Health care

Archive for April, 2010

Breast cancer is traditionally thought of as an exclusively female-related disease. But like breast cancer in women, breast cancer in men is the uncontrolled growth of the cells of the breast tissue.

Breast cancer in men can be just as dangerous as breast cancer in women. More than 1,700 men are diagnosed with male breast cancer each year. But because men often wait to report the symptoms of male breast cancer, the disease is more likely to have spread, leaving many men with less hope that treatment will lead to recovery. Read the rest of this entry »

There are already so many reviews that give out and shares different kinds of techniques and strategies. But Strip that fat review differs from them, for it has its own new strategies that are really effective. All of the techniques were proven safe and effective. Isaac Boulez Eat Weight off Review is quite different. Read the rest of this entry »

The main difference and advantage between Invisalign and traditional braces is that in Invisalign is a clear form of braces treatment so that you can undergo treatment without the embarrassment of having metal wires and brackets on your teeth. The invisalign braces use clear invisible aligners which are difficult to spot that you are wearing them with the naked eye, which was previously easily seen with traditional metal braces. Read the rest of this entry »

Organic refers to the manner in which agricultural products such as grains, vegetables, fruits, meat and dairy products are grown and processed. Organic farming methods are aimed at encouraging the conservation of soil and water and on reducing pollution.

By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, Special to Lifescript
If you love to bake, chances are you have a difficult time steering clear of all the fresh-baked goods you make. You tell yourself you’ll take any extras to work so the calories don’t end up on your hips, but how often does that tray of chocolate chip cookies really make it out of your house?

If you can’t give up baking, bake smarter. Most recipes can be made healthier with low-cal substitutes, like egg whites instead of whole eggs or whole-wheat flour instead of bleached. 

One of the tastiest ways to slim down your muffins, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more is to substitute equal parts applesauce for the oil or butter in your recipe. For every tablespoon you substitute with applesauce, you’ll be saving yourself almost 100 calories, as well as 14 grams of fat, and you won’t even taste the difference. Just make sure you use no-sugar added applesauce to help reduce calories, and pick the smooth kind so there aren’t any mysterious chunks in your cupcakes.

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By Jorge Cruise, Chief Diet and Fitness Expert
As a hard-charging, health-conscious woman, you’ve made big strides toward your fitness goals. There’s a good chance your meals are balanced, and a 50/50 chance that your checkbook is too. But is your schedule balanced? It should be! With all the duties we juggle on a weekly basis, it’s easy to let workout sessions fall out of our careful balancing act.

I carve out time for my workouts every Sunday night when I sit down with my calendar and organize my week. I fill in the appointments, chores or errands I need to attend to, and then schedule my workouts around those events. I’ll plan an abs-targeted, strength-training session for Monday and focus on lower-body muscle-firming on Wednesday. I also pencil in social time with friends and, most importantly, quality time with my wife and kids.

Setting weekly and daily goals is a very important factor in leading a healthy and happy life. When you don’t prioritize, you go around in circles and don’t get much of anything done! The more prepared and organized you are for a healthy week, the better your chances are of succeeding.

Your coach,
Jorge Cruise

For information on Jorge’s fitness program and to get a free copy of his Belly Fat Cure Report, visit jorgecruise.com.

Got a question? Ask Jorge Cruise

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on the latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

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By Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript Chief Medical Officer
For post-menopausal women at high risk of both invasive and non-invasive breast cancer, tamoxifen (Novaldex and numerous generics) remains the gold standard of treatment, according to an updated analysis of the so-called STAR trial (Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene).

Tamoxifen has been shown to be more effective than raloxifene (Evista) at preventing both forms of breast cancer. However, as reported at the recent American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, raloxifene was less likely to cause serious side effects.

Since 1998, tamoxifen has been the only drug approved for reducing breast cancer risk. However, it’s known for rare but serious side effects. Raloxifene was developed and approved for the osteoporosis treatment in post-menopausal women in 1997. Due to its similarity to tamoxifen as an estrogen receptor modulator, raloxifen was subject to the first-ever clinical trial to compare a drug (tamoxifen) proven to reduce the risk of breast cancer with another drug (raloxifene) having the potential to reduce risk. The so-called STAR trial was born.

STAR was launched by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, a network of cancer research specialists. STAR started enrolling participants in 1999, and by June 2004 had enrolled over 19,000 post-menopausal women at 500 centers across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

Initial results were announced in 2006 and showed that the drug raloxifene worked as well as tamoxifen in reducing breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women at increased risk of the disease (strong family history, previous biopsy of suspicious lesion, other breast tissue abnormalities, etc.). Both drugs were found to reduce the risk of cancer by about 50%, but raloxifene had fewer serious side effects.

Subsequently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of raloxifene in 2007 for reduction of invasive breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis and in post-menopausal women at high risk of invasive breast cancer.

In the updated STAR trial, study participants completed an average of five years of treatment with nearly two years of follow up. While tamoxifen maintained its nearly 50% reduction in the risk of breast cancer, raloxifene was now shown to reduce risk by 38% compared to the 50% rate of risk reduction reported in the first STAR results in 2006. Raloxifene was nearly as effective as tamoxifen in preventing noninvasive (localized) breast cancer.

However, in terms of side effects, the raloxifene group was at much lower risk of some serious complications, such as endometrial cancers and blood clots. As a result of the most recent STAR results, tamoxifen is likely to remain the preferred treatment in high-risk women who can tolerate the drug and have no uterus. However, in those women with a uterus, who are prone to blood clots, or who can’t tolerate tamoxifen side effects (hot flashes, dizziness, fluid retention, headaches, nausea), raloxifene may be the preferred treatment.

See All House Calls by Dr. Geehr.

By The Lifescript Editorial Staff
Diabetics should visit the dietitian on their care teams on a regular basis for nutritional control of the disease, says the American Diabetes Association (ADA). See a dietitian when you’re first diagnosed with diabetes, any time a new doctor changes your treatment plan, or twice a year for a routine review of your meal plan and goals. More frequent visits may be helpful if you want to improve your diabetes control, or if there’s a change in your lifestyle or schedule, such as a new job, marriage or pregnancy.

A dietitian can also help diabetics who are beginning a new exercise program, changing medications, or experiencing complications such as high blood pressure or kidney disease. The ADA also recommends a visit if you have unexplained high and low blood glucose levels; are concerned about weight or blood lipid levels; or simply feel bored, frustrated or unmotivated to follow your meal plan.

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