Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, and one of the most common types of cancer in general.  It is estimated that one in seven women that live to age 90 will develop breast cancer.  It is especially prevalent in some families, making the statistics a bit skewed.  If you have a family history of breast cancer, your chances of developing the disease are much greater.  Itís therefore a good idea to stay especially vigilant for breast cancer symptoms.

Breast cancer symptoms donít often manifest themselves until the cancer is already in its later stages of growth, and may have already metastasized to other more vital areas of the body.  That is why it is so important for women to regularly get checked.  Mammograms may be unpleasant, but late stage breast cancer symptoms are worse.

The most clear and common breast cancer symptom is of course a lump in your breast.  It is important to keep in mind that not all lumps are cancerous.  Most women will develop numerous lumps in their breasts throughout their lives; they are especially common during periods of rapid hormonal changes such as puberty, and menstruation.  Some women will have more lumps than others.

A more severe breast cancer symptom will be pain in your breasts.  A cancer that has grown large enough to impinge on nerves will be a noticeable lump in a self check or mammogram, so hopefully you’ll catch anything before it gets to the point of causing pain.  If one or both of your breasts are in pain, again its important to keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have breast cancer.  During puberty and periods of hormone fluxes, tenderness of the breasts is common.  Also pregnancy, and some medications can cause pain or tenderness in your breasts.

Even though most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over 40, women in their teens and twenties are occasionally diagnosed as well.  Most people don’t know that about one percent of the cases are in men.  Starting from puberty, it is a good idea to start checking yourself for lumps.  Remember, during this period you’re likely to find a lot of lumps that are harmless.  With some experience and some consultation with your doctor, youíll soon get an idea of the kinds of lumps that are normal, and the kinds of lumps that may be breast cancer symptoms.

This is an article about DNA testing.  We hope that you find this article to be oth interesting and entertaining.  If you have thoughts about the topic, please leave your comments below.

Daytime television is unlike anything else out there. In fact, it is horrific. There are soap operas, court shows, and a plethora of talk shows. Each is worse than the one that came before it. Yet we watch and watch and watch. These shows have been around for years and donít seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

The most unsettling shows in the daytime category have to be talk shows. It seems as though the producers of talk shows only have a handful of show topics that they recycle and regurgitate over and over again. The most overdone of these is the dna testing show.

How many times have you turned on your tv and seen some poor woman getting berated by an audience of strangers because she is there for some free dna testing? I have seen this show so many times it makes me sick. If a woman has no idea who her babyís daddy is, thank god there is the Maury show out there to help her figure that mystery out. After all, dna testing can be very expensive and single moms may be the last group of people out there that could afford such a thing.

If I was being honest, I would have to say that as much as I am disgusted by the dna testing shows, I am equally enthralled and entertained. This is the human comedy/tragedy at its best. You have two people that once were close, if only for a night and now they cannot stand each other.

In other situations you have a father that just decided one day that he no longer wanted the responsibility and so he began to deny fathering his children. Either way, these situations are very sad. Yet we watch and watch and watch.

The ever-popular dna testing talk shows are hard to watch at times. There is a lot of pain, frustration, anxiety, and emotion involved. The bottom line is that in the midst of all this there is a child that needs to be taken care of. Whether or not the childís parents are standup, responsible people the focus should be on the child. If someone is caught in a situation that requires dna testing, you can be sure that something somewhere went terribly wrong.

For some reason, we keep watching. Human tragedy at its finest, right? Are the people who produce the show the sick people here or is it the people who watch? I have to incriminate myself here and go with the second choice.

 Megan Simpson loves watching the human condition and sharing her observations.  She is a contributing editor providing her view on a wide variety of topics.

This is an article about Doctors Without Borders.  If you have thoughts pertinent to the subject, please feel free to add your comments below.

