Medsarticles. Medical Weblog » Cancer

CONSTIPATION – CAUSES

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:51:26 +0000

Constipation can also be caused by cancer directly, through partial or complete blockage of the bowel. Constipation due to blockage is often accompanied by pain and sometimes by passage of blood and/or small amounts of slimy fluid through the back passage. If the blockage is right down near the rectum you may feel as though you want to open your bowels all the time. This is because a growth inside the rectum or pressing on it can feel just like a motion always waiting there. I think it is easier to cope with this unpleasant symptom if you understand what is causing it. Of course, if you have hard motions in the rectum which you cannot pass without help, you can get exactly the same symptoms—a feeling as though you want to go all the time, but when you do, you pass only small amounts of slimy fluid. These symptoms are sometimes mistaken for diarrhoea, which can be disastrous— obviously treating it as diarrhoea can make it much worse! This mistake should never be made because it is very easy for a doctor or nurse to tell one from the other simply by checking inside your rectum with a gloved finger.

*194/40/1*

TREATMENT OF SYMPTOMS – SYMPTOMS AND NERVOUS TENSION (PART 2)

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:47:44 +0000

While recognising that nervous tension can produce or aggravate physical symptoms, neither you nor your practitioner should jump to the conclusion that this is happening, without first checking other possibilities. If your practitioner dismisses a symptom as being due to nervous tension and you don’t feel this conclusion is right, I suggest you ask for a second opinion.

On the other hand, if you and your practitioner come to the conclusion that a symptom is caused or aggravated by nervous tension, this is not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about. You are under enormous strain and it would be surprising if your nerves did not play up in some way. Symptoms caused or aggravated by nervous tension are no less important, real or uncomfortable than any others. You are a whole person, not just a physical body. All parts of you are important and interconnected. Be kind to yourself — don’t judge yourself harshly, but respect and take care of all of you!

Once you accept that nervous tension is playing a part in producing a symptom, it might then improve or even clear up altogether. If not, there are basically three ways of tackling the situation. You can choose any one, two or even all three.

*161/40/1*

RISK FACTORS FOR BREAST CANCER: GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES AND DIET

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:28:49 +0000

Genetic predisposition

Some 5 per cent of breast cancers are related to an abnormal gene. Although this gene is rarely implicated in postmenopausal women who develop breast cancer, it is much more commonly present in pre-menopausal women with this disease, particularly in those under the age of 30.

Your risk of developing breast cancer is higher if you have a close relative with pre-menopausal breast cancer than if an affected relative is older than 50. The risk increases if you have two relatives with pre-menopausal breast cancer or one with the disease in both breasts.

The breast cancer family gene which has been identified is found not only in families with cancer of the breasts, but also in those with ovarian and colon cancer. Families with this gene should be given specialist advice and counseling at clinics run by geneticists or breast surgeons.

Geographic differences

Breast cancer is about eight times more common in Northern Europe, North America and Australia than it is in parts of Asia and Africa. However, women who move from low-risk countries, such as Japan, to high-risk countries such as North America, show a sometimes immediate increase in risk – certainly within one or two generations. Although this does not rule out the possibility of a genetic predisposition, it does seem to indicate an important role for some factor(s) in the environment.

Diet

Some dietary factor(s) may play a part in the increase in risk. Although it is not known how these exert their effects, it may be that they influence hormone synthesis or metabolism.

Many foods contain hormones or hormone analogues, either naturally or otherwise. For example, milk is a hormone-derived substance, as, therefore, are butter and cheese etc. Chickens and pigs are often injected with hormones which may be present in the meat from these animals. The early oral contraceptive pill was made from hormones naturally present in the sweet potato. Ginseng also contains naturally occurring oestrogen. These are just a few examples.

There is evidence to suggest an association between diet and various cancers, including cancer of the breast, although this is not conclusive and some studies have failed to find any such link.

Other studies suggest that a diet high in fat and in animal protein, common in most countries in the more affluent West, may be a significant factor in the development of this disease, although there is as yet no conclusive proof of this. Although the Japanese are now a well-nourished nation, they do not eat a large amount of animal fat, and, as mentioned above, do not have a high incidence of breast cancer when living in their own country.

It is also possible, but unproven, that vitamins A and C, found in dark green and yellow vegetables and in fruit, may have a protective effect.

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