Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, excluding skin cancers, diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that for 2009 in the United States there are 106,100 new cases of colon cancer and 40,870 new case of rectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Overall, the life time risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 19, with a slightly higher risk for men. However, there are many factors that affect a person’s chances of developing colorectal cancer.
Despite these statistics, colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be detected early. Screening has allowed more colorectal cancer to be found in the earlier stages of the disease when colorectal cancer is easier to treat. Combined with improved treatment for colorectal cancer of the past few years, there are now more than 1 million colorectal cancer survivors in the United States. One of the easiest ways to prevent colorectal cancer is through routine colonoscopy.
A colonoscopy is a procedure with allows the doctor to visualize the entire length of the colon and rectum. Although it invasive, uncomfortable, embarrassing and intimate, a colonoscpy is the gold standard for colorectal cancer prevention. It is recommended that everyone beginning at age 50 should receive screening colonoscopy. If the colonoscopy is clean, routine screening every 10 years thereafter is adequate. However, if there is a single first-degree family member that has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer or polyps, the increased risk may warrant screening colonoscopy starting at age 40.
In addition to routine colonoscopy, there are other ways to help keep the colon healthy. There are certain risk factors that can not be changed, such as age, personal history, family history, inherited syndromes, and racial and ethnic background. However, there are also life-style related factors that have been linked to colorectal cancer. These life-style related factors can be changed. To keep the colon healthy, eliminate red or processed meats, eat 9 handfuls of fruits and vegetables everyday, eat a diet rich in whole grains and high in fiber, and reduce or eliminate alcohol. For a healthy colon, it is also important to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days and maintain a healthy weight. Prevention of colorectal cancer can easily be achieved through routine colonoscopy screening and simple life-style changes.
Updated on August 4, 2010 | Posted In Health
It is amazing how much your health and lifestyle can change your hair. Many people do not realize the affects that a poor lifestyle can have on their hair. Hair damage may not be at the top of the headlines in the media. Damaged hair can have a negative impact on a person and their self confidence. If your hair is damaged then it is difficult to feel good about constant bad hair days.
There are many things you should avoid to ensure that you can obtain healthy hair. Take time to care for your hair and avoid shortcuts. A few simple steps will help you towards creating beautiful healthy hair.
Healthy hair can be obtained by following a few simple lifestyle changes. Try to avoid UV rays as much as possible. This will help protect your hair from fading, drying, and becoming brittle. An alternative option is to wear a large hat that will cover all of your hair. It is also important to pre-treat your hair with sunscreen products created to protect you hair from the sun.
Deep conditioners are also vital towards obtaining healthy hair. Once a week is best, use a loose towel wrapped over the treated hair. A tightly wrapped towel can cause the hair to be damaged and stretch.
Try to avoid excess use of chemical on your hair. Speak with your stylist and ask them for advice about healthy hair. Create a plan together that will help you avoid over processed and damaged hair. It is imperative that you let the hair grow at least one half of an inch before retouching any color. This will help avoid overlapping any chemical process that is already on your hair. This is a positive step toward obtaining healthy hair.
A silk pillowcase can also help maintain beautiful hair. If you toss and turn frequently at night then a silk pillowcase will allow your hair to move with ease. Taking a few extra steps to improve the health of your hair will give you confidence. Use the right products and follow these simple changes to your lifestyle. It will make a big difference on how your feel about your hair.
Updated on August 2, 2010 | Posted In Health
Did you know that Dr. Oz lists omega-3 fatty acids as one of the top five vitamins that women should take if they are pregnant? There are a number of reasons for this but the most important being the benefits it has on fetal development.
There are 3 basic types of omega-3 fatty acids and they include alpha-linelenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). You can consume things like walnuts, vegetable oils and fish oil supplements.
Let’s take a look at what omega-3′s can do for us when we consume them each and every day:
- Helps promote vision. Did you know that the health of your eyes is a good indication of the health of your liver? The healthier your liver is the healthier your eyes will be as well.
- Keeps joints lubricated. Omega 3 helps to keep the joints lubricated which means there will be less wear and tear on your joints as you age. Omega 3 fatty acids will also help to decrease inflammation in the joints.
- Keeps skin thick and fights wrinkles. I’m sure you’ve seen a number of different products that contain ingredients to fight the signs of aging but omega 3 fatty acids can do that as well. This is because they help to keep the skin thicker which leaves it smoother and not so bumpy. The skin is more prone to wrinkles if it’s thin or thinning.
- Omega 3′s are heart healthy. The heart is a happy heart if it’s getting good amounts of omega-3. These acids help to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and help to prevent blood clots in the arteries.
