Nanoshells | Cancer Tumors

Tumors are a threat that affects everyone regardless of gender, race and social status. Cancer tumors ravage both body and soul. Current tumor treatments are an ordeal itself. It is tedious, costly and leaves trails of unpleasant side effects. A quick one time, inexpensive, non-toxic and painless treatment with a 100% reduction could be one of the most dreamt about fantasy for the afflicted and their love ones. But scientist is developing cures based from nanotechnology called nanoshells. A single nanoshell is a 100-nanometer non-toxic gold metal sphere, bigger than an atom but much smaller than a cell. Such dimension is critical for effective interaction with biological system at the cell level.

Nanoshells are the future weapons in the battle against cancer. They are designed for specific annihilation of tumor cells. To enhance precise targeting, nanoshells may be designed to attack like smart missiles that seek and lock on targets by attaching proteins called antibodies on their surfaces, which naturally stick to proteins uniquely produced by cancer cells. This much awaited approaching of destroying cancer cells is also similar to how a high-rise structure demolition squad operates. Demolition engineers can blast away with amazing precision a tall building without crashing it down on the surrounding buildings. This is the best approach unlike the traditional chemotherapy where it damages the surrounding healthy cells.

Drinking Tea | Stress Buster

Stress is the headache of our modern times. We blame everything on it from being over anxious, over fatigued, overweight and so on. We also associate stress with work since the latter usually demands a lot of mental energy, clarity and focus. In their working environment, people spend a good part of the day thinking and thinking more until they can’t think no more. The endless surge of mental activity does takes its toll. And when it does, people are hard-pressed to find ways to make life a bit more livable. But amazingly, cutting your stress is as easy as drinking a soothing cup of tea.

Tea is a drink of full wellness. This beverage has been sipped for centuries; tea is considered a digestive, a cure or simply a sensual delight. After all the good things said about tea, the experts have made another discovery: Tea is also the ultimate stress reliever. The main reason for this is that tea is rich in theanine, an amino acid that helps us in two ways. First it actually puts our mind in a relaxed state, keeping all that stress and anxiety away. At the same time, theanine promotes focus in freeing our minds from all the unnecessary distractions around the workplace.

Experts have encouraged people to drink as much as eight cups of hot tea every day to reap a lot of its goodness and benefits. It is also good to know that when you are sipping tea, you are not just relieving stress; you’re making your body healthier as well. Tea is rich in antioxidants that protect the body from life-threatening diseases such as cancer. Tea is also reported to boost one’s metabolic rate burning energy faster while helping to keep your body fit and slim.

Oral Maintenance

Oral maintenance is where post people fail their hygiene due to ignorance,, bad habits or just plain laziness. Most of us overlook our mouths thinking that once it is closed, everything unpleasant within would be out of sight and out of mind hidden from scrutiny. But according to a survey, after the eyes the mouth is the next thing people notice especially when you smile and begin to talk. The mouth is so important because it is the gateway that receives food, drinks and even air into your inner organs, and it’s the cavity wherein you shape your words and throw your speech. No designer stuff could mask bad teeth, unhealthy gums and offensive breath. Here are some tips that will keep your mouth healthy and your breath sweet.

1.) Take care of your lips using a lip balm or moisturizer for softer and tender lips.

2.) After eating, use a toothpick or floss and then gargle with water or mouthwash.

3.) Brush you teeth properly.

4.) Use a tongue scraper to remove food particles caught in your mouth.

5.) Drink with a straw when you are drinking colored beverages like tea or cola to minimize the contact the liquid will have on your teeth that may darken it through out the years.

6.) Use a dental instrument or cotton buds to dislodge stubborn plaque.

7.) Control your tobacco, alcohol, coffee, soda drinks, commercial fruit juices and sugar intake.

8.) Be careful about highly abrasive toothpaste and tooth whiteners since teeth are not white; they are various shades of yellow. Strong teeth whiteners contain bleach that can weaken teeth and increase sensitivity.

9.) To quickly freshen up your breath, chew on a mint candy or gum.
Consult a professional in case of oral, throat and respiratory problems, visit your dentist or doctor for preventive maintenance and cure.

Dangers Of Meningococcemia

This disease can kill within 24 hours after its onset. Aside from the lives that the disease has taken, many survivors have been maimed and disfigured and has bought anguish and pain to many families which have lost a loved one to the deadly bacteria. This disease can strike anytime and anybody, this is neither prevalent in cold places only and does not choose a particular time of the year to strike and claim it’s victims. Everybody carries a small risk of getting the disease. But children, particularly those whose ages are under five are the most at risk, followed by teenagers and young adults.

As many as 15-20 percent of patients with meningococcemia die as a result of acute infection. Survivors will have tissue damage that requires surgical treatment because meningo attacks the blood vessels and causes them to leak and clot from within. Large areas of skin, muscle and internal organs die from the lack of blood and oxygen and the patient has a high risk of dying.

