Doctor HealthHealth Tips

The NPD Group’s 21st annual Eating Patterns in America report has found that consumer-purchasing decisions in the United States are still primarily convenience-driven, despite an increased focus on health over the last year.

“The driving force in our eating habits has always been convenience,” said report author and NPD Vice President Harry Balzer. “The only surprise is how that will manifest in our behavior.”

The report’s conclusion was drawn from data from more than 40 NPD research efforts, which noted three consumer behaviors: more people were relying on sandwiches at mealtimes, fewer were using fresh ingredients, and more were purchasing take-out food. Sandwiches have always been the most popular lunch food, according to the report, but over the last year they have become the No. 1 dinnertime food in American homes, too. Eleven point one percent of home meals include a sandwich, however the report found that even sandwiches are starting to lose ground to convenient take-out meals. The average American family eats 13 take-out lunches a year, compared to 8 in 1990.

“While the frequency is still low, this is a reflection of a bigger issue: How do we make fresh foods easier?” said Balzer. “I think we’re saying, ‘Let the restaurant operator worry about having fresh bread, fresh tomatoes, fresh lettuce, fresh meat.’”

More than half of the 50,000 households studied reported choosing their evening meal based on how easy it was to make; 40 percent said they prepare their meals with what they have around the kitchen; 35 percent say the whole family agreeing on the dish is most important factor; and 34 percent choose a meal based on what is easiest to clean up. Healthy, nutritious meals came next, and while Americans showed an increase in concern for these meals, they still came much lower on the list.

Still, Americans have been looking for healthy ways to eat. In 2006 so far, 64 percent of adults surveyed said they wanted to get more whole grains in their diet, 58 percent wanted more dietary fiber, another 58 percent wanted more calcium, and 55 percent were trying to add more vitamin C. Americans are also becoming increasingly aware of the need to cut harmful food additives from their diet, as 71 percent of adults said they wanted to cut down fat, 62 percent said they wanted to cut calories, 62 percent were looking to lower cholesterol, and 58 percent said they wanted to reduce their sugar intake.

“Healthy eating will take hold when it is either easier or cheaper to do than what we do now,” the report stated.

(NewsTarget)
by: Ben Kage

The skin disorder psoriasis is not only painful and hard to treat, but a new study suggests that psoriasis may be an independent risk factor for heart attack, particularly in young individuals with severe psoriasis.

But not just young individuals with psoriasis are at risk. Researchers studied medical records for more than 680,000 British patients, and found that people in their 40s with severe psoriasis were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack than people without the skin disease.

The study involved over 127,000 patients with mild psoriasis, 3,837 with severe psoriasis, and 556,995 controls. The patients all had a follow-up period of just under 5.5 years. Over that time, the heart attack rate in the control group was 2.0 percent, while the rates in the mild and severe psoriasis groups were 1.8 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

Researchers said, “Our findings are novel and therefore it is important that additional studies be performed to confirm these results and determine their therapeutic implications.” They added, “In the meantime, as part of good medical care, patients with psoriasis should be encouraged to aggressively address their modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.”

Although current research supports a link between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease, all the research thus far has come from hospital-based studies that did not control for known cardiovascular risk factors. The researchers of the current study addressed these non-controlled issues by conducting a population-based cohort study to examine the risk of heart attack in patients with and without psoriasis. They also adjusted the study to exclude high blood pressure, diabetes, lipid abnormalities, and other heart risk factors.

“The unstated implication in all of this is that if psoriasis is linked to heart attacks, consumers can reduce their heart attack risk by treating their psoriasis with drugs. But this logic is absurd,” explained Mike Adams, a holistic nutritionist. “Both conditions may, indeed, have a common cause, but that cause is certainly not a lack of medication. The real cause common to both conditions is a variety of nutritional imbalances and deficiencies, including a lack of omega-3 oils, zinc and other nutrients.”

by: Jerome Douglas

While most of the uninitiated might consider the generic habit of smoking to be one thing, and one thing only, any cigar aficionado will be at great pains to tell you otherwise. While the smoking of cigarettes is something that most teenagers have tried, and increasingly is viewed socially as something a person does because they simply haven’t managed to give up yet, cigar smoking is something akin to a hobby, and for many, a passion. While cigarette smoking is something you simple do, the smoking of cigars is done with panache, and like any other skilled pastime, there is a whole sub-culture that participates in it.

