The Fibrocystic Breast

Fibrocystic breast condition refers to a situation wherein a woman’s breasts have lumps that are non-cancerous. These lumps can cause a great deal of discomfort and other problems. The situation commonly comes about as a result of hormonal changes due to the woman’s menstrual cycle.

A woman’s breasts are made up of several mammary ducts that are surrounded by glandular connective tissues that enable the mammary ducts to produce and secrete milk at the last stage of pregnancy or during breastfeeding. Moreover, a woman’s body is very responsive to hormonal fluctuations during menstruation. These hormonal changes sometimes cause women’s breasts to retain fluids that result in breast enlargement, tenderness, and the characteristic lumps.

The condition is brought about when the tissues that support the milk glands thicken causing the milk ducts to swell. Afterwards, the sacs become filled with fluids and are now called cysts. The infection may start with one breast but may gradually spread into the other, worsening the condition. The lumps may vary in sizes. However, a small consolation for women is that fibrocystic breast condition is not cancerous, despite huge similarities with breast cancer.

The Causes of Fibrocystic Breast Condition

The exact causes of fibrocystic breast condition are something that continues to evade medical experts. However, with continuous research, there are findings which points to the following as possible causes of the condition:

* Excessive salt intake. Taking in large amounts of salt increases the body’s ability to retain fluids. As a result, women who experience the condition should limit their salt intake. In relation to this, one should drink no less than about 8 glasses of water a day. This is because a steady supply of non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic drinks “informs” the body that there is no need to retain fluids, such as what happens in fibrocystic breast condition.

* Frequent consumption of fatty and oily foods. Studies seem to show that fatty and oily foods increase the incidence of fibrocystic breast condition. As such, what experts recommend is a low-fat diet that also includes servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

* Caffeine. Drinking caffeinated products regularly is also a known factor in causing fibrocystic breast condition.

Treatment for Fibrocystic Breast Condition

Although not cancerous, fibrocystic breast condition can cause a great deal of pain. Moreover, the condition can also be annoying. However, there is little known as far as treatment of the condition goes. As such, most intervention is geared toward minimizing symptoms for the reduction of the uneasiness that a woman may feel. The following are the most common means to reduce the symptoms of fibrocystic breast condition:

* Medication. Taking pain reliever is the easiest and most convenient way to reduce the pain associated with the condition.

* Wear the proper and exact-fitting bra. This is to provide the breasts with sufficient support. In some instances, it may be even needed to wear a bra even when asleep.

* Apply heating pads or towels soaked in hot water to provide relief from the discomfort.

Author : James Pendergraft
Source : http://www.articlecity.com

How to Cure From Breast Cancer

Radiation therapy can be used to treat breast cancer. This therapy involves the sending of gamma rays to the affected region. This ray will destroy the growth of the cancerous cell within the breast. This is an option that can save the breast from being removed totally. It has proved very effective to a lot of women. It might to you too – so stay open and be positive that you will be saved... and you will be!

Breast cancer chances is believed to reduce with the number of biological children a woman has. This is so because it is believed that nursing reduces the chances of abnormal growth within the breast. So it is advised that women should breast feed their children when they have them.

I know many people say breast cancer is a death sentence. I know lots of people continue to die each and every day from the illness all over the world, but that doesn’t mean you too would die because you have now been diagnosed with breast cancer. What I will tell you is this – stay open! You just don’t know whether you will die. I don’t care if the doctors have told you that you will die – STAY OPEN!

Although the symptoms of breast cancer metastasizing such as headaches and changes in the size and shape of the breast can be a sign of other physiological occurrence such as menstrual cycles, it is advised not to over look them. A spreading breast cancer is highly dangerous and can be deadly.

Targeted therapy is a way of treating breast cancer. This type of treatment involves the use of monoclonal antibodies to battle an excessive abundance of HER2 protein in cancerous cells thereby reducing the growth of the cancerous cells in the process. If used with chemotherapy, this reduces the chance of cancer cells relapsing.

Metastases are growth of cancerous tissues or cells from an organ to another within the human body. One major characteristic of breast cancer is its metastases characteristics. Quick detection and prompt treatment of breast cancer can prevent this occurrence.

The chances of treating breast cancer in women are proportional to their age. Younger women can actually receive strong treatment and be able to live and overcome the side effects of such treatment, whereas the older ones may develop more complications from received treatments for breast cancer. The earlier breast cancer is detected the better the chances of treating it.

Ignorance is more deadly than the most advanced stage of breast cancer. You should not fold you arms and ignore information pertaining to breast cancer. As a woman who knows the current statistic shows that one out of every eleven women is going to be diagnosed with breast cancer, you should be all out to get information to help keep you on the favored side of the statistic.

The symptom of breast cancer includes bloody discharge from the nipples. Occasionally, this discharge may be clear and none bloody. Once you notice this check for lump within the breast by manual touch and also examine the skin around your breast. If you notice anymore irregularities, you should seek immediate medical assistance.

Breast cancer is a thing most women worry about especially the younger once. This worry has lead many women into believing strange rumors that breast cancer can be gotten from toothpastes and antiperspirants. Although it is good to be careful about the products you use, but the idea that toothpastes and antiperspirants cause breast cancer is just a sign of being paranoid.

