Posts Tagged ‘illness’

Thyroid Cancer – The Four Types

Thyroid cancer (cancer of the thyroid gland) comes in four types: papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. Papillary and medullary are slow-growing and occasionally return, but respond well to therapy in patients under middle age.

Medullary also responds well to therapy, if it has not already spread. Anaplastic developes rapidly and responds badly to therapy. The extent of these types of cancer is not uniform throughout the world, but is roughly: 78% for papillary; 17% for follicular; 4% for medullary and 1% for anaplastic.

Usually, the first symptom of a problem is the growth of a nodule or nodules in the neck in close proximity to the thyroid gland. However, only 5% of these are malignant. Sometimes an early warning sign is discomfort or even pain; sometimes, the lymph nodes swell, the voice alters or there is hypo- or hyper- thyroidism.

Diagnosis usually takes place after a nodule is discovered during a (routine) physical examination. The patient is then referred to an endocrinologist or a thyroidologist, who will arrange an ultrasound test or a biopsy. Using a thin needle enough cells can be taken to perform an accurate test on the precise state of the thyroid and whether the nodules are cancerous.

Papillary thyroid cancer more frequently occurs in women and often in the 30-40 year old age group and is frequently characterized by bulging eyes. If the growth is less than 1cm in size a partial thyroidectomy or hemithyroidectomy would probably be recommended.

Greater than 1cm and a full thyroidectomy is favoured. Some surgeons would rather a full thyroidectomy anyway because the cancer cannot come back then.

Follicular thyroid cancer is more common in women over 50 years of age. Therapy is most often full thyroidectomy as the threat of recurrence of this aggressive form is quite big for partial surgery.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) starts in the cells that produce the hormone calcitonin. Increased degrees of calcitonin in the blood are a realistic indication of MTC, although these elevated levels of calcitonin are probably not harmful in themselves.

Changes in the DNA concerned in cell growth and development are responsible for nearly all cases of hereditary or familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Hereditary medullary thyroid cancer is inherited as a 50/50 likelihood from every affected parent. DNA analysis makes it possible to identify children who carry the mutant gene.

Surgical removal of the thyroid in children who carry the mutant gene is effective if the whole thyroid gland is removed at an early age, before there is a spread of the tumor. Hereditary MTC accounts for around 25% of all cases of MTC. The other 75% of cases are known as sporadic MTC and normally occur in older patients.

Frequently the disease is well advanced in these cases as there has been no screening as in hereditary MTC. The first sign is frequently diarhoea. The likelihood of surviving MTC seem to be related to the rate at which the patient?s post operative calcitonin levels double.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is extremely aggressive and likelihood of survival are virtually nil. It is resilient to all known cancer treatments and invades nearby tissue rapidly.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on quite a few topics, but is now involved with the stages of ovarian cancer. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

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Is There A Link Between Birth Control And Cervical Cancer?

Birth control is a large topic, there is no doubt about that and women are more aware than ever that having children is not a compulsory outcome of having sex. They are also aware that having children at the wrong time can ruin their careers and they are also conscious that passions or alcohol get in the way of safe sex using condoms very frequently.

This results in women taking care of the vast majority of birth control by taking ‘the pill’. The contraceptive pill caused an uproar in the Sixties with the Establishment and the Churches predicting the downfall of society and morality. And after a fashion, they were correct. But what happened was to sweep away a lot of social barriers and privileges that previously merely the rich (and men) had had. The ‘old order’ lost a bit of ground.

The problem with the way that women took control of their sex lives was or is twofold: firstly, men leave ‘that type of thing’ to the woman and secondly, taking the pill can lead to cervical cancer. The chances of getting cervical cancer from taking the pill are small (15,000 Americans a year, of which a third dies), but they do exist.

However, there are no recorded cases of men developing cancer from using a condom.

Women usually contract cervical cancer from having sex. They pick up the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Most of the time, the woman’s immune system will prevent that virus from causing cancer, but research has shown that women who take the pill for over five years in a row have a higher risk than women who have not.

Consequently a condom would be useful here.

Regrettably, there are no indications in the early stages of cervical cancer, but later on, there might be heavier losses of blood, pain after sexual intercourse and even unpleasant smells. Periods could also last a great deal longer than ‘usual’.

The difficulty with studies is that, there often comes another study to prove something else and this is true here as well. Some studies have shown that the use of the contraceptive pill lessens the incidence of ovarian cancer.

It is like old sayings, there is always a opposite, as in: ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’.

If you listen to the ‘experts’, you would be in a permanent state of dilemma. Therefore, the only actually safe course to take is to go for regular tests or screenings – at least once a year, unless your doctor or gynecologist tells you different and if he or she does, query it.

The pharmaceutical companies have been promising a male contraceptive pill or implant for decades. In fact, the pill might even be there. But that is not the point usually. The problem is normally men. The majority of men cannot be depended upon to supply sufficient contraception while they are concerned in casual relationships.

