Directory of health resources for healthcare professionals.

A continuing study which has already revealed that red-meat consumption may increase the risk of colon cancer, has also suggested that women who eat skinless chicken regularly may reduce their risk of colon cancer. The study, conducted at the Harvard Medical School, analyzed nearly 89,000 women and found that those who ate skinless chicken at least twice a week were 50 percent less likely to develop colon cancer than were those women who ate it once a month or less. The researchers speculate that the reason chicken may reduce the risk of colon cancer is that it contains less saturated fat than red meat, and saturated fat may be instrumental in the formation of cancer-causing compounds in the colon. Researchers say there may also be an as yet undetected substance in chicken which protects against colon cancer.

Further studies are needed, but in light of the most recent evidence, some experts are recommending that women eat lots of fruit, vegetables and fish (which also appears to have some effect on reducing the risk of colon cancer), and using skinless chicken as a frequent substitute for red meat.

*178\27\8*

Prostate Cancer Tips To Prevent And Treat

A new medication called Proscar (see chapter 11) can shrink some enlarged prostate glands. This could help you to avoid prostate surgery. If discovered early enough prostate cancer is almost 100% curable.

(1) So you should have annual prostate checks starting at age 50.

(2) Eat a low-fat diet.

(3) Don’t ignore trouble signs such as: difficulty in urinating or frequent urination at night.

Cervical Cancer – Foods That Help Prevent It

The B-vitamin Folate seems to help prevent a virus that causes genital warts from turning into cervical cancer. This vitamin can be found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, and beans.

Cut Your Colon Cancer Risk 60% To 70% With This New Test

A widely available test can cut your risk of dying from colon cancer. The test is called flexible sigmoidoscopy and costs $100 to $200. The American Cancer Society suggests that the test be done every 5 years after the age of 50. This could result in an early diagnosis of any colon problems. And with cancer an early diagnosis means you have a much better chance at curing the disease.

4 Skin Cancer Prevention Tips

Skin Cancer is spreading faster than any other type of cancer. Here are some tips for protecting yourself.

(1) Use plenty of sunscreen lotion — one ounce per treatment. Reapply every 2-3 hours.

(2) Wear a wide brimmed hat— 80% of all skin cancers are on the head, neck, or

hands.

(3) Keep infants out of direct sunlight.

(4) Avoid exposure to direct sunlight from the hours of 11 AM till 1 PM This the time when llV rays are the strongest.

What Every Person With Light Skin Needs To Know

Fair skin people should avoid excessive exposure to sunlight. If you sunbathe Use a sunscreen that blocks UV rays. Excessive sunlight is now beleived to be the Primary cause of skin cancer.

*139\27\8*

According to some recently released statistics, about 10 percent of adult Americans get heartburn every day. New research may offer these people an effective and natural way to ease their discomfort.

People get heartburn when stomach acid backs up from the stomach, irritating the lining of the esophagus. Normally, the esophageal sphincter muscle forces itself shut, preventing stomach acid from coming upward. But foods that are high in fat can instigate heartburn, and lying down on the “wrong side” may only make matters worse.

Recent studies suggest that lying down after eating a big meal makes many people susceptible to heartburn. The studies also indicate that which side you lie on may make a significant difference in the amount of discomfort you experience. Lying on the right side may allow the esophagus to open where it enters the stomach, making it easier for stomach acid to enter. Here are some suggestions to help you combat heartburn, naturally:

1) Try to wait at least three hours after eating before you lie down. If you can’t wait that long, lie on your left side

2) If your heartburn continues, prop up your head at least six inches. This should help keep stomach acid from surging upward.

3) Don’t eat fatty foods, chocolate; drink alcoholic beverages, or smoke cigarettes. All of these tend to relax the esophageal sphincter, and lead to heartburn.

4) Try some gingerroot. Many people have found relief from heartburn with this herbal remedy. Some medical experts say that gingerroot seems to work by absorbing acid and by helping to calm the nerves. It’s best to take it in capsule form just after you eat.

5) Apple cider vinegar is another natural remedy that works well for some people who experience heartburn. The recommended “dosage” is 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in 1/2 glass of water. The concoction should be taken during a meal.

If your heartburn persists you should see your doctor.

*98\27\8*

Unless you know food has been organically grown, it has most likely been

“treated” with some form of pesticide. The theory behind the use of pesticides is that they make crops much less vulnerable to a variety of harmful insects and other pests. This, in turn, helps to keep prices down.

According to the Food And Drug Administration (FDA), the pesticides used today by American farmers seldom “gets into food”, and can be eliminated altogether by washing fruits and vegetables with water and wiping them off or peeling them. The FDA, which inspects thousands of domestic and imported foods every year, says that only “minute levels” of pesticide residues are found. The debate about pesticides on food, however, centers around whether or not the FDA’s standards and frequency of testing are adequate.

