer finds mammograms and chest X-rays can dramatically boost the odds of the disease, especially when you get them at a younger age.
Either one before the age of 20, for example, will give you a 62 percent higher risk of breast cancer before you turn 40.
And mammograms after 30 will boost those same odds by 43 percent.
You're probably wondering who the heck is getting mammograms before the age of 20 or 30 anyway. It sounds crazy... and it is crazy.
But this is the double-edged sword of genetic testing. You find out you're at risk for something, but you also expose yourself to scare tactics from doctors hoping to capitalize on your DNA.
Even if you have no genetic markers for the disease, any blast of radiation aimed at your breasts will up your risk at any age. And if the radiation doesn't do the job, the compression will -- because the way the breast is squished during the mammogram can actually cause a harmless tumor to burst.
And once it bursts, it's not harmless anymore.
Bottom line here is that mammograms are the worst possible way to hunt for cancers.
If you're "at risk" for the disease, don't let docs scare you into extra mammograms. Stick to safer screening methods instead -- and that means anything that doesn't involve the use of cancer-causing radiation or tumor-popping breast compressions.
That isn't the case at all with the new 3-D technology for mammography.
Women, at some point someone will probably try to sell you on a 3-D mammogram. They'll tell you how wonderful it is. They'll call it a "lifesaver."
Two steps back
Unlike conventional mammography, the new 3-D mammography (we'll call it 3-DM) can spot smaller tumors in dense breasts. And almost half of all women have dense breast tissue.
So, 3-DM researchers are basically admitting that conventional mammography is an inadequate way to screen nearly half of all women. They would never have admitted that before. But now they have to in order to tout the new technology.
Amazing! They just threw conventional mammography under the bus. Which is where it belongs, of course. But along with it, I would throw 3-DM there too. In spite of the dense tissue improvement, it's actually WORSE than conventional.
Two reasons -- compression and radiation.
1) Compression. This is a key drawback of mammography. Compression is painful. And that's bad enough. But compression can actually prompt a tumor to become more active.
Conventional mammography requires about 20 seconds of breast compression. That doesn't sound too bad. But when it's your breast between the plates, that's a VERY long 20 seconds.
So here's the kicker... 3-DM more than DOUBLES the compression time to 48 seconds. More painful? Absolutely! But even worse, the risk of stimulating tumor activity also increases.
2) Radiation. The dose of radiation from conventional mammography is not massive. But radiation exposure is cumulative. Over your lifetime, each dose adds to your total. As your total grows, your cancer risk grows.
And here's the second kicker... 3-DM delivers TWICE as much radiation as conventional mammography.
So this "improved" screening increases cancer risk in two ways. It's insane!
And here's what makes it TWICE as loony... You can screen dense breasts without compression and without radiation.
The technique is called Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS). As I mentioned recently, ABUS was just FDA approved to examine dense breasts. But doctors can use this technique for any breast tissue density. You can find out more about ABUS here.
Women, tell your friends. Then tell your mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts. With ABUS now available, the "advancement" of 3-D mammography is no step forward. It's two huge steps back.
If your child is struggling in
school, you may want to evaluate his level of physical activity and fitness.
Researchers have repeatedly found
connections between fitness and brain health, which naturally impacts all areas
of brain function, such as cognitive thinking skills and memory.
According to a study from the
University of North Texas, which was recently presented at the American
Psychological Association's annual convention, having a healthy heart and lungs
may actually be one of the most important factors for middle school
students to make good grades in math and reading.1
According to co-author Trent A.
Petrie, PhD:
"Cardiorespiratory fitness
was the only factor that we consistently found to have an impact on both boys'
and girls' grades on reading and math tests... This provides more evidence
that schools need to re-examine any policies that have limited students'
involvement in physical education classes."
Indeed, there's plenty of evidence
attesting to the fact that if you value your brainpower, and that of your
children, you'll want to make certain that exercise is a regular part of your
and your family's life. Previous research has also discovered links between
physical fitness and mental acuity in seniors, so it's equally important for
all age groups.
Physical
Activity Could Equate to Higher Grades
A test program not too far from our
Chicago-area office at Naperville Central High School in Illinois illustrated
the power of exercise to boost school performance in a powerful way two years
ago. Students participated in a dynamic morning exercise program at the
beginning of the day, and had access to exercise bikes and balls throughout the
day in their classrooms. The results were astounding. Those who participated
nearly doubled their reading scores! Research has also shown that after 30 minutes on the
treadmill, students solve problems up to 10 percent more effectively.
Another more recent review of 14
studies, ranging in size from as few as 50 participants to as many as
12,000, also demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are,
the better they do academically. According to the authors:
"Physical activity and sports
are generally promoted for their positive effect on children's physical health;
regular participation in physical activity in childhood is associated with a
decreased cardiovascular risk in youth and adulthood. There is also a growing
body of literature suggesting that physical activity has beneficial effects on
several mental health outcomes, including health-related quality of life and
better mood states.
In addition... there is a strong
belief that regular participation in physical activity is linked to enhancement
of brain function and cognition, thereby positively influencing academic
performance."
Clearly, the importance of
encouraging your child to stay active after school and on weekends in order to
reap the wonderful brain-boosting benefits that exercise has to offer cannot be
overstated. Even better, be a positive role model and stay active together as a
family.