Preventive measures against breast cancer are not yet fully defined as the actual cause of the disease is still unclear. But you will be able to lower your breast cancer risk by avoiding food with high fat content and reduction in the amount of alcohol consumed. Also, you should do all you can to constantly be on the lookout against breast cancer by examining your breasts all the time for signs of tumors.

Do you want to prevent or reduce your chances having breast cancer? If yes then you should reduce your alcohol consumption, engage in regular exercise and when you have the opportunity to, breast feed. These tips are simple but can actually save you from having breast cancer.

Breast cancer is usually associated with lumpy feel within the breast. But not all breast cancer is characterized by lumps. An example of non-lumpy breast cancer is the inflammatory breast cancer. However inflammatory breast cancer is not common thus a lot of people are not familiar with the disease, last year it only recorded about 3% of the total diagnosed breast cancer.

There are high possibilities for breast cancer to spread around to other part of the body before it is detected. This makes the breast cancer difficult to treat and increases the chances of reoccurrence. This is why regular self examination and occasional clinical examination is suggested, to reveal breast cancer timely while the damage is minimal.

Meat and dairy products are known to increase estrogen content of the human system. Estrogen is a known risk increasing factor of breast cancer. You cannot be asked to stay away from these food materials as they are good sources of protein which is essential for the body, but limiting the consumption of these products may help you prevent breast cancer.

Breast cancer in men can be characterized by a warm feel to touch and inverted nipples. If you notice this as you bath or examine yourself, then make appointment with your doctor for clinical confirmation of your status.

Infestation of Larvae in Human Breast

Infestation of Larvae in Human Breast

Email below is just an urban legend. The postive side of this urban legend.

"please make sure you iron your undergarments before you wear them and make sure that your clothes are ironed when they are dry and not damp."

Our advice :-

Wash your bras and underwear after buying before wearing and iron them before wearing them.

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Fwd: Wash before Wearing!

It is horrible. Guys tell your wife, sisters, girlfriends, and girl cousins wash bra before wearing.

ALL PLEASE WASH ALL BRAS, UNDERWEAR WHEN YOU BUY BEFORE WEARING THEM. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT PARASITE IS IN OUR CLOTHES WHEN WE BUY THEM. FORWARD TO EVERYBODY YOU KNOW. LET ME FORE WARN YOU THIS IS SO SQUIMISH, I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS CRAWLING ALL OVER ME EVEN AS I SEND THIS TO YOU. BE AWARE. IT IS SO GROTESQUE. PLEASE WASH YOUR UNDERWEAR BEFORE WEARING. PREFERABLY IN BOILING HOT WATER.

This is not for the weak; I have never seen anything like this. Read the article first before looking at the picture and film. This looks horrible. Oh my God!!!!!!! Ladies this could happen to you and Guys this could happen to your wife, girlfriend, partner so please BEWARE,and also warn others.

It has been reported that this is happening in Zimbabwe as well, please make sure you iron your undergarments before you wear them and make sure that your clothes are ironed when they are dry and not damp. The picture is horrible but I felt that I should share with you. After anthropologist Susan McKinley came back home from an expedition in South America, she noticed a very strange rash on her left breast. Nobody knew what it was and she quickly dismissed it believing that the holes would leave in time. Upon her return she decided to see a doctor after she started developing intense pains. The doctor, not knowing the exact severity of the disease, gave her antibiotics and special creams. As time lapsed the pain did not subside and her left breast became more inflamed and started to bleed.

She decided to bandage her sores however as Susan's pain grew more intense she decided to seek help from a more certified doctor. Dr. Lynch could not diagnose the infection and told Susan to seek the aid of one of his colleagues who specialized in dermatology whom was sadly on vacation. She waited for two weeks and finally was able to react the dermatologist.

Sadly,a life changing event was about to unfold during her appointment.

To Miss McKinley's surprise, after she removed the bandages, they found larva growing and squirming within the pores and sores of her breast. Sometimes these wicked creatures would all together simultaneously move around into different crevices.

What she didn't know was that the holes were in fact, deeper than she had originally thought for these larvae were feeding off the fat, tissue, and even milk canals of her bosom.

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Comments: This message has three distinct components:

1. The text, which appears to have been fabricated.
2. The image, which was almost certainly fabricated.
3. The video, which is authentic, though completely unrelated to the text and image.

The image first showed up on the Internet, uncaptioned, in June 2003. As snopes.com debunker David Mikkelson has demonstrated, it appears to be the product of combining elements from two separate images, one of a female breast and the other of a lotus seed pod.

The cautionary tale about anthropologist Susan McKinley and the larvae infestation she purportedly experienced in South America began circulating with the image in August 2003.

