By Edward C. Geehr, M.D.
Showing posts with label Cervical Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cervical Cancer. Show all posts
Friday, 15 March 2013
Gardasil: Is It Safe?
By Edward C. Geehr, M.D.
Oral Sex Turns Deadly
By Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript Chief Medical Officer
Despite a decline in most head and neck cancers during the past decade, the incidence of a particular form of throat cancer is rising steeply, according to a recent report in the British Medical Journal.
The greatest concern? The type of cancer identified is related to the human papilloma virus (HPV). Researchers say that sexual transmission of HPV may explain the rise in cases. If that’s true, then add throat cancer – in addition to cervical cancer – as a potentially deadly consequence of HPV infection.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Can pregnant women become infected with STDs?
STDs & Pregnancy - CDC Fact Sheet
Can pregnant women become infected with STDs?Yes, women who are pregnant can become infected with the same sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as women who are not pregnant. Pregnancy does not provide women or their babies any protection against STDs. The consequences of an STD can be significantly more serious, even life threatening, for a woman and her baby if the woman becomes infected with an STD while pregnant. It is important that women be aware of the harmful effects of STDs and know how to protect themselves and their children against infection.
Friday, 11 May 2012
Yes, it’s true: Not all women need a Pap smear
By Dr. Diana Sarmiento, The Blogging Doc | Yahoo! SHE
If you’ve ever had a Pap smear, you know that the experience of lying on a cold examining bed half-naked can be very unpleasant.
With your genital area exposed, a doctor inserts an instrument called a speculum in your vagina and scrapes off some cells from the cervix. These cells are sent to the laboratory to screen for the earliest sign of cervical cancer, the third leading cause of death in women.
Introduced 60 years ago, the Pap smear remains the mainstay when it comes to the early diagnosis of the disease.
If you are one of those women who have been putting off your doctor's visit because you dread the pap smear, the October 17, 2011 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that women younger than 20 and older than 65 do not need a Pap smear.
A review of multiple studies and trials showed that there is no improvement in detecting cervical cancer for the mentioned age groups. In addition, the incidence of cancer in women under 20 is rare.
With your genital area exposed, a doctor inserts an instrument called a speculum in your vagina and scrapes off some cells from the cervix. These cells are sent to the laboratory to screen for the earliest sign of cervical cancer, the third leading cause of death in women.
Introduced 60 years ago, the Pap smear remains the mainstay when it comes to the early diagnosis of the disease.
If you are one of those women who have been putting off your doctor's visit because you dread the pap smear, the October 17, 2011 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that women younger than 20 and older than 65 do not need a Pap smear.
A review of multiple studies and trials showed that there is no improvement in detecting cervical cancer for the mentioned age groups. In addition, the incidence of cancer in women under 20 is rare.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Circumcision tied to lower prostate cancer risk: study
REUTERS - Circumcised men may have a slightly lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who still have their foreskin, according to a U.S. study.
The World Health Organization already recommends the controversial procedure based on research showing it lowers heterosexual men's risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Last year scientists also reported that wives and girlfriends of circumcised men had lower rates of infection with human papillomavirus or HPV, which in rare cases may lead to cervical and other cancers. And last week, researchers reported that African men who were circumcised were less likely to be infected with a particular herpes virus.
The new study, published in the journal Cancer, jibes with those findings but falls short of actually proving that circumcision will reduce a boy's future cancer risk, said Jonathan Writer, at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who led the study.
"I would not go out and advocate for widespread circumcision to prevent prostate cancer," Wright said. "We see an association, but it doesn't prove causality."
Although most U.S. men are circumcised, the procedure has become less popular over the past decade, and various groups have spoken out against it. In September, the Royal Dutch Medical Association discouraged the practice, calling it a "painful and harmful ritual."
For their study, Wright and his colleagues compared two groups of more than 1,600 men who had answered questions about their medical history, sex life and whether or not they were circumcised. Half had prostate cancer, the others didn't.
In the group with cancer, 69 percent of the men have been circumcised, compared to 72 percent of those without cancer -- suggesting a small protective effect.
Even accounting for a host of other factors, such as age, race and whether or not the men had been screened for prostate cancer, those who were circumcised still had a 15 percent lower risk of the disease.
"Circumcision before first sexual intercourse is associated with a reduction in the relative risk of prostate cancer in the study population," Wright and his colleagues wrote.
The foreskin is prone to tiny tears during sex, which may help bacteria and viruses enter the bloodstream.
Wright said that some viruses can trigger cancer when they are incorporated into human DNA. Another possibility is that sexually transmitted microorganisms could lead to cancer by causing chronic inflammation.
One in six U.S. men will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, although only a minority of them will die from the disease. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/h73jcS
The World Health Organization already recommends the controversial procedure based on research showing it lowers heterosexual men's risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Last year scientists also reported that wives and girlfriends of circumcised men had lower rates of infection with human papillomavirus or HPV, which in rare cases may lead to cervical and other cancers. And last week, researchers reported that African men who were circumcised were less likely to be infected with a particular herpes virus.
