January 30th, 2008 by Aaks
It can sometimes be a mystery. You speak to people in their thirties who are suffering from arthritis but others in the seventies are happily going about their business without the inconvenience of this condition. So exactly what causes arthritis?
First of all we have to be clear about what type of arthritis we are talking about because there are several different types with different symptoms. We’ll concentrate on osteoarthritis as this is the most common condition and most people will know somebody who suffers from it to a greater or lesser degree.
Doctors do not know the precise causes but they are able to identify a number of risk factors for getting the condition. Here are some of those factors:
Age - We are more likely to suffer from arthritis the older we get. The cartilage that protects the ends of the bones in a joint becomes thinner in sufferers and less able to repair itself. The condition is sometimes referred to as a ‘wear and tear’ disease.
Injury - It has been found that osteoarthritis can develop in joints that have been previously affected by injury. But just because you have had a broken bone or other injury it doesn’t mean that you are going to get arthritis in later life.
Weight - being overweight can put more stress on the weight-bearing joints of the body such as the knees and hips. These are frequently affected by arthritis and many doctors would recommend that overweight sufferers try to lose some weight if possible
Sport - There is a paradox here. Playing sport can have many beneficial effects to us all, including people with arthritis. But high impact sport at a professional level has also been implicated as a possible cause of arthritis. The twisting motion on the knee in sports like soccer, or the constant pounding of the jogger running 50 miles a week could be a contributory factor in developing arthritis. Less intense activities such as swimming are less likely to cause such problems.
Occupation - The occupation that you have performed for years may also be telling. Physical jobs such as building site laborers are more at risk. Assembly line workers who perform repetitive tasks can also be more likely to suffer.
Although it is not always possible to exactly pinpoint the causes of arthritis, it is useful to know the risk factors so that we can take action to reduce the risk of getting the disease.
For advice on natural arthritis remedies visit www.arthritispainadvice.com. If you are looking for specific osteoarthritis pain relief there are details of treatments that that have helped other people.
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January 30th, 2008 by Aaks
In this article I am going to describe some of the treatments used in arthritis, I am not talking pharmaceutical drugs you will have to discuss these with your doctor.
The arthritis foundation have stated that there are over 100 diseases that contribute to this painful condition, certain cancers and the flu are just some of them.
* Ginger has been proven to reduce joint pain, as it contains an enzyme that produces anti-inflammatory properties. It can be taken in many different forms, as a medicine, tablets, tea or fresh. Even if you cook it with a meal it will release a medical dose into your food, there are no reports of side effects due to high dosage levels.
* Another of natures wonders is cayenne pepper, this has many roles to play not only as an arthritis aid. It can be used externally for people suffering with poor circulation, or in a cream form to relieve lumbago. Cayenne’s Latin name is capsicum frutescens, so if cream is the way you want to go look for a product with the name capsicum in it.
* How about stinging nettles these have been used for thousands of years, most of us will remember the pain associated with these plants from when we were kids. Anyway the theory is to grab a handful of nettles in a gloved hand and then whack the sore joint, if you try this please let me know how you got on. A much kinder way to take this treatment is as a tea, or steam some young leaves and eat them don’t worry they will have lost their stinging effect.
* Devils claw that sounds a bit scary, but it is a plant found in South Africa, these are generally taken as a supplement, it is not advisable to take this product if you are pregnant.
* Glucosamine hailed as a new wonder drug by many, combined with chondroitin can work miracles, well as far as I am concerned I swear by the product.
Glucosamine and chondroiton are natural chemicals found in the body, they manufacture cartilage this works as a sort of shock absorber. Take them in tablet form I am sure you will find relief from osteoarthritis.
Of course you can go for the tried and trusted method of hot and cold treatments, my wife uses one of those bags that are full of wheat, you simply place the bag in the microwave oven and heat for three minutes. Place it on the sore joint, without getting technical the heat from the bag increases blood flow to the joints therefore easing pain.
Follow this with cold treatment wrap some ice cubes in a towel and place on the joint, this can help to relieve inflammation, do not put ice cubes directly on the skin.
All of the products I have mentioned here are natural, so they will not harm you. But if you are the least bit dubious please ask your doctor, he will probably tell you to save your money and take some drug he prescribes but to hell with him make your own mind up.
Chris Emmerson full of aches pains and woes but sorry folks still around contrary to some folks wishes. Why don’t you pop over to my site http://www.bulldogsandallpets.com
Have a look around folks I am sure you will find something to interest you, don’t worry its not all to do with bulldogs.
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January 26th, 2008 by Aaks
There are many types of skin cancers. The types of cancers depend upon the area affected and the severity of the disease. A skin cancer can damage any part of the body. The symptoms also differ from the type of cancer developed.