A group of French doctors founded an organization called Medecins Sans Frontieres in 1971. Bernard Kouchner was a co-founder, having worked as an aid volunteer in Biafra, and he decided that a new humanitarian aid network was needed. Also known as Doctors Without Borders, it was set up as a non-political and non-religious organization designed to work in a completely neutral way. Volunteers are chosen to spend time in developing countries affected by natural disasters, war, disease, famine and drought. They include doctors, nurses and surgeons. The volunteers help to deliver emergency medical aid and long term treatment programs with help to combat malnutrition and the effects of contaminated water. Most of the medical staff has had some training in tropical medicine.

Because of the nature of the work, volunteers find themselves in dangerous situations, and have been the victims of attack and politically motivated kidnappings. Two volunteers were killed in Sudan when their plane was shot down during the Sudan Civil War. They have been present in other civil war situations; in the Lebanon, Liberia and Somali to help civilians and refugees. Doctors Without Borders have been involved in other African countries such as Rwanda, the Congo and Uganda. Nutritional programs were developed in Ethiopia during the 1984-1985 famine there. HIV and Aids education programs and drugs treatment is also included in their care.

Whenever possible, the helpers like to introduce campaigns which will benefit the local community in the long term. Doctors Without Borders train local medical staff and set up vaccination drives. The vaccinations are for diseases, some of which hardly exist in developed countries. They include measles, meningitis, yellow fever, diphtheria and polio. They also help to provide clean, drinking water to prevent disease and they test for Aids. Treatment is given for malaria, cholera, ebola and tuberculosis. Dehydration can often result in diarrhea.

The organization has been involved in over 70 countries now. The first mission was to Nicaragua in 1972 to help victims of the earthquake, followed by a period in Honduras after a hurricane hit. From 1975-1979, volunteers ran refugee camps in Thailand to give shelter to Cambodians who were fleeing for their lives from the Khymer Rouge. Refugees were helped again, in Afghanistan as a result of the Soviet invasion. More earthquake victims were helped in 1986 in El Salvador when the population was in dire need of a pure, water supply.

This commendable organization was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 and continues its commitment to providing medical aid. It also puts pressure on pharmaceutical companies in its bid to bring affordable drugs to the developing world. Relying for the majority of its funding from private donors, Doctors Without Borders helps those most in need, without regard to color, race or religion.

Our contributing editor, James Monroe, takes an interest in all humanitarian efforts.  He has volunteered for a number of different organizations himself. 

This is an article about the South Beach Diet. We hope that you find it both interesting and informative. If you have thoughts pertaining to the subject, please feel free to share your comments below.

The South Beach Diet has become one of the best known of the myriad number of diet programs out on the market. The popularity may very well be because the author is a medical doctor, a heart specialist to be accurate. The diet was actually designed for cardiac health, not weight loss, but it worked for that too.

The South Beach Diet is becoming popular for a variety of reasons; it is not a low-fat, low-carbohydrate, or high-protein diet. It teaches dieters to eat only healthy carbohydrates and fats, not simple sugars and saturated fats that can lead to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and general poor health. The South Beach Diet is easier to stay on for life, because it teaches how to eat in a healthy manner and improve your lifestyle as well. It eliminates cravings for all those bad carbohydrates and fats that we all love but that are very bad for us. After you have been on the diet for a while, you will not crave any of those foods anymore, and if by chance, you do have a little something, it won’t taste as good to you as it did before you started the South Beach Diet.

Many of use have very poor eating habits, and are constantly tempted by fast food, super-sized portions, and generally by a bunch of unhealthy chemicals that cause a great amount of damage to our bodies. We all want to be fit and healthy. Regular exercise should also be incorporated into your life, and when combined with the South Beach Diet, will help jumpstart your metabolism and help you reach your goal weight that much faster. Once you reach your desired weight, you have retrained yourself how to choose a variety of healthy foods that can be used in many great recipes. Long-term success in weight maintenance through diet and exercise has always been attributed to not succumbing to repetition and boredom. By eating a variety of healthy foods prepared in different ways keeps your palate and taste buds interested, therefore you are not tempted to just grab whatever is available. Exercise also has its obvious benefits and the same principles apply as with your food choices; variation in your work out will benefit your body and mind, and will keep you engaged and not bored.