If you are concerned about the use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables, you may want to consider starting your own organic garden. And look for abnormal spotting and coloring which could be cased by harmful pesticides.

*58\27\8*

1) Lie on your stomach, with your hands on the floor directly beneath your shoulders. Slowly straighten your arms, while keeping your spine relaxed. Allow only your upper torso to move up from the floor.

2) Arch your back passively as your hip bones remain on the floor. Straighten your arms as much as is comfortable for your back. Slowly bend your arms so your upper torso returns to the floor. Repeat these movement about ten times.

Swimming is probably the best form of exercise to relieve chronic back pain. When you swim the breaststroke, you must be careful to put your face in the water every few strokes, otherwise you will be arching your lower back which is likely to aggravate your back pain.

Jogging is also a good form of exercise for people who suffer from back pain. Those people who experience chronic, or recurrent back pain, and who take up jogging as a form of exercise, should avoid all hard surfaces. They should also wear cushioned insoles to reduce the amount of jarring through the spine each time your feet hit the ground.

Strength exercises that require lifting weights can also be of benefit in relieving back pain. However, it is important that you take some precautions when doing strength exercises. Always use an exercise mat for any floor exercises that you do. You should also keep your knees bent during sit-ups in order to reduce the chances of aggravating existing problems in your lower back.

To ease back pain, you can try elevating your knees a foot or so. Place a pillow under your knees so they are elevated about 12 inches in order to keep your hips lightly flexed. The best pillow to use may be an inflatable pillow because foam pillows are likely to become compressed with use.

*19\27\8*

Oscar Wilde’s suicide attempt remains a poignant symbol of the thousands of young people who try to take their lives because they cannot cope with the confusion or fear about their sexuality, or the distress of being excluded from their peer group, victimized, harassed, or attacked. It is estimated that a third to a half of all teenage suicides are related to issues of sexual orientation. This is another urgent reason to educate young people about sexual orientation so that they have a better understanding of themselves and others.

It is just as important that the person ‘coming out’ is able to understand why their parent feels the way they do.

The best decision might be not talking to your family at all. After all, part of growing up is not feeling as though you have to tell your parents everything about yourself. It is not always easy for ‘straight’ friends to be accepting.

Sarah is now twenty-nine. She had been living with a man for several years when she met Susan. ‘It was like nothing I had ever felt before. I thought about her all day and then dreamt about her at night. I found myself physically and emotionally attracted to her like a magnet. I couldn’t believe it was happening because I had never been aware of any attraction to women at all, except as friends. After we became lovers I felt I had no choice but to commit myself to the relationship; it just felt so right. At first I only told a few close friends. They weren’t all as pleased for me as I would have liked. Actually, that’s an understatement.

*46\17\9*

Consent is an important issue in sexual relationships that needs to be observed by both parties, whether it is a casual meeting, a first date, or a marriage. The point needs to be made as strongly as possible to both men and women that it is not okay to cross another person’s boundaries. If your partner says ‘enough’ or ‘stop now’, it means exactly that.

Debra recalls one early experience. ‘The first sexual experience I remember was at a school dance and the lights were down low. This boy put his hand up my dress. I didn’t have a clue what he was doing and before I knew it he had his hand inside my panties having a good grope around. The worst thing though was that I had my period at the time and it was in the days before I started using tampons. Very messy. Absolutely humiliating. I didn’t go out with him again. It would have been too embarrassing. It was ages before I would let a boy get anywhere near me.’

This is a very simple example of the impact that sexual contact without consent can have.

A recent study by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that acquaintances, dates and boyfriends accounted for thirty-nine percent of rape cases and husbands and ex-husbands accounted for thirteen percent … and they were only the ones that were convicted. There is no easy answer to the problem of ‘date rape’, and it is probably far more common than we realize. The effect on your attitude to future sexual relationships can be very similar to the effect of any sexual abuse — being afraid of intimacy, feeling dirty, not being able to trust a partner. Part of the answer lies in the best possible preparation of both men and women for their early sexual experiences. Asking each other what you want, working out exactly what types of sexual activity you both consent to and respecting the wishes of your partner are essential elements of any relationship.

*37\17\9*

We traditionally call that first experience of intercourse losing your virginity’. That always strikes me as a terribly negative way of looking at it. Why do so many words about sexuality sound so negative? Why should it be seen as a ‘loss’ and not a ‘gain’? This concept of loss is so ingrained in our culture that our language simply doesn’t have a word that will describe what you might gain.

And what is a virgin anyway? The very definition of the word implies the male experience of penetration of a woman’s vagina by his penis. It seems a little strange that a woman might have experienced thousands of orgasms without penetration, yet is still technically considered to be a virgin.

Nor is ‘virginity’ a guarantee against pregnancy. If a man ejaculates near the opening of the vagina, whether the hymen is intact or not, the sperm can still make their way into the vagina and result in a pregnancy.

