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The results of a study confirm that girls who undergo radiation for cancer in childhood have an increased long-term risk of developing breast cancer, regardless of their age at the time of treatment.

When such treatment included a high dose to the ovaries, however, women seemed to be protected against future breast cancer risk.

Radiation is a common, and highly effective, treatment for cancers such as Hodgkin's lymphoma, and adolescents and adults who receive such treatments are known to be at higher risk of developing breast cancer late in life, Dr. Peter D. Inskip of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues note in their report.

Inskip's team studied 120 women diagnosed with cancer when they were younger than 21 years old, were treated between 1970 and 1986, and survived for at least 5 years.

Those cases were each compared with four women who developed cancer at the same age but did not receive radiation.

Overall, chemotherapy for the initial cancer did not increase the risk of a second cancer. However, the more radiation a woman received as a child, the higher her risk of a later tumor, Inskip and colleagues report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

However, according to the researchers, the risk associated with radiation treatment of the breasts was "sharply reduced" in women whose treatment of the initial cancer included a high dose of radiation to the ovaries.

Because the women in the study were relatively young, there may still be effects later in life that were not yet seen, the authors point out.

Radiotherapy plus chemotherapy, with or without surgery, works well for people with stage 3A non-small-cell lung cancer, a new study has found.

Stage 3A is declared when surgery cannot cure the disease because it has spread to the lymph nodes in the center of the chest.

Non-small-cell lung cancer accounts for about 80 percent of lung cancers, and smoking tobacco is the most common cause of lung cancer. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the risk of lung cancer is linked to the earlier in life a person starts smoking, the more often a person smokes and the more years a person smokes.

For the study, a research team led by Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Ill., compared 202 patients who underwent chemotherapy plus radiotherapy followed by surgery with 194 patients who underwent chemotherapy plus radiotherapy alone, which is the current standard for these patients.

The researchers looked at the overall survival rates of the 396 patients after five years to draw their conclusions. They found no statistically significant difference in overall survival.

In an exploratory analysis, the researchers found that overall survival did improve for patients who only had part of a lung removed (lobectomy) rather than an entire lung. They speculated that removing an entire lung left patients more likely to die from acute respiratory distress syndrome or other respiratory diseases.

"On the basis of the findings of our study, patients should be counseled about the risks and potential benefits of definitive chemotherapy plus radiotherapy with, and without, a surgical resection (preferably by lobectomy)," the authors concluded.

Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) may improve survival in patients with head and neck cancer, U.S. researchers report.

They said the finding may explain why black Americans, who have far less HPV infection than whites, have poorer head and neck cancer survival rates.

"There is currently no consensus on why blacks fare worse with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck than whites, but this is the first clue that it may be biologic rather than related to issues of access, insurance or provider attitudes," senior study author Dr. Kevin Cullen, director of the University of Maryland's cancer center and a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research.

Cullen and his colleagues found that median overall survival was 70.6 months for white patients and 20.9 months for black patients treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Median survival was 26.6 months for HPV-negative patients, while the survival rate for HPV-positive patients couldn't be calculated because most were still alive.

Four percent of black patients and 34 percent of white patients were HPV-positive, the researchers found.

The study appears in the July 29 online edition of Cancer Prevention Research.

The findings may prove "practice-changing," according to Dr. Scott Lippman, editor-in-chief of Cancer Prevention Research and chairman of the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

"Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is one of the fastest- growing cancers, and this study gives us a new way to assess prognosis for our patients," Lippman said in the news release

Breast computed tomography (CT) scans, already used experimentally to diagnose breast cancer, may also be able to treat it, a California researcher reports.

"Breast CT is superior to mammography for [detecting] masses," said John Boone, vice chair of research radiology at the University of California Davis. He presented information about the potential of breast CT for treatment this week at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine meeting, in Anaheim, Calif.

Since 2004, Boone has led a group of UC Davis researchers in developing the breast CT scan for diagnosing breast cancer in women. The technology's pluses, said Boone, include being more comfortable than conventional mammograms but just as safe.

More than 200 women have been scanned with the custom-designed breast CT prototype scanner, he said. The technology has not yet made its way into clinical practice, he said, but preliminary results look good. "Breast CT is still experimental for diagnosis," he said. But it is already looking to be more effective than traditional mammography at detecting breast masses.

More work needs to be done to find microcalcifications, tiny specks of calcium which don't always mean cancer is present but bear checking, he added.

Next, Boone hopes to use the breast CT scanner to guide interventional procedures such as a robotic biopsy, radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation to treat breast cancer.

With the breast CT scanner, a woman lies on her stomach, face down on the table while the breast drops through a hole in the table; the CT scanner then rotates around the breast. The position is considered more comfortable, especially for big-breasted women.

Boone hopes that the new scanner could be used to perform image-guided therapies such as the technique known as radiofrequency ablation. "It literally heats up the tissue, cooks the tumor and kills the tumor," he said. It may help some women avoid lumpectomy and follow-up radiation therapy.

"The concept is good," said Dr. Chika Madu, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

But she added a caveat that the energy level talked about by Boone may have to be adjusted. "It may come at a price of increased toxicity to the skin," she noted.

The technique may not work for all cancers or all women, she added. "In small-breasted women, not enough breast may come through the hole sufficiently [to treat]," she said. Cancer that is close to the chest wall rather than the nipple may not be treatable by this technique either, she said.

Even so, Madu said, "I think it's worth exploring."

Boone's study was funded partially by the industry, including Varian Medical Systems, Fuji Medical Systems and Hologic Corp.

In another presentation at the same meeting, Michael O'Connor, a professor of radiologic physics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., reported on molecular breast imaging (MBI), a new technique that uses gamma cameras designed for breast imaging.

"The devices look somewhat like a mammography unit," he said. A small amount of radioisotopes is given intravenously and is taken up by any tumors in the breasts, he said.

In a study of 1,000 patients, mammography picked up three cancers but MBI picked up 10, he said.

Next, O'Connor hopes to reduce the dose of radioisotopes and begin a clinical trial. The technique is expected to especially benefit women with dense breasts, for whom mammography is not as accurate at cancer detection.

Efforts to find ways to detect small cancers that can't be felt on exams should be stepped up, said Dr. Gary Whitman, a professor of radiology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Other studies suggest MBI has promise, he said, but O'Connor's finding "would need to be confirmed."

