Children who eat fries raise breast cancer risk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Very young children who eat French fries frequently have a much higher risk of breast cancer as adults, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

A study of American nurses found that one additional serving of fries per week at ages three to five increased breast cancer risk by 27 percent.

"Researchers are finding more evidence that diet early in life could play a role in the development of diseases in women later in life,"

Read article: Children who eat fries raise breast cancer risk

The terrible toll of asbestos

In the U.K., nearly 2,000 people are dying from the same disease every year and the incidence is rising. Globally many more lives are lost every year from this and other diseases linked to asbestos exposure.

Much of the asbestos poison which is responsible for this global epidemic is produced by Canada, and globally, asbestos producers have prevented attempts to regulate the trade in this acknowledged carcinogen. Last year, Canada orchestrated the blocking of the second attempt by the United Nations to introduce a prior informed consent regime to global asbestos sales; Canada had also acted to block the first attempt made under the Rotterdam Convention to include white asbestos on a list of hazardous substances.

Read article: The terrible toll of asbestos...National Post, Canada

Former Subic workers file asbestos suit

Yet another case of asbestos-related cancer and suit.

Former warship workers in the dismantled United States Naval Base in Subic will file charges against 24 American firms to seek compensation for damages to their health due to exposure to asbestos products.

Two of the 1,000 victims were identified as Ronnie Ferreras and Cess Olmo, residents of Zambales and Bataan, respectively. Ferreras is presently undergoing treatment at the Ospital ng Olongapo due to a lung-related sickness.

Article source: Manila Standard Today
Former Subic workers file asbestos suit

Low level of asbestos exposure proved fatal

Cancer linked to shop's stuffy storeroom

Blue asbestos fibers identical to that lining the walls of a stationery shop were found in the lungs of its former manager, who died of an asbestos-linked illness after working there for more than 30 years, it was learned Monday.

The man died at age 70 after suffering mesothelioma, and fibers of blue asbestos -- considered extremely toxic -- were found in his lungs.

Read article: Low level of asbestos exposure proved fatal
Japan Times

Related article: Asbestos related diseases

Daydreaming activity linked to Alzheimer's

Source: The Star

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The parts of the brain that young, healthy people use when daydreaming are the same areas that fail in people who have Alzheimer's disease, researchers reported on Wednesday in a study that may someday help in preventing or diagnosing the disease.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that the way people use their brains could actually lead to Alzheimer's disease.

Read: Daydreaming activity linked to Alzheimer's

What is Cancer?

This BBC News version is by far the easiest to understand
on Cancer.

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells

What is cancer?

The human body is made up of hundreds of different types of cell, all of which behave differently.

A cell in the kidney, although it contains the same genetic information as a brain cell, performs a completely separate role.

Cancer happens when a tiny part of the cell's mechanism goes wrong.

Continue...

The Claim: Exercise Is the Best Way to Strengthen Abdominal Muscles

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Published: August 23, 2005
NY Times

Is it true that Exercise Is the Best Way to Strengthen Abdominal Muscles?

THE FACTS: Watch any infomercial promoting the latest abdominal machine and you will hear a spandex-clad salesman claim that if you practice one simple exercise, a six-pack will emerge within

But while Americans spend more than $100 million on abdominal exercisers every year - and of course do countless hours of crunches and sit-ups - studies suggest that the best route to a washboard stomach does not involve abdominal training alone.

Most abdominal exercises help strengthen the muscles but have little effect on fat deposits that sit above them. And, liposuction notwithstanding, there is no way to "spot-reduce" stomach fat, just as doing side leg lifts will not trim fat from the hips.

The best regimen for defined abs, research suggests, combines dieting and plenty of cardiovascular exercise - to streamline overall body fat - with the usual abdominal workouts.

And those expensive devices advertised on television? A recent study by researchers at Kansas State University found that they might not be worth the enormous sums of money Americans spend on them.

The study, published last year, had a group of 23 men and women in college exercise with various devices - an abdominal "roller" and an abdominal "slider," among others - while electrodes measured the stimulation to their abdominal muscles. The study found that, on average, the products elicited no greater muscle activity than traditional crunches.

And two of the devices, an ab "slide" and a type of Swiss ball called "FitBall," caused more activity in the hip flexors than in the stomach, "an undesirable feature of abdominal exercises," the study said.

THE BOTTOM LINE Doing abdominal exercises alone is not the best way to improve your stomach muscles.

Article Source...NY Times

Virginians get fatter; like many other states

BY TAMMIE SMITH
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

And in the States...Virginians get fatter; like many other states

Virginians, like everyone else, are getting fatter.

The percent of Virginians who are obese increased from 2003 to 2004, mirroring a national trend of every state except one, according to a report from a nonprofit group.

However, the doses were high enough to increase the risk of gut bleeds.

Regular aspirin use was already known to cut the risk of recurrent benign bowel tumours, called colorectal adenomas, in patients with a history of bowel tumours, either cancerous or benign.

Read article: Virginians get fatter; like many other states

Cancer: The facts

BBC News said...

One in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer during our life.

The disease tends to affect older people - but can strike at any time.

