The Mayo Clinic published 10 tips to reduce cancer risk in their most recent issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.

Here are the tips and below there’s more explanation:

1. Stop smoking
2. Limit alcohol intake – some alcohol is okay, too much is not
3. Follow recommended intake of fruits and vegetable (daily!)
4. Decrease the amount of fat in your daily diet
5. Lose weight if you’re too heavy, try to gain weight if you’re too thin
6. Move! Get active
7. Watch your skin (from the sun and don’t use tanning beds)
8. Don’t take chances when having sex. Protect yourself.
9. See your doctor regularly and take part in recommenced screening tests
10. If you have had cancer or are at particularly high risk, speak with your doctor about chemoprevention, which is taking medications to reduce the risk of new cancers

How and why do these steps help?

First of all, none of these are a surprise. All these recommendations, save for the last one, are recommended to help reduce the risk of developing many health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and more. So by following these tips, you’re helping your body more than you may realize.

Smoking: Did you know that smoking not only increases your risk of developing lung cancer, but also mouth (tongue, cheek, palate, throat, gum) cancer? Your risk of bladder cancer also climbs quite a bit. Smoking affects your whole body, not just your lungs. Also, the social act of smoking is often accompanied by other not-so-healthy lifestyle factors, like drinking alcohol, limiting exercise, and so on. By quitting the cigarettes, your risk drops every day you’re no longer a smoker.

Alcohol: Many of us like to enjoy a good glass of wine, a cold bottle of beer, a good scotch – and many of us limit ourselves to a moderate number of glasses. However, if you drink too much, more than the recommended amount for your sex, you increase your risk of mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum cancers.

Fruits and vegetables: It’s not that difficult to add the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet, but it does take planning. Unfortunately, with the hectic lifestyles many people lead these days, food planning often goes out the door. Five servings of fruits and vegetables daily are the minimal amount that you should be taking in. The thing is, servings are not huge, so this is not impossible. Two and a half cups of fruits or vegetables over the course of the day is maybe one apple, one tomato and a couple of stalks of celery. That’s not too much, is it?

Limiting fat: This one may be of the easiest things to do. Fat is an essential part of the human diet; we need it for our body to function properly. However, the type of fat and the amount you get is important.

This table, from the USDA, shows you how much fat you should have according to the number of calories you should have per day:

And this table, from the same source, gives you an idea of what foods have what fat:

Source: ARS Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17.

Weight control: Being a healthy weight for your body build helps your body in many ways. It can even help reduce the pain of osteoarthritis for some people. Being too thin also has health issues, so keep that in mind if you are trying to lose weight.

Get active: Enough said!

Watch your skin: Tanning is not beautiful – any change in your skin color means there is damage going on. Don’t use tanning beds – they’re even worse than the sun. Plus, too much sun exposure doesn’t just contribute to skin cancer, it makes your skin old, dry and wrinkly well before its time.

Protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections: Sex with people without protection exposes you to hepatitis and HIV, both of which are very high risk for cancer, let alone the disease itself. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes genital warts, some of which can cause cervical cancer, cancer of the cervix.

Screening tests: Screening tests for prostate cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, are all over the news, but don’t forget the other screenings that you can have done. You can have a colonoscopy to check for the beginnings of colon cancer and you can have your skin checked regularly to look for signs of skin cancer. If you are at high risk of a particular type of cancer, speak with your doctor about screening for that, as well. And, don’t forget your dentist. He or she is the one who can detect signs of oral cancer.

Chemoprevention: This is a relatively new area, most commonly known for women who take Tamoxifen to help reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back. You may want to speak with your doctor about this if you are at a high risk of cancer or you have already had it.

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Images: MorgueFile.com

Post from: Blisstree

10 Tips for Reducing Cancer Risk

However, many parents are holding back with the vaccine, not because of moral issues, but because they fear what the drug’s side effects will be. The drug is, after all, new, and they fear that we don’t know everything about it yet that we need to. So even though the recommended age for the vaccine is starting with 11-12 year olds, some moms are waiting until the later teen years.

What do you think about this decision? Will you wait or get your daughters vaccinated now?

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

Will You Give Your Teen Gardasil?

Oral cancers, of the tongue, gums, lips or mouth, are in the rise around the world. And the sad fact is that most oral cancers are preventable. According to the American Cancer Society ,

Most oral cancers could be prevented if people did not use tobacco or drink heavily.
Quitting tobacco and limiting alcohol use sharply reduce any risk of developing oral cancer, even after many years of use. Many oral cancers may be found early by a combination of routine screening examinations by a doctor or dentist and by self-examination.

Another cause of oral cancer, of the lips, is the sun. Just as we protect our skin from the harmful rays, we need to protect our lips, using lip balms that contain sun block. This isn’t just for the summer either – if you’re an avid outdoor winter sports person, the sun can be particularly hard on your lips as it bounces off the snow.

The use of alcohol and tobacco and its relationship to oral cancer shouldn’t be surprising, but what may surprise many people is the effect of HPV (human papillomavirus) on the rising incidence of oral cancer. This risk is even higher if combined with smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.