Breast cancer screenings increased more than 17 percent through the use of a reminder program for women who were due for a mammogram, a new U.S. study shows.

Kaiser Permanente staff checked electronic health records of its 35,000 members to identify women aged 50 to 69 who hadn't had a mammogram for 20 months. They were sent a postcard reminder. If they didn't make an appointment within a month, they received an automated reminder call. If they didn't respond to that in a month, they received another automated reminder call. If they still didn't make an appointment, they received a phone call from a clerk in the radiology department.

Within 10 months of the first reminder notices being sent, more than 75 percent of the women had come in for mammograms, compared to 63.4 percent before the start of the reminder program. After the second year of the program, 80.6 percent of the women had come in for mammograms.

The study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"We know mammograms are effective, but too many women put them off, even when they have health insurance," study author Dr. Adrianne Feldstein, an investigator at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., said in a news release.

"This study is the first to show that these reminder programs can be effective in such a large group of women. If we could improve the country's mammography rate by the same amount, we could detect as many as 25,000 additional cases of breast cancer a year," she said.

Regular mammograms can reduce breast cancer deaths by more than 30 percent. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends breast cancer screenings every one to two years for women over age 40. However, current screening rates are well below the guidelines.

Obese, but worried that surgery for it might kill you? The risk of that has dropped dramatically, and now is no greater than for having a gall bladder out, a hip replaced or most other major operations, new research shows.

The study looked at safety results for gastric bands and stomach stapling at 10 U.S. hospitals specializing in these procedures from 2005 through 2007. For every 1,000 patients, three died during or within a month of their surgery, and 43 had a major complication.

That is much better than the 20 or so deaths per 1,000 patients that studies found just a few years earlier. And it's surely lower than the longer term risk of dying of heart disease, diabetes and other consequences of lugging around more pounds than an obese person's organs can handle, experts say.

Many studies have compared those odds, and "all show a higher risk of dying if you do not have surgical treatment than if you do," said Dr. Eric DeMaria, weight loss surgery chief at Duke University Medical Center.

He had no role in the new study, which was led by Dr. David Flum at the University of Washington in Seattle. Results appear in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

About one-third of American adults are obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. The index is based on height and weight. Someone who is 5-feet-4 is obese at 175 pounds; a 6-foot person is obese at 222 pounds.

Federal guidelines say obesity surgery shouldn't be considered unless someone has tried conventional ways to shed pounds and has a BMI over 40, or a BMI over 35 plus a weight-related medical problem like diabetes or high blood pressure.

Last year, at least 220,000 obesity surgeries were done in the United States, says the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. The most popular method is a gastric bypass in which a small pouch is stapled off from the rest of the stomach and connected to the small intestine. People eat less because the pouch holds little food, and they absorb fewer calories because much of the intestine is bypassed. This can be done with traditional surgery or laparoscopically, through small keyhole incisions.

Another solution is a gastric band. A ring is placed over the top of the stomach and inflated with saline to tighten it and restrict how much food can enter and pass through the stomach.

The new study looked at the safety of these methods in 3,412 gastric bypass patients and 1,198 given stomach bands.

Death, serious complications or the need for another procedure occurred in 1 percent of people receiving bands, nearly 5 percent having laparoscopic gastric bypass, and nearly 8 percent of those given a traditional surgical bypass. Maybe

DeMaria cautioned against comparing the numbers, because healthier people may have been steered toward laparoscopic procedures that may not have been an option for others with more health risks.

Complication rates were greater in people with a history of clot problems, sleep apnea and certain other medical issues, the study found.

The federal government paid for the study. Many of the researchers have ties to companies that make obesity treatments, and several have testified in surgery lawsuits.

The results put the spotlight on cost issues, Dr. Malcolm K. Robinson, a surgeon at Harvard Medical School, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

"In the past, now outdated bariatric procedures carried unacceptably high risks. The weight loss associated with the procedures was questionable, and the long-term health benefits were unproven," he wrote.

Now, the evidence shows that "surgery is safe, effective, and affordable," because it can lower doctor visits, medication use and other medical expenses, Robinson wrote. However, "the expense of operating on the millions of potentially eligible obese adults could overwhelm an already financially stressed health care system."

Managing your child's diabetes is challenging enough, but it's compounded when the youngster becomes sick from something else.

The American Diabetes Association offers these suggestions:

• Don't stop giving your child insulin, even if the youngster doesn't have much of an appetite. Call the child's doctor if you're not sure about how to administer insulin during a sick day
• Try not to make major changes to your child's diet. For a child with an upset tummy, offer liquids with carbohydrates, including broth, gelatin, sports drinks, fruit juice and frozen fruit bars.
• Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. Avoid any beverage with caffeine.
• Check with the doctor before giving any over-the-counter medication. Many drugs have sugar and/or alcohol that can affect your child's blood glucose levels.
• It's critical to carefully monitor your child's blood glucose and ketone levels during an illness, so make sure you check the blood every few hours and urine several times daily.

Let’s pretend for a moment that you have two options for improving your health: Eat more nuts or eat more olive oil. Which should you choose?

Believe it or not, nuts could have a slight edge, especially if you’re concerned about metabolic syndrome, a combo of health conditions that raises heart disease risk.

Nuts for Your Health
In a 1-year study, people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet and added an extra ounce of nuts (roughly a small handful) had a lower incidence of metabolic syndrome compared with the people who ate the same diet but instead added 4 to 5 ounces more of olive oil every day. Find out about the cluster of risk factors that makes up metabolic syndrome -- and if you might have them.

The Whole Truth
Why the difference? Here’s one simple theory: Olive oil is a fat extracted from olives, but nuts are a whole food with more good-for-you stuff in them, including fiber, protein, and minerals. Both olive oil and nuts can -- and should -- have a place in a healthy diet. In the study, both seemed to help tamp down high triglycerides and abdominal fat better than a low-fat diet did. But the nut eaters also experienced better blood pressure, which is one reason their metabolic syndrome numbers were better. Go nuts!

To get the heart-healthy benefits of drinking wine without getting tipsy, tipple some grape juice instead.

Research shows that your blood will get two important benefits: More antioxidants will be circulating in it, and bad LDL cholesterol may cause less trouble because it’s more stable.

Two for You
Having extra antioxidants in your blood is always a good thing: They help guard your cells against the kind of free-radical damage that provides a toehold for disease. And more stable LDL is incredibly desirable, too, because stable LDL is less likely to oxidize and stick to artery walls.

