Health GlareEvery human being is the author of his own health or disease

Have you been wondering what an article on “Top 10 Health Tips” doing on a website dedicated to Beauty?

Are you one of those individuals who think “Top 10 Health Tips” and “Top 10 beauty Tips” are two separate concepts and need to be dealt individually? Have you been splurging an aweful lot of money trying to look “good” by getting Spa treatments, visiting Beauty Salons, Buying Designer Labels, Eating Health Foods, and yet every time you look into the mirror, you feel there’s something “lacking?”

If you think that way, you’re not the only one. Whereas most of us spend a whole lot of time, money and effort to make our skin, hair, face, hands and feet look beautiful, we often miss out on the critical role our health and wellness plays in making us look physically and mentally beautiful.

Follow these Top 10 Health Tips in your daily life to stay beautiful on the inside and outside:

1.Follow A Healthy, Balanced Diet: A balanced diet is the first step towards a beautiful, healthy body. Follow a healthy balanced diet that complements your lifestyle. An ideal diet should be high on fiber, low on fat, and must be supplemented with adequate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. Besides knowing what to eat, it is equally important to know the right proportions, meaning how much or how little to eat. Talk to a fitness expert and find out what’s your daily calorie intake. Make food choices that have high nutritional value but are low in calories.

2.Eat Different Types Of Foods: According to Ayurveda, the Ancient Indian science of healing, rotating your food habits not only strengthens your immune system, it can also protect you from most illnesses. Try to eat vegetables and fruits of different colors each day. Try eating a different food at least thrice a month. Begin your day with an apple a day as the apple pectin cleanses the body’s digestive system by removing toxins and therefore preventing degenerative health problems such as cancer.

3.Don’t Skip Your Breakfast: Are you surprised to see how some people manage to stay so fit, energetic and active the whole time and are able to stabilize their weight while you continue to put on weight and feel exhausted most of the time? Well, chances are, they eat a good breakfast and you don’t! According to nutritionists and health experts, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and skipping your breakfast can lead to serious health problems besides adding those extra pounds as a result of binging on unhealthy snacks later in the day. Besides re-charging your energy levels, eating regular breakfast has several long-term benefits like:

• It results in faster weight loss
• Your body get more nutrients everyday
• Breakfast rich in fiber foods and wholegrain helps keep the heart healthy especially if you suffer from metabolic disorders like fluctuating blood pressure, obesity and cholesterol. It also helps stabilize blood sugar levels
• A good breakfast early in the morning sets your mood right and enables you to handle stress better
• You stay overall healthy! So begin your day with fresh fruits, fruit juices, hard-boiled eggs, wholegrain cereals and breads and stay healthy all day!

4. Drink Lots Of Water: Drinking a minimum of 7 to 8 glasses of water everyday cleanses all the impurities and toxins from your body and helps to get healthy, flawless skin.

In addition, the fluid in your body is responsible for the functioning of your internal organs including the metabolic processes.  So if you’re dehydrated, this whole process gets affected and your body tends to slow down leaving you feeling low and lethargic.

5. Exercise Regularly: Who does not dream of getting those six-pack abs? Besides making you look sexy and popular, regular exercising is also the best natural “anti-aging” recipe because it helps you stay and feel young by raising your energy levels, stabilizing your body weight, and enhancing flexibility, which reduces the wear and tear in your body.

You don’t need to exercise for hours everyday, just take 15-20 minutes off your busy schedule everyday to sweat out that pot-belly or burn those extra-pounds that have been making it difficult for you to get into your favorite outfit! If you can’t, make one of these a part of your routine: take the stairs instead of elevators and escalators to climb; Make it a habit to walk about 15 minutes everyday. If holistic healing is your thing, enroll yourself for yoga classes. If not, go swimming, take aerobics lessons or start shaking a leg or two at the local dance academy-whatever keeps you going, juts do it! If you’re into sports, you can make it part of your fitness routine.

Remember, your external fitness is only a reflection of your inner fitness and a beautiful, healthy body reflects a fit, healthy mind.

6. Quit Smoking: Okay, so you’ve heard this countless times from your doctor, but here it comes again as one of our most important health tip-Quit Smoking! If you’re one of those people who smoke to lose or gain weight, we’d stay think again! While smoking may have been related to an increase in metabolism, it is certainly not a good enough reason to substitute it with the huge risk of dying from lung cancer!

If that doesn’t make you change your mind, this will. Recent studies have proved that smoking is also one of the leading factors that stimulate the process of aging in both men and women. So say no to cigarettes and stay young and healthy for the rest of your life!