Your
Brain "on Exercise"
Exercise encourages your brain to
work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening
their interconnections and protecting them from damage. Animal tests have
illustrated that during exercise, their nerve cells release proteins known as
neurotrophic factors. One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF), triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health,
and has a direct benefit on brain functions, including learning. Further,
exercise provides protective effects to your brain through:
·
Greater blood and oxygen flow to
your brain
·
The production of nerve-protecting
compounds and growth factors that help create new nerve cells and support
synaptic plasticity
·
Improved development and survival of
neurons
Increased levels of norepinephrine
and endorphins resulting in a reduction of stress and an improvement of mood
Kids
Benefit From Exercise in Many Ways
There's absolutely no doubt that
kids need exercise, and that most aren't getting enough. Less than one-third of
children aged 6 to 17 get at least 20 minutes of daily exercise in one form or
another. This is tragic, considering the multitude of short- and long-term
health benefits your child can gain from a regular exercise regimen.
I can't
hear you -- I'm on painkillers
By Jenny Thompson at Health Science Institute
By Jenny Thompson at Health Science Institute
Ladies, he's not giving you the silent treatment. You just can't hear him -- and the problem isn't old age, loud music, or a bad marriage.
It could be your meds. Specifically, your painkillers.
I've told you before how these drugs have been associated with hearing loss in men. Now, new research confirms painkillers are equal opportunity ear-wreckers.
Women who mixed and matched their painkillers -- taking, at various times, acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen -- had a 34 percent higher risk of hearing loss, according to a new look at data on more than 10,000 middle-aged women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study II.
The worst of the lot was ibuprofen, aka Advil and Motrin. Younger women who took it every day had a 48 percent higher risk of hearing damage, and when the numbers for women of all ages were measured, those who took it daily faced a 24 percent boost in risk overall.
Don't take it every day? Don't think you're out of the woods -- because even a twice-a-week habit increased the risk by 17 percent.
If acetaminophen -- aka Tylenol -- is your thing, you should know the women's risk became 21 percent higher if they took it four or five times a week, and 9 percent higher if they used it just twice a week.
But like I said earlier, it's not just women. This stuff is even harder on men's ears -- which, as any married woman will tell you, aren't all that great to begin with... especially when they're being told to take out the trash.
Acetaminophen twice a week doubled the risk of hearing loss in men under 50, in one study, while regular use of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs was shown to increase that risk by two-thirds. Aspirin was downright safe by comparison. Men who took it faced "only" a one-third increase in risk.
But really, no one should be taking these pills regularly anyway. If your pain is minor, stop being such a wimp. And if it's bigger, find a better approach to beating it.
Dramatically
effective natural treatment found for stroke-caused brain damage
(NaturalNews)
Research findings just announced at the Canadian Stroke Congress provide
hopeful news for stroke victims. A treatment has been documented that can
improve memory, language, thinking and judgment problems by almost 50 percent
-- all within about six months after a person suffers a stroke. The therapy
isn't a new Big Pharma drug or surgical treatment. Instead, it is simply consistent
exercise that triggers healing in the brain.
41 patients, of whom 70 percent had mild to moderate walking problems requiring a cane or walker, took part in a five-day-a-week aerobic and strength/resistance training program that was adapted to their physical limitations. The workouts included walking, lifting weights and doing squats and were designed to imitate activities most healthy people would do in daily life. The results? At the conclusion of the program, the researchers found "significant improvements" in overall brain function in the participants. Attention, concentration, planning and organizing improved the most. Muscle strength and walking ability improved dramatically, too.
Not only does exercise dramatically improve cognitive abilities following a stroke but it could also save the lives of many stroke victims. In a media statement, lead researcher Susan Marzolini of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute pointed out that people who have cognitive deficits after strokes have a threefold risk of dying. They are also far more likely to be institutionalized.
"If we can improve cognition through exercise, which also has many physical benefits, then this should become a standard of care for people following stroke," Marzolini stated. "These results provide compelling evidence that by improving cardiovascular fitness through aerobic exercise and increasing muscle mass with resistance training, people with stroke can improve brain health."
41 patients, of whom 70 percent had mild to moderate walking problems requiring a cane or walker, took part in a five-day-a-week aerobic and strength/resistance training program that was adapted to their physical limitations. The workouts included walking, lifting weights and doing squats and were designed to imitate activities most healthy people would do in daily life. The results? At the conclusion of the program, the researchers found "significant improvements" in overall brain function in the participants. Attention, concentration, planning and organizing improved the most. Muscle strength and walking ability improved dramatically, too.
Not only does exercise dramatically improve cognitive abilities following a stroke but it could also save the lives of many stroke victims. In a media statement, lead researcher Susan Marzolini of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute pointed out that people who have cognitive deficits after strokes have a threefold risk of dying. They are also far more likely to be institutionalized.
"If we can improve cognition through exercise, which also has many physical benefits, then this should become a standard of care for people following stroke," Marzolini stated. "These results provide compelling evidence that by improving cardiovascular fitness through aerobic exercise and increasing muscle mass with resistance training, people with stroke can improve brain health."
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD Roma
The information on this blog is provided for educational
purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and
medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you
have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a
Naturopath).
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