A healthier hot dog?

With lots of hot dogs out there, it should be easy to choose a relatively healthy one, right?

Not necessarily. Even "healthier" hot dogs may not be better for you, says Carolyn Brown, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at Foodtrainers, in New York City. "It comes down to the quality of the meat, the processing, and the other added ingredients."

Brown recommends hot dogs with less than 150 calories and fewer than 14 grams of fat (with no more than 6 grams saturated). Sodium should not exceed 450 milligrams. Here's our list of the best-and worst-hot dogs.

By Anne Harding

Symptoms of depression

Stress can lead to you to feeling 'down' and 'miserable'. What is different about a depressive illness is that these feelings last for weeks or months, rather than days.

In addition to feeling low most or all of the time, many other symptoms can occur in depressive illness (though not everybody has every one).

• Being unable to gain pleasure from activities that normally would be pleasurable.
• Losing interest in normal activities, hobbies and everyday life.
• Feeling tired all of the time and having no energy.
• Difficulty sleeping or waking early in the morning (though some feel that they can't get out of bed and 'face the world').
• Having a poor appetite, no interest in food and losing weight (though some people overeat and put on weight  'comfort eating').
• Losing interest in sex.
• Finding it difficult to concentrate and think straight.
• Feeling restless, tense and anxious.
• Being irritable.
• Losing self-confidence.
• Avoiding other people.
• Finding it harder than usual to make decisions.
• Feeling useless and inadequate - 'a waste of space'.
• Feeling guilty about who you are and what you have done.
• Feeling hopeless - that nothing will make things better.
• Thinking about suicide - this is very common. If you feel this way, talk to somebody about it. If you think somebody else might be thinking this way, ask them about it - it will not make them more likely to commit suicide.

Stress Related Back Pain is a Relatively Modern Diagnosis

Stress-related back pain is a relatively modern diagnosis although the concept of muscular pain caused by tension is not a new one. Stress of both the physical and psychological sort can make the painful symptoms of any injury worse but 'stress-related back pain' is a term used for pain caused by stress above all other factors.

For many the idea of thoughts and feelings causing a physical problem seems unlikely, but this is well established in medicine. Stress causes many changes in the body and predisposes to conditions such as gastritis, high blood pressure and heart disease. In addition, it causes a build up of tension throughout the body.

Stress-related back pain is thought to relate to this tension. You may have read that back pain can be caused by muscle spasm in the back. This spasm is worsened by tension in the muscles and is a target for interventions such as stretches to the back and physiotherapy.

Stress could trigger pain in the back by creating tension and spasm in the back muscles but then can also be a part of a vicious cycle of worsening back pain. Individuals suffering from daily stress are more likely to avoid gentle exercise and relaxation. As the back pain manifests itself, some people will choose to withdraw from exercise altogether or work longer and harder as the pain limits productivity.

The key to beating back pain is identifying the vicious cycle and taking action to break it. Key to this is reducing stress levels but also increasing light activity, stretching and other exercises. For many people, stress starts at work. When trying to make a change at work thinking beyond just the workload and the obvious psychological stress, ensure you also consider the physical stress your job. If you work at a desk - ensure you're on a good ergonomic chair, perhaps you need a footrest, perhaps your computer screen is too high or too small?

Almost all pain is made worse by stress and back pain in particular can respond to a concerted effort to beat this vicious cycle. Make lots of small changes to your work and lifestyle and you'll be on your way to beating back pain.

Visit my blog for more information on beating back pain at The Back Surgery.

Why Count Calories? Because Health is Wealth

Many people try to avoid counting calories when trying to achieve weight loss. There are so many new weight loss methods today that it might seem like this is actually possible, especially when some diets specifically advertise that you won't have to count calories at all. In my opinion, this is like a financial self-help book that claims you can get rich without paying any attention to how much you earn or spend. Would you be tempted to believe such a claim?

Calorie counting is budgeting for the body
Even if you have no idea exactly what percentage of your income you spend on your rent, chances are you do keep a budget in your mind, if you're the average responsible adult. This means having a rough idea of how much you can splurge before it's going to land you in trouble. You've probably experienced both sides of the equation-getting into debt as well as having a savings account. The more experience you accumulate, the better equipped you are to judge how much you can spend and how much you need to save. You just can't get away from the basic truth that earning more than you spend equals savings, and that spending more than you earn equals debt.

Weight management is just like that. You have total freedom in deciding what, when, and how to eat your food, but you can't escape the basic truth that eating more than you burn equals weight gain and that burning more than you eat equals weight loss. It's not a theory, a special dieting method, or something someone invented to make you miserable-it's just plain physics.

Calorie counting is NOT a weight loss method
Surprised to hear that? Well, it's true. It could help you lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight, but calorie counting is not a weight loss method the same way budgeting is not a way to get rich-it is simply the foundation and basis for weight management the same way budgeting is the basis of money management. It's a tool you can use to see where you can improve your lifestyle choices to achieve what you want to achieve. Feel free to try any diet that sounds good to you-calorie counting still applies. Feel free to try out the latest fitness routine-calorie counting is as important as ever. While you can change your diet and fitness habits without counting calories, you'll be at a loss if for some reason they stop working. You won't know where it went wrong. At the end of the story you could have twenty diets that "just don't work" for you without having any idea why they failed. To use a financial analogy again, it's like buying and selling stocks without ever looking at the stock market. If you wouldn't entrust your finances to Lady Luck, why entrust her with your health?

Calorie counting is not an extreme last-resort measure
If the word "budget" revives in you traumatic memories of math class in grade school, consider this: you probably budget without ever realizing it. Unless you go through life blissfully unaware of the cost of foods, furniture, clothes, and so on, you probably frequently make choices based on what you think you can afford. If you ever treat yourself to something, whether it's an ice cream or a spa treatment, it's because you know that doing it on a daily basis would break the bank. That's budgeting!