Juice It Up
Grape juice has fewer antioxidants than wine, so you may need to drink more to get the same benefit. Sip real juice, not fruit-flavored drinks -- you’ll get more nutrients and less sugar. And keep tabs on your intake, since juice is not a calorie freebie. Get your grape on with this luscious dish: Chicken Cutlets with Grape-Shallot Sauce.

Starting a regular running habit could mean a
longer -- and more comfortable -- life.

After a 20-year study involving close to 1,000 middle-aged adults, researchers found that the fleet-footed participants were half as likely to have died during the study period, compared with the nonrunners. The runners experienced less disability, too.

Exercise-Induced Longevity
In fact, the difference in mortality rates was staggering! During the study, about 34 percent of the nonrunners had passed away by age 70 or so, compared with just 15 percent of the runners -- even though the groups were of similar age, weight, and health status. If you’re new to running,

Running Alternatives
Not keen on running? New to exercise? No problem. You can make yourself up to 10 years younger simply by walking. Or just pick any activity you enjoy, make a date with
yourself -- or even better, with a buddy (you’ll keep each other on track) -- to do it a few times a week. Then, go at it hard enough to get your heart rate up.

Which is better for your teeth -- orange juice or tea?

Turns out that OJ ranks right up there with soda in terms of its enamel-damaging potential. But tea’s effect on teeth is like water’s: It leaves enamel unscathed.

Guard Your Teeth
Think of enamel as armor for your teeth. Once that armor gets worn down or damaged, it can’t repair itself. That’s why acidic beverages -- soda, citrus juice, sports drinks -- are so bad for your pearly whites: They contain enamel-stripping acids (phosphoric, citric, malic, and tartaric acids, to name a few). But green and black teas don’t attack enamel, and they even have a bit of tooth-friendly fluoride to boot. (Could fluoride be bad for your bones?)

Drinks That Do No Wrong
Save wear and tear on your teeth with these other smart sipping strategies:

* Use a straw with acidic beverages. This minimizes contact with your teeth. Or swish your mouth with water afterward. How much water do you really need to drink?

* Drink brewed tea -- and drink it straight up. If you load it up with sugar and lemon, your teeth will feel it. You might want to skip the milk, too. Here’s why.

* Snack on natural stain removers, like apples, celery, and carrots. Here’s a sweet treat that may actually be good for teeth.

Next time you get a nagging headache, try a little fingertip therapy. You might feel better more quickly.

Many people recommend massaging these key acupressure points to ease the grip of a tension headache.

• Your temporalis muscle: With your index and middle fingers, apply pressure to your temporalis muscle. It’s that tender spot where you feel a muscle move when you clench your teeth.
  
  
• Behind your ears: Using your thumbs, massage in a circular motion the spots just underneath the large bones behind your ears.
  
  
• Between your eyes: With your middle finger and thumb, gently pinch the skin just above your nose and press upward so you feel the pressure around your eyebrows.
  
  
• The web of your hand: Use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the fleshy pad of skin between the thumb and index finger on your opposite hand

A comfortable daily walk is a good place to start if you want to live younger and longer.

But include a few spurts of power walking, too. This kind of "interval training" can be a great way to boost your exercise capacity -- an emerging marker of longevity.

Build Up Your Steam
In a large study of women, exercise capacity -- a measure of how hard you’re able to work out -- was tightly connected with mortality rates. The women who had low exercise capacity were almost twice as likely to die during the study follow-up period, compared with the women who had more exercise power.

ABoost Your Grade with Intervals
So how can you increase your exercise capacity? Interval training helps. Just add a few short bouts of more intense exercise to any moderately paced activity. For example, throw some 1- to 2-minute jogging sessions into a long, brisk walk. Or if you’re a steady biker, add a block of rapid pedaling here and there. Interval training can help you burn more fat, too.

Power up with these other helpful exercise tips:

* Pick up the pace

* Mind your timing

* Build brawn

As if wrinkles weren’t bad enough, turns out our brains tend to shrivel as we age, too. Could eggs and tuna be the key to less shrinkage?

Research makes it seem so. Why? Because both tuna and eggs are good sources of vitamin B12. And B12 may help keep brain atrophy in check.

How Low Is Low?
In a 5-year study, people in their 60s and beyond who were low -- but not deficient -- on B12 were three to six times more likely to have brain atrophy than did people on the higher end of the normal B12 range. So being even a little low may be bad. Make sure you’re getting enough by taking a supplement or eating B12-rich foods -- like eggs and tuna.

Why Bigger Is Better
Brain shrinkage is commonly seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease, and more and more research points to a connection between cognitive function and B12 levels. So that may explain the connection with brain shrinkage. B vitamins may help ward off stroke, too.

Want to give your brain a workout? Boost your verbal dexterity with a word game that involves speed, strategy, and vocabulary.

Lost a little weight recently? Here’s the magic number you need to know to keep it off: 275.

That’s how many extra minutes of exercise per week a study group needed in order to maintain a 10 percent loss in body weight for 2 years. Grab an extra 40-minute walk every day and you’re covered.

More Is More
Unfortunately, when people lose weight, almost half of them tend to regain it within 6 months. But you don’t have to be part of that statistic. Just a little extra physical activity could keep you enjoying your new size indefinitely. But that means more than the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day needed to prevent disease. Researchers estimate that most people need 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week -- in addition to eating right -- to keep lost pounds off. Start today. Stay lean. Stay strong. Create your own 20-minute workout.

More Ways to Get Slim
Here are a few more tools for taking off extra pounds:

* Find out why you eat so much

* Get support on your journey

* Motivate yourself by setting a goal and tracking your progress.

Ever had a sinister little bump or growth removed from your skin? Eating these might help keep that spot from coming back: leafy greens.

In people with a history of squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer, a diet high in leafy greens was associated with a reduced risk of another round of the disease.

Reducing the Rounds
The link between a greens-rich diet and lower squamous cell carcinoma recurrence needs more research, but a recent study suggested a possible 50 percent risk reduction. Promising news, especially since people who’ve experienced one growth have a higher risk of getting another. Researchers aren’t sure why leafy greens may have an impact, but we already know that the veggies are full of skin-friendly vitamins and nutrients, like lutein and zeaxanthin.

