Archive for June, 2008

Some Of The Risk Factors Associated With Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer the affects the mesothelium which is a protective cover for many internal organs including the intestines, heart, lungs and others. The disease is associated with asbestos and majority of all cases have come into contact with the substance either through contact or inhaling it. When a factory worker handles asbestos, he risks exposing it to his family and therefore it becomes a very serious issue when so many people have to suffer. This is one of the cancer that affects the lungs and is not associated with smoking. Generally, the disease is quite rare and in the United States, only 2,000 cases are diagnosed annually and the disease is more common in men than in women. It has been found that you can be exposed to asbestos and 30 or 50 years later, will be when you start experiencing the symptoms of the disease.

Therefore, the major risk factor to getting mesothelioma is working near asbestos. If you have no idea what asbestos is, then you need to know that it is a name given to a group of minerals and they occur naturally. Their strong fibers can be woven because they are very flexible. They are used in industries to produce various products like roof shingles, brake linings, cement, flooring products, textiles and insulation. Many workers in this industry can inhale the fibers and some may be trapped in their cloths. When the disease had not been discovered, many people used to suffer and they all seemed to work in the asbestos mining industry. When the cause was established, safety measures were put in place and workers in the U.S wear personal protective equipment and are only exposed to acceptable amounts of asbestos.

Workers also take other safety measures like showering and changing cloths before they leave their work areas. This enables them to reduce the risk of exposing the asbestos to their families. The symptoms of mesothelioma vary from the specific organs they affect and in the chest, you will experience shortness of breathe and intense pain. In the abdomen, you will have bowel obstruction, blood clotting, anemia, lack of appetite and weight loss. There will be a host of other symptoms like swelling of the face and trouble while swallowing. You are advised not to hesitate but, to see a specialist who will make recommendations for treatment if you are suffering from a form of mesothelioma.

Once you visit the doctor, he will do a test for mesothelioma and it is one of the most difficult tests to do. Very many diseases have similar symptoms and this is the reason why it is so hard to diagnose. Your history will provide the major clue as to whether, you have had asbestos exposure. A series of x rays will be performed as well as a host of other examinations. A biopsy will determine whether the cells are noncancerous in your body and if they are cancerous, you will be advised on the way forward. There are many treatment options available and you can recover completely from this disease. The options are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and others which have not been approved.

Systemic Yeast Infection

Systemic yeast infection is a much more serious form and is usually felt all over the body. Many people who have this condition are not aware they have an overgrowth of yeast because the symptoms present themselves in the same way many other diseases do. The most common systemic yeast infection occurs in the gut and many people start to have stomach problems which are often mistaken for other illnesses. The symptoms may be fatigue, diarrhea, bloating, constipation, mood swings and the symptoms are many and unique to the individual person. What the yeast does is to cause a ‘leaky bowel’ syndrome where with their strong roots, they are able to penetrate through the stomach walls and find their way to the bloodstream. This will happen if the yeast has multiplied at a very high rate due to enabling environment.

When yeast finds the right condition in the gut to multiply, it changes from its simplicity to a very strong and complex form which is more dangerous because it has very strong roots and it is able to implant itself very easily in the intestine walls. As a result, a way or passage is created where yeast can multiply in the bloodstream. All this causes so much discomfort and the result is an irritable bowel cycle and a host of other conditions. They include oral thrush, food sensitivity, muscle pain, respiratory problems, bladder inflammation, urinary tract infection, confusion, memory loss, short span of concentration, depression, insomnia, learning disability, eczema, acne, hives, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, systemic lupus, anemia and the list goes on. This is how serious systemic yeast infection is.

Some specialist can tell what the problem is by just listening to the symptoms but the conclusive tests for systemic yeast infection are available. They will include testing of the stool to determine if yeast is present. The test is really simple unlike other tests. If you are found to have a very high amount of yeast then this proves that there is an imbalance of organisms in your intestines which has caused the yeast. There are so many medication options available to treat the illness and going through the internet will reveal so many remedies and solutions to the problem. One practical solution I found was the use of diet and supplements to overcome yeast. It is a process that takes time to see how certain foods will react in your body. In the treatment, patients are advised to keep off every food that contains yeast.