Similarly, calorie counting can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Some people, like athletes and body-builders, want to know exactly where each calorie is going. They may spend hours planning the week's menu or reading and calculating fat percentages. For other people who have no issues with their weight, it may be enough to know that some foods, like chocolate-covered donuts, are very high in calories and low on nutrition. However, most people fall somewhere in the middle. We need to have a rough idea of how much we are actually ingesting per day and compare it to a rough idea of how much we are burning. If you fall into that group, there's great news in store for you.

Calorie counting is so much easier today
Even just a generation ago, no one had mobile devices that could keep track of calories in and calories out. There was no "app" for anything-a notebook and a pencil were your best bet. Besides that, calorie counting usually meant reading nutrition labels, doing the math, and looking up exercises in some kind of chart to calculate calories burned. Today, there are online calorie counters with huge databases of food items and activities so all you have to enter is how much you ate or exercised. That's it! In return, you get all kinds of charts and graphs showing you your progress and what you need to do to achieve your goals. It doesn't get much simpler or easier than that.

It's been said that "Health is wealth," but I would go even further to say that health is our greatest wealth. Responsible money management is all well and good, but your weight management is far more important. By budgeting for your body, you can avoid the high health risks associated with being overweight, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. A few minutes every day on your computer or mobile device to make sure you're nutritionally on track-wouldn't you say it's worth it?

About the author: Varsha Aditya is a writer for the popular calorie counter website CaloriesAndMore.com which promotes healthy and sustainable weight loss without all the impossible rules of fad diets. Visit us to find more articles about sustainable weight loss, and see how CaloriesAndMore.com's huge database of foods and activities can make calorie counting a breeze.

High rates of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis B

High rates of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis B are found in migrants coming to live as long-term residents in Britain, according to a report.

Three-quarters of tuberculosis cases reported in Britain last year were born abroad, with many diagnosed two or more years after their arrival.

Almost two-thirds of newly diagnosed cases of HIV and 80 per cent of hepatitis B infected blood donors in 2010 were born abroad.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) report says 12 per cent of people living in Britain in 2010 were born abroad - up from 8 per cent in 2001.

'A small proportion of the non-UK born residents bear the greatest burden of infectious disease reported in the UK,' it says.

The report found that half of migrants with newly diagnosed HIV had probably become infected in Britain.
Migrants going back to visit family and friends are the 'main risk group' for infections such as malaria and enteric fever diagnosed in Britain, it reports.

Almost two-thirds of malaria cases reported here last year and 87 per cent of enteric fever cases were among migrants who travelled abroad to visit friends and relatives, said the agency.

Dr Jane Jones, head of the travel and migrant section at HPA, said: 'The majority of non-UK born residents do not have infectious disease but some are at higher risk than UK-born residents because of their exposures and their life experiences prior to, during and after migration.

'It is important to remember that risk to non-UK born residents does not end on arrival in the UK,' she added.

By JENNY HOPE

What To Do About Your Wrinkles

Actress Kristen Johnston says wrinkles are hot. Kristin Davis says smile lines are beautiful. For men, maybe, but for us ladies, definitely not!

Wrinkles are what many women struggle against daily. Makeup can cover lines and creases to a certain extent, but it's just not that effective unless it's been expertly applied and is long lasting. There are more effective solutions, brought to you by the cosmetic medical industry, but may sound a little odd to you. How about one of these?

Keep Your Skin Smooth With These Wrinkle Treatments:

1. A poison: When you get right down to it, BOTOX is a poison, but that's why it's so effective at treating wrinkles. Featuring botulinum toxin, it is injected into the muscle that is primarily responsible for making the wrinkle or crease in the overlying skin, relaxing it so that it doesn't contract as much. BOTOX is FDA approved as a wrinkle treatment for frown lines, crow's feet and forehead lines. BOTOX (as well as other products featuring botulinum toxin, like Dysport) is considered the top cosmetic medical treatment in North America according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. There were over 5.3 million procedures
performed in 2010. Looks like this poison's popular!

2. Snake or bee venom: With the popularity of BOTOX, cosmetic manufacturers are scrambling to find alternatives that work in the same way - which is how snake or and bee venom have become the products of choice for many celebs, including Victoria Beckham, Kate Middleton and Naomi Campbell. Call it a topical version of BOTOX, since they all come in cream/serum form.

3. Hyaluronic acid: Add a little more hyaluronic acid in your skin through an injectable filler, and you'll find your wrinkles smooth away. Hyaluronic acid binds to water, and more water in your skin means more suppleness and volume - which is how the wrinkles are smoothed out. You can even enhance your facial contours, making them more prominent.

Stacie Morris is a writer for Botox Ottawa. Stacie's primary concern? Wrinkles, of course! Her favourite treatment is a customized skincare regimen at home (which includes peptide-rich products) and Botox.

References: ASPS 2010 Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Statistics Visit Here

Mesothelioma - Some Risk Factors

Mesothelioma is a deadly lung cancer that is most frequently caused by asbestos exposure. It can manifest in the lungs, the lining of the abdomen and the pericardium. It is estimated that almost 80% of all diagnoses are made because of exposure to asbestos. Although mesothelioma is directly linked to asbestos exposure but there are some other risk factors that can be a cause of mesothelioma.

Workplace Exposure
One of the major risk factor for developing mesothelioma is asbestos exposure at work. Occupations such as mining, insulation manufacturers, shipbuilding, pipefitters, railroad workers and those who are in construction are at high risk. Because of its insulating and heat-resistant nature, asbestos was once commonly used in insulation, flooring, cement and many other common products. Individuals who had prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers are at a greater risk.

Non-Occupational Risks
Families of those who are exposed to airborne asbestos particles as well as those who live near industrial plants or mines are at an increased risk.

Zeolites
Zeolites are microporous crystalline solids which are chemical similar to asbestos. Zeolites are widely used for the preparation of advanced materials and in nuclear reprocessing. Accoridng to clinical studies, it has proved that long term persistence of Zeolites (fibrous erionite) can lead to malignant mesothelioma. This will make zeolites a solid suspect in the formation of mesothelioma.

SV40
SV40 is a polyomavirus that is found in both monkeys and human, is also another risk factor of this fatal disease. Clinical findings suggest that experimental animals were developed mesothelioma when injected with SV40. Researches also showed that traces of SV40 have also found in the biopsy samples of mesothelioma patients.