7. Say No To Stress: We know what you’re thinking-easier said than done! Agreed, but leading a stressful life can only make matters worse. On the other hand, leading a relaxed, stress-free life will not only reduce the risks of health related disorders, it will also calm you down and let you enjoy your life better.

While planning your day, strike a balance between home and work. If you have trouble remembering things-make a list of all the “things-to-do” before going to bed each night or simply set a “reminder” in your cell phone so you don’t have to run around at the last minute. Staying positive and thinking happy thoughts is one of the most effective stress buster technique you can easily follow in your daily life.

Spend atleast 15 minutes doing something you love and enjoy each day. It could be a simple activity, like cuddling up in bed by yourself and watching a funny movie, enjoying a glass of your favorite wine, socializing with friends, reading, sweating it out at the gym, pampering yourself with a stress-releasing body massage, soaking in a hot tub, taking a stroll on the beach, playing with your dog, listening to your favorite music or simply lazing around and doing nothing!

8. Take Care Of Your Teeth: Remember the phrase “million dollar smile?” Well, your teeth have a lot to do with your smile and they can make or break your looks depending on how much or how little you’ve cared for them over the years! Dental health is an important aspect of your overall heath. One of the best ways to have healthy teeth, prevent gum-related infections and protect your heart is by flossing your teeth every day. Few of us know that gum infections if left untreated can cause inflammatory reactions in the body, which can lead to stroke and heart ailments.

9. Sleep Well: A good 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is a must for our body to reboot itself and feel energetic next day. Lack of sleep affects our hormone levels and slows down metabolism often resulting in weight gain. Studies have shown that deep, uninterrupted sleep helps cell growth and cell repair, which can increase the metabolism and help in burning calories. If you suffer from sleeplessness, try some of these simple remedies:

• Avoid alcohol before going to bed
• Stay away from stimulants like coffee, tea and chocolates before going to sleep
• Regularize your sleeping habit
• Keep your bedroom clean and uncluttered; Use decors and furnishing with peaceful and soothing colors
• Avoid taking longer daytime naps
• Follow relaxation techniques (for ex-meditation) to reduce stress

Keep Your Brain Active: Keeping your mind in “good shape” is just as vital as taking care of your physical health, so be sure to indulge your brain on a daily basis. An idle mind is not only the devil’s workshop, often the feeling of “aimlessness” or “nothingness” can cause boredom and can lead to depression and anxiety-related disorders.

One way to keep your brain engaged and busy is to constantly challenge yourself with new ideas and by learning new skills. Studies have shown than an active brain makes new connections between nerve cells that help cells communicate with one another. This allows our brain to store and access information easily, regardless of our age. Try some of these activities to keep your mind active and free from boredom:

• Learn to play a new musical instrument
• Learn a new language
• Indulge in crossword puzzles
• Play scrabble with a friend
• Participate in discussions and forums
• Maintain a blog and update it daily
• Switch careers or make a new beginning
• Read books on unfamiliar topics
• Pursue a new hobby
• Stay aware about what’s going on in the world

Follow these “Top 10 Health Tips” to stay physically and mentally beautiful for the rest of your life. Remember-”Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!”

During a biopsy, the doctor removes a sample of the suspicious area to be looked at under a microscope. A biopsy is done when mammograms, other imaging tests, or the physical exam finds a breast change (or abnormality) that is possibly cancer. A biopsy is the only way to tell if cancer is really present.

There are several types of biopsies, such as fine needle aspiration biopsy, core (large needle) biopsy, and surgical biopsy. Each has its pros and cons. The choice of which to use depends on your specific situation. Some of the factors your doctor will consider include how suspicious the lesion appears, how large it is, where in the breast it is located, how many lesions are present, other medical problems you may have, and your personal preferences. You might want to discuss the pros and cons of different biopsy types with your doctor. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are having nipple discharge, some of the fluid may be collected and looked at under a microscope to see if any cancer cells are in it. Most nipple discharges or secretions are not cancer. In general, if the secretion appears milky or clear green, cancer is very unlikely. If the discharge is red or red-brown, suggesting that it contains blood, it might possibly be caused by cancer, although an injury, infection, or benign tumors are more likely causes.

Even when no cancer cells are found in a nipple discharge, it is not possible to say for certain that a breast cancer is not there. If a patient has a suspicious mass, it will be necessary to biopsy the mass, even if the nipple discharge does not contain cancer cells. Read the rest of this entry »

MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays. The energy from the radio waves is absorbed and then released in a pattern formed by the type of body tissue and by certain diseases. A computer translates the pattern into a very detailed image of parts of the body. A contrast liquid called gadolinium is often injected into a vein before or during the scan to show details better.