More Ways to Keep Skin Covered
Of course, nothing beats the tried-and-true basics of skin protection, such as wearing sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats, keeping covered, and avoiding the sun during peak hours. But eating more leafy greens certainly couldn’t hurt, either. When you need a break from fresh garden salads, try these takes on lettuce, kale, and spinach from EatingWell.

* Creamy Spinach Dip -- It has less fat, but it’s still perfect for dipping those baked chips.

* Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps -- Crisp lettuce makes a low-calorie wrapper for the tangy Asian filling.

* Kale with Apples & Mustard -- This sweet and sour dish is big on flavor.

Is your sleep quality kind of poor? Then go ahead and sleep in. New research shows it might be best for your health.

Yep, a study links poor sleep to a greater risk of high blood pressure. But making up for fitful shut-eye with some extra ZZZs seemed to level the risk back down.

Dangers in Dreamland
In the study, researchers surveyed the sleep habits of 1,700 middle-aged adults and had each of them spend a night in a sleep lab. People who slept less than 5 total hours were twice as likely to have high blood pressure as those who slept 6 hours or more. And a self-reported history of sleep problems greatly compounded the effect. But -- and this is the good news -- any fitful sleepers who still got at least 6 hours of total sleep didn’t have the extra hypertension risk.

Solutions for Better Sleep
The combo of short sleep and poor sleep increases heart rate and bumps up production of stress hormones, which could help explain these recent study results. Not getting the shut-eye your body needs to stay healthy? Time to get serious about slumber with these easy drift-off-to-sleep strategies:

* Pull the plug
* Let your worries out
* Don’t forget to stretch


Fact : Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger.

Here’s an easy way to drop your risk of any type of cancer by 10 to 15 percent: Get a move on.

Research shows that an active lifestyle, one where you not only exercise but also keep your body busy through as much of the day as possible, can help reduce the risk of several different types of cancer.

Bodies in Motion
In a study involving close to 80,000 Japanese adults, researchers found that the women who were most active were 16 percent less likely to develop any type of cancer over a period of 5 to 10 years. The most active males dropped their risk by about 13 percent. But it wasn’t just exercise that they marked. Any day-to-day activities counted, including walking to the store, doing housework, and working on a physically demanding hobby

Sweat Protection
Researchers think exercise may have a beneficial effect on certain hormones that influence the growth and spread of tumors. In the study, exercise seemed to have the most impact on colon, liver, and pancreatic cancer risk in men, while a greater amount of activity was particularly protective against stomach cancer in women.

Pick up these natural air allies from your local nursery: philodendrons, spider plants, and ivy.

They are just a few of the green friends that can help scrub harmful compounds from household air. Just one plant per 100 square feet of living space will help absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The Problem with VOCs
VOCs are everywhere. Carpet, paint, foam insulation, household cleaners, air fresheners, and even cosmetics contain them. And, unfortunately, exposure to these toxins has been cited for causing fatigue, headaches, asthma, and allergies in certain people. Could your indoor air be poisoning you? Find out by reading this article.

Love Your Lungs
Your lungs do a lot for you, from helping you raise your voice over the neighbor’s lawn mower to giving you the O2 you need to mow your own lawn. So why not treat your lungs with kid gloves? Here are some other things that your lungs love:

* Sunshine. Okay, the sun can’t really shine on your lungs. But they do love the sunshine vitamin. Find out how much.

* Cabbage. Yep, there’s nothing like some good old sauerkraut, as far as your lungs are concerned. Here’s why.

* Peanut butter. Give your lungs a creamy, sweet blast of this kid favorite -- they’ll thank you for it. It’s all because of a certain vitamin

Solar power isn’t just a smart move in the home. It’s a smart move for your head, too.

So step outside and power up your brain. Research shows that a proper amount of the sunshine vitamin (that’s D, for short) in your system may help you think faster.

D for Deduction
In a study of older European men, those with low levels of vitamin D in their blood did worse on a mental processing test that required quick thinking. Researchers aren’t sure how vitamin D helps the brain to process information, but they think that it might help certain neuroprotective pathways. Here’s another vitamin that can help your brain.

Sun Smarts
Of course, in this era of ever-growing skin cancer rates, you still want to be smart about the sun, so don’t overdo it. Most people can get enough vitamin D with about 10 or 15 minutes of sun exposure twice a week without sunscreen. Or look up vitamin D food sources with this tool and skip the sun. Here are some other, sun-free ways to rev up your cognitive skills:

* Eat your veggies. Find out why your brain loves broccoli.
* Have a walk-along. Here’s how regular cardio exercise can increase your brain size.
* Be a kid. Try these mind-stimulating games to strengthen your mental muscle.

You’re only 30 minutes away from a faster brain.

Fact : Safely getting enough sun can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.

More of your health care takes place in your home than anywhere else. Having the right tools, medicines, supplies, and information on hand will improve the quality of your self-care.

Self-care tools are the basic equipment of your home health center. Store all your self-care tools and supplies in a central location, such as a large drawer in the bedroom or family room. Use the lists of tools and supplies in this topic as checklists for keeping your home health center stocked. It's a good idea to keep all your family's medical records in one place, such as in your home health center. For information on organizing these records, see the topic Home Medical Records.

Be familiar with the disaster preparation and response plan for your area. Keep the appropriate supplies on hand. For more information on preparedness and recommended supplies, see the topic Terrorism and Other Public Health Threats.

Note:
If small children are around, keep your supplies out of reach or stored in containers or cabinets with childproof safety latches.

Cold Pack
A cold pack is a plastic envelope filled with gel that remains flexible at very cold temperatures. Buy two cold packs and keep them in the freezer. Use them for bumps, bruises, back sprains, turned ankles, sore joints, or any other health problem that calls for ice. A cold pack is more convenient than ice and may become the self-care tool you use the most.

You can make your own cold pack:

* Put 1 pint (0.5 L) of rubbing alcohol and 3 pints (1.4 L) of water in a 1 gal (4 L), heavy-duty, plastic freezer bag.
* Seal the bag, and then seal it in a second bag. Mark it "Cold pack: Do not eat," and place it in the freezer.

A bag of frozen vegetables will also work as a cold pack.

Humidifier and Vaporizer
Humidifiers and vaporizers add moisture to the air, making it less drying to your mouth, throat, and nose. A humidifier blows cool to lukewarm mist into the air, and a vaporizer puts out hot steam.