Radiation
According to some recent clinical research it has been discovered that ionizing radiation is another risk factor for developing mesothelioma. Radiation exposed individuals such as patients exposed to the diagnostic X-ray contrast medium "Thorotrast," or atomic energy workers chronically exposed to lower levels of radiation are at also at risk of developing this disease.

Smoking
Although smoking is not the direct cause of mesothelioma development, but studies show that smokers exposed to asbestos are much likely to develop the cancer than non smokers with the same exposure. It is probably due to those cigarettes that were sold earlier by P. Lorillard Tobacco Company, which contained asbestos in the filters. Each cigarette contained approximately 10mg of asbestos material, putting these smokers at high risk for developing life threatening disease.

Since mesothelioma is incurable, but taking some precautionary steps will reduce your risk of exposure to asbestos, thereby decreasing your risk for developing mesothelioma.

Author Bio:
Rachel Smith is a web enthusiast and professional webmaster of MesotheliomaResourceOnline. She loves to write about mesothelioma research findings that help people and their loved ones suffering from mesothelioma.

Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes extreme sweating, which can be recurring or even non-stop. Areas commonly affected by this condition are the underarms, palms of hands, and soles of feet. Hyperhidrosis can cause those afflicted to be embarassed or uneasy in public, and can interrupt normal daily activities. Sometimes the condition can get aggravated, making for worse conditions than just the usual sweating. There are two types of Hyperhidrosis, Focal Hyperhidrosis and Generalized Hyperhidrosis, the cause having to do with the bodys sweat glands. There are various ways to treat Hyperhidrosis.

People normally sweat when they are in hot conditions, nervous or stressed. However, those suffering from Hyperhidrosis sweat an abnormally large amount, often to the point of soaking through clothing. Also, the palms of their hands and soles of their feet are often very clammy or literally dripping wet with sweat. These over-sweaty episodes normally happen at least once at week, and are unprovoked. It is hard to lead a normal life with this condition, as having wet hands or wearing a shirt with drenched armpits makes it hard to work and/or have a social life. Also, suffering from this condition always carries the threat of body odor, which makes it even harder to relax around others.

Focal Hyperhidrosis affects the underarms, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, normally while awake. This type of Hyperhidrosis can occur for the first time before the age of twenty, and is not usually related to another condition. Generalized Hyperhidrosis affects much larger areas of the body and very well may be related to another condition, including, but not limited to: low blood sugar, leukemia, heart attack, infections disease, and lymphoma.

When Hyperhidrosis gets out of hand, complications can arise, such as warts, fungal infections in fingernails and toenails, bacterial infections, and other skin conditions. Eczema and other skin rashes tend to be more likely to be found on people with Hyperhidrosis. Also, those who suffer from Hyperhidrosis sometimes suffer severe psychologically and socially.

Hyperhidrosis can be treated several different ways. If your condition is light to moderate, your doctor may have you try aluminum chloride, which is a prescription antiperspirant. For more generalized sweating, anticholinergic drugs may need to be used. Iontophoresis is another treatment, in which a dermatologist gives a weak electric shock to the affected areas, while the patient is in water. Botox injections can be used to treat Hyperhidrosis, however, the results are temporary, only lasting a few months. If none of these treatments help, surgery to remove the sweat glands is an option.

Stressed

Stress accounts for 80 % of all migraines, according to a study in the journal Cephalalgia. That's because it causes fluctuations in cortisol and adrenaline - the fight-or-flight hormones - which can lead to pain and nausea, says Sheena K. Aurora, MD, medical director of the Headache Center at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Stress can also make you clench your jaw and neck muscles, causing neck pain that, in turn, can set off tension headaches.

Trigger Tamer: Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and massage can help. Or consider a mind-body technique called biofeedback - get more information from the Association for Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

By Winnie Yu Scherer

Prescription Lawsuits in Abroad - Do They Really Affect You?

If an unsafe drug lawsuit is taken out in a country you don’t live in, does it affect you? Yes, if the drug in question is also prescribed or available in your country. Such a lawsuit can also have a knock on effect where it raises the issue of a certain drug or type of drug: so ultimately it depends on the precise kind of lawsuit that is being brought.

If a person successfully sues a company as a result of taking one of its prescription drugs or over the counter drugs, and either that drug or that type of drug is pending for approval in your country of residence – then you probably aren’t going to see it in a hurry. So if you were waiting for it to be approved so you could start taking it, the unsafe drugs lawsuit we give example of here is clearly going to affect you.

That said, of course, if the drug you wanted is proven to be dangerous then it will affect you in a good way – by protecting you from that potential danger.

If the drug is causing secondary side effects – i.e. side effects that occur as a result of the effect of the drug, rather than a result of the actual physical components of the drug – then a foreign lawsuit may also affect you, because it will raise awareness of a type of drug as being more dangerous than was previously supposed. You also find drugs with unknown long term side effects come into this area – Thalidomide being a major example. Without the unsafe drug lawsuit brought by thousands of Britons against the manufacturers of Thalidomide, the extraordinarily dangerous long term effects of its use would still be un-ratified.

That’s an important point, actually. Ratification is a big part of the efficacy of unsafe drug claims: once one is successful, the public suspicion of that drug or kind of drug is confirmed. Ultimately the unsafe drug trial, from this point of view, becomes a way for the public to protect itself against less scrupulous drug manufacturers as well as against the unlooked for side effects of particular drugs.

In other words: all dangerous drug claims, made anywhere in the world, have a bearing on your life. From this wider viewpoint, we all need unsafe drug lawsuits simply so that we can maintain a world in which it is possible to bring an unsafe drug lawsuit into being. Because without them we would have no sure fire way of taking the drug companies to account when something goes wrong, or is suspected of going wrong.

Drug companies are often driven by profit – we all know that. And in a world where the companies that make the pills and potions we rely on to stay healthy (and in some cases even to save our lives when things go wrong) are as motivated by money as they are by the urge to cure and palliate, then it’s up to us to fight for our rights as consumers. The best way to do that? By keeping the drug manufacturers afraid of losing big money if an unsafe drugs lawsuit is brought against them.

