Medical Information: Cancer

CANCER

Not all cancers are the same. 1/3 is curable. 1/3 is preventable.

2 factors of cancer that cannot be controlled are AGE & FAMILY HISTORY.

CAUSES OF CANCER:
1. Smoking is very often the main cause of cancer.
It kills us silently and drains money from us quietly. There’re 4,000 harmful chemicals (though in diluted form) in one stick of cigarette. Taking one puff is 600 times worse than inhaling exhaust fumes from vehicles.

2. Some foods that cause cancer are :
a. Barbecued Food

b. Deep Fried Food

c. Overheating Meat

d. Food that is high in fat causes our bile to secrete acid that contains a chemical which is a promoter of cancer cells.

e. Food that contains preservatives, too much salt or nitrates, e.g.canned food, Salted egg & veggies, sausages, etc.

f. Overnight Rice (where Aflatoxin is accumulated)

g. Food that is low in fibre : Our body needs 25gm of both soluble& insoluble fibre daily. We must drink at least 1.5 litres of plain water a day.

h. Contaminated Food (e.g. moulded bread causes our body to secrete toxins that may eventually lead to liver cancer in the long run. Never eat bread that is kept in room temperature for more than 2 days especially in a humid weather.)

3. Types of fat and which is the best?

Highly Recommended for Health :
a. Olive Oil - It does not absorb in our body.

b. Fish Oil - Omega 3 (contained in NI’s Circulytes) has poly-unsaturated

fat. It’s good for our brain cells.

c. Peanut Oil - It contains Vitamin E. A small dosage is

recommended only.

Not Recommended for Health
a. Vegetable Fat - Palm oil is worse than coconut oil. It is high in cholesterol and highly unsaturated.

b. Coconut Oil - It has saturated fat.

4. Specific Food & Beverages
a. Egg when eaten too much can cause High Colon Cancer, Risk Ovary

Cancer, Prostate Cancer.

b. Cabbage is highly recommended for health reason.

c. Tomato is best eaten raw with a bit of olive oil for better

absorption. Other alternative is to take tomato sauce.

d. Coffee is good because it contains 2 anti-oxidants. Inhale coffee aroma for half each day is equivalent to eating 2 oranges a day. However, the residue of over-burned coffee is extremely bad for health. It can cause cancer.

e. Tea, as long as it is in its original tea leaves and not processed into BOH or Lipton packets, it is good for health. Tea contains 30 anti-oxidants. Recommended dosage is cups a day.

EXERCISE AND BE FIT
Have a balanced lifestyle. Exercise regularly

F: Frequency: 3 to 5 times a week
I: Intensity: Exercise till we sweat and breath deeply
T: Types of exercises: Find one that suits our age, lifestyle,


HAVE REGULAR CHECK-UP once we reach the age of 45 & above, it is recommended that we go for regular comprehensive health examination. Early detection may save lives.


* Pass it on to people you care of their health.*

Foods For Women's Health Part 5/5- Cabbage

Cabbage

This humble vegetable may help fight osteoporosis, which affects many women late in life. In addition to getting adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, some studies suggest that vitamin K may have a bone-protective effect as well. Based on data from one of the largest studies of women, the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers discovered that women who ate enough vitamin K-rich foods (at least 109 micrograms of the vitamin daily) were 30 per cent less likely to suffer a hip fracture during ten years of follow-up than women who ate less. Researchers point out that dark-green leafy vegetables – brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli – are all good sources of the vitamin. But cabbage is among the best.

Foods For Women's Health Part 4/5- Pork

Pork

Due largely to menstruation, women tend to be more anaemic than men. And low iron levels in blood can cause severe fatigue. To get a good dose of iron, try pork. It has what every diet-conscious women wants– lots of iron and fat that can be easily removed, compared to most cuts of meat. According to the Asian Food Information Centre in Singapore, a palm-sized pork steak has about 1.4 milligrams of iron. Best of all, says Dr Mark Wahlqvist, president of the International Union of Nutrition Sciences, eating a small amount of pork with a meal increases the absorption of iron from accompanying vegetables and cereals.

Foods For Women's Health Part 3/5- Tofu

Tofu

Foods high in soya protein can lower cholesterol and may minimise menopausal hot flushes and strengthen bone. Isoflavones, plant chemicals in soyabeans that have a structure similar to oestrogen, may be the reason. Though animal studies form the bulk of evidence, a human study found that 90 milligrams of isoflavones was beneficial to bone (specifically the spine). And two other studies suggest that 50 to 76 milligrams of isoflavones a day may offer some relief from hot flushes. Half a cup of tofu contains about 25 to 35 milligrams of isoflavones.