Because cigar smoking is undoubtedly a skilled art - as any common cigarette smoker can tell you after making the leap from what might be considered the waif of the smoking world, the paltry and ten-a-penny cigarette, to the voluptuous and charismatic cigar. Cigars have a depth that delves into all five senses, and a flavor that is completely unexpected by those familiar only with cigarettes. The novice cigar smoker will be nauseous and headachy for days! But apparently this is a barrier that is worth working through - you only have to mention cigars to an aficionado to hear them wax lyrical on the wonders of cigars.

Article by : Jeff Lakie

Mukee Okan speaks about sexual energy and describes a premature ejaculation exercise that will increase your overall levels of sexual energy and ‘juiciness’.

My sincerest wish for men is that they can experience the ecstasy of high energy sex as often as possible and learn new ways to stop having low energy sex!

You know the kind where it’s all over in a flash and you feel like, “Why did I even bother?”

What is low energy sex? Low energy sex is usually when your sex experience is short and swift, without much sensation or orgasm.

Article By : Mukee Okan

African-American women with breast cancer were more likely to have larger, later-stage tumors that were more difficult to treat and also had lower survival rates than Hispanic and Caucasian women who received the same treatment in two independent series of clinical trials examined by researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The analysis published on line Oct. 23 by Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, indicates that race is associated with unfavorable tumor biology, which, along with other factors, likely contributes to the lower rate of breast cancer survival among African-Americans.

“These findings should prompt additional research on how we can improve outcomes for African-American patients by understanding and addressing tumor biology,” says first author Wendy Woodward, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of radiation oncology at M. D. Anderson. “It’s important to identify unique features in different populations and subgroups of all women with breast cancer so we can understand a woman’s risk and factors that affect her care on an individual level.”

African-American women are less likely than Caucasian women to have breast cancer but are more likely to die from it. Many factors have been implicated in this disparity, the researchers note, including access to health care and screening, differing treatments, socioeconomic status and racial bias.

By examining two series of clinical trials in which treatment was specified and rigorously followed for all patients, the research team minimized biases related to access to care and type of treatment, two variables that often confound analysis of the issue.

Between 1975 and 2000, 2,140 breast cancer patients were treated in two prospective series of clinical trials at M. D. Anderson involving use of the chemotherapy doxorubicin before and after a radical or modified radical mastectomy.

Of the total patients, 1,590 were Caucasian, 300 were Hispanic, and 250 were African-American, with racial categories based on self-reporting by the patients. In both trials, African-American women received at least as many cycles of chemotherapy as did Hispanics and Caucasians.

In the clinical trial for post-operative chemotherapy, the 10-year overall survival rate for African-Americans was 52 percent. For Hispanics and Caucasians it was 62 percent.

More African-American women came to the trial with later stage disease (24 percent compared with 18 percent of Hispanics and 16 percent of Caucasians) and tumors greater than 5 centimeters (22 percent compared with 13 percent each for Hispanic and Caucasians). African-Americans were more likely to have tumors that were estrogen-receptor negative, which are considered more difficult to treat (41 percent compared with 32 percent for Hispanics and 33 percent for Caucasians).

The trial of pre-operative chemotherapy showed similar results, with African-American 10-year survival rate of 40 percent, compared with 56 percent for Hispanics and 54 percent for Caucasians. As in the post-operative trial, higher percentages of African-Americans came to the trial with later-stage disease, larger tumors, and estrogen-receptor negative disease.

A multivariable analysis that took into account age, estrogen receptor-negative status, primary tumor size, and whether the disease had spread to the lymph nodes, showed that African-American race is an independent factor in reduced overall survival rate.

The researchers note they could not take into account factors that might have influenced the patients’ care before they entered the clinical trials. And their analysis did not include socioeconomic factors because that information was not available for patients. However, they doubt socioeconomic factors could fully explain differences in survival rate because Hispanic and African-American women have similar socioeconomic status in M. D. Anderson’s patient referral area.

“We interpret these data as suggesting that intrinsic biological differences in the disease and response to treatment among racial groups contributed to the poorer overall survival rates seen in the African-American cohorts,” the researchers conclude.