Survivors need to undergo skin grafts, or even partial or full amputations of an arm or a leg. Those with immune system defects may have recurrent episodes of meningococcemia. The method of preventing the dieses is a thousand times better than attempting to treat the disease with antibiotics. The lives, anguish, expense and public safety saved by the preventive method are worth the investment in the vaccine. Initially, meningococcemia is very hard to diagnose, but as the day progressed, bruises, high fever and vomiting are sure signs of the disease.

Effects Of Breast Cancer Treatments

Women who are breast cancer survivors are at risk for two kinds of side effects from treatments: long term effects which begin and persists after it is completed and late effects which arise months or even years after treatment has ended. Here are the most common long-term effects experienced by the cancer survivors.

1.) Fatigue – 30 percent of cancer survivors are fatigued for five years or more after successful treatment. Any number of physical factors, including anemia and inflammation resulting from radiation or chemotherapy and loss of muscle mass, can account for fatigue during and after treatment.

2.) Weight gain – Women undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy gain an average of five to eight pounds, and the excess pounds are all fat rather than a combination of fat and lean tissue.

3.)Nerve damage – Surgery can damage nerves in the treated breast and chest, resulting in numbness or pain. Chemotherapy can also affect the peripheral nerves, particularly in the hands or feet.

Here are some of the more common late effects:

1.) Lymphedema – Up to 25 percent of breast cancer survivors experience some degree of arm swelling following the removal of underarm lymph nodes, which is essential in evaluating the extent of the disease. Lymph node excision can damage the lymphatic drainage system, causing fluid to build up in the arm on the affected side. Lymphedema can appear weeks or months after surgery and is exacerbated if the arm is injured or infected.

2.) Osteoporosis – Women who undergo menopause following chemotherapy have a higher rate of bone loss than women who have a natural menopause. Aromatase inhibitors block the production of estrogen in fat and other tissues.

3.) Menopause – After breast cancer treatment, many women take tamoxifen, a selective estrogen blocker for five years to prevent recurrence. One positive side of tamoxifen increases bone density and decreases cholesterol levels but it also produces menopause symptoms like hot flashes and dryness.

4.) Subsequent cancer – Breast cancer survivors have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast. Also some treatments increase the probability of developing certain forms of cancer, although the risk is low.

5.) Lung damage – Lung tissue can be damaged if the radiation to the chest cavity reaches the lung. In about one percent of survivors, it leads to radiation pneumonitis, an inflammation condition that usually occurs two to three months after treatment.

6.) Congestive heart failure – Cardiac damage is increasingly becoming rare as chemotherapy doses decline, but women who received high doses of doxorubin may sustain damage to the heart muscle.

Various Breast Cancer Treatments

There are various methods in treating breast cancer; here are some of the most common and popular treatments available.

1.) Surgery – Most woman will have surgery with our without radiation and there are two primary surgical options available. Mastectomy, where in the entire breast is removed and a less extensive procedure called lumpectomy where the surgeon removes only the lump surrounding the normal tissues. The piece of tissue removed during the lumpectomy is then closely examined to determine whether its margins are free from cancer cells.

2.) Radiation therapy – Usually taken after a lumpectomy to eradicate any more cancer cells that may remain in the affected breast or nearby lymph nodes. Radiation is delivered to the whole breast once a day, five days a week for about six weeks.

3.) Chemotherapy – Women who have the harder to treat ER-negative breast tumors will benefit more from chemotherapy compared to women who has ER-positive tumors. Chemotherapy regimens that incorporate more drugs, higher doses and more frequent admission produced dramatic improvements on the women cancer patients.

4.) Hormonal therapy – A hormonal therapy such as tamoxifen are very effective and is typically given for five years after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence. Tamoxifen therapy is associated with a higher rate of blood clots and uterine cancer.

5.) Targeted drugs – Trastuzumab is highly effective in treating breast tumors that produce too much HER2, a protein that spurs the growth of cancer cells. Only 20 to 30 recent of the women have HER2-positive tumors and are thus potential candidates for this therapy.

Treating Breast Cancer

The fight against breast cancer has had some major improvements over the years, thanks to the improvements of early detection and advances in treatments. Many tumors are being caught at an early stage; the rise in the incidence of this disease has slowed and the death rate has dropped. But this type of cancer is still the most prevalent cancer in women and is likely to take their lives. Breast cancer looms large in our health concerns because many have experienced it personally or most know a particular relative or friend who has had it. One particular unsettling is the randomness of this cancer, so far medical science has still no answers on why one woman develops breast cancer and another doesn’t. However, family history and certain gene mutation can substantially increase the risk.

Researchers have found the associations between nutritional factors and cancer risk, although not all associations have resulted in risk reducing strategies. Certain test for foods that seem promising at first like eating soy or taking supplements like vitamin e, vitamin c or selenium. Researchers have found little support for the common assumptions that dietary fat increases the cancer risk and the evidence that fruits and vegetables are protective is weaker than once thought. But many studies have shown that weight gain is a risk factor for breast cancer after menopause. Women who gained 20 to 30 pounds during their adulthood were 40 percent more likely to develop cancer. So slimming down can help prevent the disease.