'Myiasis of the breast' is a real medical condition

The video - which is not only authentic but proves that larvae infestations of the breast, though extremely rare, can actually occur - was downloaded from the Web site of a medical journal and attached to the email in late 2005. It originally accompanied an article entitled "Furuncular Myiasis of the Breast Caused by the Larvae of the Tumbu Fly (Cordylobia Anthropophaga)." The case, which occurred in Nigeria, not South America, is described as follows:

We report a 70-year-old woman who presented with a week history of itchy multiple discharging sinuses of the right breast. The sinuses contained wriggling larvae of C. anthropophaga. Fourteen larvae were extracted from the breast and the sinuses healed quite well after the extraction.

Note well that although the particulars of the Susan McKinley email remain unsubstantiated, its anonymous author does know a thing or two about circumstances promoting furuncular myiasis of the breast. "Please make sure you iron your undergarments before you wear them and make sure that your clothes are ironed when they are dry and not damp," the email warns. Compare that to the journal article's explanation of how the 70-year-old patient in Nigeria became exposed: "She usually spreads her washed dresses on a line near the bush and does not iron them before wearing them."

More detail information about this urban legend
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_breast_larvae.htm

Going Green to Prevent Cancer: the Protective Effects of Green Tea

Going Green to Prevent Cancer: the Protective Effects of Green Tea

Author: Tara Berman

Adapted from www.cityslim.com

Everywhere you turn these days, you can easily find yourself bombarded with campaigns advising you to “Go Green.” Go green to save the environment, to conserve energy… but to stop cancer? Yes, that’s right. Now, you can go green (in terms of your tea selection) to save, well… yourself!

Green tea stands apart from other teas due to its possession of a special ingredient: EGCG, or Epigallocatechin-3-gallate. This biologically-active constituent of green tea imparts numerous health benefits to its drinkers, such as alleviating rheumatoid arthritis, improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol, preventing cardiovascular disease and infection, and improving impaired immune function.[i] However, the most compelling evidence of the powers of EGCG becomes evident when examining its effects on various types of cancers.

A powerful antioxidant, EGCG has been shown to inhibit growth of ovarian cancer cells and sensitize them to certain anticancer drugs.[ii] In the laboratory where I work at Columbia University, studies have recently been published examining the mechanism by which EGCG inhibits colon cancer cell lines in vitro.[iii] Moreover, our laboratory was the first to propose a novel mechanism by which EGCG exerts anticancer effects in various experimental systems. EGCG has been proposed to target multiple components in cancer cell membranes, thereby disrupting several aspects of membrane organization and function.[iv] Myriad other laboratory studies demonstrate the natural anti-cancer effect of EGCG in the inhibition of the growth and development of tumors in a vast array of human cancers.

Overall, the results of EGCG's anticancer effects look promising. However, Dr. I Bernard Weinstein, Director Emeritus of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Research Center (ICRC) and head of an ICRC oncology laboratory, advises that before we can go around telling people to drink tea, more studies are needed on smaller doses. "The doses our laboratory works with are very high; the amount of EGCG we use would be the equivalent of about 8-10 cups of tea." While we cannot be sure that the benefits of EGCG hold true for lower doses, the live-saving potential of EGCG certainly exists.

Not a fan of drinking tea? You can still get your fix of EGCG without the brew!

Here's how:

Kashi Heart to Heart Toasted Oat Cereal

I've been eating Kashi's tasty Heart to Heart Toasted Oat Cereal for years, but I have only recently discovered the "green tea extract" hidden amongst the other heart-healthy ingredients on the nutrition panel. Eat your EGCG daily with this crunchy, honey-sweetened breakfast. Bonus: Heart to Heart also includes the anti-oxidants beta-carotene, grapeseed extract, lycopene, and vitamin E. Approximately $3.75/box.

T Bar

Made by the Tze The company, this nutrition bar boasts 130 mg of EGCG and 4 g of fiber, with a Rice Krispy Treat-esque consistency. Three grams of green tea leaves combined with brown rice and other whole grains give an earthy, but sweet, taste to this healthy treat. Approx. $18/dozen.

Luna Tea Cakes

With 130 calories and 1.5 g of fat and described as a "cross between a cookie and an energy bar," Luna Tea Cakes are baked with green tea. The vanilla-macadamia variety has over 80 mg of EGCG, as well as about 3 g each of protein and fiber. Approx. $16/dozen.

And finally, a company called Neuchatel produces Green Tea Chocolates, containing EGCG extract from Green Tea. However, Neuchatel has informed me that their chocolates, which come in varieties such as Dark Swiss Chocolate and Sugar-Free Milk Chocolate are created especially for people with cancer. These chocolates contain very high EGCG concentrations and are not recommended for the general public.

In the wise words of an ancient Chinese proverb: “Better to go three days without food than one without tea.” Go green!

READ MORE ON WWW.CITYSLIM.COM

[i]http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0846/is_7_26/ai_n18629771

[ii] Chan MM, Soprano KJ, Weinstein K, Fong D. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate delivers hydrogen peroxide to induce death of ovarian cancer cells and enhances their cisplatin susceptibility. J Cell Physiol. 2006 May;207(2):389-96.

[iii], [iv] Adachi S, et al. The inhibitory effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor is associated with altered lipid order in HT29 colon cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2007 Jul 1;67(13):6493-501.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/going-green-to-prevent-cancer-the-protective-effects-of-green-tea-324653.html

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