- Cures acne naturally. The products out there that promise to reduce and eliminate acne are usually really hard on the skin and don’t do much for good results anyway. Fatty acids can help promote blemish-free skin.
- Lower risk for depression. Omega-3 is great for the brain and these acids will also play a major role in the brain development of their fetus. Omega-3′s have also been shown to decrease the chances of a mother experiencing depression during and after her pregnancy.
If you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant be sure that you’re consuming your daily needs of omega-3. Your brain, body and baby will thank you for it.
Updated on July 31, 2010 | Posted In Skin Care
We only get one time around with the skin in which we were born and taking care of this vital organ is of utmost importance. When we consider the function of the skin and how it holds all the body together, it is easy for us to understand how we need to maintain proper care of our skin.
The many bad effects in our environment. such as pollution from car exhaust and UV exposure, can prove to be harmful unless measures are taken to cleanse and protect this organ with four basic steps for skin care. The key is to know your skin type.
1. PROTECT – While the tan look may look healthy, the sun can do irreversible damage to all unprotected skin causing premature aging and even more serious issues which can be disfiguring or deadly. Limit time spent outdoors between the hours of 10AM-4PM. Use sunscreen at any time of the daytime.
2. CLEANSE – This is an important step but one that should be exercised with care based on your individual skin type. It is recommended that bar soaps are never a good option although some of the high-end skin care programs do have beauty bars that are especially formulated for different skin types. Some authorities suggest that for those with dry skin, the creamy cleansers are ideal. For the oily complexion, a clear cleansing solution would be more suitable. Never over-cleanse your skin as this can cause undesirable breaks in the capillaries. Nighttime is suggested as the best time for this step.
3. EXFOLLIATE – This step should be undertaken on a weekly basis and is primarily one that women must do. With daily shaving, men seem to get this step completed without any further attention.
4. HEALTHY DIET – Maintaining a healthy diet can only contribute to that glow to your complexion. Limiting your intake of junk food and leaning more toward an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables will keep the entire body in good running order. Always be aware that your consumption of water throughout the day is all important to keep hydrated.
Updated on July 29, 2010 | Posted In General
There’s nothing more annoying than having a headache that won’t go away. Sometimes not even pills can get rid of a headache. The ideal thing would be never to have a headache at all. However, it’s not possible to never have a headache, but it is possible to take precautions in order to lower the possibility of getting a headache.
One way to do this is to not eat foods or drink beverages that are known to cause headaches. This article will explain how a few different foods can increase a person’s chances of getting a headache.
Eating food with tyramine is a great way to for people to get headaches. This chemical is generally found in aged foods that contain a good amount of protein. The most likely source to find this chemical is in cheese. All sorts of cheeses, when aged, will more than likely have tyramine in it.
Also, certain meats may also have this chemical in them. Some of these meats include processed meats as well as meats from organs. Also, pickled foods, sauerkraut, nuts, and other foods may also contain tyramine.
People may also get headaches from consuming certain alcoholic beverages. Ethanol is the type of alcohol that is found in beer and wine. Ethanol dilates the blood vessels throughout the entire body, and this increases blood flow throughout the body. This means that more blood is flowing to the brain, and the vessels in the head are dilating as well. These two consequences of drinking beer and wine can cause migraines.
Additives in food can also cause headaches. In today’s world, many additives are added to all sorts of foods in order to make them taste better or last longer. They sure do make the food taste better and last longer, but they sometimes make the food less healthy to eat. There are many different additives that can be added to food, such as sodium nitrate, aspartame, and monosodium glutamate.
These are three additives that may be the cause of a person getting a migraine headache! Keep in mind that there are literally thousands of additives added to food, and many of them can give a person a headache. I hope this article has been helpful to those wondering whether or not the foods they are eating are the reason for their headaches.
There is a huge and growing trend taking the country by storm. Everywhere you look, there are new puzzles and brain teaser books on every shelf. Newspapers and magazines includes sections dedicated to these time consuming activities. Why is there so much buzz about such a simple little distraction? The answer heard by most is “brain power”. Brain power is the term that is used by many to describe the result of brain exercise. It seems that now, more than ever, people are looking for ways to stay one step ahead of the competition in the battle for cognitive strength.
Millions of people spend millions of dollars on puzzle books, like sudoku and crossword puzzles, in an attempt to increase their brain power. It has been a common belief for a long time that by exercising the brain with thought provoking riddles and puzzles that the brain’s ability to remember and retain more knowledge and information would increase.
Some even think that this kind of brain exercise helps them to increase the longevity of healthy and sharp brain function. Although this theory sounds reasonable, recent research is not supporting the long believed theory.