The three types of cancers are BCC, SCC and melanoma. The main symptoms of BCC are:
a. on the skin bumps develop in the form of a circle and the bumps are usually in the shape of a pear. If they swell then immediately visit should be made with the doctor. These bumps usually occur in the areas that are often exposed such as face, neck or shoulders.
b. When crusts develop on the lump, they may bleed and cause infection. If such symptoms are noticed they immediately visit the doctor because this bleeding can be the early cause of cancers.
The BCC and SCC develop in the similar form. Following are the symptoms of SCC.
a. the SCC develops in a form of patch in the skin at the initial stage. The size of the patches is usually form and appears on the face like a scale. It of course! Causes a lot of discomfort to the skin. They usually appear on those areas that are exposed to the radiations of sun most of the times.
b. Similarly like BCC they later on began to bleed and develop in the form of an ulcer. Most of the patients who develop it think that he has developed an ordinary swelling but he may not be aware that it may cause a major problem to him. But he must realize that it may lead him to cancer.
If these symptoms are neglected at an early stage then the large of these bumps obviously enlarge. Then these bumps develop cancerous cells within them.
If you develop melanoma then you notice the following symptoms:
a. in the initial stage you develop moles and when the moles develop they become cancerous. You must realize the onset of skin melanoma if you notice large moles in your adulthood or if you are feeling itchy or discomfort due to the presence of mole in the skin.
b. You must be able to identify moles. The moles are usually encircled by some peculiar elements. The color of the mole appears somewhat brown or red. You may notice lesions also.
There are many types of skin cancers as the skin is made up of many layers and each layer consists of many cells. The type of skin cancers depend upon the layer infected and the cells damaged. The skin is made up of three main layers and the three main layers consist of three main types of cells. The outer most layer is known as epidermis and it consists of three cells. The second layer is known as dermis layer and the inner most layer is known as subcutaneous layer. This innermost layer consists of fat and loose cells. When skin cancer is caused the layer that is most affected is the epidermal layer.
1. As you know there are three types of cancers ie. Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC, Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and Melanoma.
Basal cell carcinoma: the basal cells that are found in the epidermis are affected by the cancer. This cancer is mostly caused to people with fair skin. When this cancer develops the basal cells enlarged. This disease is mainly caused to people who are often exposed to sunlight. The cancer becomes malignatnt if not treated for a longer time. The cancerous cells spread due to the development.
SCC: The Squamous cells are the outermost lining cells of the epidermal layer. If these cells are affected they can affected the entire skin or the entire layer of epidermis. It should be treated at the right time or else the cells become malignant. these cells do not have the property of metastazing even if they are left untreated for a longer period but they may just spread to the nearby tissues.
Melanoma: it is the most hazardous type of cancer compared to the other types of cancers. In the lower area of the epidermal layer melanocytes are present. They are responsible for the secretion of pigment known as melanin when it is exposed to sunlight. This disease is so dangerous that it can spread to the inner organs also.
The treatment of skin cancer also depends upon the type of disease he is experiencing. There are many types of skin cancers. If a person is diagnosed with melanoma, then he must undergo very systematic form of treatment. Even the doctors should treat such patients so carefully that the cancer should not spread to the other cells. But a person who is undergo BCC or SCC can be treated with localized treatment.
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January 25th, 2008 by Aaks
Day by day the cases of skin cancers are increasing. Even the most developed countries like U.S. are not able to resolve this problem drastically. Hence care should be taken by every individual to reduce the occurance of the disease. People with fair complexion should take utmost care of their skin because they are most likely to develop the disease if they neglect it. But the symptoms cannot be easily identified by an individual. even when the skin is in normal conditions, he rarely develops sores or swellings. Hence he may think that the problem is minor but it is actually the onset of cancerous activity. If the skin is treated at an early stage of cancer then it is easily curable. Hence an individual should visit the doctor and get tested and diagnosed as quickly as possible.
Following are the examinations conducted by the doctor for the patient suffering from skin cancer:
a. Physical examination: the problem of skin cancer can be easily understood by the doctor just by conducting minor tests. Skin cancer can be diagnosed easily when compared to the other types of cancers. The doctor may get an idea about the skin disease just by conducting the physical examinations. The doctors get an idea about the unhealthy skin even if he just physically examines your hands. He just examines the state of your skin and asks you some common questions. He may ask you if any of your family members suffered from the disease earlier. He may briefly ask you about your lifestyle, habits and food. Then he may ask you about your work environment to know if you are exposed to harmful radiations in your daily life. If he finds out that you continuously work under conditions where you are exposed to radioactive substances or harmful radiations he examines you even more critically.