As long as this state of affairs continues, women will continue to take risks so that they are not bogged down by a family of 10 kids like their great-grandmothers were.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on quite a few topics, but is now involved with the stages of ovarian cancer. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

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Why Take A First Aid Course?

Have you ever been the first individual on the scene of a serious accident? I have – a cyclist took a corner too fast and rather sharp. He came off his bike and was knocked unconscious. I went over, but I had no notion what to do. I was sorry for him because I could not help and I felt embarrassed for myself and still do, ten years later.

This is why everybody ought to know the fundamentals of First Aid. Everybody ought to know how to make an accident victim comfortable and how to resuscitate him or her if necessary until medical professionals arrive.

Everybody should know what to do in the event of accidents that cause such common events as choking, drowning, fractured limbs, heart attacks, burns, scalding and electric shock. Everyday accidents that not everybody sees every day luckily.

A basic First Aid course will teach the ‘Four P’s’, although they might call it by a different name. The Four P’s are Preservation of life; Prevention of further injury; Promotion of recovery and the Protection of yourself.

This is attained by the application of ‘ABC’, which stands for ‘Airways, Breathing and Circulation’, which means that first you ought to check the nose, mouth and throat for blockages, then check for breathing and resuscitate if necessary, then stem any bleeding with bandages and tourniquets, if you have to.

Knowledge of CPR or artificial resuscitation is also desirable and it is also a major component of any First Aid course. Artificial resuscitation ought to be applied when the patient has stopped breathing or the heart has stopped beating. Some basic training is better before applying CPR, because it can harm a patient that does not require it.

Besides just wanting to be a decent citizen, there are several other reasons why you might like to take a First Aid course. Some jobs need that those who carry them out have been on a First Aid course. Professions that may need knowledge of First Aid include: supervisors of children like play school leaders, teachers, scout masters and youth club leaders.

Some jobs will more than likely provide their own First Aid course. This would almost certainly be the case in the police force and in factories where specific industrial accidents may happen such as chemical burns.

If your First Aid is a bit rusty, you should consider taking a refresher First Aid course. You will find numerous First Aid courses once you start searching. Your local community centre may arrange a First Aid course from time to time, so might your local hospital, police force, ambulance and fire services.

If not, you will always find a First Aid course on line. If you take a First Aid course on line, you will almost certainly have to go to an actual test of your knowledge if you want a certificate, although all the study can be done at home, which will save time.

Before you go, here is another mnemonic to help you remember: ‘BBB’, breathing before bleeding, bleeding before bones’ or should that be the ‘6 B’s’?

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently busy with First Aid trainer courses. If you have an interest in RC vehicles, please come over to our website now at First Aid Courses Online.

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A Quick Look At Diabetes

Diabetes is a continuing malady in which the individuals body is not able to accurately moderate the amount of sugar in the blood. The individuals body cannot govern the sugar in the blood due to the lacking of the insulin.

Diabetes has far and wide ranging health consequences for people who suffer from it. Diabetes largely raises the danger of heart issues, possible blindness. Uncontrolled diabetes can contribute to death.

It is approximated that over 18 million Americans have to live with diabetes, and out of 18 million it is figured that virtually one third are not mindful they suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes is easily diagnosed using a fasting blood glucose test. This test is the most accurate testing you can use. A fasting blood glucose outcome of 126 or higher is a sign of diabetes. In general a fasting glucose test is a separate part of a yearly physical for individuals, mainly adults.

Type 1 diabetes, is mostly diagnosed in teenagers.

Type 2 diabetes or mellitus diabetes is the most common kind of diabetes and is usually observed in adults past the age of 40. Non-insulin dependent diabetes is most commonly influenced by a bad diet and obesity as 80% of adults with Type 2 diabetes are believed to be obese.

There are still arguments on the genetics of diabetes. If both your parents have a type of diabetes, naturally your risk is greater than if only one parent has diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is generally linked to genetic components and other factors like poor diet and little to no exercise.

Some of the indications of type 2 diabetes are undetermined weight loss, laziness, excessive thirst or excessive hunger, habitual urination, dry skin, slow healing wounds, abrupt vision problems.

If you discover you suffer from diabetes, you will be required to work real close with your health care provider in order to keep your sugar levels within an satisfactory range. You will have to start testing your blood insulin level probably at least twice a day and preserving your results in a diary. You will need to restructure your diet and pay special attention to size of your portions and meal frequency.

A diabetic diet does not necessarily mean that you can’t ingest foods that are comprised carbohydrates, it just means you can not consume them in an unlimited fashion. Exercise done on a steady basis has been found to aid and help control blood sugar levels. It is advised that individuals with diabetes had better exercise half an hour to an hour a day.

Getting by with diabetes can be overpowering at the beginning, and it will take dedication on your part. However, millions of people live good and active lives with diabetes.

Find out more about diabetes symptoms at our website about: diabetes 2.

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