Some cultures define virginity by whether the hymen is intact or not. It is more than likely that the hymen will be perforated by vigorous exercise or inserting tampons long before a penis gets there anyway. Such is the social significance of this piece of skin that partly blocks off the entrance of the vagina that I heard reports of a clinic in Sydney doing a great business in surgically restoring the hymen so that it had the appearance of being intact on the wedding night.

The whole concept of ‘losing your virginity’ is really a pretty bizarre anachronism. Once upon a time it was a loss in more ways than one: a virgin bride was worth more dowry for the husband. That value had a lot to do with the concept of a woman’s sexuality being a possession that could be bought and sold. ‘Damaged goods’ didn’t attract the same price. My dictionary still describes virginity as ‘the condition of being unsullied’. Is that what intercourse is supposed to be? Being sullied? How romantic!

*28\17\9*

In adolescence, the peer group becomes a valuable source of information and emotional support. At this time, there is a noticable shift of influence from home to the peer group. Within that peer group, you work out your own value system but the really big foundation stones will have been set in childhood. Adolescence is a time for increasing independence and self-reliance as the emerging adult questions and modifies the attitudes and beliefs of parents, and of society in general.

Popular music for young people is a reflection of this struggle to make sense of the world they will inherit. By necessity it will be different from the musical tastes of their parents. They will see to that. By deliberately making ourselves distinct from our parents, we establish our own individuality.

Hard as it is at times, we would do well to welcome the rebellion of young people, for it is through them that social change will take place. Nothing improves by ignoring it, or by accepting the status quo. We may reach the conclusion that the way things are is the best compromise, but at least we have critically analyzed and challenged it. This is not something unique to the present; it has happened this way for centuries and the ‘generation gap’ is in fact a necessary phase. If parents see the questioning process as a personal criticism it will just widen the gap. As every strategist knows, a defensive posture leaves little room for negotiation. Young people given permission to develop their own values will have less need to rebel. Family therapists tell me that families run into the biggest difficulties when parenting styles fall into one of two extremes, stifling inflexibility or totally laissez-faire.

The greatest thing parents can do for their children is to really listen to them, but in a way that is not judgmental. Of course this is very difficult when deeply-held convictions are being questioned, but in the interest of maintaining an effective relationship it is vital.

This is particularly true in the case of alternative sexual orientation. Whenever this arises in a family it invariably triggers a crisis. Let’s look at the figures. There is a fairly standard population incidence of homosexuality in the Western world of around one in ten. Given that the average family has just over two children, then the numbers tell me that more than one in five families will grapple with the issue at some stage. One mother said that at first she was shocked and disappointed, even angry. ‘It had never occurred to me that my son would be gay. I had always imagined him marrying and having a few kids. It took me a while to adjust, and during that time I know I was pushing him away. One night I was sitting going through our old family albums, and I saw this photo of Brian on his first day at school. I started to cry, you know, I remember how scared he was gripping onto my hand as we walked together into the schoolyard. We had always been so close. Then it occurred to me that I was really letting him down. This was the most difficult time in his life and I wasn’t there for him.’ A gay counsellor said, ‘These are your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters. They are the same person the day after they tell you they are gay as the day before. They need your support.’

In a heterosexist society, families are not prepared for dealing with non-heterosexual members. The messages young people get about homosexuality are invariably negative. It takes tremendous courage to ‘come out’, and there is a very real risk of rejection. Specialized counselling may be needed to help families come to terms with the issues this presents.

*18\17\9*

This can be easier said than done, particularly if you are not accustomed to talking directly about sex. Remember though, children’s questions are asked in all innocence and the answers do not need to be complicated to satisfy them. A simple, honest explanation will usually do for the moment, although they may well come back to the topic later.

If you’re feeling uncomfortable because you don’t know the answer, it helps to say just that. Parents (like doctors and schoolteachers) hate to say ‘I don’t know’. The words grate on us like long fingernails dragged slowly down a dusty chalkboard. The thing is, sometimes it’s the right answer for the occasion. I prefer to turn it into a positive learning experience for a child. ‘Well, I don’t know … (There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?) … but we can find out from Mum/Dad/Grandpa/the family doctor/a book when we get home can’t we?’ This approach confirms that it is okay to want to know, and okay to ask, and it opens communication with other trusted adults.

Of course, a child will let you know when they’re bored with anything. Sharon, a colleague of mine, recalls being pregnant with her third baby when her five year old asked the big one: ‘How did it get there in the first place?’ Well, this was it! Sharon explained a few of the basics just to get warmed up and, settling into the comfy lounge chair, all set for the full mother-daughter session, she asked, ‘Now, what else would you like to know?’ … Pause … ‘Where did you buy your new shoes, Mum?’

*7\17\9*