b. Biopsy: biopsy is a method of taking out the affected part of the skin and examining it under microscope to know the presence of cancerous cells. It is considered as one of the most effective tests of knowing cancerous. The presence of cancerous cells can be easily noticed under a microscope. These tests are only conducted by the doctors. In case there are any abnormalities in the epidermal layer then it can be easily noticed. Through the biopsy the level of infection of the skin can also be accessed. Through the method of biopsy it is very easier to know if a person is suffering from melanoma or not. After biopsy even further tests are conducted.
c. Chest x-rays: by passing x-rays through the chest the picture about the chest is obtained. In this way the presence of melanoma can be noticed.
d. Blood tests: blood tests are conducts in order to know if the other organs are infected by cancer or not. If the cancerous cells are present then certain enzymes will be noticed. Blood test is usually the final test that is conducted to really confirm if cancerous cells are present or not.
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January 25th, 2008 by Aaks
The aim of treatment is to remove the cancerous cells or tumors that are present into the skin. The operation of cancerous cells of the skin is easier and does not require any incisions or excisions as required for the other surgeries. There are two types of skin treatment i.e. localized treatement. Systematic treatment. The localized treatment is given to those patients for whom the infection has spread only to the localized area and the infection has not spread to the other areas. Systematic treatment is adopted by the doctors when the infection of the skin has spread to the other organs or parts. When the infection is really severe then localized treatments do not work out effectively.
The techniques used for treating skin cancer are:
a. surgery: surgery is more effective to the disease that is not severe. In other words if the skin cancer has not spread to the other parts then surgery is the effective method. The tumorous or cancerous growth is removed. The lesions or the tumors that are developed are extracted through surgical procedures.
b. Radiotherapy: when the infection is severe and the tumors cannot be operated just by a surgery then the method of radiotherapy is used. Either the radiation generating source is kept outside theperson’s body or a person is injected. The external radiotherapy works out more effectively for the skin.
c. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a systematic type of treatment where the chemical reagents are inserted insider the body and these substances cause some reactions and destroy the cells inside the body.
The localized treatment is useful for treating the BCC and SCC and melanoma requires systematic treatment.
Frequently doctors do not use one single technique, but uses the combination of two techniques. The cancerous cells are effectively destroyed when two or more methods are used. But there are many side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The cancerous cells are affected and so also the normal cells.
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January 22nd, 2008 by Aaks
The causes of other types of cancers are totally unknown. But the cause of skin cancer can be detected easily. People who are continuously exposed to the harmful radioactive substances or harmful ultraviolet or infrared rays are prone to skin cancer easily. Usually the workers who continuously work in polluted environment damage the quality of their skin within a shorter period of time. Hence due to the continuous deposits of dirt on the body the texture of the skin is deteriorated. Many expert researchers have successfully researched the harmful effects of harmful radiations on the skin. Hence everybody should become aware about the root causes of skin cancer. Following are the factors that result in skin cancer:
a. Ultra Violet Radiations:
The ozone layer that prevents the earth from extreme climatic conditions is already punctured slightly. Due to the ecological imbalance in the earth, people are easily affected by the ultraviolet rays of the sun. but even when there is ecological imbalance and continuous exposure of the sun rays the skin is deteriorated and hence you become easily prone to skin cancer. You must be careful not to absorb sunlight too often.
b. x-rays.
X-rays contain some radioactive substances that weaken the skin cells. In this way x-rays also cause skin cancer. Frequent x-rays causes serious health hazards to his skin.
c. immunosupression:
The immune system that is present in our body fights against the foreign agents that attack the foreign elements that penetrate into the body. But if the immune system is weakened then the harmful foreign substances easily enter into our body and even if you are exposed to the ultraviolet radiations for a shorter time then you may become prone to skin cancer.
d. Contact with chemicals:
Now-a-days due to the growth of hard industries many people become exposed to harmful chemicals in their day to-day life. Some of the harmful chemicals which are released by the industries are hydrocarbons, arsenic etc. the skin is basically sensitive to these chemicals and causes reactions. This case is very common with people working with tar. As the skin undergoes chemical changes it develops cancer due to carcinogenic effect.
There are many other ill-effects of cancer:
- people who already have had skin disorders continuously and persistently have had their skin cells weakened and hence they develop skin cancer easily.
- If a person has already suffered from skin cancer earlier and has been treated has his skin cells weakened and he develops skin cancer easily.
- A person should be careful if his family members have already suffered from this disease earlier.
- If a person has dysplastic mole in his skin, then he develops the disease easily.
- Experts have proved that people with fair skin develop skin cancer easily.
