What Daughters of Breast Cancer Patients Should Know

A repost from the WSJ Health Online. http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/06/13/what-daughters-of-women-with-breast-cancer-should-know/
"...General advice for lowering breast-cancer risk also applies to the prevention of many chronic diseases: eat a healthful diet, reach and stay at a healthy weight, get regular exercise, cap alcohol consumption at five drinks a week (for those of legal age) and don’t smoke. (other advice includes minimizing exposure to chemicals and hormones that may be associated with a higher risk.)  Young women with a relative who has a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation or who have a strong family history of the disease should talk to a physician or a genetic counselor about getting tested or about starting regular mammograms earlier. The National Cancer Institute says criteria for considering genetic testing include two first-degree relatives — meaning a mother or sister — who have the disease (one first-degree relative for women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent) and other patterns of different types of cancer in the family tree.  Relatives diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age — under 50 and particularly under 40 — are more relevant than those diagnosed at 70 or 80.   ...Eeven a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation only raises the risk of developing breast cancer — it doesn’t guarantee it. “The wear and tear of living,” lifestyle choices, and environmental factors also play a role, making advice on that point relevant for everyone."

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Pass on this blog to everyone you know and educate someone today about some breast cancer facts.  You could be saving some young or older woman's life.

WSJ Reports on Acupuncture

From the Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Despite acupuncture's 4,000-year history, little is known about the biological pathways that enable carefully placed needles to relieve pain in many patients.


The compound adenosine is key to acupuncture's effectiveness, according to a study in Nature Neuroscience. Despite acupuncture's 4,000-year history, little is known about the biological pathways that enable carefully placed needles to relieve pain in many patients. Researchers mimicked acupuncture in mice by placing and gradually rotating a needle at a point just below the knee, for 30 minutes. Levels of adenosine, a neurotransmitter, rose 24-fold in the tissue fluid surrounding the needle. Mice injected with an inflammatory substance in their paws and given acupuncture displayed fewer pain symptoms than mice that didn't get acupuncture. But mice genetically engineered to lack a certain adenosine receptor didn't benefit from the acupuncture session at all—further evidence of adenosine's role. Blocking enzymes that break down adenosine made the acupuncture much more effective, tripling the level of adenosine near the needle and extending pain relief from about one hour to about three hours.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Acupuncture Works!!!!  Call or email me to make an appointment today or you must really like to be in pain!
k@kmondesire.com
917-701-7582

Acupuncture Demystified via The Wall St Journal

Acupuncture has long baffled medical experts and no wonder: It holds that an invisible life force called qi (pronounced chee) travels up and down the body in 14 meridians. Illness and pain are due to blockages and imbalances in qi. Inserting thin needles into the body at precise points can unblock the meridians, practitioners believe, and treat everything from arthritis and asthma to anxiety, acne and infertility.
· Arthritis of the Knee: Acupuncture significantly reduced pain and restored function, according to a 2004 government study.

· Headaches: Two 2009 reviews found that acupuncture cut both tension and migraine headaches.

· Lower Back Pain: Acupuncture eased it in a big study last year, but so did a sham treatment where needles didn't penetrate the skin.

· Cancer: Has proven effective in reducing nausea and fatigue caused by chemotherapy.

· Infertility: Improves the odds of pregnancy for women undergoing in-vitro fertilization, according to a 2008 review of seven clinical trials.

· Addiction: Often used to help quit smoking, drinking, drug use and overeating.

After decades of cynicism, Western medical experts are using high-tech tools to unravel the ancient mysteries of how acupuncture works.
WSJ HEALTH JOURNAL MARCH 22, 2010


http://www.kmondesire.com/whatsnewsthismonth.html

Wall Street Journal

Today, The Wall Street Journal featured Acupuncture as a lethal weapon to fight many different types of diseases and health conditions. 
Here's a snippet of what the WSJ had to say:
Does It Work?
Arthritis of the Knee: Acupuncture significantly reduced pain and restored function, according to a 2004 government study.

Headaches: Two 2009 reviews found that acupuncture cut both tension and migraine headaches.

Lower Back Pain: Acupuncture eased it in a big study last year
Cancer: Has proven effective in reducing nausea and fatigue caused by chemotherapy.

Infertility: Improves the odds of pregnancy for women undergoing in-vitro fertilization, according to a 2008 review of seven clinical trials.

Addiction: Often used to help quit smoking, drinking, drug use and overeating
Read all about it!
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704841304575137872667749264-lMyQjAxMTAwMDIwMzEyNDMyWj.html