“It’s important to note that African-Americans, and people in all self-reported racial groups, are genetically and culturally diverse,” Woodward says. “Not all African-American women will have worse survival prospects for breast cancer, but there are probably subsets of patients for whom we could be doing something better.

“The tools and technology are emerging that will allow us to understand how one person’s tumors differ from another and how we can more effectively assign people to treatments,” Woodward says.

Genetic research over the past decade has linked Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity to an increased risk for hereditary breast cancer, so much so that certain gene mutations have become known as “Jewish ancestral mutations.” But a new study released in the November issue of The American Journal of Public Health challenges this approach, warning that disparities in access to care and other unintended consequences can, and have, resulted.

The study, by Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons researchers, notes that while three recognized breast cancer mutations are present in 2-3 percent of the Ashkenazi Jewish population, similar prevalence studies have not been carried out in other ethnic groups. In addition, the study finds that research linking the breast cancer mutations with Ashkenazi Jews has been beset by methodological problems that cast doubt on the use of ethnicity as the basis for genetic research on disease.

“The linking of Ashkenazi Jews to a deadly disease raises serious scientific and social concerns,” said co-author Sheila M. Rothman, PhD, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Center for the Study of Society and Medicine. “Focusing genetic studies on a specific ethnic group confers disadvantages to that group and others. For Ashkenazi Jews it raises the risk of stigmatization and insurance or job discrimination. For other groups, it introduces a gap in access to testing and treatment.”

The report cites examples of disparities that have occurred. For instance, Ashkenazi Jewish women have access to an inexpensive test that detects the mutations at a cost of $415 compared with $2,975 for non-Ashkenazi Jewish women without known family mutations. Other studies have found that Ashkenazi Jewish women with family histories of breast cancer are more than twice as likely as other women at similar risk to undergo testing for suspect genes.

Rothman and her coauthors interviewed 30 genetic researchers and conducted a review of genetic and historical literature on the Ashkenazi Jewish population. The interviews revealed how geneticists came to substitute ethnicity for family history as the most relevant indicator of risk. Serendipity played a vital role. Researchers had previously found a high prevalence of a mutation causing Tay-Sachs disease in Ashkenazi Jews. Within 20 years, one-million Jews around the world had been tested for the mutation, and scientific institutions had created large repositories of genetic samples that could then be screened for the genetic mutations associated with breast cancer–but only in Ashkenazi Jews.

“The science of breast cancer genetics has been marked by methodological inconsistency in how researchers defined ‘Ashkenazi Jew,’” said study coauthor Sherry Brandt-Rauf, JD, Associate Research Scholar at the Center. Most scientists relied on study participants’ self-identification. Ashkenazi Jews are descended from Jews who lived in central and Eastern Europe, but a complex history of migrations, and multiple cultural and religious meanings of Ashkenazi, makes self-identification problematic.

The study also illuminates how geneticists interpreted Jewish history to support the theory of Ashkenazi genetic uniqueness. This interpretation views the historic Ashkenazi Jewish population as isolated, and as having undergone extreme expansions and contractions. It attributes Ashkenazi Jewish genetic uniqueness to “founder effects,” the idea that genetic mutations can take hold and spread within small, geographically isolated populations, such as a group living alone on an island.

Although Ashkenazi Jews were never geographically isolated, Rothman said that “researchers made persecution–the pogroms and massacres in Jewish history–the equivalent of geographic isolation.”

The study noted that a number of recent genetic surveys–including among Spanish, German, Dutch, Polish and Hispanic women–have shown a high presence of the so-called “ancestral Jewish mutations” in non-Ashkenazi and non-Jewish groups. For example, a large study of Spanish women with breast cancer reported that one of the three mutations accounted for 16.7% of all mutations in the gene.

Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.
Breast cancer occurs in men also, but the number of new cases is small. Early detection and effective treatment is expected to reduce the number of women who die from breast cancer, and development of new methods of prevention continue to be studied.

No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer. Doctors can seldom explain why one woman gets breast cancer and another does not. However, research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop breast cancer.

Anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor; anything that decreases a person’s chance of developing a disease is called a protective factor. Some of the risk factors for breast cancer can be avoided, but many cannot.

