Testing It Up

Whether we’re always aware of it or not women tend to be just as negligent about their health as men. If something doesn’t seem to be immediately damaging or risky to our health we blow off getting it checked out until it is and as it turns out end up paying the price for it. The following symptoms could be early warning signs that cancer is present in a woman’s body and when more than one is detected should warrant immediate medical intervention to rule out cancer.

• Bloating: This symptom can be especially tricky as it also occurs with menstrual cycles for many women. However it’s also an early sign of ovarian cancer in the body. When this is present it’s often accompanied by abdominal or pelvic pain, a lack of appetite and an increased frequency of urination. If you’ve had this on a regular basis for as long as a few weeks you need to get evaluated by a doctor.

• Inexplicable Weight Loss: If you lose 10 pounds or more in a month’s time without any major changes in diet or exercise you must go in for an evaluation! This is one of the major signs of cancer in the body!

• Bleeding Outside of Cycle: If you’re dealing with bleeding in between cycles or after menopause you shouldn’t ignore it! It can be a warning sign of endometriosis which requires ultrasound to evaluate.

• Breast Changes: While many women are aware of lumps and know to look out for them it’s not always as well known that they should also be watching for other changes. Thickening or redness of the breast skin, a rash that lasts for weeks, nipple changes, and breast discharge outside of breastfeeding are also signs to be on the lookout for.

• Difficulty Swallowing: You may even have changed your diet to accommodate the issue. The trouble is this could be a sign of GI Cancer and is also an early warning signs of both heart attack and artherioschlerosis in women.

Cancer is an illness that can affect anyone at any stage of life, a fact that has long posed problems for those who develop it at a young age when illness and loss of life are unexpected and the warning signs are often either shrugged off or missed altogether. No group is more affected by this oversight than the teenager.

Teens are at an age where the early warning signs of ill health are often seen first and then analyzed by the teen who is dealing with them without asking for input from the parents. Parents no longer worry over their health in the same way that they did before they became a young adult because they’ve become more independent and better able to care of themselves. Teens are far more likely to ask a friend or classmate about a health issue then they are to ask their parents. This lack of communication and observation often leads to the matter being left alone until it becomes more serious and begins to affect the mind and body in more obvious ways.

Many of these signs are attributed to less serious problems when the patient seeks medical attention such as menstrual cycles, excess weight, poor attitude or bad behavior. Doctors can be just as dismissive of the early signs as parents assuming that many teens are simply going through hormonal and body changes common to their age group.

These Signs Could be Early Symptoms of Cancer:

• Lethargy
• Bone Pain
• Fever
• Weight Loss/Weight Gain
• Feeling Ill With No Cause
• Pain
• Bleeding With Urine or Stool

According to CNN medical correspondent Sajay Gupta H1N1 is “a lot like…the flu”. The correspondent has firsthand knowledge about what it was like to experience the new and more virulent form of the flu after he dealt with it in Afghanistan. The doctor explains that the symptoms began as a cough that stings the chest and went on to become fever, body aches, and eventually nausea and vomiting.

While the virus is considered to be a serious health concern worldwide Gupta’s own case was treated as any other case of the flu might have been with a decongestant, Tylenol and eventually an IV (to replace lost fluids when they couldn’t be held down). Dr. Gupta expressed a strong belief that most people will have no more serious symptoms than he himself had and have the added benefit of easily accessible medical care, a luxury didn’t have while he was in Afghanistan. This is interesting news in light of the warnings put out by such groups as the World Health Organization who warned that the first strain of the flu shouldn’t be used as a guide for how serious the impending strain will be.

Over 100 wells in Morrison, Wisconsin are polluted thanks to uncontrolled runoff from dairy farms leaving residents ill and dealing with symptoms like chronic diarrhea, severe ear infections and stomach illnesses. Water there was tested and found to have been contaminated with things like E.coli  and coliform bacteria among other contaminants more commonly found in cow manure.

How did this happen?

There are few regulations that make efforts to control things like this. While there are laws that were made to protect and regulate water and wastes that pass through ditches and pipes the same can’t be said for above ground wastes like manure which is sometimes used for fertilizer on farms.  Larger cattle farms are meant to be regulated (the EPA has made laws to help regulate them) however most farms don’t bother to fill out paperwork that makes the EPA aware of them. To make matters worse laws passed by the Bush administration allow many of these farms to self-certify their lack of pollution making it easier to bypass any regulation that might prove otherwise.

Agricultural runoff is the greatest pollutant of U.S. streams and rivers, sickening at least 19.5 million Americans every year. Parasites, bacteria and viruses travel in these waters coming from animal and human wastes pumped into them from various sources throughout the nation. The problem has only recently gotten much focus, inspiring a major article from the New York Times last week.

New York Health Screening

Chikungunya virus has spread from Africa since 2005 affecting regions of India, France and Italy and in some cases becoming fatal. This new mosquito borne virus is far worse than West Nile which sickens only about 1 out of every 10 who become infected with it. Chikungunya virus will make those it infects very ill and it’s not uncommon for it to be fatal. The fact that there is no virus doesn’t help the outlook for the patient either.