The South Beach Diet teaches a new way to think about food, how to shop for food, meal planning, and what choices to make when dining out. It deciphers the difference between good and bad carbohydrates, as well as good and bad fats. Most people that have incorporated the South Beach Diet into their lives don’t even feel like they are on a diet, because they don’t feel deprived and suffer from cravings, like they have on other diets. Check out www.southbeachdiet.com or buy the South Beach Diet book. Soon you will be on your way to a new healthy you, and a different, better way of life!

This is an article focusing on alternative herbal medicine.  We hope that you find this article both interesting and informative.  If you have thoughts about this topic, plese feel free to leave your comments below.

As long as anyone can remember there have been herbal remedies.  It hasn’t been until recent history though that they have been called alternative herbal medicine.  After all, most medicines started out as an herbal remedy of some sort or another.  So investigating this option as an optioin to what has become standard medicine isn’t unreasonable.

I’ve had a pretty weak immune system ever since I was a kid, so I’ve had more than my fair share of illnesses over the years. I’ve never gone through a single year without getting several bad colds, the flu, or even worse. As a result of my poor health, I’ve become very familiar with both over-the-counter and prescription medications. I never gave my medications a second thought until I read a published report that said these drugs might be doing more harm than good in some cases. That’s when I decided to look into alternative herbal medicine.

One advantage of alternative herbal medicine is that it’s all natural and chemical-free. This means that there’s zero chance of becoming addicted to the medication, which is definitely not the case with prescription drugs. Another advantage is that alternative herbal medicine is often much cheaper than the products put out by major pharmaceutical companies. With prescription costs rising all over the country (prompting thousands of people to cross the border to Canada to buy their medications), this low cost makes alternative herbal medicine even more attractive. A third reason that someone might choose alternative herbal medicine is because of allergies. For example, I am allergic to acetaminophen, which is a common pain reliever and fever reducer in over-the-counter medications, so I need to find a different way to treat those problems.

When I tell people that I prefer alternative herbal medicine, I am often met with puzzled looks. The most common question I get is if I’m taking alternative herbal medicine because of religious reasons. While it’s true that some people might be doing so, that’s not the case for me. I would just rather treat my illnesses as naturally as possible rather than infusing my body with all kinds of chemicals that may turn out to be harmful in some way.

The second most common question I get is whether or not alternative herbal medicine actually works. I was genuinely surprised by the number of people that apparently think alternative herbal medicine is just a sham. Of course I haven’t tried all the products out there, but the ones I’ve used have worked wonderfully well for me. I have used alternative herbal medicine to successfully treat colds, the flu, headaches, digestive disorders, and even a mild case of arthritis.

I’m by no means saying that alternative herbal medicine will work equally well for everyone and for every type of health problem out there. But there’s no harm in at least giving these products a chance. So if you’re looking for a different way to treat common ailments, then I suggest checking out alternative herbal medicine right now.

Our article is not intended to help you make unguided medical decisions.  Whether to take herbal medications or not must be made with the advise and counsel of trusted professionals, freinds, and family.

As an individual interested in healthy livin, we hope you find this article on Aloe Vera helpful, as well as being interesting and informative. If you feel we have left anyting out please feel free to leave a comment. We look forwardto your input.

Aloe is a genus of plants belonging to the Asphodelaceae family, and is related to onions and asparagus. The Aloe genus appears naturally in Africa, although many members of the genus are popular houseplants and can be found around the world. The most famous member of the genus is Aloe Vera, known for its medicinal uses and applications.

Though there are several common medical uses for Aloe Vera, the most frequent use of the plant is in the form of a topical gel. Gels made from Aloe Vera are used to treat burns and minor scrapes. Aloe Vera benefits range from soothing inflammation, pain relief, and a reduction in the likelihood of infection. Studies have also shown that regular use of an Aloe Vera based gel will actually speed the healing process in minor wounds, and even severe burns. It has been used in this capacity for hundreds of years. The thick leaves can be snapped open, and the moist open ends of the leave can be rubbed onto a burn or scrape directly.

