Disease and Illness

There are two new reports by cancer prevention specialists at Moores Cancer Center, Univsrsity of California, suggest that vitamin D in new prescriptions may prevent up to one half of all cases of breast cancer.

The study is published online in the current issue of The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It pooled data from two earlier studies by the Harvard Nurses Health Study and the St. George’s Hospital Study that alleged that people with the highest levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D, had the lowest incidences of breast cancer.

The research was based on 1,760 cases of individuals in the two studies and divided them into five equal groups, from the lowest 25(OH)D at less than 13 nanograms per milliliter, to the highest group with 52 nanograms per milliliter.

"The data were very clear, showing that individuals in the group with the lowest blood levels had the highest rates of breast cancer, and the breast cancer rates dropped as the blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D increased," said study co-author Cedric Garland, Dr.P.H. "The serum level associated with a 50 percent reduction in risk could be maintained by taking 2,000 international units of vitamin D3 daily plus, when the weather permits, spending 10 to 15 minutes a day in the sun."

However, women are warned not to run out and start supplementing their diet. There may be other factors that were overlooked in these studies. While the reports are valid, and the research solid, they only represent 1,760 people out of the entire population.

"Meta-analysis is an important tool for revealing trends that may not be apparent in a single study," said co-author Sharif B. Mohr, M.P.H. "Pooling of independent but similar studies increases precision, and therefore the confidence level of the findings."

The authors recommend further research to study individuals for the effect of vitamin D from sunlight, diet and supplements on the risk of cancer.

The dose-response data on 1,448 people in the study were put into order by serum 25(OH)D level and then divided into five equal groups, from the lowest blood levels to the highest.

Co-author Edward D. Gorham, Ph.D said: "We project a two-thirds reduction in incidence with serum levels of 46ng/ml, which corresponds to a daily intake of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. This would be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and 10 to 15 minutes per day in the sun."

Vitamin D3 is available through diet, supplements and exposure to sunlight, or ultraviolet B (UVB) as long as the skin does not tan or burn. In a white woman, it will only take 10 minutes at noontime on a clear day, with 50 per cent skin exposure, to absorb adequate vitamin D. Darker skin will require up to 25 minutes.

It is important to eat a balanced diet. Vitamin D is linked to Calcium absorption, so overdosing on one will throw out the balance and may result in a depletion of one vitamin.

The reports continued and measured Vitamin D’s ability to prevent colorectal cancer and found similar results.

Ethan Miller advises on health issues from his web site http://www.lasikpower.com . He invites you to receive his FREE health information guide here com at http://www.cosmeticsurgerystar.com

Tags: breast cancer, vitamin D

What Are The Available Breast Cancer Treatments

The terrible long wait is over and the bad news has been delivered-you have breast cancer. Now what, are you going to die? What happens next? There are literally dozens of questions and fears bouncing around in your head and you might be frozen with fear. Remember that you are not alone and that literally thousands of other women have already dealt with this terrible disease and survived to live many long and productive years.

The road to getting better is a long one that you must endure, but it is not one that you will travel alone. Your family, friends, and doctors will be there to help you and do not be afraid to reach out and ask for help. You are not weak or helpless, you are sick and people want to help but they just do not know how-so be ready to ask!

Work with your doctor to come up with the medical treatment that best fits your needs and that will help cure your type of breast cancer. Most breast cancers will be treated with surgery to remove the tumor and all, or part, of the breast tissue may be removed. Excluding the surgery, there are three primary treatments being used today as a breast cancer treatment and they include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiotherapy.

* Chemotherapy drugs are given intravenously or in tablet form. Chemotherapy given intravenously usually requires the patient to be at the doctor's office for several hours as the medication is slowly administered. The treatment is on a schedule determined by the doctor and a rest period of a few weeks between sessions is usual. This allows your body to recover from any side effects of the treatment.

* Radiotherapy treats cancer by using high-energy rays to destroy the cancer cells, while doing as little harm as possible to the healthy cells. Radiotherapy is often used after surgery but may occasionally be used before, or instead of surgery.

If part of the breast has been removed, radiotherapy is usually given to the remaining breast tissue, to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back in that area. After a mastectomy, radiotherapy to the chest wall may be given if your doctor thinks there is a risk that any cancer cells have been left behind.

* There are many different types of hormonal therapy and they work in different ways. They are often given after surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer, to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back. Hormonal therapy is usually given after chemotherapy.

While your options may appear to be limited, they are not. There are dozens of variation of medications being used today to work with your body to help destroy the cencer cells. If one treatment is not working, another treatment may be used. Remember to be honest with your doctor about how you are feeling. Your doctor is the second most important person in helping you get better but they can not do their job if you do not talk to them.

Now, who is the most important person when it comes to getting better? You are! Take care of yourself, realize that you are sick, need help and support. If you hate asking for help, just remember that when you are better, the opportunity may come up that you can help someone else—and that is what it is all about!

For more information on breast cancer try visiting http://www.breastcanceranalysis.com - a website that specializes in providing breast cancer related information including information on breast cancer treatment.

Tags: breast cancer treatment

TPN Site Care: How to Reduce the Risk of Infection

Unless you are a medical professional trained in the methods for proper catheter placement and catheter maintenance to reduce the risk of infections in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition, you may not know that, as of 1996, there was no standard protocol to ensure that a patient would not get an infection at the tpn site. A good resource to use in assisting the healthcare professional or the nurse responsible for attending patients receiving TPN is the information that can be gained through articles written by experts in the field of healthcare.

Through the Internet, a healthcare professional can find lots of good information and tips on proper TPN site care, which is so critical in postoperative procedures for patients receiving total parenteral nutrition. In searching the major search engines for "TPN site care," articles of interest for this subject came up in publications such as JPEN: Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nuitrition, where experts give opinions and advice on TPN and the best procedures to utilize in caring for patients before and after the postoperative period.

I suggest the use of both the articles written by experts in the field of TPN patient care and JPEN to perfect the care that is so necessary to patients suffering from malnutrition that can be found in these two sources on the topic of TPN site care.

Tags: nutrition, parenting, total parenteral nutrition, total parenteral nutrition site care, tpn, tpn site care