Taking too much paracetamol

Victims of 'staggered' overdoses often fail to realise the amount they are taking could be fatal over a few days, they say.

Experts have also pointed out, however, that many of us will be taking paracetamol or combination remedies containing the drug this winter to combat colds and flu, and that it is a safe and effective painkiller when the correct amount is taken.

A study shows the risk of dying from liver failure is higher from accidental overdose than deliberate suicide attempts.

This is because people report feeling unwell to GPs or accident and emergency departments without knowing the cause, making it difficult to diagnose and treat in time.

It is too easy to 'top up' the dose without realising the dangers, they warn.

Eight 500mg tablets a day – the equivalent of 4g – should be the maximum daily dose.

In the study, a team led by Dr Kenneth Simpson analysed data from 663 patients who had been admitted to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary between 1992 and 2008 with liver damage caused by paracetamol.

Tragedy: Donna Bishop overdosed on paracetamol

Donna Bishop overdose in paracetamol

They found 161 people with an average age of 40 had taken a staggered overdose, usually to relieve stomach and back pain, headache or toothache.

Two out of five died from liver failure – a higher fatality rate than recorded for deliberate overdosing, says a report in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Dr Simpson, of Edinburgh University and the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit, said staggered overdoses can occur when people have pain and repeatedly take a little more paracetamol than they should.

He said: 'They haven't taken the sort of one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up and the effect can be fatal.

'They are often taking paracetamol for pain and they don't keep track of how much they've consumed over a few days.

'But on admission, these staggered overdose patients were more likely to have liver and brain problems, require kidney dialysis or help with breathing and were at greater risk of dying than people who had taken single overdoses.'

Hospital doctors may find low levels of paracetamol in the blood of people suffering from staggered overdoses even though they are at high risk of liver failure and death. Dr Simpson said some people reacted worse to a lower dose than others, with high alc0hol consumption exacerbating the problem – and it was not possible to identify them in advance.

He said 10g was the lowest amount in the study leading to death while 24g over 24 hours was a recognised fatal dose.

'The safest thing to do is monitor how much you're taking and do not exceed eight 500mg tablets in a day,' he said.

Normal quantities of the drug are broken down harmlessly by the body but excessive amounts can accumulate in the liver, leading to irreversible damage.

By JENNY HOPE

“energy” drinks skyrockets ER Visits for Energy-Drink Ills Soar in U.S.

As the popularity of non-alcoholic "energy" drinks skyrockets, so do related health problems, a new study finds.

In 2009, U.S. emergency rooms treated almost 10 times more cases of reactions to beverages such as Monster and Rockstar than they did in 2005, according to a new U.S. government report released Tuesday.

More than 13,000 ER visits related to the highly caffeinated drinks were reported in 2009, said researchers from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Nearly half the emergencies occurred after the beverages were mixed with alcohol or other drugs, and young adults aged 18 to 25 accounted for more than half of those cases, the researchers found.

"A lot of attention has been paid to energy drinks that have alcohol in them and everybody understands that the effect of that can be pretty serious, but energy drinks by themselves can have adverse effects," said lead author Albert Woodward, project director of SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network.

Sales of these flavored drinks soared 240 percent from 2004 to 2009, Woodward said. Popular brands include Red Bull, Full Throttle (produced by Coca-Cola) and AMP, in addition to Monster and Rockstar.

The drinks contain stimulants such as caffeine, and the amount of caffeine in a can or bottle varies by brand. Whereas a five-ounce cup of coffee contains about 100 milligrams (mg) of caffeine and a 12-ounce cola about 50 mg, some energy drinks contain about 80 mg, others as much as 500 mg, according to the report.

"That's a huge dose of caffeine," said Dr. Jeffrey N. Bernstein, medical director of the Florida Poison Information Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

High doses of caffeine can cause abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, dehydration and other serious conditions.

"Many of the patients who come in have anxiety and their heart is pounding and they are just feeling sick," Bernstein said.

The drinks, sold in cans and bottles in grocery stores, vending machines, bars and other places, are marketed to young people. Up to 50 percent of children, teens and young adults use them, the researchers said in the report.

For the study, the investigators reviewed data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network, which monitors drug-related hospital emergency department visits reported throughout the United States. In 2005, more than 1,100 people sought emergency treatment for adverse reactions to energy drinks. By 2009, ERs treated over 13,000 energy drink patients. More than 16,000 such visits occurred in 2008, the most ever, the researchers found.

Alcohol, pharmaceuticals or illicit drugs were associated with 44 percent of the emergencies, and 52 percent of those visits involved patients 18 to 25 years old.

Overall, young adults between 18 and 39 years old made up more than three-quarters of all the ER visits, and 64 percent were men, the data showed.

Men were twice as likely as women to use alcohol and drugs along with an energy drink. But, more women than men combined energy drinks with pharmaceuticals, the researchers reported.

People who combine these energy drinks with substances of abuse have a raised risk of serious and potentially life-threatening injury, the study authors noted in a SAMHSA news release. In addition, there is a greater likelihood that they will engage in risky behaviors, including driving under the influence.

A group representing beverage makers took issue with the report, however.

"This paper is a troubling example of statistics taken out of context," said a statement released Tuesday by the American Beverage Association (ABA). "Of the more than 123 million visits made to emergency room facilities each year, less than one-hundredth of one percent involved people who consumed energy drinks according to this report."

The ABA goes on to note that, "energy drinks and their ingredients are safe and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," adding that the report "does not show that energy drinks cause misuse of alcohol."

Nevertheless, some people are especially susceptible to caffeine, Bernstein believes. "If you are susceptible to high blood pressure, it can also be a risk," he said. "If you overdo it, a night in the ER is no day at the beach," he noted.

By: Steven Reinberg

Screening has failed, the check it yourself breast cancer survival guide

There is growing disquiet in the medical community. The NHS breast-cancer screening programme, which invites all women to have three-yearly X-rays (mammograms) from the age of 50, has been said by some doctors to 'do more harm than good'.