The mist from a humidifier may be more comfortable to breathe than hot steam. But humidifiers are noisy, produce particles that may be irritating to some people, and need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. This is especially important for people who have mold allergies.

A vaporizer's hot steam is germ-free and may feel good when you have a cold. But the hot water can burn anyone who overturns or gets too close to the device.

Medicine Spoon
Medicine spoons are transparent tubes with marks that show typical dosage amounts. A medicine spoon makes it easy to give the right dose of liquid medicine. While the spoons are convenient for anyone, they are particularly helpful for people who have young children. The tube shape and large lip get most of the medicine into a child's mouth without spilling. Buy one at your local pharmacy.

Otoscope
An otoscope is a flashlight with a special attachment for looking into the ear. With training, you can use an otoscope to help you decide if an ear infection is present. Inexpensive consumer-model otoscopes are available, but they do not put as much light into the ear canal and eardrum as the one your doctor uses. They can also be used as high-intensity penlights.

Penlight
A penlight has a small, intense light that can be easily directed. It is useful for looking into the mouth or throat or examining the skin, and it is easier to handle than a flashlight.

Blood Pressure Cuff
If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, it's a good idea to have a blood pressure cuff to monitor your blood pressure regularly.

Blood pressure cuffs come in many models. If you have difficulty reading the gauge on a regular cuff, consider an electronic digital model. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a blood pressure kit and show you how to use it. For more information on how to take a blood pressure, see the topic Home Blood Pressure Monitoring.

Thermometer
Glass thermometers that contain mercury are no longer recommended because of safety concerns. If you have one in your home, consider replacing it with a digital electronic thermometer. You can contact your local recycling center to see if they dispose of thermometers that contain mercury.

Digital electronic thermometers are accurate, easy to read, and durable. Temperature strips are very convenient and safe but are not as accurate as digital thermometers and should only be used to measure armpit (axillary) temperature. They are inaccurate when used on the forehead. Thermometers that measure the temperature in the ear are fast, easy to use, and quite accurate, but they are expensive.

Rectal thermometers with enlarged bulbs are helpful for children younger than 6 or anyone who cannot hold an oral thermometer in his or her mouth. For more information on how to take a temperature, see the topic Body Temperature.

You may be able to detect breast cancer at the earliest stage ever with the help of a new breast self-exam pad. The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved this first-of-its-kind device called the B-D Sensibility Aid. Researchers at Kawasaki Medical University Hospital in Japan found that out of 72 women who had breast cancer, all but one had found their own breast lump when self-examining with the pad. According to Katherine Ally, M.D., director of the breast center at a suburban hospital health-care system in Bethesda, Maryland, "The soft plastic pad has a liquid lubricant sealed inside that can help women familiarize themselves with their own breast tissue and may make it easier to find a lump." She added that the self-examination pad is a great tool for helping women remember to check their breasts regularly, since only 25 percent of women examine their breasts on a monthly basis. Dr. Alley suggests the plastic pad be used in addition to bare-hand breast self-examination, regular breast exams by a physician and yearly mammograms to insure early detection of breast cancer, which is expected to kill 44,000 women in 1999. The pad, which will be widely available in drugstores in September, costs $29.99 (with a $5 mail-in rebate) and comes with a video that explains how to conduct the examination.

Improved detection of breast cancer spread

A new technique for examining cells from lymph nodes under the microscope can improve the detection of breast cancer that has spread to armpit nodes, say researchers.

The international team suggests that the technique, called immunohistochemical detection, aids in the diagnosis and staging of breast cancer, and should become "a standard method of node examination in postmenopausal patients," according to their report, published Saturday in The Lancet.

Staging a cancer, that is, determining how far it has spread, has important implications for treatment and survival. Breast cancer often spreads first to armpit lymph nodes under the arm on the same side of the body as the affected breast.

The findings mean that currently used standard methods of examining tissues to assess the status of the lymph nodes in breast cancer patients are outdated, according to Dr. R.J. Cote from the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, and colleagues with the International Breast Cancer Study Group.

Immunohistochemistry relies on a specific immune reaction between a special stain and breast cancer cells that causes a chemical change that can be spotted under the microscope, the investigators report.

The immunohistochemical method was nearly three times as sensitive as standard tissue staining methods. Among 736 breast cancer patients studied, the standard method detected lymph node spread (metastases) in 52 patients (7%), while the immunohistochemical method detected metastases in 148 (20%), the results indicate.

Also, the new technique was more sensitive than the standard method in detecting lymph node metastases regardless of the type of breast cancer, the researchers note.

``Overall, patients with (lymph node) metastases detected had significantly worse survival than the node-negative group,'' the authors write. Survival diminished as the number of tumor cells detected in lymph nodes increased.

In postmenopausal patients, the presence of breast cancer cells in a lymph node predicted shorter overall survival and higher likelihood of recurrence, the investigators indicate.

Cote and colleagues conclude that the immunohistochemical method provides a reliable, simple means of detecting breast cancer cells hidden in lymph nodes.

A new study form Swedia suggests that drinking coffee can reduces the size of many women’s breasts. The study leader, Helena Jernstrom from Lund University in southern Sweden said that the effect is the result of a gene that about half of women possess.
She said “Drinking coffee can have a major effect on breast size”.


The goal that Jernstorm wanted to achieve, is to examine the relationship between drinking coffee and breast size. He study have shown that large-breasted women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, while downing at least three cups of coffee a day reduces cancer risk.

Green tea..

Many researched has discovered some sources about losing weight, diets and obesity.

They used many medicines which are completely made up of chemicals. At the end, they turned back to the traditional treatment since they thought that those chemicals can damage and destroy our liver. During that researches, they has to discovered the benefits of green tea. Please do not confuse green tea with black tea which everyone drinks daily.

Ancient Chinese people knew the benefits of green tea for health. They have always used it for medical purposes. However, in Ancient China, it was used especially against the headaches and depression. Green tea has a great importance in China history. It is produced from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis by some special processes. Unlike black tea, it has little amount of caffeine which causes to insomnia, nausea and frequent urination.

This is the list of benefits of green tea

1. It is used to treat multiple sclerosis.
2. It is used for treatment and prevention of cancer.
3. It is used to stop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
4. It is used to raise the metabolism and increase fat oxidation.
5. It reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attack by reducing the risk of trombosis.
   