Aloe plants, including Aloe Vera, have also found medicinal uses internally. Used in this way primarily as a laxative, the juice from aloe can be dried into a dark powder composed of yellowish granules that are quite bitter to taste. Internal use of Aloe is marketed as a treatment for coughs, ulcers, muscle pain, headaches, and even cancer and HIV. The only proven Aloe Vera benefit in internal use is the relief of constipation. Additionally, even in this use, internal use of the plant has a number of side effects, can cause nausea, and should not be taken by women who may be pregnant.

In industrialized areas, the moisture form the Aloe leaves are extracted and made into the popular gel most people are familiar with. In more recent years, it has become more popular than ever and has found its way into skin lotions, cosmetic products, shampoos, lip balms, soaps and sunscreens. Some Aloe Vera benefits include a strong moisturizing capacity, and its extract contains a number of vitamins and minerals that are believed to promote healthy skin. It is a very gentle substance in itself, so one of the benefits of Aloe Vera is that it can be used in sensitive areas, such as around the eyes. It seems that the only thing that isn’t listed here is using it to freshen bad breath.
There is a lot of hype and mystery surrounding the Aloe genus, especially its most popular member Aloe Vera. Clearly, many Aloe Vera benefits are proven, especially the ones involved in external use and in skin care. Its benefits for internal use are somewhat dubious, however.

The HealthScribe hopes that you will find this article both informative and helpful.  We welcome your thoughts and any additions you may wish to make.

So, you just found out you’re pregnant, congratulations!  How far along are you?  How do you measure that?  Well, it all depends on how well you kept track of your cycle.  Health care providers and OBGYNs count pregnancy from the first day of your last menstrual period.  That would make you approximately 4-5 weeks pregnant by the time your next period is late, around the time you took your home pregnancy test.  Gee, that went fast, right?

But, you have not technically been pregnant that long!  You’re most likely 2 weeks pregnant, if measured by the actual date of ovulation and conception.  The pregnancy really began when your egg was fertilized, 10-14 days ago.

When a woman conceives, it is within a 24-48 hour window either before or after ovulation occurs.  This is usually around day 14-18 of a woman’s cycle.  But let’s go back to the beginning of this cycle.  You’re 2 weeks pregnant, so when did your cycle start?

The first cycle day is the first day of the menstrual period.  It may last 5-7 days.  Then, in another week, the ovaries prepare to release an egg.  Ovulation typically occurs between day 14 and 18 of that cycle.  If there is sperm at the top of the fallopian tube waiting for the release of the egg, (sperm can survive for up to 5 days), the egg could be fertilized.  It takes another 6-8 days for a fertilized egg to implant in the uterus.  Then, the hormones are released that will cause the body’s temperature to be higher than usual and create a warm, protective environment for the fertilized egg.  These hormones can be detected about 10-14 days after ovulation and fertilization.  So, do the math, you are 2 weeks pregnant counting from the date of conception.

However, because most women don’t keep track of when they have ovulated, OBGYNs count from the first day of the last menstrual period, assuming that a woman’s cycle is normally about 4 weeks.  That, however, is a broad generalization because women’s cycles vary greatly from that average.  So, if you know the approximate average length of your cycles, you can better adjust the time frame for your pregnancy.  If you have a 5-week cycle typically, then you would say that you are 4 weeks pregnant, even though it has been 5 weeks since your period began, in order to be more accurate with the way your OB will measure your pregnancy.

Pregnancy is approximately 40 weeks in length, counting 4 weeks since your last period started, but not taking into account a woman who has longer cycles than 4 weeks.  So, if your period was just late, consider yourself 4 weeks pregnant rather than 5, and add time to account for how long you waited to test after your period was due.  Congratulations!  You are 2 weeks pregnant!  But, tell your ob that you’re 4 weeks pregnant (or more)!

Contributing editor Marcia Melrose  is  interested in , and writes about women’s health issues.