Some studies suggest that the more alcoholic beverages a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.

So if you an alcoholic, there is a higher risk of breast cancer.

The equivalent of a glass of wine after work - this is a relatively safe level to drink. However even low levels of alcohol intake have been linked to breast cancer.

Besides cutting down on alcohol, being physically active is important, as it further reduces risk of breast cancer.

Women who are physically inactive throughout life appear to have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being physically active may help to reduce risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.

It is especially important to remain physically active after menopause. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. A woman over age 60 is at greatest risk. This disease is very uncommon before menopause. High levels of estrogen may be the reason that obese women have an increased risk of breast cancer. And some studies show that gaining weight after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer.

Lack of physical activity is an important contributor to many of the most important chronic diseases for older Americans, including heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. Lack of physical activity, along with poor nutrition, is a major contributor to the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States.

Start to be physically active today, and always be in the pink of health as you age!

by JULIE WALKER

One may wonder, or even find it bizarre to relate a monk, and breast enhancement together…Well, it happen unintentionally, at least for the monk.Here’s the full story.

Source: Bangkok Post Newspaper ‘white kwao kreu hit the news headlines again when doctors identified that it enlarged the breasts of a monk who regularly consumed the herb. White kwao kreu is believed to contain the female hormone oestrogen while the red kwaao khruea is believed to stimulate the male hormone …’

Can not imagine? Well, that’s beside the point. This discovery by the monk means good news for ladies (and special men) who want to enlarge their breasts naturally. White Kwao Kreu has proven to work on a man, and there is high chances that it will work for ladies.

What is white kwao kreu? And how does it helps in breast enhancement?

white kwao kreu, also known as Pueraria Mirifica or “Kwao Kreu Kao”, are commonly found in the north, the west and the northeast of Thailand at the altitude of 300 to 800 metres above sea level. Woman in the rural communities of Thailand have used this tuberous roots effectively as rejuvenating folk medicine for well over a hundreds years before it become well known and received much attention from Thai and foreign scientist, especially the Japanese.

Most of the kwao kreu processed by the Japanese are made into medicines and cosmetics commonly used for improving the skin, hair and firming the breasts.

This herb is known to … 1. Grow hair, strengthen and darken existing ones 2. Help improve complexion and remove wrinkles 3. Improves eyesight 4. Increase energy and vigor leading to more reflexive body movements 5. Including breast enhancement.

A woman’s body will produce hormones known as estrogens during puberty. This hormone determines the size, shape and fullness of a woman’s breasts. Lower levels of these hormones due to lack of nutrition will result in smaller less developed breasts. Phytoestrogens, which are “estrogens” commonly found in certain plants and herbs, is known to stimulate your body to produce new breast tissue growth, resulting in bigger, firmer and fuller breasts. Many clinical studies have shown that it have positive effects like lowering the incidence of female related cancer and promote hormone balance.

Pueraria Mirifica not only contains the phytoestrogens needed to stimulate breast development, it contains the best phytoestrogens.

In 1940, in a protected biotechnology laboratory, a group of German scientist successfully isolated the phytoestrogen - Miroestrol from the root of Pueraria Mirifica. But, this herb is mistakenly reported then as Butea Superba. It was later on classified as a new plant called Pueraria Mirifica. After another 60 years, in year 2000, another phytoestrogen - deoxymiroestrol is isolated from the root of Pueraria Mirifica.

“Miroestrol and Deoxymiroestrol ” is very different from other phytoestrogen, as it posses highest estrogenic activity among the known phyto-estrogens due to structural similarity to estradiol, (Estradiol is the main human estrogen which can be found in all women who are at the stage of nursing baby (Lactating); as you may notice that all women who are in this stage, their breast will enlarge and gain firmness for feeding purpose.

