Eat Veggies, Fight Cancer?

A nine-year study shows that smokers who ate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables lowered their risk of developing lung cancer compared with those eating a smaller range of these foods.

The quantity did not seem to matter, leading scientist to speculate that variety, not volume, may increase your exposure to diverse and potentially powerful anticancer compounds, which still have not been identified.

This article by Alice Park, for Time Magazine, September 13th should tell everyone that fruits and vegetables are essential to your health and well being. If it can be found to lower the chances of someone that is a smoker from getting lung cancer, maybe it works with other cancers.

You can have a say in what you put in your body and how it helps your body work. Omega-3s and vitamin D have already been found to help fight breast cancer and you can get these from fruits, vegetables and are easy to add to your diet. Selenium has been found to fight bladder cancer and one of the best sources is Brazil nut.

To your health.

Leigh

Vitamin-D , How much is OK? Cancer Statistics.

With sunblock and self-tanners, Americans are D-deficient but how many vitamin D pills should we be taking. New guidelines for the optimal dietary dose are expected out this fall and the studies on vitamin D's effects on cancer, heart disease and cognition are ongoing. Here is where the science stands on cancer now.

Vitamin D may prevent cancer by suppressing the cell growth and blood vessel formation that feed tumors. At least that is the idea, based on animal studies and analyses of human cells. But trials in which patients take vitamin D have not shown a consistent lowering of cancer risk.

One four year trial of 1200 postmenopausal women found a 77% lower risk of all cancers among those taking calcium and 1, 000 IU of vitamin D a day than among those taking a placebo. A larger study, however, in which subjects took 400 IU of vitamin D -- in the absence of an official daily recommended intake, that is the "adequate" intake for adults ages 51 to 70-- did not show lower breast-cancer risk.

The data are strongest for colorectal cancer: subjects with higher blood levels of vitamin D were half as likely as those with lower levels to develop the disease.

Always discuss the vitamins you take with your doctor before starting them.

This information is from "TIME" Magazine, August 30, 2010, Health Page by Alice Park

We will discuss vitamin D and heart disease next.

To your Health!

Leigh

Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Info Released

In an announcement made September 1st, new research suggest surgery to remove healthy ovaries gives a triple benefit to some women at high risk for cancer.

The women in the study had BRCA gene mutations and were counseled to help them decide between preventive surgery or more screening to watch for signs of cancer.

The study is the largest to date to find advantages for surgery for these high-risk women and showed preventive surgery lowered their threat of Breast cancer and Ovarian cancer and improves their chances of living longer.

This information is from the Anniston Star, September 1, 1910

To your health,

Leigh

Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer

Boosting Selenium Intake May Lower Bladder Cancer Risk, Particularly in Women

Aug. 31, 2010 -- Adding more selenium to your diet may reduce your risk of bladder cancer.

Scientists reporting in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention say that adults with low blood levels of the mineral selenium are more likely to develop bladder cancer. The lower your levels of selenium, the higher your risk.

Selenium is a trace mineral found in soil. Dietary sources of selenium include plant foods and meats from animals that grazed on grain or plants grown in selenium-rich soil. The nutrient is also found in certain nuts. For example, brazil nuts often contain an abundance of selenium.The body uses selenium to make selenoproteins. Many selenoproteins function as antioxidants, which prevent cellular damage. Some studies have suggested that selenium can help protect against certain cancers, but clinical trials on selenium supplementation have yielded conflicting results.

For the current study, Nuria Malats, MD, PhD, leader of the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group of the Human Cancer Genetics Program at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center, and colleagues combined information from seven previously published studies to conduct their research. They reviewed selenium levels taken from blood samples and toenail clippings and determined each patient's risk of developing bladder cancer. The analysis included patients mostly from the United States and some patients from Europe.

The study showed:

1. A 39% decrease in bladder cancer risk was associated with the highest levels ofselenium.

2. The protective benefit of selenium was seen mostly in women. Researchers believethis may be because of differences in how men and women's bodies break down andremove the mineral.

“Although our results suggest a beneficial effect of high selenium intake for bladder cancer risk, more studies are needed to confirm these findings before an enforcement of high selenium intake is recommended,” Malats says in a news release.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for selenium for adults is 55 micrograms per day. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may require higher amounts. Most American diets provide the recommended amount of the mineral, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Before adding more selenium to your diet, talk to your doctor. Too much selenium can be unhealthy and may lead to a condition called selenosis. Symptoms include stomach upset, hair loss, garlic breath odor, white spots on the nails, irritability, fatigue, and mild nerve damage.

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences says the highest amount of selenium that adults can take safely without endangering their health is 400 micrograms a day. This is called the tolerable upper intake level (UL).

By Kelli Miller Stacy Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
WebMD Health News

As I know someone who is now dealing with bladder cancer I was very interested in this news and hope it will help many in the future.

To your health

Leigh

Senior Safety Tip from a Fireman!

Anyone who has read my blog knows I love reading "Dear Abby".

She has some great information and tips from her readers and this one is from a fireman.

If seniors don't have an emergency alert device, they should take their car keys to bed with them and place them on their nightstand. The little red "panic" button can be used to start the horn on their car in an emergency. The neighbors will hear the horn and help them.

Abby adds: First, forewarn the neighbors that if your car alarm goes off, it many indicate that you are in trouble. In her city, car alarms go off so frequently that people often assume it's a malfunction and ignore it.

Both are very good tips. Also ask your neighbors you may be close with to please check on you occasionally. Maybe Monday and Friday if they do not see you out and about. Many seniors fall and become unconscious and a neighbor has saved their lives just by checking on them and calling the police if necessary.

If you have a senior that lives near you take a minute and get to know them. Becoming friends can save that persons life and you will be surprised at the wonderful feeling you can get just with a smile and a "Hello". Remember, one day you will be a senior too!

Good Health to us all!

Leigh

NEW ORLEANS TWO DAY FREE C.A.R.E. CLINIC - August 31st & September 1st

NEW ORLEANS C.A.R.E. Clinic - The NAFC C.A.R.E. Clinic will return to New Orleans on August 31 & September 1st. This clinic will help the uninusred of the Gulf Region as we approach the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and as the region is struggling with the current oil spill crisis.
Patients call 1-877-236-7617

Free HEALTHCARE Clinic, Washington DC, on 8-4-2010

The NAFC C.A.R.E. organization is holding a ONE DAY
Free Healthcare Clinic in Washington DC on Wendsday,

August 4th. This C.A.R.E. clinic will be at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center.

Patients can call 877-233-5259 for further information.
http://www.freeclinics.us/freeclinic.php

The National Association of Free Clinics is the only
national non-profit whose mission is solely focused on
the needs of free clinics and the populations they serve.

They have helped thousands with low cost or free medical test,

screening, treatment, and references to doctors for future help.

If you think you may have a medical problem or just want to

have your blood sugar and blood pressure checked,

you should check out this free one day clinic.

To your health,
Leigh