The new study, published in the journal Cancer, jibes with those findings but falls short of actually proving that circumcision will reduce a boy's future cancer risk, said Jonathan Writer, at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who led the study.
"I would not go out and advocate for widespread circumcision to prevent prostate cancer," Wright said. "We see an association, but it doesn't prove causality."
Although most U.S. men are circumcised, the procedure has become less popular over the past decade, and various groups have spoken out against it. In September, the Royal Dutch Medical Association discouraged the practice, calling it a "painful and harmful ritual."
For their study, Wright and his colleagues compared two groups of more than 1,600 men who had answered questions about their medical history, sex life and whether or not they were circumcised. Half had prostate cancer, the others didn't.
In the group with cancer, 69 percent of the men have been circumcised, compared to 72 percent of those without cancer -- suggesting a small protective effect.
Even accounting for a host of other factors, such as age, race and whether or not the men had been screened for prostate cancer, those who were circumcised still had a 15 percent lower risk of the disease.
"Circumcision before first sexual intercourse is associated with a reduction in the relative risk of prostate cancer in the study population," Wright and his colleagues wrote.
The foreskin is prone to tiny tears during sex, which may help bacteria and viruses enter the bloodstream.
Wright said that some viruses can trigger cancer when they are incorporated into human DNA. Another possibility is that sexually transmitted microorganisms could lead to cancer by causing chronic inflammation.
One in six U.S. men will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, although only a minority of them will die from the disease. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/h73jcS
(Reporting from New York by Frederik Joelving at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies and Bob Tourtellotte)
Sunday, 4 March 2012
FIVE (EASY!) WAYS TO SAVE YOUR LIFE
Posted by Brittany Galla
There are things you do every day — whether you are aware of these actions or not — that help keep you alive: wearing your seat belt in the car; looking both ways before you cross the street; eating smart; or going for a run (even if it is only once a week). But there are also other little things you should be doing to protect yourself. Read our suggestions, share them with friends and you never know who’s life you might save. It could be your own.
1. Don’t be so quick to turn on your car’s A/C when the weather is hot.
When you start your car in the morning on a hot summer day, the worst thing you can do is start your A/C at full blast with the windows up. Think about it: Your car’s interior is made out of plastic materials, meaning that when these pieces heat up, you could be breathing in potentially cancerous emissions (the same way the FDA advises against drinking out of a heated up plastic bottle). Instead, when you get in your car, open all the windows for a good 10 minutes, letting fresh air into your car, circulating the not-so-good emissions out.
2. Get a pap smear once a year. (And if there’s a problem, every six months.)
The CDC reports one in four sexually active women have a strain of HPV, an STD that’s been on the rise in recent years. Most strains are treatable (and may disappear on its own). Even the most dangerous strains that could be linked to cervical cancer ARE curable if caught early. It’s scary stuff, yes, but a gynecologist we talked to said she was most worried about the patients she doesn’t see or who don’t follow up for a six-month appointment when abnormal cells are found — in fact, she’s more concerned with those cases than patients who do have a pre-cancerous strain, but always show up for their appointments.
So if there’s a problem or something is found, take care of it with regular check-ups. Go to your six-month follow-up, protect yourself if you’re sexually active and always be upfront with your gyno. Your health is your responsibility and your responsibility only. Taking the time to schedule important check-ups now could affect the length of your life, so don’t let any excuses get in the way. And the same goes for breast exams, which you can even give to yourselfwhile you’re lying in bed watching Friends reruns.
3. Put down your cellphone while driving.
You saw the CNN headlines. You see the celeb-endorsed commercials warning against it while watching Teen Mom. And yet, tons of 20-something drivers still do it: TEXTING WHILE DRIVING! According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5,474 people were killed and as many as 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes reportedly involving distracted driving in 2009. Of those killed, 995 of the accidents were related to cell phone distraction. That’s far too many. The next time you get into your car, think about what you learned in driver’s ed: Two hands on the wheel and eyes always on the road. Responding to one text or email or even a Words With Friends game at a red light has its consequences. Make a vow to leave your cell in your purse while you drive and blast out to your fave playlist instead. And if you’re really committed, sign this petition letter to let your state representatives know that you support a law banning texting while driving. You owe it yourself and the other drivers on the road.
4. Always be aware of your surroundings.
Rapes, attacks and muggings can all happen in a matter of seconds. Instead of chatting on your cell or listening to your iPod as you walk, keep both in your pocket and pay attention to who is around you at all times. Follow your instincts — if your gut is telling you something doesn’t feel right, listen to it! Walk faster, go to a well-lit area, or get yourself in a safe, public area where disaster won’t usually strike. Always think ahead and don’t get distracted by things around you.
5. Be happy.
We all know the 20-something years are stressful, surprising and full of challenges and changes. (That’s why you’re a fan of this helpful site!) But many studies have shown that happiness can lead to a longer life. What can you do to feel happier? Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop putting yourself down. And escape the negativity (i.e. toxic friends, disrespectful boyfriends, even your own bad thoughts). Remind yourself every day why you are who you are and do what you do. Make an effort to find the happiness and peace you desire each day instead of waiting for it to find you.
What are some of your own life-saving tips?
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