Health Spa

As Heather reported on earlier today, another blow to alcohol consumption has been found. European research released this week shows a connection between alcohol consumption and the possibility of developing bowel cancer.

The research concluded that people who drink one or two glasses of beer or win per day increase their chances of developing rectal (bowel) cancer by 10 percent. Is that number such a big deal? Absolutely.

Sound like a low amount? It's not -- and the researchers apparently looked at more than 500,000 people in the study, so the results are quite statistically significant. Out of that population, 18,000 people were found to have bowel cancer and the researchers dug in deep until they found out the correlation(s) with certain lifestyle choices.

It's always a good idea to have alcohol in very moderate amounts (although wine has been found to be healthy and not healthy), and this research points to more evidence to support that point. Will you abandon alcohol completely, though?

Tags:alcohol, cancer, cancer causes, CancerCauses

If you have been through cancer treatment recently, were you given varying opinions from several medical practitioners? If so, you are not alone, as many cancer patients seem to be lost in haze of confusing medical jargon and differing opinions from several doctors.

With more than 1.4 million new cases of cancer due in 2007, one would expect the knowledge and options to be somewhat standard. As we all know, every case if different and there are so many variables at play that a customized treatment set is needed. Do all doctors pay this much attention to each cancer patient? Very doubtful -- there just are not enough specific cancer specialists to go around in my opinion.

The best defense is a good offense, so eating right and taking care of your body in exemplary fashion is a great idea regardless. But, if you end up developing cancer, it may take a decent dose of leaning and aggressiveness to battle through to the other side.

Tags:cancer, doctors, oncology

Some national statistics on cancer included in the New York Times feature this week :

According to the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health, there will be over 1.4 million new cases of cancer diagnosed this year.

Approximately 559,000 people will die from cancer this year in the U.S., making cancer responsible for about 1 out of 4 deaths in America.

I found this next statistic interesting, as I have seen so many conflicting numbers on this topic, the number of cancers that can be attributed to lifestyle.

According to this article, about 30 percent of cancer deaths this year will be from cancers caused by tobacco use. Another 33 percent of cancer deaths will be from cancers related to obesity, physican inactivity and poor nutrition combined. I assume that leaves 37 percent of cancer deaths due to genetic or otherwise unknown causes.

As far as age, 77% of all cancers diagnosed this year will be in individuals 55 years or older.

Tags:cancer, statistics

A British study could raise a ruckus for those who enjoy a glass of wine or a cold beer at the end of the day. After polling nearly 500,000 people in 10 different European countries, a group of researchers with the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) have come to the conclusion that two servings of alcohol per day actually increased the study group's bowel cancer rate by ten per cent. BY increasing that daily intake to 3 or 4 servings, the cancer rate increased to 25 per cent.

Some factors that came in to consideration with the study was the strength of the alcohol consumed. The stronger the drink, the more likely the drinker was to get cancer. Another factor was time. The participants were followed over a six year period, during which nearly 2,000 developed bowel cancer.

The researchers are quick to say that awareness of alcohol consumption is a key factor in the study. Daily alcohol consumption coupled with smoking is unhealthy. Large servings of alcohol are also a danger. for more information, click here.

Tags:European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, bowel concer, BowelConcer, alcohol consumption, AlcoholConsumption, european alcohol consumption, EuropeanAlcoholConsumption, wine, EuropeanProspectiveInvestigationIntoCancerAndNutrition, beer

How much do you know about protecting your skin? How often should you apply it? How much should you use to cover your whole body? What kind of rays does sunscreen protect against? UVA? UVB? Both? If these questions have left you scratching your head, check out this quiz from Fitsugar.

Here are some quick sunscreen facts:

• When you don't use enough sunscreen, the sunscreen you did apply is not nearly as effective.
  
• UVA Rays can pass through windows and contribute to aging of the skin. UVB rays cannot pass through windows and can cause skin cancer.
• SPF 15 blocks out 93% of harmful rays. Impressive, huh?

Tags:melanoma, skin cancer, SkinCancer, Sunscreen, UVA, UVB