This, coupled with the fact that one woman in eight now develops the disease 5,000 more diagnoses a year than a decade before and reports that many cases are dismissed by GPs who don't recognise symptoms, makes for confusing reading.

What all experts agree on is that early diagnosis is key to successful treatment. 'When a breast cancer is picked up through a routine screening mammogram, it's often cured,' says Lester Barr, a consultant breast cancer surgeon at the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

'When the disease is picked up through discovering a lump, the chances of a cure drop as the cancer is likely to be more advanced.'

Mr Barr admits that screening, which was introduced in 1988, could be improved but women should not be put off having mammograms. 'There is an argument that screening catches tiny tumours that would never have grown, meaning women go through unnecessary worry and treatment. And perhaps we need to better target women who are at risk.

'All women need to make sure they are doing enough themselves to ensure early detection. There are still women who know surprisingly little about how a breast should feel and look.' Here, Britain's leading experts give their essential guide that every woman should read.

LOOK FOR FAMILY PATTERNS
Breast cancer is hereditary in ten per cent of cases so it is vital for a woman to know her family history, says Professor Gareth Evans, consultant in genetic medicine at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester. 'Look for any patterns on one side of the family such as a mother, grandmother, aunt and first cousin who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. If there are at least two first-degree relatives – ie a mother and sister – who have had the disease, the risk is greater,' explains Prof Evans. The younger a woman is diagnosed the more likely it will be that her breast cancer has been caused by an inherited defective gene.

IF THERE IS HISTORY, GET A GENE TEST
The rogue genes, known as BRCA 1, BRCA 2 and P53, can be identified through a blood test. But this can be done only if a woman has a living relative who has had breast cancer and can provide a blood sample. Those who carry the genes have an 85 per cent risk of getting breast cancer. The options for women with a strong family history or who have been identified as carrying the faulty breast-cancer gene include yearly MRI scans and mammograms on the NHS. 'Together these can pick up 90 to 95 per cent of breast cancers early,' explains Prof Evans. 'But some women opt for a pre-emptive strike by having their breasts removed.'

Prof Evans is leading a study into the use of the drug tamoxifen, which may reduce the risk of breast cancer by 40 per cent. 'Do'’t take the contraceptive pill if you have a strong family history as the drug has been linked to an increase in risk,' says Dr Anne Trigg, a consultant medical oncologist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London.

ALL WOMEN MUST BE BREAST AWARE
Mammograms are not effective for women under the age of 50 as the breast tissue is still too dense. If there have been isolated incidents of breast cancer in the family, you can always consult your GP for an examination. 'Aside from lumps, they are looking for areas of the breast that feel subtly different from the rest  limpness, a harder area or a breast that feels more granular,' explains Mr Richard Sainsbury, consultant breast cancer surgeon.

Unexplained tiredness can be early symptoms of the disease. 'It's not necessary to do constant self-examinations,' says Mr Sainsbury. 'But be aware of any changes – particularly heaviness, distortions, or a change in size or shape.'

A RED RASH IS A RED ALERT
'Inflammatory breast cancer, which accounts for between one and five per cent of breast- cancer cases, can make the skin red and swollen, but it is often misdiagnosed as cellulite or a skin infection,' Dr Trigg says. 'Look out for a new and itchy rash around the nipple, discharge from the nipple or any difference in shape and size. It could be normal but always get it checked by your GP. And always check armpits for lumps.'

CHECK MONTHLY AFTER YOU HIT 30
Dr Trigg says: 'From the age of 30, self-examination should be done once a month, midway through the menstrual cycle.'

Using the pads of the fingers, feel in small circular motions round the breast and then move in smaller concentric circles until you reach the nipples.
Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side.
Do this lying down, and then feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting.

'In the ten years leading up to the menopause, breast tissue begins to turn to fat and this can cause benign cysts,' adds Mr Sainsbury. 'Cancer can be ruled out by mammogram or biopsy. See your GP, who will refer you to a specialist.' Be familiar with the appearance of your breasts, checking that they are their usual shape, size and colour and appear symmetrical.

THE QUESTION: TO HRT OR NOT TO HRT?
At present women of 50 are called for a three-yearly mammogram through the NHS screening programme. But Prof Evans says: 'A third of breast cancers are picked up in the three years between mammograms.'

Self-examination is vital after the age of 50 when breasts may look different. A loss of volume can cause dimpling in the skin and as this can also be a sign of breast cancer, get it checked.
Prof Evans tells menopausal women with a family history to avoid hormone-replacement therapy as artificially raising hormone levels can increase risk of breast cancer. The hormone oestrogen, which can drive some forms of breast cancer, is produced by fatty tissue. So the fatter you are, the bigger the risk.

AFTER SCREENING STOPS . . .
Screening stops at the age of 70. If women wish to continue, then they can request it, explains Barr. He says: 'By the age of 80 any lump is likely to be breast cancer. Women should be aware of any changes.'

By ANGELA EPSTEIN

Can You Get Hooked on Diet Soda?

Lead writer: Denise Mann

First thing every morning, Ellen Talles starts her day by draining a supersize Styrofoam cup filled with Diet Coke and crushed ice. The 61-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., drinks another Diet Coke in the car on the way to work and keeps a glass nearby "at all times" at her job as a salesclerk. By the end of the day she has put away about 2 liters.

"I just love it," she says. "I crave it, need it. My food tastes better with it."

Talles sounds a lot like an addict. Replace her ever-present glass of Diet Coke with a cigarette, and she'd make a convincing two-pack-a-day smoker. In fact, she says, she buys her 2-liter bottles 10 at a time-more if a hurricane is in the offing-because if she notices she's down to her last one, she panics "like somebody who doesn't have their pack of cigarettes."

Most diet-soda drinkers aren't as gung ho as Talles, but people who down several diet sodas per day are hardly rare. Government surveys have found that people who drink diet beverages average more than 26 ounces per day (some drink far more) and that 3% of diet-soda drinkers have at least four daily.

