Because you have diabetes, you and your doctor, diabetes educator, and other members of your personal health care team work to keep your blood glucose at ideal levels. There are two powerful reasons to work for effective blood glucose control:

*You will feel better.

*You may prevent or delay the start of diabetes complications such as nerve, eye, kidney, and blood vessel damage.

One way to keep track of your blood glucose changes is by testing your blood glucose at home. These tests tell you what your blood glucose level is at any one time.

But suppose you want to know how you’ve done overall. There’s a test that can help. A glycated haemoglobin test gives you a picture of your average blood glucose control for the past three to four months. This test must be done by a laboratory. But the results give you a good idea of how well your diabetes treatment plan is working.

In some ways, the glycated haemoglobin test is like a baseball player’s season batting average. Both glycated haemoglobin and the batting average tell you about a person’s overall blood glucose (or batting) success. Neither a single day’s blood test results, nor a single game’s batting record, give the same big picture.

How Iglycated haemoglobin Works

You know from the name that the test measures something called glycated haemoglobin. You may wonder what it has to do with your blood glucose control.

Haemoglobin is found inside red blood cells. Its job is carrying oxygen from the lungs to all the cells of the body. Haemoglobin, like all proteins, links up with sugars, such as glucose.

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The stomach is a hollow muscular organ lying between the lower end of your gullet and the beginning of your bowel. It sits below the diaphragm mainly in the upper left part of your abdomen, The stomach is role in your digestive system is to break down the food you eat into a semi-fold form. The nutrients in the food are absorbed into your bloodstream as the food passes through the intestines.

There is a collection of glands (lymph nodes) located close to the stomach. These lymph nodes filter our bacteria and other harmful agents. A network of very thin lymph vessels connects the major lymph nodes in your abdomen, pelvis, groin, neck and armpits. Cancer that develops in the stomach may spread via the lymphatic system to other parts of the body.

What is Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer is one of the ten most common cancers in United States. According to United States National Institutes of Health, estimated new cases and deaths from stomach cancer in the United States in 2009,New cases: 21,130, Deaths: 10,620. Stomach cancer can occur in adults of any age. However, it is rare under the age of 50 and is more common among men than among women.

The exact cause of stomach (gastric) cancer is unknown, but many stomach cancers are thought to be caused by carcinogens (cancer causing agents) in the diet. Nitrates (found in smoked, pickled and salted foods) have been implicated in stomach cancer.

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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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