MRI scans can take a long time — often up to an hour. You have to lie inside a narrow tube, which is confining and may upset people with claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces). The machine also makes loud buzzing and clicking noises that you may find disturbing. Some places will give you headphones with music to block this out. MRIs are also expensive, although insurance plans generally pay for them in some situations, such as once cancer is diagnosed. Read the rest of this entry »

Imaging tests use x-rays, magnetic fields, sound waves, or radioactive substances to create pictures of the inside of your body. Imaging tests may be done for a number of reasons, including to help find out whether a suspicious area might be cancerous, to learn how far cancer may have spread, and to help determine if treatment is working.

Diagnostic mammograms

Although mammograms are mostly used for screening, they can also be used to examine the breast of a woman who has a breast problem. This can be a breast mass, nipple discharge, or an abnormality that was found on a screening mammogram. In some cases, special images known as cone views with magnification are used to make a small area of abnormal breast tissue easier to evaluate. Read the rest of this entry »

Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Stages | Treatment
Causes and Risk factors

A person’s age, genetic factors, personal health history and diet all contribute to breast cancer. History of previous cancer in one breast, especially if it occurred before menopause increases a woman’s risk of developing a new breast cancer unrelated to the first one. About 5% to 10% of all breast cancers may be related to genes that are passed  through close relatives such as mother or sister, who developed breast cancer before menopause. Other factors include

First child over age of 30, hormonal changes during the time of pregnancy may influence a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer.

• Not having children

• Early menarchy (before age 12)

• Late menopause

• Over weight especially in the upper body

• Use of alcohol

• Excessive radiation

• Hormonal contraceptives.

• Hormone replacement therapy for more than five years.

• Usage of diethylstilbestrol to prevent miscarriage.

Signs and Symptoms of cancer.

Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain and may cause no symptoms at all. It is normally found when a suspicious  lump  is detected. It must be about the size of a finger tip before it can be felt. Other signs of cancer  include

• Breast or nipple skin that is warm, red, swollen, or scaly

• Change in the shape or size of the breast

A lump or thickening near the breast, or in the underarm

• Nipple discharge that is not breast milk

• Nipple tenderness

• A nipple that is turned inward, or inverted

• A rash around the nipple that may bleed, itch, or cause skin breakdown

• Ridges or pits in the breast

• Skin that is dimpled like an orange.

Diagnosis

To find out the cause of any of these signs or symptoms, a woman’s doctor does a careful physical exam and asks about her personal and family medical history. The most reliable method of detecting breast cancer is the clinical breast examination, followed by immediate evaluation of any abnormality.One can detect breast cancer at its earlier stage by performing breast self examination (BSE) on a monthly basis. Other diagnostic measures include mammography, Sonography,  Thermography and biopsy.

Sonography is a technique that produces an image of the breast using sound waves rather than radiation. Ultrasound allows significant freedom in obtaining images of the breast from almost any orientation. This procedure is used more clearly define suspicious area on the mammogram rather than a screening test.   Sonography’s main value is in distinguishing fluid filled cysts, which are usually benign, from solid growth, which sometimes represent cancer. Thus, a questionable area that turns out to be a cysts can often seen, while a solid mass may need a biopsy.  However, ultrasound does not have good spatial resolution like mammography, and therefore cannot provide as much detail as a mammogram image.

Thermography takes advantage of the fact that some breast cancer cause an increase in the breast skin temperature. Thermography provides a photographic image of the heat patterns on the breast surface. A heat detecting device maps and  records hot spots or areas of increased blood distribution.  While it avoids the risks of X-rays, thermography has very limited usefulness because it does not distinguish well between cancer and other breast diseases.  The result is a high percentage of ‘false positive’ thermograms.

Biopsy : Although a doctor may suspect a diagnosis of breast cancer after examination or mammography, it is ultimately diagnosed  by a breast biopsy.  In biopsy, a sample of breast tissue is removed by a radiologist or surgeon and sent to the laboratory for microscopic examination by a pathologist. If cancer is found to be present after biopsy, it is critical that the type and stages of the cancer be identified as soon as possible. Generally, the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the greater a patient’s chances of survival.

There are several different methods of biopsy. They include Fine needle aspiration, biopsy, Core needle biopsy, Vaccum- assisted biopsy, Large core surgical and Open surgical. The most common method is surgical biopsy and fine needle biopsy.  In fine needle aspiration biopsy, a fine guage needle and syringe to take sample fluid from a breast cyst.