6. It reduces the risk of esophageal cancer.
7. Drinking green tea inhibits the growth of certain cancer cells, reduces the level of cholesterol in blood, improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
8. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases
9. It is used to treat impaired immune function. .
10. Some researches show that, drinking green tea regularly may help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes the dental plaque

Many people say's, Go green and back to Nature is the key to have a long live.

Have a nice tea time
- Arie -

• Bile Duct Cancer
• Bone Cancer
• Brain Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Gallbladder Cancer
• Hodgkins Disease
• Kidney Cancer
• Laryngeal Cancer
• Liver Cancer
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
• Oral Cancer
• Other Cancer
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Pharyngeal Cancer
• Renal Cell Cancer
• Skin Cancer
• Stomach Cancer
• Testicular Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer
• Uterine Cancer
• Vaginal Cancer
• Vulvar Cancer

Cancer,
One of the greatest assasin in this world. And we should know who are they, and how to reduce all of the cancer risk.

And this is the BIG Family of Cancer.

• Bladder Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Colon Cancer
• Endometrial Cancer
• Head and Neck Cancer
• Leukemia
• Lung Cancer
• Lymphoma
• Melanoma
• Ovarian Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Rectal Cancer

I'm sure, Many people in the world HAS TO ASK THIS QUESTION.

And also soo many people feel confuse and have an obstruction about this habit.

If you smoke, you probably worry about what it's doing to your health. You probably worry too about how hard it will be to quit smoking. Nicotine is highly addictive and to quit smoking, especially without help, can be very difficult.

In fact, most people fail the first time they try to quit smoking. But just because you fail once or more than once, doesn't mean you can't succeed or that you shouldn't try again.

First step: Decide to quit smoking and set a stop date, and then take advantage of the multitude of resources available to help you successfully quit smoking.

Second Step: You know chewing gum? Stop your THAT bad habit with consume chewing gum.

Third Step: Stay away from the Smoker.

Fourth Step: Say No to Smoking.

- Goodluck -

I like to tell a short phrase in my country indonesia..

"Lebih baik mencegah, dari pada mengobati"

It's mean, Prevention is better than medicate.

Do you agree with that phrase ?
Well, because that..
it's very important for us to know way for reduce Cancer !!!

And now, i like to share 7 prevention step

Cancer prevention step 1: Don't use tobacco

All types of tobacco put you on a collision course with cancer. Rejecting tobacco, or deciding to stop using it, is one of the most important health decisions you can make. It's also an important part of cancer prevention.

Smoking has been linked to several types of cancer, including:

• Bladder
• Cervix
• Esophagus
• Kidney
• Lip
• Lung
• Mouth
• Pancreas
• Throat
• Voice box (larynx)

Chewing tobacco has been linked to multiple types of cancer, including:

• Esophagus
• Mouth
• Pancreas
• Throat

Inhaled chewing tobacco (snuff) may increase the risk of cancers, including:

• Esophagus
• Mouth

Even if you don't smoke, avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. Being around others who are smoking may increase your risk of lung cancer.

Cancer prevention step 2: Eat a variety of healthy foods

Though making healthy selections at the grocery store and at mealtime can't guarantee you won't get cancer, it may help reduce your risk.

The American Cancer Society recommends that you:

• Eat an abundance of foods from plant-based sources. Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. In addition, eat other foods from plant sources, such as whole grains and beans, several times a day. Replacing high-calorie foods in your diet with fruits and vegetables may help you lose weight or maintain your weight. A diet high in fruits and vegetables has been linked to a reduced risk of cancers of the colon, esophagus, lung and stomach.
• Limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-fat foods, particularly those from animal sources. High-fat diets tend to be higher in calories and may increase the risk of overweight or obesity, which can, in turn, increase cancer risk.
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Your risk of cancers, including mouth, throat, esophagus, kidney, liver and breast cancers, increases with the amount of alcohol you drink and the length of time you've been drinking regularly. Even a moderate amount of drinking — two drinks a day if you're a man or one drink a day if you're a woman, and one drink a day regardless of your sex if you're over 65 — may increase your risk.

Cancer prevention step 3: Stay active and maintain a healthy weight

Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly also may play a role in cancer prevention. Being overweight or obese may increase your risk of cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, stomach and uterus. Physical activity can help you avoid obesity by controlling your weight. Physical activity on its own may also lower your risk of cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and uterus.

Try to be physically active for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week. Once you achieve that goal, adding more exercise to your day may reduce your risk of certain cancers further.

Your exercise sessions can include such low-key activities as brisk walking, raking the yard or even ballroom dancing. Safe exercise programs are available for just about everyone. Your doctor or physical therapist can help design one for you

Cancer prevention step 4: Protect yourself from the sun

Skin cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer — and one of the most preventable. Although repeated exposure to X-rays or contact with certain chemicals can play a role, sun exposure is by far the most common cause of skin cancer.

Most skin cancer occurs on exposed parts of your body, including your face, hands, forearms and ears. Nearly all skin cancer is treatable if you detect it early, but it's better to prevent it in the first place. Try these tips:

• Avoid peak radiation hours. The sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation peaks between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Minimize or avoid being outside during these hours.
• Stay in the shade. If you go outside, minimize your sun exposure by staying in the shade.
• Cover exposed areas. Wear light-colored, loosefitting clothing that protects you from the sun's rays. Use tightly woven fabrics that cover your arms and legs, and wear a broad-brimmed hat that covers your head and ears.
• Don't skimp on sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
• Don't use indoor tanning beds or sunlamps. These also can damage your skin. There's no such thing as a healthy tan.

Cancer prevention step 5: Get immunized

Certain cancers are associated with viral infections that can be prevented with immunizations. Talk to your doctor about immunization against:

• Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can increase your risk of developing liver cancer. Vaccination is recommended for all babies in the United States. Certain high-risk adults also may need to be vaccinated.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer. The vaccine that protects against two cancer-causing types of HPV is recommended for girls ages 11 to 12. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the HPV vaccine be given to girls and women ages 13 to 26 who haven't completed the full vaccine series.

Talk to your doctor about whether you would benefit from immunizations to reduce your risk of cancer.