Foods For Women's Health Part 2/5- Flaxseed

Flaxseed

Bakers use this nutty-flavoured seed mainly to add flavour and fibre. But scientists see the tiny reddish-brown seed, rich in oestrogen-like compounds called lignans, as a potential weapon against breast cancer. An exciting report at last year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that adding flaxseed to the diet of women with breast cancer effectively slowed tumour growth. You can flavour your muffins with flaxseed, but the easiest way to get the beneficial lignans is to sprinkle a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed on your morning cereal. Look for the seeds in health food shops. They’re easy to grind in a blender or coffee grinder. But get seeds – there are no lignans in the oil.

Foods For Women's Health Part 1/5

Papaya

This fruit packs about twice the vitamin C of an orange. Add it to your arsenal against gallbladder disease, which afflicts twice as many women as men. After analysing the blood of over 13,000 people, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, found that women who had lower levels of vitamin C were more likely to have gallbladder illnesses. One medium papaya (about 280 grams), with 188 milligrams of C and a mere 500 kilo-joules, is a refreshing source of the vitamin. Best of all it’s probably growing in your garden.

Foods For Men's Health Part 5/5

Watermelon

Until the age of 55, more men suffer from high blood pressure than do women. Research suggests that foods rich in potassium can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. The evidence is so convincing that the US Food and Drug Administration recently allowed food labels to bear a health claim about the connection between potassium-rich foods and high blood pressure. “A good goal for potassium is about 2000 milligrams or more a day,” says Antigone Blazos, a lecturer at Asia Pacific Health and Nutrition Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Watermelon is a rich source of this mineral and has more potassium – 664 milligrams – in just one large slice than the amount found in banana or a glass of orange juice. So cut yourself another slice and enjoy its cool taste.

Foods For Men Health Part 4/5

Broccoli
A recent Harvard study finds that cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, may protect against bladder cancer which is common among Asian men. Scientists analysed the diets of nearly 50,000 men and discovered that those who ate five servings or more per week of cruciferous veggies were half as likely to develop bladder cancer over a ten-year period as men who rarely ate them. And broccoli and cabbage were singled out as the most protective foods.

Foods For Men Health Part 3/5

Oysters

Myth has it that oysters are the food of love. Science may agree. Just two to three oyster deliver a full day’s supply of zinc, a mineral critical for normal functioning of the male reproductive system. Scientists are divided over reports that sperm counts have declined over the last 50 years and that environmental factors are to blame. Nutritional deficiencies do seem to be the cause of certain cases of low testosterone. Getting adequate zinc is sometimes the answer (up to 15 milligrams per day is recommended for men; more than 40 milligrams can pose risk). In one trial, 22 men with low testosterone level and sperm counts were given zinc every day for 45 to 50 days. Testosterone levels and sperm counts rose.

Foods For Men Health Part 2/5

Peanut Butter

If you want a healthy heart, spread your morning toast with peanut butter. Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women, but men fall victim at an earlier age. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University compared the cholesterol-lowering effect of the step II Diet of the America Heart Association (AHA) with a higher-fat diet based on peanuts. The AHA plan included more carbohydrates. The peanut regimen was 36 per cent fat. After 24 days both diets lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol. But the peanut plan also caused a drop in blood fats called triglycerides and did not decrease HDL, the “good” cholesterol. The AHA diet raised levels of triglycerides and lowered levels of HDL. “Peanut butter is a little higher in fat,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, the lead author of the study. “But it’s the type that’s good for you – monounsaturated fat.” Researchers have predicted that the peanut diet could reduce heart-disease risk even more than the AHA diet could. Just don’t go nutty plastering on the tasty spread, since it is high in kilojoules.

A meaningful story part 2/2

ANSWER:
The husband just said "I am with you Darling". The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.

MORAL OF THE STORY
This story is really worth reading. Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.

Foods For Men Health Part 1/5

Tomato Sauce– Men who eat a lot of tomatoes, tomato sauce, or pizza smothered with the stuff may be giving themselves a hedge against prostate cancer. So say researchers at Harvard University, who studied the eating habits of more than 47,000 male health professionals. They found that men who ate tomato sauce two to four times per week had a 35 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who ate none. A carotenoid called lycopene, which tomatoes contain in abundance, appeared to be responsible. But scientists were puzzled: tomato juice didn’t seem to have a protective effect. Other research show why. For best absorption, lycopene should be cooked with some kind of fat. So pizza may be just what the doctor ordered.

A meaningful story part 1/2

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter. The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital. He died. The mother was stunned! She was terrified how she was going to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.

QUESTIONS:
1. What were the five words?
2. What is the implication of this story?

Answer will be posted on 25 Nov 2005.