Latest Research involving 4,000 women which are diagnosed with breast cancer showed that aspirin consumption is proven to increase patient survival and reduce recurrence.

“About 50 percent of women with breast cancer who take aspirin, less likely to die than those not taking them,” said lead researcher Dr. Michelle Holmes, who is also professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health, Boston, United States, such as reported by HealthDay. This research is published online on February 16 and in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In general, bright Holmes, for women who consumed more aspirin a week will have a higher life expectancy. This is done by comparing the aspirin users and who do not. For instance recovering patients who take aspirin for 6-7 days a week, they will have a 64 percent reduction in risk of death.

Meanwhile, those who took aspirin for 2-5 days a week, with a variety of different reasons-even would have reduced the risk of death up to 71 percent. However, the most important is the data 50 percent of the overall risk reduction. This study did not include the dose taken, but the only time in a week usage.

The use of aspirin in the same way also able to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. “Very surprising, this is a strong effect of aspirin,” said Holmes. Although she admitted this was only the study by way of observation, not a definitive determination of cause and effect.

How aspirin can reduce the recurrence, Holmes did not know exactly. However, recent research is consistent with several previous studies. “We appreciate only too well that cancer is a disease of inflammation and aspirin is anti-inflammatory drugs,” she said. The researchers speculate, aspirin may decrease the hormone estrogen in the blood or prevent the spread of early cancer.

For this study, Holmes and colleagues evaluated the use of aspirin among women at least one year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The woman, diagnosed with stage 1, 2, or 3 breast cancer between 1976 and 2002. All of these women are participants Nurses Health Study.

During the research process, until the death of a woman in June 2006, 341 women died of breast cancer and 400 people because of recurrence or other metastatic disease. However, Holmes asserted aspirin will never be the recommended drugs for treatment of cancer.

Aspirin also causes negative side effects in some aspects. “It (the consumption of aspirin) can cause GI tract bleeding in patients,” he said. At present it is necessary further studies about the results of this research. But, he added, when a woman with breast cancer and aspirin for other reasons (such as bone pain or pain), she will feel comfortable when she knew could prevent breast cancer does not become worse.

“This is the largest study of aspirin use and a special breast cancer recurrence and patient survival,” said Eric Jacobs, Director of Pharmacoepidemiology in the American Cancer Society. Previous research has produced a more extensive findings and not specific.

“The results of this study interesting, there are some important warning,” said Jacobs. As well as Holmes said, he noted that these findings do not prove cause and effect. “As this study the researchers noted, do not talk about because aspirin during chemotherapy may be inspired by the success of cancer patients who continue to survive. Do not get your hopes too high against the use of aspirin, “said Jacobs.

Both Holmes and Jacobs agree that it is too early to tell breast cancer patients who survived because taking aspirin, with the goal of reducing breast cancer recurrence or avoid death. According to them, patients must communicate with the doctor more about what is best for their treatment process.

Breast cancer is the most common known women. Every year more than 250,000 new cases diagnosed in Europe and more than 175,000 in the United States. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000 estimated 1.2 million women diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 700,000 of them died.

The cause of breast cancer itself until now unknown, but there are some risk factors that cause a woman to be more likely to develop breast cancer, including age above 60 years old, had suffered from breast cancer, family history, genetic and hormonal factors, menarche (first time menstruation) before the age of 12 years, menopause after age 55 years, first pregnancy after age 30 years or had never been pregnant, use birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy, postmenopausal obesity and alcohol.

Abortion is a process of ending a pregnancy. To get an abortion, it is necessary for you to consult a doctor where certain tests will be done to confirm your pregnancy.

If pregnancy is confirmed and is below nine weeks, then abortion pill is best to expel the contents of the uterus.

Abortion pill is widely known as RU-486. RU stands for Roussel-Uclaf (the initials of the pharmaceutical company) and 486 is a lab serial number. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the abortion pill (RU-486) for use as an abortifacient.

Abortion pill is a type of abortion that can be performed using a combination of two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol. These two pills can end most pregnancies in about four hours. It is safe and effective when used within nine weeks of pregnancy.

Your doctor will explain you how mifepristone and misoprostol work in terminating a pregnancy. Depending upon your health condition, the doctor gives you a dose of mifepristone pill to take orally.

Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone levels that are needed to maintain a successful pregnancy.

Due to the blockage of this hormone, the uterine lining begins to shed, the cervix get soften and bleeding (an indication of abortion) may occur.

The bleeding may be light much like spotting towards the end of a menstrual period or heavy bleeding. In some cases, you may experience no bleeding until you take the second pill (Misoprostol).

Misoprostol, another abortion pill will be given if abortion has not occurred with mifepristone.

Misoprostol will be taken orally or inserted vaginally within 48 hours of mifepristone. It causes uterine contractions (cramps) to expel the uterine contents from the body.