Cancer prevention step 6: Avoid risky behaviors

Reduce your risk of certain cancers by avoiding risky behaviors that can lead to infections that may increase your risk of cancer. Viruses transmitted sexually or by sharing contaminated needles include:

• HPV. HPV is most often associated with cervical cancer. But HPV may also increase the risk of cancers of the anus, penis, throat, vulva and vagina. The more sexual partners you have in your lifetime, the more likely you are to have HPV.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). People with HIV or AIDS have an increased risk of anal cancer, cervical cancer, liver cancer, lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. People with multiple sexual partners and intravenous (IV) drug users who share needles have an increased risk of HIV.
• Hepatitis B and C. Chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection can increase your risk of liver cancer. Both forms of hepatitis can be passed through sexual contact with an infected person or sharing needles with an infected drug user.

Reduce your risk of these cancers by avoiding risky behaviors. Abstain from sex or use condoms and limit the number of sexual partners you have. Never share needles. Seek help for your addiction if you use drugs.

Cancer prevention step 7: Get screened

Regular screening and self-examination for certain cancers may not prevent cancer, but it can increase your chances of discovering cancer early — when treatment is more likely to be successful. Screening should include your skin, mouth, colon and rectum. If you're a man, it should also include your prostate and testes. If you're a woman, include cervix and breast cancer screening on your list. Be aware of changes in your body — this may help you detect cancer early, increasing your chances of successful treatment. If you notice any changes, see your doctor.

Remamber..

- Lebih baik mencegah, dari pada mengobati-

- Prevention better than medicate -

Some risk factors are not modifiable (age, gender, genetic predisposition). Modifiable risk factors include:

• Smoking: Tobacco use is the cause of an estimated 30% of fatal cancers in Canada and the overwhelming cause of lung cancer
  

• Poor diet -- At least 20 per cent of cancer deaths are linked to a poor diet - including consumption of alcohol. Fruit and vegetable consumption is protective for a variety of cancers, whereas a diet high in red meat, processed meat, and saturated fat has been linked to an increased risk of several cancers
  

• Sunlight: Skin cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer. One of the main causes of skin cancer is exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Mesothelioma is one of the deadliest diseases known to man; the average life span of an inflicted person from the time of diagnosis until death is less than 24 months. It’s a disease that strikes approximately 3,000 United States citizens each and every year; hard working people who have labored for a lifetime to provide for their families, doing the work that keeps this country running and a great place to live. They worked in factories, at shipyards, in mines, for the US military, as engineers, as pipefitters, as steel workers, as auto mechanics, and in so many other professions. They came home to their loved ones exhausted and covered in dirt and dust; tired, but content that they had a job and were providing for their family. Content that they were putting food on the table and a house over their loved one’s heads. Content that they were working to make a better life for their families in this generation and the next...

But what they didn’t know was that while they were working so hard, they were not only slowly killing themselves, but those that they were working so hard to help; their family, their loved ones.

Mesothelioma is a disease that is almost 100% preventable; the only known cause is via exposure to the deadly mineral Asbestos. It comes from inhaling the particles of dust as the asbestos degrades; eating away at the lining of your lungs and developing into a deadly cancer. Dust that was inhaled in clouds of white powder, dust that was carried home on the clothes of the men who built this country, dust that was cleaned from the clothes by the wives and children who supported their sole provider at home, dust that was packed around the heating systems in houses and offices and schools, dust that carried a deadly price; and dust made a fortune in blood money for the companies that produced it.

Unfortunately, the effects of asbestos on the human body were known to be deadly for years by the companies who employed the ‘greatest generation’ and made hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars off of their backs. But instead of taking simple steps to alleviate the problem and save the lives of thousands of their workers, they choose to do nothing and continue to make a “healthy” profit with a “deadly” product. Many even went so far as to hide the truth from their workers and their families. And because the normal latency period for Mesothelioma (The time from exposure until the patient falls ill) is 20 to 30 years, many got away with this for years. We are only now beginning to see the full effects of the disease, and feel the terrible outcry of the people against those who put profits before human lives to a degree that is simply unfathomable.

MesoLink.org is a site created to provide you with up to date information on the deadly disease Mesothelioma. We strive to provide the most complete overview of the disease and all aspects of it. This includes general information on the disease, breaking news on the search for a cure and perspective legislation designed to limit you as well as all other news on the subject, links to other sites and online resources that can provide important and in-depth Mesothelioma and cancer related information, and a legal guide to help you with the complex legal issues involved with Mesothelioma.

Typically the most important variable determining the prognosis and life expectancy of a mesothelioma patient is the stage of the cancer when it is diagnosed. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is more difficult to "stage" than other cancers. This is true for a couple of reasons:

1) because its somewhat rare, and
2) because its initial symptoms are subtle it is usually advanced when diagnosed, making it difficult to stage.

Peritoneal mesothelioma in particular can be difficult to stage because, while pleural mesothelioma has multiple staging systems, pathologists still haven't developed a staging system for peritoneal mesothelioma. Both pleural and peritoneal types of mesothelioma are very serious conditions and neither have a good outlook.

Since mesothelioma is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, the statistics for five year survival for early stage mesothelioma are usually unreliable. It also can not be said with certainty which of the two types is a worse diagnosis; peritoneal mesothelioma or pleural mesothelioma. Many studies show that peritoneal is a more deadly, and rapidly spreading mesothelioma than pleural mesothelioma, but these studies are often contradicted by specialists who argue pleural mesothelioma is the more dangerous and more difficult to treat of the two. Usually patients diagnosed with either peritoneal or pleural mesothelioma are told that they may have less than a year to live. However, according to researchers in leading research centers around the world this is not necessarily the case. More recent studies indicate that patients with mesothelioma might, in some instances, have a better out look than originally believed.

According to these studies about 10% of all people diagnosed with mesothelioma will be alive 3 years later and about 5% will be alive 5 years later. However, if the mesothelioma is detected in its earlier stages and treated, 50% will survive 2 years and 20% people will survive 5 years.

In one clinical trial involving 120 patients with different types of pleural mesothelioma, all of the patients underwent pleural pneumonectomies (removal of the lung and pleura), followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 45 % were alive two years later and more than 20% were alive five years later.

In the same study, patients with sarcomatoid and mixed mesothelioma did not fare as well. Only 20% of these patients were alive two years later, and none of them survived five years.

However, patients that had no cancer in the lymph nodes and epithelioid type tumors did much better. Almost 75% survived longer than two years and nearly 40% were alive after five years.

Another much broader study conducted in Italy looked at the records of 4.5 million people diagnosed with mesothelioma. The survival rates were as follows: 24% of people with pleural mesothelioma and 34% diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma were still alive one year after diagnosis. Two other major studies, also reviewing comparable populations, also revealed similar findings.