Are these diet-soda fiends true addicts? And if so, what are they addicted to? The most obvious answer is caffeine-but that doesn't explain the many die-hard diet drinkers who prefer caffeine-free varieties.

Factors besides caffeine are likely at work. Although diet soda clearly isn't as addictive as a drug like nicotine, experts say the rituals that surround diet soda and the artificial sweeteners it contains can make some people psychologically-and even physically-dependent on it in ways that mimic more serious addictions. And unlike sugared soda, which will make you gain weight if you drink too much of it, zero-calorie soda doesn't seem to have an immediate downside that prevents people from overindulging.

"You think, 'Oh, I can drink another one because I'm not getting more calories,'" says Harold C. Urschel, MD, an addiction psychiatrist in Dallas and the author of Healing the Addicted Brain. "Psychologically you're giving yourself permission."

How diet soda trains your brain
The simplest explanation for a serious diet-soda habit is caffeine. Many people who chain-drink diet soda may be caffeine addicts who simply prefer soda to coffee or energy drinks, though diet soda doesn't provide much of a kick by comparison. (A can of Diet Coke contains four to five times less caffeine than a small Starbucks coffee.)

Caffeine can't account for Steve Bagi's habit, however. The 44-year-old graphic designer from Chester Springs, Pa., gets his morning buzz from an enormous cup of coffee, yet he still buys caffeine-free Diet Pepsi by the case and downs six cans a day, "easy."

His Diet Pepsi cravings stem from a prior addiction to nicotine, not caffeine. "It's all tied to smoking," says Bagi, who smoked a pack a day for 20 years and started drinking diet soda to mask the aftertaste of cigarettes. He eventually kicked the smoking habit-but the Diet Pepsi one stuck.

Spring Allergies in Children

After the winter season coming of spring and revival of nature change with the seasons people unaware; in spring sneezing, nasal and eye discharges that spring is starting against the complaints of allergies.

With the arrival of the coming of spring against the increasing cases of allergy Aydin Governorship Provincial Directorate of Health in a statement, "When spring comes pollen increases. This month, the grass, grass, flowers and trees, flower-ins with the pollen is emitted into the atmosphere. Features windy weather and windy days after the distribution of pollen into the air for more complaints increases. Some ornamental plants, pollen from flowers in the air is heavy with the way. These moments of the bee, and insects. Allergic rhinitis is the most typical form of allergy seen in spring. Substances that cause allergic reactions in our bodies "allergen" is called. Allergens in the nose, is a favorite tool of biochemical reactions, one of which is histamine, which cause secretions, "the statement said.

Spring-allergy

Given in cases of allergic rhinitis in a statement, "Allergic rhinitis (hay fever); allergens with airway lining the inside of the nose and causes inflammation of the mucous membrane, called the tissue sticking. Allergic rhinitis, often lifelong, but azalabilen the severity of a disease later in life. Specific seasons (the most buzzing with pollen in the spring), the resulting type is called seasonal allergic rhinitis. 19. Disease was first identified by naming the wrong century "hay fever" was called. This is because the adhesion and the wind dispersion of pollen onto the straw. Later, the disease was determined to be related to pollen. Pollens outside the house dust, animal dander, mold, fungus, chemicals, chlorine, detergents, and air pollution can make allergies. All types of allergic rhinitis, lasting for a year and called perenial rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is an extremely serious disease, although there may offend people, sleeping, eating and living the way adversely affect the school and leads to loss of labor. Urban life has increased the incidence of allergic diseases. Environmental pollution is thought to play a role in that "the statements were included.

How to Know that you are healthy

Life-saving 10 TIP

College Hospital in London, a survey by the Institute for Science of Aging, our bodies full 10 tips that will save lives, revealed to us.

Signed by many who study in healthy living; College Hospital in London Gerontology (the science of aging), Professor at the Institute conducts research. Dr. Robert Bale, "even if only the length of your fingertips allows you to get information about your health is actually remarkable. Important details about you with your body, making sure to protect your health, "he says, and adds:" Your body, without your awareness is the most important clues about your health."

Prof. According to Bale, the tab to the eyes, body, everything is up to the palm of one kilogram of birth indicator. So by doing a test able to understand how healthy we are. Ballet "Request 16 tips to save your life," says the test say:

1. Quotes

Look carefully at your fingernails. If you or a light blue color, If you see a bruise may mean that you are faced with heart disease. The nails are too thick to have bumps on them, or even lung and breathing problems that you may face.

2. A breathtaking

If you are giving up to 15 times, and under the breath of healthy lungs to breathe 25 times if you have the means ... If you should note that the time for your health.

3. Eyes

Look in the mirror to one of your eyes. If you have a circle of white around the iris of high cholesterol level means. This is the same as the biggest harbinger of impending heart problems.

4. See the palm of your hand

Look carefully at your palms. If you have a problem with your liver, red.

5. Memory control

Put the tray on top of a random 10 items. Refer just 10 seconds into the tray. Remember how many? Your memory will be a good.

6. Muscle control

Lie on your back. Get your legs straight. Lift a leg into the air. Seek to suppress a person's foot. If your leg falls down, that means a weakness in your muscles.

7. appearance

Place a ruler on the cheek bone, just below the eye. Then insert the card, a credit card on the top ruler measure the distance from the most casual reading.
What may come as close as your health card look good means that you can read comfortably.

8. straight walk

A meter-long, draw a line somewhere. Comfortable on the break, you walk in, your body will be committing good coordination.

9. pulse control

Blows, the longer it will live up to what your heart rate is slow. In other words, your heart rate is below 70 means that are healthy.

10. finger length

People with the same length and ring fingers are pointing higher risk of heart attack.

Exercises by Age

7-16 YEARS OLD

Get your accouchement to move to and for 60 account every day. Our accouchement charge to accomplish concrete action a day for at atomic 60 minutes. Their bodies, these activities yield shape, the ashen arrangement to be added able and makes it attending healthy. Beneath concrete action than accouchement with poor amusing relationships and bookish careers would be lower.

Suggestions:

1 - All ancestors associates can do calm and adopt sports will enjoy.