Some of the most current research is showing that the effects of physical exercise are having a more broad impact on the longevity of the brain’s ability to retain information. Scientists are calling this type of memory and brain function the “executive function”. This is, simply stated, the ability to make reasonable decisions even in the midst of distracting situations.
This type of function, according to research, typically begins around the age of seventy and increases in degree as age increases. Research has also shown that people who have a regular exercise routine, or had had a consistent routine, do not suffer from a decline in executive function at the same rate.
It is the consensus of most all medical professionals that exercise is a beneficial activity for the optimum health of the physical body. It is only more recently that science is proving the positive effects of exercise on the brain. By incorporating a healthy exercise plan, the impact of dementia and Alzheimer’s are reduced by slowing down the shrinking of the frontal cortex of the brain, an anomaly associated with aging.
By reducing this shrinking, the brain is able to function closer to its optimal level. Physical exercise also increases the production and release of proteins that impact the connection and communication of neurons. This, alone, helps improve cognitive function.
Updated on July 22, 2010 | Posted In Health
Many people have trouble regularly getting enough sleep. This is a real problem since people don’t function as well when they are not well rested. However, a lot of the sleep aids available either don’t work well or are habit forming, so it is hard to figure out what to do about this problem. One thing that can really help is to eat better. Certain types of foods aid or inhibit sleep, so it is important to know which foods to eat near bedtime and which to avoid.
Eating foods that have a high amount of B vitamins can help you to get a good night’s rest. You can take a supplement, but it is always best to get as much of your nutrients from food as possible. Examples of foods that will provide you with these vitamins include dark colored leafy greens, meats, legumes (beans and peas), and whole grains.
Another good vitamin to get into your system, especially right near bedtime, is magnesium. This is found in leafy greens, almonds, and pumpkin seeds, among other foods.
Tryptophan can also help you to get to sleep. This means that eating foods like turkey, pasta, plain yogurt, and potatoes for dinner is a good idea. This will help to increase serotonin production, which in turn will help you to fall asleep.
If you are interested in taking supplements, many people find that melatonin can help them. Different doses are needed for different people, so it is a good idea to work with your doctor to find the right dosage for you.
Now that we have talked about foods that can help you to get plenty of rest, we should mention the foods that it would be better to avoid near bedtime. These would be better left for lunch rather than dinner.
First of all, we all know that caffeine can keep you awake, so don’t eat or drink anything with caffeine for four to six hours before you plan to go to bed. Sources like green tea are better than coffee when you do get caffeine.
Spicy foods can also inhibit sleep since they can raise your body temperature and increase your metabolism.
Foods that cause gas are also a no-no near bedtime. These include legumes, broccoli, and onions.
Very sweet foods, like most desserts, can also make it harder to all asleep since the sugar tends to hit your bloodstream right about the time you are trying to get to bed.
Finally, alcohol might help you to fall asleep, but it ruins the quality of your sleep so that you don’t feel rested, so it should be avoided or limited at night.
If you are still young and want to stay young or moving into the middle-age years and want to peel the years away from your body and become healthier inside and out, don’t wait until you are literally falling apart, start today.
There is a complete list of ways to support anti-aging for anyone at any age. Just read and follow the list and you will reap benefits to keep you feeling and looking younger for a long time.
Begin with the refrigerator. You need to stock it full of foods rich in antioxidants. Those are the foods that help flush toxins from your body and keep oxygen from aging us inside and out. Some foods with high antioxidant power are dark in color. For instance, popular foods that contain large amounts of effective antioxidants are blueberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, just to name a few. When slightly heated with oil, tomatoes release more lycopene which not only has antioxidant benefits, but also helps the heart. The acai berry which contains more antioxidants than a blueberry is also gaining fame for helping the anti-aging industry. You should have about five servings of antioxidant-rich foods a day.
There are many beverages that offer excellent anti-aging benefits for everyone. Coffee, green tea, white tea, and concord grape juice and red wine which both contain resveratrol. Resveratrol is abundant in red wine and concord grapes. If you don’t like the alcohol, then the grape juice will work, but it may be high in carbohydrates so look at the lable before drinking. One glass of red wine daily is a good source of resveratrol which is an excellent antioxidant and helps prevent your cells from aging.
Another anti-aging trick is to take a gander at your spice rack. Did you know that certain spices help to keep you young? A favorite of most people is cinnamon. Cinnamon can decrease blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol in people with Type-2 diabetes. Tumeric helps deter arthritis symptoms and curry has been shown to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Cayenne pepper and paprika have been known to help circulation and fight high blood pressure.
Slowly increasing your fiber will benefit your body and eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in whole grains. Your kitchen is full of anti-aging benefits, so take advantage of them and watch yourself stay young, or better yet, look and feel younger.