Another variable that is extremely important to a patients out look is his or her overall health at the time of diagnosis. Generally the healthier a patient is, the better he or she will react to cancer treatments, and the greater the chances of longer survival. Doctor's have a method of grading a patients health and give each patient a score at the time of diagnosis. This method of grading is referred to as a patient's "performance status" (PS). The best score is 0 and indicates a patient can basically take care of him or herself with out assistance. A performance status of 1 indicates that a patient can do most things, but may need some assistance. The more deteriorated the patient's health, the higher the number.

The patient should always bear in mind that statistics such as the ones mentioned here are in no way definitive. Survivability has a lot to do with a number of different factors including health, type of mesothelioma, treatment choice, and even a patient's morale. The statistics listed here are too general for individual patients to get an exact idea of their own out look.

Patients should consider taking part in clinical trials. Though no one can say exactly why; patients who are treated in clinic trials fare better on average than those who are treated conventionally. Perhaps with all the tests and monitoring that is done, patients become more confident that all that can possibly be done, is being done.

Aging is a natural process we all will face someday. As we age our bodies starts to decline producing natural resources that we all need. As the body declines, aging symptoms develop including wrinkles, crowfeet, weight gain, weight loss, cellulite, and so on. To reduce the aging symptoms we must take steps to maintain our health.

The do not list:
Don’t exercise before going to bed. Exercise will get you all pumped up and your heart rate goes up, you’ll get yourself going and then you won’t be able to relax. Exercise routines are best done in the morning, since it boosts your energy. When you wake up, work out before you continue your day since you will find it much easier. On the other hand, some people prefer to workout in the afternoon. If this is you, the afternoon is good as well, since it will boost the energy wasted from the earlier part of your day. Don’t overdo it rather work out at your own pace. Do what your body says you can do. You can work out in the evening, only work out an hour or two before you go to bed. You will increase energy, yet by the time you resume for the night you will feel relaxed.

What keeps you awake?
Snoring is something that can keep you awake at night. Sometimes snoring occurs from obesity or sleep disorder and so on. If you have a snoring problem, perhaps visiting your doctor will help you find the answers to your problem. Loosing weight by exercising can give you the activity you need for those bones as well as sleeping and sometimes loosing weight isn’t bad for us either. Your partner may snore as well, which keeps you awake at night. If your partner snores ask him/her to visit, the doctor to find out if a medical condition exists. It’s better to know now, rather than wait until it is too late.

Depression and stress can keep us from getting a restful night of sleep. Try practicing yoga. Yoga will help you develop meditation skills. The skills you acquire will help you to relax. Yoga workouts reduce ugly depressive symptoms, which includes stress. Aromatherapy and listening to music will also help to relax you and lessen that depression and stress.

If you don’t seem to be having any luck with whatever you try and your still waking up in the morning feeling like you haven’t had any sleep forever consult you physician. Talk to your doctor to see if he has any ideas that can help you live healthy. Perhaps your doctor can provide you with healthy sleeping remedies that allow you to sleep peacefully.

Eating healthy:
Eating healthy is another great way to live a healthy aging life. When you eat the proper food groups daily, you are building your body by providing it with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it requires to live healthy. As you grow older however, your body will need more of one thing than it will another. Ask your doctor about a diet suitable to help you grow healthy as you age.

Vitamins and herbs are a great way to increase your health and reduce risks of disease. If your body gets the proper vitamins it needs, your body will work to live longer. You have a wide selection of vitamins available to you, yet you should learn about the two groups before taking regimens. Look up the water and fat-soluble. Herbs will provide you a health kit that assists you with healthy aging as well.

Yoga is a sort of exercise. Yoga assists one with controlling various aspects of the body and mind. Yoga helps you to take control of your Central Nervous System (CNS) and more. Enjoying yoga on a daily scale will build you up, which you will notice changes (Good changes), such as a boosted self-esteem. Your body will feel stronger also. For more than 5000 years, people have enjoyed yoga. Yoga derived from the India nations, which many believed that the act has helped millions of American citizens take control of their body and mind. Yoga has proven to reduce stress, which promotes the nervous system helping it to stay strong. Yoga when enjoyed on a regularly scale is a great method to help you with many pressures. Yoga combines spirituality, exercise, positive thinking, breathing and so on to help you enjoy healthy aging.

The Pros and Cons in Yoga:
Yoga is a valued practice for many people worldwide. Yoga incorporates fitness, health, gymnastics, and training in a set of rules. Yoga helps you to maintain or loose weight. Yoga is a stress reducing machine. Yoga will train your mind, since it teaches you to control your thoughts through meditation and breathing. Breathing right is essential to yoga’s creators. When you practice yoga, it keeps you in contact with your inner self. You learn to balance your mind and body, which leads to good health. Your emotions are controlled as well, which means fears, doubts, and other negative influences will not take control of your life. Rather you will have control. As you practice yoga, you will feel comfortable with you and the people around you. The world will become yours, since you learn to communicate effectively and stop sweating the small stuff. The cons in yoga, includes that some types of yoga training is not right for everyone. Another con inside yoga is that you sometimes have to modify the workouts to benefit your body type and to withhold the workout suited for your strengths. This is not a con necessarily, but it can be if you have to figure out where beginners start.

How to get started:
The first thing you should do is see your family doctor. Make sure you are able to enjoy the type of yoga you choose. When your doctor approves of your choice of yoga steps start out slowly. Guide your way into mediate exercising. Yoga will put you in connection with your spiritual side, so prepare to find a new you. When you first start yoga, perhaps you would benefit from joining groups that practice yoga. The group sessions may inspire you to continue your journey to healthy aging. Having support is essential for all of us, which yoga groups can become your support team. If you cannot find a group in your area, visit your local library. You can also purchase books that train you how to enjoy yoga. Videos are available as well.

Where do I go after I’ve trained in yoga?
After you have taking the steps to get started, you will need to find a quiet area that makes you feel comfortable. You want to avoid interruptions while practicing yoga.

When will I notice the change in me?
Like everything in life, you will not notice a change in you right away. It takes time to notice or feel the changes. If you do this like your suppose to do on a regular basis you will see some changes gradually. Keep in mind that yoga is teaching you how to control your mind, body and emotions. Work with yoga and yoga will work with you.