Determine if a mole is cancerous
How were melanomas detected before melanomagraphies? The old fashioned way was to just look at a mole and try to determine if it was good or bad. Experienced clinicians are able to diagnose melanoma...
Monthly Archive: April 2011
Fight Against Melanoma
Forty-thousand new cases of skin cancer are reported each year, and researchers say the number of people with melanoma is increasing faster than those with any other cancer. For the thousands who already have...
Gerson Diet
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. More than 7,000 people in the U.S. will die from it this year. Some believe skin cancer patients can survive the disease using a little-known treatment...
When Life Throws You Lemons…
Studies show an optimistic spirit can aid recovery from illness or injury, and even lower your chance of developing dementia and cardiovascular disease. Use these tips to help you find the granules of sweetness...
Optimizing Your Weight
Millions of women follow diets, visit diet clubs, read weight-loss books, and look for low-calorie and low-fat foods when they visit the supermarket. We seem to be preoccupied with weight loss. Why do we...
Gestational Diabetes
It’s estimated that pregnancy – or gestational – diabetes affects between two and three percent of pregnant women. Although the condition can cause concern, it’s perfectly treatable. Diabetes is a condition in which your...
Spring Reaction
With the emergence of spring’s life-giving colors, fragrances, and weather comes an aggravation that affects 40 million Americans: allergies. If the sneezing and wheezing make you wish for cold weather, try these tips for...
Taming Bladder Pain Q&A
You said you had about 350 patients who suffer from interstitial cystitis. So this isn’t really a rare disorder, but is it difficult to diagnose? Dr. Hurm: It really is difficult to diagnose for...
Mood Swings
In the process of gradual, menopausal change, your hormone levels will rise and fall until they find a new equilibrium. During this time, your moods are likely to fluctuate, too – sometimes dramatically. Mood...
Essential Water
Without water, your brain can’t send messages to your cells, your stomach can’t break down your food, and your body can’t metabolize your fat reserves or detoxify properly. Water is essential to life. Headaches,...
Let Those Habits Go
While Americans enjoy freedoms others only dream about, we’re all vulnerable to habits that shackle self-mastery over health… and happiness. Gain control and liberation with these tips: Buddy up. Breaking a bad habit or...
It’s OK to ask Questions about Hysterectomy
It’s been over 10 years since I had a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAHBSO). Back in 1991, my family physician told me I had endometriosis, though no diagnostic measures were taken to...
Health Provider’s Role in Unintended Pregnancies
A new study investigates whether health care providers could trigger unintended pregnancies that end in abortion. Unhelpful information about the use of birth control methods given by health care providers to patients could contribute...
Acupuncture for PCOS
What is PCOS? PCOS is a common condition. PC stands for polycystic, O is for ovary, and S is for syndrome. It is a syndrome because it consists of several features, including obesity, unovulation...
No More Periods?
It’s called the curse, the monthly visitor, and old faithful. Why? Eighty percent of all women endure some pain during their menstrual period. But what if they could say goodbye to “that time of...
Care with cooking oils
Depending on what oils you buy and how you cook and store them, oils can change from being healthy to unhealthy. Free radicals, marauding cells that run riot through your body causing disease and...
FATS
“Fat” tends to be a dirty word in the vocabulary of most women, and many of us, especially those of us who are watching our weight, go to great lengths to avoid eating it....
Bulimia Risk
You’ve heard about anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder marked by starvation, but what about its counterpart bulimia nervosa? More than eight million Americans have eating disorders, and one in 20 of those are bulimic....
Ketogenic Diet
There’s a breakthrough in the treatment of epilepsy that actually dates back to biblical times. Even back then, it was noted that people who were starving tended not to have seizures. Now, a diet...
A Whole New Life: An Illness and a Reading
I came across this book as I was recovering from a bout with cancer and looking for some literature of shared experience. Pickings are slim, needless to say, but this book stands out like...
Understanding Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease isn’t just about losing your keys. It’s about forgetting what your keys are for. This mind-robbing disease affects more than three million people in the United States and currently has no cure....
Starving Cancerous Tumors
Surrounded by her family, 51-year-old Martha Walker counts her blessings. She’s been married for 30 years, has five children and 14 grandchildren. Despite being told her chances of survival were slim, Martha is winning...
Standard Labor Practice Questioned
A standard test given to pregnant women when they go into the hospital to deliver may not be worth the effort, suggest Irish investigators. Their study in 2003 issue of The Lancet finds routine...
Preemies Fare Better When Underfed
Babies need to be well-fed to grow into healthy adults, right? Maybe not, say British researchers in this week’s issue of The Lancet. Their study of adolescents born both prematurely and full-term finds premature...
Anorexia Linked to Emphysema
New research shows malnutrition caused by anorexia may contribute to emphysema. Researchers from Vancouver General Hospital in Canada presented their findings at the 89th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of...
The female hormones
At every stage of your life, from birth to death, your hormones play powerful roles. The most notable is that of your sex hormones, which trigger the changes that take place in your body...
Salad Steals the Show
Salads provide key nutrients for fighting cancer and lowering heart disease risk. And many dieters cuddle up to salads to reduce calorie intake without sacrificing nourishment. But not all salads are created equal. Many...
Yoga and Meditation
Yoga originated in India at least 7,000 years ago. A system of training for body, mind, and spirit, it aims to stimulate and balance the flow of life-force energy, known as prana, around the...
A Leaf of Freshness
While April’s National Lawn and Garden Month celebrates botanical landscape outside your home, many studies tout the health benefits of interior plant life. Of course houseplants can enhance aesthetics, reduce stress, and brighten spirits,...
Fiber and Antioxidants
Fiber Fiber ensures that your bowel movements are regular and your stools are healthy, reducing bloating and flatulence. A fiber-rich diet is also a weight-loss essential because it boosts digestion and increases feelings of...