Personal Health Care

Breast Cancer is a tumour that begins in the breast tissue. There are several types of breast cancer. The majority (80%) of breast lumps are benign. However, you should not ignore a lump. There is still a 20% chance that it is malignant. If left too long, this overgrowth of malignant cells could spread and the chances of a cure begin to fall. Furthermore, the more advanced the cancer, the more extensive the treatment required.

Breast Health Education

Breast Health Education aims to help adolescent girls and women to understand the facts related to the breast and to familiarize with the normal changes in their breast. They could learn to recognize signs of early breast cancer.

Estimated new cases and deaths from breast cancer in the United States in 2009:
New cases: 192,370 (female); 1,910 (male)
Deaths: 40,170 (female); 440 (male)

*Information from U.S National Institutes of Health

When to do familiarization

*7 -10 days after first day of menstruation
*If no longer menstruating, or very irregular menstruation - pick a day, e.g., first day of the month.

Signs of an Ill-Fitting Bra
*Breasts bulging at the top, sides or bottom of the bra
*Underwire digging into your skin
*Centre of front of bra does not lie against your chest
*Straps always falling off your shoulders
*Cup wrinkles
*Bra comes away from your body when you lift your arms

Early Detection and Screening

Screening
The term ’screening’ refers to tests and examinations used to find a disease (such as cancer) in people who do not have any symptoms. The goal is to find the disease early before it has a chance to spread. The size of the tumour and how far it has spread are the most important factors determining the final outcome for the patient.

Therefore, the early detection of breast cancer can be the key to survival or in other words, the earlier the cancer is found, the better the chances that treatment will work.

Breast self-examinations (BSE), clinical breast examinations (by a trained doctor or health care professional) and screening mammography are therefore important in detecting breast cancer at an early stage.

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Hepatitis B can be transmitted through body fluid like blood and semen. It is a common cause of liver disease in the world. Hepatitis B information become important for everyone.

The symptoms of hepatitis usually appear at 25 to 180 days following exposure. These may also include joint and muscle ache. However some do not have any symptoms.

Hepatitis B virus infection unlike hepatitis A can lead to chronic disease and liver cirrhosis.

In our population hepatitis B is usually transmitted at birth or early childhood and infection at that age has a very high chance of developing chronic disease.

Worldwide, an estimated two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and more than 350 million have chronic (long-term) liver infections - World Health Organization, WHO

Who is at risk of getting hepatitis B?

*any person with a family member or sexual partner infected with hepatitis B.
*living in the same house with someone who has hepatitis B infection
*baby born to infected mothers
*health care workers or anyone whose work involves contact with human blood
*people with multiple sex partners
*injection drug users

Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water, sharing eating or drinking utensils, coughing, sneezing or by casual contact.

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Your genes determine the potential height and strength of your skeleton. However, lifestyle factors, such as fasting diet and exercise, can influence how healthy your bones are and the rate at which they repair themselves. Following a healthy lifestyle throughout life is the best way to delay the onset of osteoporosis, and slow the rate at which your bones become brittle.

Regular exercise is essential. Try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. Two types of exercise are particularly important in improving bone density and helping prevent osteoporosis - weight bearing exercise and resistance exercise.

Weight bearing exercises are those where your feet and legs are supporting your own weight. For younger people, high-impact weight bearing exercises are best. Jogging, skipping, dancing, aerobics and even simply jumping up and down on the spot all provide a useful jolt to your hips and spine that helps strengthen them.

For older people, milder forms of weight bearing exercise should be sufficient and safe, such as brisk walking, keep fit classes, climbing an average staircase 10 times a day, or a mild game of tennis. Swimming and cycling are not weight bearing exercises.

Resistance exercises are those that use muscle strength, where the action of the tendons pulling on the bones seems to boost bone strength. Examples include press ups, weight lifting, or using weight equipment at a gym. They also include simpler exercise such as repeatedly lifting a tin of food as this can help strengthen the bones in the wrist.

Other lifestyle factors that can help prevent osteoporosis include:

*Healthy eating tips that contains plenty of calcium - at least 1,000 mg per day,
*Quit smoking - cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk of osteoporosis, and
*Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink. Recommended limits are 21 units per week for men and 14 units for women.

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Earth Hour is a global WWF climate change initiative. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to switch off their lights for one hour on Saturday, 27th March 2010 at 8:30pm to show their support for action on climate change.

Earth Hour is a symbolic event designed to engage people from all walks of life in the climate change discussion to send a strong message to our political leaders that we want them to take meaningful action on climate change.

It is the largest climate event in history where millions of people around the world will unite by turning off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour, to demand action on the climate crisis.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday, 27th March 2010 at 8:30 pm, turn out your light and see the difference you can make in the fight against global warning. www.healthtips2u.com will also turn off the laptop for an hour during Earth Hour 2010.

What does WWF hope to accomplish through Earth Hour?

Through Earth Hour, WWF hopes to create political momentum for enacting national climate legislation and a global climate treaty. Through Earth Hour, WWF will continue to educate and raise awareness about the climate crisis and offer ideas and solutions that people can merge into their daily lives.

WWF aims to unify people’s voices from around the world who are demanding action form our elected officials to solve the climate crisis.

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Generally speaking, seniors develop type 2 diabetes. As people get older, their bodies may become more and more resistant to insulin. This means that, while their bodies may still create insulin, their cells just do not respond to it the way they used to.

Controlling diabetes is a challenge for anyone, but it can present additional issues as you grow older:

• Blood glucose testing can be hard for anyone with vision problems or unsteady, shaking hands
• A diminished sense of taste and smell or dental problems can make it difficult to follow a healthy meal plan
• Your body does not rebound as easily from an illness, and high- or low-blood glucose events may be a continual problem

Did you know that by the year 2025, it is estimated that 147 million people aged 60 or older worldwide will have diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation?
That is right—and it is estimated that 333 million or 6.3 percent of the adult population will have diabetes in 2025.

Fortunately, doctors have become much more insightful about taking a holistic approach to treating diabetes. There is not anything that cannot be addressed through open communication with members of your health care team.

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