Skin Cancer Prevention – Sunscreens

Posted by | Cancer | Thursday 28 January 2010 5:39 am

Covering up is your best defense against skin cancer but for those days you’re going to be exposed to the sun, make sure you grab some sunscreen.

Have you noticed how many well known people are having surgery to remove cancer from their face? How about people you know? It is reported that there will be over a million new skin cancer cases this year alone. It doesn’t have to be that way if people would just take the time to apply a generous amount of sunscreen on their exposed skin.

Let’s take a look at the types of sunscreens that are available on the market today.

Types of Sunscreens

The most common and basic is clothing. A tightly woven, lightly colored material is best.

Next would be chemical sunscreens that are available in a variety of forms. They contain one or more of UV radiation-absorbing chemicals. A few of the most common chemical groups that block UVB radiation are known as PABA (p-aminobenzoic acid), PABA esters (padimate O), cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate), salicylates (octylsalicylate, homosalate), and anthranilates (methyl anthranilate). That goodness for acronyms. While these all block UVB radiation, the chemical group known as benzophenone (oxybenzone and dioxybenzone) provides the best protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.

Protection

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4 Ways To Burn Fat

Posted by | Weight Loss | Wednesday 27 January 2010 2:41 am

The best ways to burn fat will be different for each unique individual, as we all have different metabolisms, and different physical characteristics. Nevertheless, there are some common principles which can be applied to anyone, and it these that we shall concentrate on here. The methods given here are tested over time, and among the best ways to burn fat.

Method 1
The most obvious form of exercise you can perform is still one of the best ways to burn fat, and that is simple running. This running can be done indoors on a treadmill, but you will probably burn more calories by getting outside. If you do your running in the countryside, across country and often on hilly terrain, you will be working your body hard, and in a healthy environment.

Method 2
There is no doubt that skipping is one of the best ways to burn fat, if not the best. Successive generations of boxers have incorporated skipping into their daily schedule, and these are people who can afford to be at anything below peak fitness. If you practice skipping for twenty minutes, you will probably find it the hardest 20 minutes of your training career!

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Diet and Cancer

Posted by | Cancer | Friday 22 January 2010 4:04 am

Diet is now considered a major factor in the prevention and treatment of cancer. According to the American National Cancer Institute about one-third of the cancers are linked to diet. Thus, right choices of foods can help prevent a majority of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer.

Cancer usually develops over a long period. Latest research shows that what one eats may interfere with cancer process at many stages, from conception to growth and spread of the cancer. Foods can block the chemical activation which normally initiates cancer. Antioxidants, including vitamins can eradicate carcinogens and can even repair some of the cellular damage caused by them. Cancers which are in the process of growth can also be prevented from further spreading by foods. Even in advanced cases, the right foods can prolong the patient’s life.

Researches conducted in ascertaining links between diet and cancer since 1970 have now conclusively proved that fruits and vegetables can serve as antidote to cancer. According to Dr. Peter Greenwald, Director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the American National Cancer Institute: “The more fruits and vegetables people eat, the less likely they are to get cancer, from colon to stomach cancer to breast and even lung cancer. For many cancers, persons with high fruit and vegetable intake have about half-the risk of people with low intake. Some studies indicate that eating fruit twice a day instead of less than three times a week cut the risk of lung cancer 75 per cent, even in smokers.”

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Herbs For women

Posted by | Women's Health | Wednesday 20 January 2010 10:16 am

For many centuries herbs have been used very successfully & safely in treating female conditions. Herbs have been used to treat PMT, bloating, pregnancy, heavy or minor periods, urinary infections and the menopause. Now they are also used to treat stress and are used as mild sedatives to help you get off to sleep without the side effects of benzodiazepines. Plant hormones are very similar in structure to human hormones which accounts for their effectiveness in gently stimulating natural processes in the body.

Uva ursi

Also called Bearberry this herb has a soothing as well as an astringent effect and marked diuretic action. This has great value in diseases of the bladder and kidneys, by strengthening and imparting tone to the urinary passages. The diuretic action is due to the glucoside arbutin, which is largely absorbed unchanged and is excreted by the kidneys. During its excretion, arbutin exercises an antiseptic effect on the urinary mucous membrane. Bearberry leaves are, therefore, used in inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract such as urethritis and cystitis.

Shepard’s Purse

Shepherd’s Purse has been used medicinally for centuries. In Chinese medicine, it is used for dysentery and eye problems. People still chew the seeds of the Shepherd’s Purse to improve their vision. Shepherd’s Purse has been used regulate menstrual problems, and by midwives to stimulate uterine contractions and prevent post-partum haemorrhage. In fact, Shepherds purse is the best herb to immediately stop post-partum haemorrhaging. During World War I, Shepherd’s Purse was used by British Soldiers to help slow the bleeding from wounds. Shepherds Purse can also be used for excessive menstrual flow and a myriad of other bleeding related issues. Shepard’s purse has also been shown to reduce urinary tract irritation and is often used as a mild diuretic.