Next thing you may have in your mind is where can you find white kwao kreu breast enhancement products…frankly, you can find many such products online. But first listen to want the breast enhancement expert, Ms Yvonne Lee, who is the author of internationally acclaimed book “To All Women Who Want To Enhance Their Breasts Naturally, But Don’t Know How To Start” has to say…

“..after doing hours of researches on breast enhancement to write my book “To All Women Who Want To Enhance Their Breasts Naturally, But Don’t Know How To Start”, my personal recommendation would be ANBES Nano Breast Serum…2 main supporting reasons… Firstly, ANBES Nano Breast Serum contains the white kwao kreu that has a long proven history, and it uses latest nanotechnology to enable faster and deeper penetration into your breasts… Secondly, ANBES has testimonials from their customers (both males and females) to show…impressive…”

by JULIE WALKER

Unwanted Facial hair Birthmark Acne is a common condition that often goes untreated.Women most often seek treatment, but men may also have concerns about this problem. For laser hair removal and beautiful cosmetic surgery results, you need superior care. Using lasers for everything, removal of birthmarks, smoothing out wrinkles, removing unwanted hair and assisting with acne

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The basis for laser hair removal is the specific targeting of melanin in the hair bulb. Melanin absorbs the light emitted by the laser at a specific wavelength. The energy of the laser converts into heat, causing the selective destruction of the hair bulb. However, melanin in the surrounding epidermis can also be targeted, which may limit the success of the procedure. With too much melanin in the adjacent skin, the laser energy is absorbed into the surrounding epidermis, causing epidermal damage or absorptive interference with less effective hair destruction. Patients with dark hair and light skin have a relatively higher concentration of melanin in the hair compared with the epidermis, allowing for more selective absorption of light within the hair bulb, reducing damage to or interference by the melanin in the epidermis. Conversely, gray or white hair is a poor target for laser energy. The LasermedSpa centers offer the latest equipment and treatment in hair removal

Acne Treatments
Acne is one of the most common skin diseases develop most prevalently during the teenage years and the early 20s. Acne is caused by an excess production of oil in the sebaceous glands. There is a wide variety of acne treatments now available. There is not a single product that will work for everyone. Your search may involve trial and error, whatever you choose as your acne treatment, keep in mind that it takes time for results consult a dermatologist for more aggressive treatment. The LasermedSpa centers have the latest acne treatment equipment.

Skin Tightening
Skin Tightening reverses the signs of aging. The procedure treats lax and redundant skin throughout the body including the abdomen, thighs and underarms and is also used to tone, lift and tighten skin on the face and neck.

Botox
The answer for those who want to get rid of forehead lines, crows feet, line between the eyes and lip line

Microdermabrasion
A non-surgical exfoliating treatment, helpful for those unhappy with acne scars, enlarged pores, sun damaged skin, aged spots, freckles, fine lines and scares. You will end up with a more youthful appearance and a renewal of fresh skin tone.

by Manisha

You need to find solutions to teen-age problems, very fast.This generation is in a hurry. They have no time to pause and ponder. Being young, impressionable minds, they are easily carried away. They want quick rewards, efforts or no efforts. For every question, the youngsters have a counter-question. As a matter of course, this generation picks up bad habits. Smoking is one such serious habit, which needs to be checked well in time.

To help your child stop smoking is your parental responsibility. Do not show any latitude on this count.

Teenage smoking has been increasing at a phenomenal rate for the last few decades. The reasons may be many, but if the elder members in a family smoke, you can hardly do anything morally about smoking.

This negative tendency is also given additional fillip by advertisements in TV, newspapers, and calculated encouragement by the tobacco manufacturers. This habit has assumed alarming proportions in the college-going youngsters.

The father and mother alone can not help the teenage child. His social environment also compulsively influences him. So, they need to be provided with helpful resources for identifying remedy for their compulsive smoking addiction.

Educating the teenagers on compulsive smoking addiction, should be a part of the school syllabus. There are many stop smoking centers, run by private individuals or voluntary organizations. Provide your son with their telephone number, and if necessary take them along you, a couple of times. There is another danger about smoking. Smoking is just the first step of the ladder of a series of destructive habits. The child, after taking course to smoking, may indulge in self-destructive behavior and neglect studies. Notice these early warnings and your child’s changed behavior, to take corrective measures immediately.

The future of the family depends upon the children. It is your duty to give them good education and a solid foundation as for their moral and ethical values.

Children generally take to habits like smoking because of a lack of communication between the members of the family and the children. You will be the party to their moral doom, and ethical disaster unless you do something tangible, well in time.

by KANISHK MANCHANDA