HPV is the same virus that may cause women to develop cancer of the cervix. The virus has been the target of a vaccine that was recently developed, targeting young women who are not yet sexually active.

Fight Oral Cancer website

The Fight Oral Cancer website was started by Arma Shahidi Fitzgerald after the death of close friend to the disease. According to her homepage,

This cancer kills more people than breast cancer. Over 480,000 cases of oral cancer occur each year worldwide, over 34,000 cases each year in the U.S. When compared to other cancers very little has been done to inform the public on how they can avoid the ravages of oral cancer.

Learning about oral cancer

So, if this cancer is becoming so common, why don’t we hear more about it? It isn’t getting the same attention as breast cancer or prostate cancer but who knows why it’s still in the shadows. But, with sites like Fight Oral Cancer and by spreading the news about it, the awareness may increase and people may become more possibility of oral cancer.

Symptoms

The symptoms of oral cancer may be confused with something else in the mouth, but if you notice anything unusual, it’s best to contact your dentist or doctor to have it checked as soon as possible. With early treatment, most oral cancers have a good prognosis.

According to the MayoClinic.com, the symptoms of oral cancer include:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• A lump or thickening of the skin or lining of your mouth
• A white or reddish patch on the inside of your mouth
• Loose teeth
• Poorly fitting dentures
• Tongue pain
• Jaw pain or stiffness
• Difficult or painful chewing
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Sore throat
• Feeling that something is caught in your throat

Don’t be worried about feeling foolish if everything checks out ok. When it comes to cancer, it’s best to err on the side of caution, because the alternative is to have the disease and let it spread.

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Image: FightOralCancer.com

Post from: Blisstree

One Person, Every Hour of Every Day…

A new study out has weighed in on the benefits of circumcision – the potential that it can help prevent the spread of the human papillomavirus (HPV). A few forms of HPV are responsible for a significant number of cervical cancer cases, as well as genital warts.

According to an article over at WebMD , the risk of circumcised men contracting genital wards dropped by 25% and contracting HPV by 35%. The article also points out that women who only have one partner and he is circumcised, have a lower chance of developing cervical cancer, according to earlier studies.

Just some fuel to add to the circumcision debate. Now, to find something on breastfeeding…

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Image: iStock

Post from: Blisstree

Could circumcision reduce STD spread?

So far, i have four valid contestants. Because of that and because I wouldn’t be online much, I will extend the contest to Monday, 19th May 2008 (GMT+8) at 23.59.

I will announce the winners on Wednesday, May 21.

Thanks a lot., please join if you haven’t done so already.

Post from: Blisstree

Ooopss…I almost forgot about the blog contest!

April was STD Awareness Month and it is better late than never to mention it here,just now.

To kick off the month of April, I am running a contest wherein 2 winners will each win a “Take The Test” HPV Awareness Bracelet.

Contest Mechanics:

1. Leave a comment to this post until 1159 PM (GMT+8) on May 16, 2008. 1 unique commenter = 1 contest entry which i will raffle from a “hat”, the old-fashioned way.
2. Winners (2) will be announced the next day (May 17, 2008) in a blog post. The winners will than have to drop me a line at gloria.g@b5media.com within 24 hours. Else, I will be drawing a new winner.
3. This contest is open to all readers of this blog, wherever you may be in the world.

It’s that easy. You guys have a say about anything cancer, cervical cancer, HPV, STD Awareness Month or simply that you want the “Take The Test” HPV Awareness Bracelet.

This contest is brought to us by The Digene HPV Test — the only test for high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) approved by the FDA. The HPV test is more sensitive than the Pap Smear alone in detecting cervical cancer.

Some facts I lifted from the HPV Test fact sheet (word document) sent to me by Anna Brew (thanks Anna!)

• The Digene HPV Test is based on proprietary Hybrid Capture® technology, which combines two innovations from the rapidly evolving field of life sciences – DNA/RNA probes and monoclonal antibodies – to allow rapid, standardized gene testing in virtually any lab setting.
• By combining the HPV and Pap tests, the ability to identify women at risk for cervical cancer is increased to virtually 100 percent.
• In 2003, the FDA approved the Digene HPV Test for cervical cancer screening, in conjunction with a Pap, in women age 30 and older.
• Use of HPV testing for routine screening is recognized in guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Women’s Association.
• The majority of insurance companies cover the HPV test for routine screening.

Highlighting is solely mine in the above. It has been emphasized so many times hoe screening and early detection of any cancer is critical in treatment and survival. The earlier a cancer is detected, the higher the rate of successful treatment and patient survival.

Cervical cancer is deadly. But it can be detected early if women will submit themselves to regular screening. Nothing should stop us if a screening method is available to us. Most importantly, don’t miss any appointment with your Ob-Gyne.

Your thoughts? Put them in the comment section below. Happy Monday, guys!

Post from: Blisstree

Digene HPV Test, STD Awareness Month, Cervical Cancer and A Blog Contest

Approved by the FDA in 2003 for cervical cancer screening in conjunction with a Pap, in women age 30 and older – Digene® HPV Test – is based on proprietary “Hybrid Capture” technology, which combines two innovations from the rapidly evolving field of life sciences – DNA/RNA probes and monoclonal antibodies – to allow rapid, standardized gene testing in virtually any laboratory setting.