Excluding certain skin cancers, there were more than 270,000 new cases of the disease in 2001 - and the rate is increasing by about 1% a year.

Some cancer, such as breast, are becoming more common, while new cases of lung cancer fall away due to the drop in the number of smokers.

However, while the overall number of new cancers is not falling, the good news is that successful treatment rates for many of the most common types are improving rapidly.

BBC News Online has produced, in conjunction with Cancer Research UK, a guide to some of the most common forms of cancer and the treatments used to tackle them.

Learn more about different types of cancer, and the experiences of patients.

Aspirin 'cuts bowel cancer risk'

Aspirin is associated with side effects

According to BBC News,

Taking aspirin regularly for over 10 years does reduce the risk of bowel cancer, a study which looked at 82,911 women over a 20-year period suggests.

Those who had taken two or more aspirin - or similar painkillers - a week had significantly cut their risk, it found.

Read article: Aspirin 'cuts bowel cancer risk'

Report Finds Fetuses Feel Pain Later Than Thought

By DENISE GRADY
Published: August 23, 2005
NY Times

Taking on one of the most highly charged questions in the abortion debate, a team of doctors has concluded that fetuses probably cannot feel pain in the first six months of gestation and therefore do not need anesthesia during abortions.
Read story...

Information on Cancer

Here are a few sites I came across that might be useful to you if you are a caregiver to a cancer patient, or a patient yourself. Be strong.



The breast cancer site. (It provides an opportunity for visitors to help fund mammograms. The least one can do.)

The Oncolink is the Web's first cancer resource

Nutritional Solutions provides information on how to maximize Cancer Therapy with nutrition and herbs that enhance the efficacy of surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy treatments, while safely reducing their toxic side effects. It also provides information on utilizing cutting-edge, scientifically-based strategies to help control cancer with wholesome foods and natural dietary supplements.

The National Cancer Institute site offers valuable cancer-related health information and insights about the exciting work being conducted by NCI-supported scientists throughout the country. For the general public and health professionals, there is consumer-oriented information on a wide range of topics as well as comprehensive descriptions of the research programs.

Cancer NewsWatch
As a caregiver to his wife, Lori, Cary Miller decided to set up a home to house any useful information he can find so that it will be easily accessible to caregivers, patients, and the general public alike. Lori maintains a blog about her life battling with cancer.

Articles:
Mesothelioma
How is Mesothelioma treated?

HRT 'causes cancer', says UN body

The truth is finally out that HRT does cause cancer.

Read article: 'HRT 'causes cancer', says UN body
Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050729/344/foi2o.html

The UN's cancer agency has concluded that hormone replacement therapy, taken by millions of women around the world, causes cancer, but did not advise women to stop taking the treatment.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that, based on consistent evidence emerging from studies over the last few years, it has reclassified hormonal menopause therapy from "possibly carcinogenic to humans," to "carcinogenic to humans."

Studies have convincingly shown that the treatment slightly increases the risk of breast and endometrial cancers, the agency determined.

It also concluded that the combined contraceptive pill, taken by about 10% of women of reproductive age, causes more types of cancer than previously thought.
Previously, the pill had been identified as causing liver cancer. Now, further research has demonstrated that it also slightly increases the risk of breast and cervical cancer, the agency said. However, the investigation also confirmed that the pill decreases the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers.

"It's a complicated picture," said Vincent Cogliano, head of the agency's monographs department, which is widely regarded as the international authority on which substances cause cancer.

He went on: "It doesn't mean women should stop taking the treatment. There are still other reasons to take it. Each woman has to discuss it with her doctor and weigh the risks and benefits."

Fit Is One Thing; Obsessive Exercise Is Another

Now we know that excessive exercise probably better termed
'obsessive' exercise does more harm than good. Read on.

By JANE E. BRODY
NY Times
Published: August 9, 2005

Many people have asked me why my knees were hobbled by arthritis long before I turned 60. Being born bowlegged gave them a start. But I made things worse by jogging daily for about 10 years and playing singles tennis for an hour nearly every day for more years than I can remember until increasing knee pain forced me to cut back to three or four times a week.

Still, in winter, I went ice-skating most days, and during the warmer months, I cycled 10 miles nearly every morning. About the only activity that did not damage my knees was lap swimming, which I did four or five times a week.

I loved my activities and planned my life around them, scheduling my workouts around family and professional obligations. When I couldn't do my daily activities - typically two or three a day - for reasons of weather, travel or closings of the facilities - I felt out of sorts, even guilty, and worried about gaining weight.

Read story: Fit Is One Thing; Obsessive Exercise Is Another

Bad air quality Dos and Don'ts

A big part of Malaysia is experiencing bad air quality
due to the fires burning in Sumatra. The condition has
worsened. There are some measures that people can take
to counteract against it healthwise.

Here are some do's and don'ts






HARD TO SEE: Southport crane operators continue working despite the poor visibility.

Soothing hot springs of Selayang

By STUART MICHAEL
Photos by DARRAN TAN
The Star


Visitors soaking their feet in the water of one of the three hot spring pools in the area.


Chef Rahmat using a bucket to splash the warm water onto his body.



Read article: Soothing hot springs of Selayang