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7 iPhone Apps to Learn About Medicine

Posted by | Uncategorized | Thursday 14 January 2010 11:15 pm

There is no denying that the iPhone has infiltrated every quarter of our lives today. This is largely due to the sheer versatility of the device. There are hundreds of thousands of downloadable applications (apps) to choose from that cover every conceivable end whether it is a practical tool, a resource for information and research or just for pure entertainment. The iPhone has something for everyone. This includes app for those who want to know more about medicine.

Look over these 7 iPhone apps to learn more about Medicine. Perhaps, you will find one that will suit your needs or interests.

1. Epocrates – Basically, it is a drug-profiling database designed for use on the iPhone. This app allows users view streaming clinical data, search for drug-drug interaction, identify pills by physical characteristics, as well as perform specific medical calculations such as BMI and GRF.

2. Medical Drugs – If you want to know more about medicine, this app will give you access to a database that includes detailed information on hundreds of pharmaceutical medications.

3. Skyscape Medical Resources – Another excellent iPhone app, Skyscape offers the user access to all sorts of medical information such as drug information, and evidence-based clinical information. You also can use a medical calculator and establish med-alerts based on your own criteria.

4. Davis’s Drug Guide – If you need information on more than 5,000 trade name and generic drugs then you should have Davis’s Drug Guide. Additionally, you will be able to review information about drug and food interactions, and appendices with dose calculations. The app comes with customizable bookmarking features as well.

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A Guide to Male Skin Care

Posted by | Men's Health | Thursday 14 January 2010 10:15 am

Let’s face it, whether many of you men out there know it or not male skin care is vitally important. Too many of you simply put too little emphasis on the health of your skin, and your skin inevitably suffers for it. Has it ever crossed your mind that the fact that your skin is often inflamed, irritated, itchy, and dry may be directly related to the lack of care that you have been giving it?

While most men put thoughts of better skin care on the back burners of their minds, they should really be made aware that a man’s skin actually needs far more care than that of a woman. That may come as a surprise to most men, because if you walk down the aisles of any of the cosmetics departments it does seem as though everything is marketed towards women.

Male skin care products tend to get bunched up into one small area of these stores, while skin care products for women dominate the shelves. The sad truth is that unbeknownst to virtually every man that shop’s his little section of the store that the products that the cosmetics companies design for him are really no different at all from the formulas that they design for women.

These products contain the almost the identical ingredients as those that can be found in products that are formulated for the needs of women’s skin. The only real difference in these products is the chemicals that they use in order to produce scent, and of course the packaging. Both the scent and the packaging have been designed in order to give the impression of masculinity.

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Microdermabrasion in a Salon or at Home – What’s the Difference?

Posted by | Skin Care | Wednesday 6 January 2010 10:56 pm

Microdermabrasion is a method of rejuvenating the skin without having to undergo any type of facelift procedure. As such, it falls into the category of skin revitalization. Other processes that revitalize skin include skin peels, skin crèmes, and Photorejuvenation. Microdermabrasion helps improve the appearance of the skin by encouraging new skin growth. Microdermabrasion is often used on the face, neck, chest, and the back of hands. Target problems include acne, slight raised scars, fine wrinkles, age spots, uneven pigmentation, and freckles.

With heavy marketing for home microdermabrasion products, people may be wondering, “What’s the difference and does it matter?” Getting microdermabrasion done at a salon or doctor’s office is much different than using a microdermabrasion product at home. The salon procedure originally involved abrading the skin with fine zinc oxide or aluminium oxide. More modern procedures use a wand with a rough texture. This is like moving towards a fine sanding of the face as opposed to power washing it. These are available in all the good cosmetic clinics.

This process must be conducted by somebody who has had training with the products. The service does not have to be provided by a doctor or nurse, however. Salon microdermabrasion is not supposed to hurt. Skin that is sensitive like the areas around the eyes may feel a little bit more of a scratching or slight tingling than the rest of the skin.

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The Best Teeth Whitening Advice for a Bright Smile

Posted by | Dental Care | Friday 1 January 2010 9:48 am

Most of us wish we had whiter teeth. The problem is we don’t always know the best way to go about getting them that way. With so many different options available to us it’s not easy to sort through them all. This article offers the best teeth whitening advice for getting a bright smile that you can be happy with.

There are three major ways you can whiten your teeth. The first is by using natural teeth whitening methods like brushing with baking soda and peroxide and flossing regularly. By keeping your teeth healthy and clean they will stay pretty white. Unfortunately over time, this method alone will give way to stains and discoloration. Natural whitening, especially brushing and flossing, is a necessity to healthy, white teeth, but eventually you’ll probably need to use another method as well.

Which brings us to the second whitening method: home teeth whitening. This method includes a number of specific options such as strips, gels and trays. There are many suitable products that will give you great results, but there are many rip-off products as well. Before purchasing a home whitening product be sure to research them carefully and remember, people respond to treatments differently, so what worked for someone else may not work for you. With that said, when they do work (which is most of the time), home teeth whitening treatments are a great way to go.

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