Chikungunya, which was first discovered in Tanzania in 1952, causes fever, nausea, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, rash and joint pain. These symptoms can last for a few weeks and for some it can results in a pain like arthritis that lasts for months after the initial infection.

The mosquito that carries the virus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is found all around the world and is most prominent east of the Mississippi in the U.S.  so the area where it can spread might seem small here. However it’s beginning to become a problem in the Islands of the Indian Ocean a popular tourist spot for Europeans.  With all the planes going in and out infected tourist and mosquitoes are traveling to other parts of the world spreading the potential area of infection. Larger and more impoverished areas are more likely to face a problem but it could be a concern all across the world.

Steroids, known for their various street names, come in several types and can have several effects on the body. The steroid types the public would be most familiar with are the female sex hormones in birth control pills, the male sex hormones in androgen-anabolic steroids, and corticosteroids in drugs used to treat diseases.

The steroids used in body building are androgen-anabolic steroids. They can be taken orally or can be injected. Their anabolic effects promote cell growth while their androgenic effects lead to the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics. However, they can also cause a number of harmful side effects such as elevated blood pressure, increase in bad cholesterol, premature baldness and liver damage.

As thus, if you want to use steroids in body building, you must make sure that you do your research first. Consult with your doctor and have your doctor monitor your steroid use so that it does not harm your health.

For full version of this article, please visit “Common Steroid Pills (Types & Side Effects & Symptoms of Use)“.

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that plays a key role in many of the body’s functions, including DNA synthesis and various neurological processes in the brain. Moreover, several organs in the body need to be working in perfect harmony so that the body will be able to use its supply of Vitamin B12 efficiently.

Unfortunately, there are a number of conditions and ailments that can lead to Vitamin B12 deficiency. Certain symptoms such as anemia, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, nervousness, behavioral changes and memory loss, among others, can be signs of Vitamin B12 deficiency.

If you find that you are suffering from a combination of these symptoms, you must see your doctor immediately to determine if you are indeed suffering from a deficiency of the vitamin and to set a course of action to treat the condition. You should not ignore these symptoms because Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to nerve damage and other debilitating conditions.

For full version of this article, please visit “Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency“.

How do you know if you are sick of the swine flu? The signs and symptoms of swine flu are not really any different from the signs and symptoms of seasonal flu. They include fever, chills, muscle pain, a runny nose, coughing and sneezing, headaches and dizziness.

If you are sick with the swine flu, you should stay at home as much as possible. Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of liquids to avoid being dehydrated. You should also avoid contact with other people and avoid going out in public so you would not spread the virus to those around you.

There may be times when you need to be rushed to the emergency room of the hospital when you are sick with the swine flu. You should do this when you are finding it difficult to breathe, when you are experiencing pain in the chest or abdomen, or when you cannot stop vomiting.

For full version of this article, please visit “What Are the Common Signs and Symptoms of Swine Flu?“.

Have you ever experienced a “runner’s high”? As it turns out the title might be all that inaccurate. Humans must run a certain distance to achieve this feeling of euphoria, having to increase and maintain the amount of running they must do to reach it over and over. When the process is stopped the runner is likely to experience the symptoms and signs of depression. This process led researchers to study the process likening it to the behavior and symptoms of addiction to illegal substances.

During research rats were given a wheel on which to run for 9 days, over the course of those days they increased the amount of time they spent on the wheel. Researchers then began to offer only one portion of food to the rats (they had previously had unlimited access) for only an hour a day. The rats reacted to this by running more. This reaction matches symptoms of anorexia athletic, a condition that also occurs in humans.  Noting the addictions symptoms in the rats the researchers then treated then with naloxone, a drug typically used to treat drug addiction in humans and which causes withdrawal symptoms. The rats that used the wheel most had the highest occurrence of these withdrawal symptoms seeming to show that it was indeed addictive. While this proved that exercise could be addictive it’s not seen as a negative thing. In fact it led to another theory, that exercise could be used as an effective form of rehab.

Prescription drug abuse is an increasing problem in teens who’ve begun using the drugs under the assumption that there are little or no harmful effects because they are doctor regulated. The reality is that amid the increasing rates of poisoning related to substance abuse reported to ERs across the country the highest rates are those of teens experimenting with amphetamines. Amphetamines are most commonly prescribed to ADHD sufferers and as a result can be more accessible to teens who are the primary sufferers of the disorder.

Knowing if your child is abusing these drugs can be difficult as its primary symptom is hyperactivity, a symptom that could just as easily be attributed to the high caffeine beverages also favored by teens. Look for your child to be acting anxious, hyperactive and agitated. There’s also a very good chance that they’ll be experiencing the signs of high blood pressure. If any of these symptoms are reported by your child or they seem to be acting abnormally it’s important that you call a doctor or a poison control center to verify if they’ve been poisoned by these medications. You can also use a prescription drug test.