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January 22nd, 2008 by Aaks
The cases of skin cancers are increasing every year and many deaths are being caused from this disease today. In most of the countries the incidences of skin cancers are the highest when compared to the occurrences of other cancers. The rate of incidence is the highest in the United States. Every year in the states nearly 1 million people are affected by this disease. Even such developed countries were not able to curb the rate of occurrences so far. Gradually, the rate of deaths due to occurrences is also increasing every year. Out of the 10 cancer patients at least 3 persons die from the disease every year. The doctors state that people suffering from malignant skin cancer survive for five years. But they do not show good signs of health in their five years. If the cancer has not spread to the other tissues thus damaging them, then the chances of survival is 85%. In case if the cancer has spread to the other tissues then the chance of survival is below 70%. Worldwide, nearly 3 million people suffer from this disease every year.
The disease is mainly caused to the people between 50- 60 years of age. But at the same time it does not mean that the youngsters are associated with the risks of occurrence. Genes also affect the factor of skin cancer as the dark skinned people such as Africans do not develop the disease easily. People with fair skin develop it more easily. In America the rate of incidence is the highest. Anglo Saxons are more easily prone to this disease when compared to the other races.
To some extent the development of cancer depends upon the habits of an individual. If a child continuously gets exposed to sun exposure and makes loitering a habit then he becomes more vulnerable to skin cancer. The reason is that the sun radiate harmful ultraviolet rays and thus causes cacogenic effect on the skin. The BCC and SCC is more releveant to people between the age group of 50 and 60, but melanoma commonly occurs among the people between 20-39 years. Melanoma is the most severe disease compared to the other two because the cancerous cells spread to the other tissues more easily.
Skin cancers are mostly caused by the unhealthy habits of the people and due to their negligence of the skin. When a person develops skin cancer the infection rapidly spreads to the other areas of the skin and it persistently causes irritation to him. A person who is continuously exposed to ultraviolet radiations or radioactive substances is most likely to develop skin cancer. Hence every individual should take of his skin every now and then. He must not allow himself to get often exposed to harmful rays that can create skin problems. They must lead a healthy lifestyle and often take care of their skin. Even if they are facing minor skin problems they must the skin specialist. At the initial stage, the cancer can be treated completely. But as the cancer develops the treatment of this problem becomes difficult. If the disease is not diagnosed at an early stage, then the chances of survival also minimize.
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January 22nd, 2008 by Aaks
Skin cancer is such a disease that can occur to any individual. The medical experts till today could not specify the age group of occurrence. They could not either successfully reduce the chances of occurrence because every year the statistics of cancer patients is increasing. Skin cancer is not as harmful as the other types of cancers. The cancerous cells usually affect the other normal cells and impair the normal functioning of the organs. Hence cancer spreads to the other organs also. But a patient suffering from skin cancer does not face the same hazard. But yet a person experiences a very discomfort feeling because the skin is of the body is affected. The skin cancer is divided into two types. The type of skin depends upon the origination of the cells. In the United States the incidence has become so high that almost 1 million of the people are prone to skin cancer every year.
The symptoms of the cancers are usually not noted earlier. Initially, the cancer grows is the form of precancerous lesions known as dysplasia. This tumor is not a cancer but later on it develops cancerous cells within them. These tumors are actually benign in nature and the treatment of the tumors is also easy. But in case, they are neglected for a long period of time they becomes malignant. when the cancer has developed then it spreads to the other organs and affects the normal functioning of the skin.
There are three main categories of skin cancer. They are Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and melanoma. Melanoma occurs rarely and the rate of occurrence of BCC and SCC is 90% of the total cancers. These two types do not spread to the other organs thus impairing their normal functioning. But melanoma has the property of metastazing. Metastazing means spreading of the cancerous cells to the other organs. When SCC is caused then outer lining of the elliptical cells is affected. The BCC and SCC both the diseases are treated in the same way. Melanoma, as the disease is severe compared to the two diseases, it is treated with chemotherapy techniques because the diasese is often spread to the other cells.
Like the other cancers, one should be aware of the skin cancer symptoms and hence we can start the treatment as early as possible. Till today, no one knows the exact symptoms that can be noticed before the occurance of skin cancer, but factors like hereditary, earlier skin cancers can cause cancer easily. One should be aware of these factors. If somebody from the family is already suffering from skin cancer then the other members should take care of. The skin cancer originates from the moles of the skin that is known as dysplastic nevi. The disease is more easily caused to people who are aged. Now-a-days due to the sun exposure and the high level of radiation released by the sun or UV factors skin cancer can be caused very easily. One should avoid the sun burns or apply ointments that protect you from the harmful radiations of the sun.
But yet, the organizations such as WHO are taking steps to reduce the chances of these cancers. In this way, the people all over the world are becoming aware of the spread of the disease. If a person has any doubt regarding his skin problem, he must immediately visit the doctor and take treatments as frequently as possible.
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