Sounds great.

I only have one question: Do most insurance providers in the U.S. cover this HPV test? ( Because I am not based in the U.S, and where I am it probably is too expensive for normal women to afford.)

Greater if they do. Don’t you think?

No offense to the makers or PR people of the Digene® HPV Test, I am just saying that novel tests/screening procedure should be easily accessible to anybody.

Or maybe heads of States should have tests like this subsidized (if not free) to all women?

If Merck can lobby for the mandatory cervical cancer vaccination, why not mandate the cervical cancer screening test (if not already)?

(Is the Gardasil® mandate already reversed?)

Post from: Blisstree

Digene® HPV Test: Only High-Risk HPV Test Approved by the FDA

Regarding these HPV vaccines that will protect women against cervical cancer, the CDC recommends that the vaccine should be routinely given to girls at 11-12 years of age – the stage before young girls are more likely to become sexually active.

Now there is a new project that will evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of these vaccines.

The said project -funded by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – will be jointly conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the New York State Department of Health.

The said project is an attempt to determine how many people are receiving the vaccine and whether or not it is having a measurable impact on rates of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions.

Find more details from University of Rochester Medical Center.

[Photo Credit: URMC]

Post from: Blisstree

Cervical Cancer Vaccine To Undergo Evaluation

Now, an Australian study of under 150 Perth women included in a major international research at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research proved that the new Cervarix vaccine provides broader protection against cervical cancer because it also demonstrated additional protection against infectious from other strains of HPV that account for another 10 percent of cervical cancers.

According to co-author Dr Rachel Skinner, who headed the Perth trial:

“We have found through this study that this vaccine is extremely effective in the prevention of pre-cancerous disease of the cervix due to infection with HPV types 16 and 18.

However we now have evidence that Cervarix offers women broader protection by providing some protection against infections caused by HPV types 45 and 31. These types together with HPV types 16 and 18 account for 80 per cent of cases of cervical cancer worldwide.”

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration approved Cervarix™ last month (May 2007) for women aged 10-45 years, making it the first vaccine in Australia available for women over the age of 26 years.

The results of the said trial have been published yesterday in the prestigious international journal The Lancet.

Find more details from the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

GSK’s Cervarix™: A New, Broader Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Last February, mandatory vaccination of Gardasil® took effect in the state of Texas only to be overturned by a legislature in April. While most states have proposed laws to make Gardasil® vaccination a mandate, no one followed Texas State.

However, the big issue remains whether whose decision it is to have your daughter vaccinated by Gardasil® – the parents’ (especially in the case of the young girls) or the State’s?

It is understandable though that conservative Christians and watchdog groups are opposed to it and that they continue to scrutinize the issue and the safety of the vaccine per se.

In my honest opinion, of course mandatory vaccination kind of condones “sexual promiscuity” (words of conservative groups opposing the mandate, not mine) and parents would like to act like parents and would either decide to have their young daughters vaccinated with Gardasil® or they would go against it and act as “watchdogs” instead to their daughter’s sexual life.

[Lest we forget, it is an undeniable fact that agreeing to the vaccination will protect more and more women.]

Of course once the daughter reaches legal age she has the option herself to agree to be vaccinated or not. By then she would have total control of her body – to either become celibate or not – and then protect herself from either unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

My stand on the issue remains the same (mandate or no mandate) mainly because – isn’t the world already promiscuous at some level? You cannot reverse that fact anymore. And how would one prevent young people from being sexually active, especially in the free world? C’mon guys, let’s think practical and reality.

I don’t care how much Merck earns for every vaccine series of Gardasil® (3-shot series costs 360$), I just want to be thankful that there is a vaccine as such that will prevent humankind from sexually transmitted infections of strains of human papilloma virus (HPV) leading to cervical cancer in women – the second most common type of cancer in women (after breast cancer!).

For sure there will come a time that the cost of this vaccine will plummet down and who knows when it will benefit men as well. (Some states are already offering the vaccine either free or at a reduced cost.)

In Tucson for example, even though the State will not mandate its vaccination, Gardasil® is becoming hugely popular in teen girls and their parents.

According to Dr. Eve Shapiro, who specializes in adolescent medicine and has given at least 400 doses of Gardasil in recent months, now that most insurance covers it:

“The response is huge. Right now, I’m giving it to 14-, 15-year-olds and older — those who are already or nearly sexually active. We wanted to get them covered quickly.

It’s a very big advantage to prevent all that, with this vaccine. This is a safe vaccine that’s been rigorously tested. I don’t see any downside to it But I’m not hearing people say they’re afraid it will make their daughters sexually promiscuous. That just has not been an issue.”

[Tucson pediatricians are reporting that more than 90 percent of families are choosing to have teen daughters vaccinated.]

I think these families are thinking straight. Or maybe the conservative authorities and so called citizen watchdog groups are just giving the general population less credit on this matter?

My two cents anyway…

What do you think? And how do you feel about all this issue on Gardasil®?

Post from: Blisstree

Gardasil, Cervical Cancer and an Update on Mandatory Vaccination