The abortion pill will not recommended for you if you have certain medical conditions such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes, bleeding problems or hypertension or when fitted with an intra-uterine device. It is ineffective in the case of ectopic pregnancy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that abortion pill is an effective treatment in termination of pregnancy. It is found that about 95 women out of every 100 has achieved abortion successfully with the intake of abortion pill in the first nine weeks of pregnancy.

Moreover, with abortion pill, the risk of infection is very less and maternal death is extremely low. It is relatively a cheaper, less invasive option where anesthesia is not necessary. The need of pain-killing drugs will be avoided. Also, you can successfully abort without any complication and further medical treatment.

However, with abortion pill, a continuous bleeding may occur for weeks. It is found that one out of every 300 will come across heavy bleeding with the usage of abortion pill. In some rare cases, you may develop an infection.

It is also found that abortion pill is ineffective in five women out of every 100 who take it for ending the pregnancy. Sometimes, it takes days to work.

So, you should see the doctor right away if you find heavy bleeding, infection or any complication occurring with usage of abortion pill..

How HIV is Transmitted

The human immunodeficiency virus is principally spread by physical contact with blood, semen or vaginal fluid infected by the disease.  HIV is typically spread by three main scenarios:
•    Sexual contact sexual relations with someone infected with
•    Contact with an infected needle or syringe (Sharing needles with someone infected with HIV).
•    HIV may be spread to children from their mothers during childbirth or during breastfeeding.

HIV Preventative Steps Include:
•    Talk to your sexual partner about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
•    Learn as much as possible about your partner’s past sexual behavior, previous sexual partners, drug use and lifestyle.
•    Abstain from sexual relations (anal, vaginal and oral) until you are in a relationship with only one person and you both are having sex only with each other.
•    Use a condom every time you have sexual contact.
•    Do not share needles or syringes with anyone.
•    Get tested for HIV and other STDs.

HIV Treatments

Advances in HIV treatments since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s have helped to slow the progression of the HIV infection to AIDS.  As a result of advancements in medical research and sciences, the number of fatalities resulting from AIDS has decreased in the United States.  Although there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS, it is a manageable virus.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, there are currently thirty-one antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) approved by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment and management of HIV and AIDS.  These drugs do not cure or get rid of HIV or AIDS, but they do suppress the virus and allow the infected person to live a longer, healthier life.  It is important to note, that although the virus can be suppressed via use of ARVs, HIV/AIDS can still be spread by the infected individual. It is critical that the infected patient use all safeguards to prevent the spread of the virus to anyone.

Treatment Complications, Dangers and Potential Side Effects

Like many drug treatments, the medications used to treat HIV/AIDS can cause complications and side effects.  Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) on rare occasion can cause critical medical complications including: alterations in metabolism and bone loss.  Infected individuals need to be aware of possible complications when taking any medication and be alert to their body’s reaction to the drug.  It is important to convey any worries concerning your HIV treatment with your doctor.

Research has shown that HIV can create variants resistant to antiretroviral drugs when patients neglect to take all their prescribed medications consistently.  It is critical for those infected with HIV to talk to their physicians about their worries or hardships with their recommended drug schedule.  Some patients experience uncomfortable side effects and may have trouble keeping up with the required daily medication schedule.  If this is the case, it is recommended that the patient and physician find a substitute solution as quickly as possible as inconsistency with antiretroviral drugs may allow the HIV virus to become resistant to that specific medical treatment.

HIV Support Groups

Support groups and links to others who are also living with HIV/AIDS may offer some benefit.  Connecting with others who share your medical diagnosis may provide emotional support, a sense of unity and may help prevent individuals from feeling isolated in their illness.  The World Health Organization (WHO) states that support groups can provide key psychosocial support to people living with HIV/AIDS.  Becoming infected with HIV can affect all aspects of the infected individual’s life as well as the life of their family and caregivers.  Support groups may help HIV patients better deal with their disease.  Support groups should not be used to replace professional psychological services.

Swine Flu Basics Information

There has been much ado about Swine Flu or the H1N1 virus. From the hype about the vaccine to the miscalculations of swine flu casualties, it has been difficult to find the truth about the disease.

The truth is that the name swine flu is not a new illness for a flu strain, yet this particular strain of the virus is. In addition, the vaccine created to prevent this particular flu underwent the same testing that the traditional flu shots undergo. Another truth is that there is no cure for the swine flu—it must run its course like its seasonal counterpart. In addition, swine flu does not come from pork.

With that out of the way, here is some useful information about swine flu that may you understand just what this virus really is. Read the rest of this entry »

Coconut has been a staple of the diet of people in Thailand and other island nations for centuries. They consume the milk, cook with coconut oils, and eat the flesh of the coconut itself. However, those nations do not have the anticipated high rates of heart disease high cholesterol. Studies have been done but anecdotal evidence is the most compelling.

What some people call coconut cholesterol refers to the body’s potential reaction to the saturated fat in the food. Cholesterol is found only in animal cells, humans included. The human body creates all the cholesterol the body needs. People do not need to consume cholesterol for better health. Read the rest of this entry »