2 - Anniversary week, accomplishing an action in which the administration of action in baddest elect.

3 - Mountain biking, the best action in the family, anniversary affiliate can do jointly.

16-25 YEARS OLD

3-4 times a anniversary to do is 1 hour altered from added studies of exercise acuteness is acceptable for you.

Alternative best of sports, sports hall, swimming, tennis or alive in the mid-tempo. During this period, your metabolism is alive faster, and usually do not accept abundant weight problems in this age range. Of course, this does not beggarly you're accomplishing no best reside in the approaching weight problems than for him to be advantageous and abstain problems in approaching years as able-bodied as we should not carelessness to do for the sport.

25 to 35 YEARS OLD

A minimum of 4 times per anniversary 30 'ar account should do the altered densities of altered aerobic exercises.

Studies accept apparent that, for those over 25 years of aerobic exercise accommodation has been abbreviating 1-2% a year. This agency that your affection has to plan harder and accomplishing circadian activities (eg, bus to plan to bolt up, run, ascend stairs, etc..).

After 30 years of age the physique produces beneath hormones were getting accident of physique tissue food added fat. Weight control, cardiovascular (heart related) exercise provides added spending power. This blazon of exercise increases the claret breeze amount by alteration the backbone of your affection and your lungs to affection ache and protects adjoin weight gain. Therefore, the a lot of adapted exercises, walking, running, may be. These contest may aswell access cartilage physique they provide.

Fitness to plan with ablaze weights, again you will airing 40 account a day (chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs and abdomen) is suitable.

With an anniversary planning exercise, and weight ascendancy cachet should be implemented and chip into our circadian lives.

35-45 YEARS OLD

Before you actualize an exercise affairs that you are physically alive Admeasurement how much. In adjustment to accommodate you with a astute angle needs to be done afore you get a pedometer. This apparatus can calculation the accomplish you took your lower aback throughout the day by installing a. Save the circadian 10,000 accomplish in the accomplish you took during the day and absorb the effort. Do not agitation if you can not complete the circadian 10,000 steps. Try to ability 10,000 accomplish anniversary day accretion in assertive proportions.

30 'lu years, women age they lose beef accumulation and fat accumulation access in the amount of 140-170 g/5-6 appointment with. If no activity, and exercise until the age of 39 unless you accept absent the accumulation of abeyant agency to accretion beef accumulation rather than fat mass. Your metabolism to apathetic down in advancing years will advance to fat accumulation accretion may predispose.

From 7,000 to 10,000 circadian accomplish in a aggregation is a acceptable exercise and it is advantageous to advance cartilage density, complete with physique exercises.

Continually traveling from one abode to accept to walk, not drive as abundant as possible.

Remember, you alone accept a physique to be advantageous and try to assure him.

45 to 55 YEARS OLD

Prepare a plan of exercise and concrete action you can do afore noon. According to analysis afore you exercise in the afternoon compared to 75% added absolute after-effects has been done in the afternoon.

40 'of the abstraction of health-related laws, and added weight accretion occurs with age is supported. Metabolic syndrome, disorders that access the accident of developing abiding diseases, a abstraction that came together. These irregularities in the claret fat level, HDL (good cholesterol), top claret pressure, claret amoroso and insulin includes a high. Width of the waist ambit is a able indicator for these risks. 94 cm for men beyond adumbration of the accident waist circumference. 80 cm for women, this admeasurement is.

Women aswell can accretion this acquaintance by authoritative hormone levels in pre-menopausal. For men, the akin of the hormone testosterone can advice to physique muscles, although the proteins that accomplish up 20% afterwards 50 years of age to in recorded austere declines.

Aerobic movements after too abundant adversity with walking, joging, contest such as cycling and pond 5 canicule a anniversary 30 'R-minute sessions can be done in case.

Swimming coach, abnormally a actual acceptable cardiovascular and weight-loss aids, but can aswell advance to cartilage density. This aftereffect is important for the ages.

55 to 65 YEARS OLD

At this age the weight accustomed contest on a circadian base can be done in affiliation with concrete activity.

Menopause for women to be with the greatest concrete change and its furnishings are accomplished as a absolute or indirect. Afterwards menopause (average age 52) is about 66% women, estrogen, testosterone, and the amount of 50-60% to 1-2% depending on them are accountable to accident of cartilage density. Estrogen, testosterone levels abatement added rapidly access the admeasurement of physique fat in women, and these oils are primarily acquired by the accumulating basin and mid-lumbar regions. All of these changes in cardiovascular risks faced by women during menopause leave forward.

Osteoporosis in both men and women, a cartilage ache that causes the anamorphosis of the bones. Abnormally in the basic of the hip and wrist, would cede it added brittle and sloping. One of every two women over 50 years of age and a cartilage breach due to osteoporosis are faced with throughout his life. Males are afflicted only. Exercise plays an alive role in the action osteoporosis, abnormally in the weight work.

Impact contest 40 times a day to accept him jump, baby all-overs makes a absolute appulse for cartilage density.

"Contact Lens" User's Guide

Many acquaintance lens corrects eyes impairment, the best for those who wish to accomplish altered colors in his eyes dreamed of ... Bausch and Lomb acquaintance lenses, experts told what you charge to be accurate about acquaintance lenses ...

NOW EVERY TIME

Every time you ablution your easily with soap afore affecting your lenses with a bendable and dry with a lint-free towel

When you abolish your lenses anniversary rinse, and antisepticize every time you use beginning lens solution

Every ages you change the lens container. Take 90 canicule afterwards aperture solutions.


If you accept an allergy, abhorrence seasons change lenses added often.

Some acquaintance lenses accept UV-blocking feature, although accoutrement alone a allocation of the eye lenses to assure the absolute eye in adjustment to assure the solar UV-absorbing eyewear.


DO NOT

After inserting your acquaintance lenses do not use hair spray.

Do not abrasion acquaintance lenses adverse or acid abasement or smoke.

Soap, cosmetics or added substances do not acquiesce acquaintance lenses.

Left to dry for a while and re-use lenses.

To apply the lens case or acquaintance lens use tap water.