Whole foods are highly advised together with green vegetables. The foods that you should stay away from include all refined sugars. Honey is also not good for this condition because it will encourage yeast. You should take fruits that are recommended in the treatment and the fruits that are not good for you are grapes, raisins, dates, prunes and figs. Alcoholic drinks will make you case worse and avoiding them will improve your condition. The supplements include probiotics and they work very well to discourage the growth of yeast. There are so many other treatments for systemic yeast infections an you have to be careful to get a treatment that will not harm your health and one that will work.

What is Vitamin B Complex? Why is it so important to your health?

The B-Complex vitamin is not a single vitamin, but rather is a complex of eight different water soluble vitamins that combine together to play a large role in your overall health and well being. Each of these eight water soluble vitamins plays its own unique role in your health and wellness, and each individual vitamin can be found in different whole food sources and synthesized through different means as well.

This combination of different B vitamins plays an important role in the metabolism of cells. While these vitamins may coexist in many of the same foods, they are chemically distinct vitamins that can be found separately in many whole food sources as well. When all eight vitamins are combined together, this is referred to as the Vitamin B complex. The Vitamin B complex is always the combination between all eight water soluble vitamins in their correct dosages. Because these vitamins are water soluble, it means that they must be taken regularly because the unused vitamins are flushed out of the body via urination rather than stored in the liver like fat soluble vitamins.

The eight vitamins that when combined make up the B-Complex vitamin are Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine, Biotin or Vitamin H, Folic Acid or Vitamin M and Cobalamin. Not getting enough of these vitamins in your diet can result in a number of deficiencies. The B-Complex vitamin supplement is designed to deliver the right vitamins in the right dosages to prevent these deficiencies from occurring. Thiamine deficiency causes emotional disturbances, weight loss, encephalopathy, irregular heart beat and heart failure. Riboflavin deficiency causes ariboflavinosis which has a number of symptoms including high sensitivity to light and seborrhea dermatitis or pseudo-syphilis. Niacin deficiency can cause pellagra, with symptoms including dermatitis, insomnia and mental confusion.

A Pantothenic acid deficiency can result in acne and a disease called paresthesia, but both of these conditions are rare. Anemia, depression, high blood pressure and dermatitis can all result from a pyridoxine deficiency. Macrocytic anemia is the most common result of a folic acid deficiency, and birth defects are common in pregnant women who do not get enough of this vital vitamin supplement. Finally, a Cobalamin deficiency is also responsible for Macrocytic anemia along with a number of problems related to the brain, such as memory loss, peripheral neuropathy and other cognitive deficits.

Because a deficiency in each of these vitamins can cause a myriad of different health issues, it is vital that your body receives enough of each of these vitamins. The B-Complex vitamin concept allows for supplementation of all eight vitamins simultaneously, as multiple deficiencies can overload the body with a number of illnesses and ailments. The B-Complex vitamin is a powerhouse of a vitamin combination as all of these separate vitamins work hand in hand to deliver powerful health benefits to the body. These health benefits provided by the B-complex vitamin include support of the metabolism and increase in the rate of metabolism, maintenance of healthy muscle tone and skin and enhancing the function of the nervous system and the immune system.

The B-Complex vitamin also promotes the growth and division of cells, including the red blood cells that are responsible for preventing anemia. B-Complex vitamins also have shown to significantly reduce the risks associated with pancreatic cancer, which is surprisingly one of the most deadly forms of cancer out there. This only applies to B-complex vitamins when consumed in whole food sources, however, rather than when ingested as a synthesized vitamin supplement.

B-Complex vitamins can be found in many whole food sources, and are also available in synthesized forms as tablets or liquid vitamin supplements. Whole food sources for B-complex vitamins include potatoes, lentils, bananas, chili peppers, tempeh, liver, liver oil, tuna, turkey, brewer’s yeast, nutritional yeast and molasses. Vegemite and Marmite are popular sources for all of the B-complex vitamins, and beer is also a moderately useful source for this vitamin complex because of the high content of brewer’s yeast found in most beers.