TO MAKE UP Lens

Contact lenses can accomplish up, but to abbreviate the ache and not to blemish architecture Keep in apperception the afterward suggestions ...

Insert your lenses afore makeup.

Use fat-free and fragrance-free architecture articles eye composition converts all areas.

Water-resistant mascara and eyeliner to anticipate spillage and leakage, use the.

Splashed into the basal of your lenses will could cause discomfort, beard dye, use the besom carefully.

Host Audio Hygiene

Many of us were alleged to apperception the rules of hygiene to ablution our easily frequently, apple-pie the floors, such as antibacterial agents is the archetypal rules. These are the rules of hygiene is so important but beneath able-bodied accepted that the adeptness to acquaint about sesimizle. The abrogating influences of all kinds allege out to assure the "Audio Hygiene" is called. Audiology, Articulation and Speech Disorders provides advice about the Host Audio Hygiene

Establish advice with one of the a lot of important apparatus in our voice. Changes occurring in our articulation baloney and creates a abrogating appulse in all areas to plan life, clandestine life. Especially with the articulation of the profession of assuming teachers, trainers, able managers, complete artists, such as alarm centermost advisers who are at greatest risk. In this context, absorption to complete and assure the bloom of actual abundant importance. Any change that may be afflicted by ambient complete physique is a physique precisely. Behavior for all activities conducted to assure the agency complete is alleged Complete HYGIENE.

Audio Hygiene rules

2-3 liters of baptize a day. Humidity is actual important for the articulate cords.

Non-use, cigarette smoke, break abroad from the media. Non-use of abiding laryngitis, polyps, blight of the larynx as the articulate cords in the abbreviate term, as able-bodied as abiding furnishings of dehydration and fungus (sputum) is due to accretion accident to the articulate cords.

Reflux, articulation huskiness s is one of the a lot of important reasons. Related to abatement of abdomen conditions, and will be advantageous to argue a physician.

Sleep disorders may abnormally affect complete health. If you accept complaints about sleep, allocution to your physician about the accountable would be useful.

Menthol animation openers, use candies and lozenges. These articles can advance to dry out your articulate cords.

Try to stop your addiction of throat clearing. Hard and common throat clearing, coughing accident the articulate cords because of acquaintance with anniversary added hard

Keep your ambiance moist. Agenda that the aftereffect of drier air conditioning and heater. Breathe the air is dry, dry out your articulate cords will could cause the.

Shouting, screaming, talking in whispers as to abstain behaviors that would be advantageous to force your voice.

The army and the microphone to allege for ample areas and be abiding not to acknowledgment that song.

Give articulation break in amid continued periods of time should you charge to talk.

Avoid talking in blatant environments.

Alcohol, caffeine (tea, coffee), and dairy articles to absorb as little as possible. Such articles dry out your articulate cords, and fungus (sputum) may aftereffect in an increase. Instead, adopt their tea plant.

Some drugs can accept adverse aftereffect that you are application your voice, your assessment about this dentist.

If you accept audition accident in this attention should acquaintance your ENT physician and audiology. Audition accident can accomplish it difficult to acclimatize volume.

Avoid talking on the buzz and talking to the arch and close position in abiding care.

Avoid talking too continued sentences.

Be accurate not to yield ascendancy of your animation and able breathing.

Avoid talking if you're fatigued out.

Airborne dust, cast or actinic substances can affect your physique affects the sound. Try to break abroad from this affectionate of environments. If you absorb affluence of baptize in such environments.

Please agenda that should the bloom and physique posture.

Exercise regularly.

Avoid boundless weight gain.

Sexual Development in Children

When they identified as male or female based on biological features to have differentiates. Sexuality added to the structure of this biological, sociological, psychological and philosophical dimensions, including a broader definition. Before birth until death feelings, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and experiences with a developmental technique. Expected a definite period of life sexual feelings, beliefs and behaviors that choose age-appropriate sexual development.

Our knowledge of sexual development and psychosexual development theory is based on knowledge related to the essential. Faced with plenty of positive and negative criticism of the period of this theory has been developed by Freud in 1915. Theory of psychosexual development to this day remains steady. The preliminary criticism of this theory resulted from the mixing of imported kid's sexuality and adult sexuality. In fact, kids of parents who need advice about their sexuality, the sexuality of kids and adults see the mix before surgical procedure.

Different growth stages of psychosexual development, sexual energy by turning to various body parts. Mouth the first year requirements, satisfactions, and the outside surroundings is used in dealing with organ. Children to get to know everything taking them to their mouths, and it recognizes the care of the world with their mouths turn yellow. Their mothers to children from sucking her fingers sucking them in to practice periods. After the first ages of the mouth of the kid to pee or poop to give the location of the pleasure and starts laying the ability to control. Kids much enjoy having the control in the hands of their own. The second year, kids as well as the ability of gold in the work of cleaning or because of urinary tract infections and diaper rashes in this region become aware of the sex organs. In general, the body likes of touching the genitals touched in the work of this period the gratification encouraging. In addition to being female or male at this age also start on the first differences. Which is like a sister or brother to kid sexual games to understand the work, by establishing the period after the entire identification with same-sex parent. In summary, this identification of the kid's interest in sexuality and the body related to the efforts aimed at the continuation of pleasures. Dwindling interest in this place between the ages of about 3-5 more pleasurable and satisfying interpersonal interaction, and learning to play with the efforts of his friends leave.

These identifications and the effect of sex hormones in puberty earlier and sexual identity is created. Referred to here is no longer includes the steps of adult sexuality. Because his belief technique and the effect of hormones was similar to adults.

Here, sexuality is a part of the natural mental and physical development were studied to highlight the knowledge transferred. Parents, teachers and school administrators transferred from here to learn more, contact their kids are necessary to provide correct knowledge on a scientific foundation. You have no idea, "I have no idea," able to say, speak a language they understand them. Their language is the language of medicine and associate your dirmeli, reactions to their physical, mental, and psychosocial development adapted to the level of property. Providing knowledge on sexual matters as well as all kinds of kids whose parents have confidence to speak to.