A new drug can mean new hope for men dealing with advanced-stage prostate cancer.

First there was the approval and widespread use of Taxotere, which was the first chemotherapy drug that showed proven survival benefit for those for whom previously accepted treatment failed.

Now, Daniel Petrylak, M.D., who was one of the key investigators in the trials leading up to that approval, is involved in another potential major therapeutic breakthrough that could offer hope-and longer-term survival-for patients for whom primary chemotherapy treatment has failed.

A drug called Satraplatin, an oral compound, is being investigated for patients who have not been helped by a prior treatment of chemotherapy and have begun advancing while on androgen ablation therapy, a condition known as hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The clinical study, in which Dr. Petrylak has teamed with other leading cancer researchers-Drs. Oliver Sartor, Fred Witjes and Cora Sternberg-was designed in conjunction with the FDA to ensure positive research outcomes.

The trial was designed to measure disease "time to progression" (TTP) as its primary endpoint. Preliminary findings show a lower toxicity than other drugs typically used and, most importantly, showed excellent TTP in the main areas of concern: pain, skeletal events, resistance to drug effectiveness, and death. Overall, there was a 40 percent reduction in the rate of progression.

Satraplatin is a novel platinum compound that has shown anti-tumor activity in several cancers including advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Preliminary results of a phase III randomized trial comparing Satraplatin + prednisone (a steroid) to placebo + prednisone showed a 33 percent reduction in the risk of disease progression with increasing improvement noted over time.

At six months, 30 percent of the patients taking Satraplatin had no disease progression compared to 17 percent of the patients taking the placebo. At 12 months, 16 percent of the Satraplatin group had no disease progression compared to 7 percent of the placebo group.

The reported side effects were mild to moderate and included low white blood cell and platelet count, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The ideal candidate for the drug is that patient for whom primary chemotherapy has failed.

The manufacturer, GPC Biotech, Inc., is making Satraplatin available on a limited basis through an Expanded Access Program.

If you are interested in this program, your physician can get further information about enrollment at or (800) 349-8086.

New drugs are showing promise in the treatment of prostate cancer, says Dr. Daniel Petrylak.

Getting Familiar With Flavonoids

Posted by Prue Morland | 9:15 AM | 0 comments »

Ever wonder what natural compounds account for the aroma, flavor and color of vegetables and fruits? The answer is flavonoids. Thousands of them.

Interest by the public in flavonoids has been increasing due to the growing reputation of food antioxidants that can have beneficial roles in disease prevention. The number of hits on Google for flavonoids is 2.52 million, and on PubMed, an online database just for medical research, there are over 34,000 original publications on flavonoids.

Flavonoids are a large family of phenolic compounds synthesized by plants as pigments that attract pollinators, repel pests and protect plant cells both from ultraviolet radiation and internal production of reactive oxygen species during photosynthesis.

As a group, flavonoids are the most associated phytochemical class with antioxidant values in plant foods.

Health scientists believe that people gain some of these same benefits by consuming flavonoid-rich plant foods, an area of active scientific study.

Current research trends on flavonoids

• Scientists are keenly pursuing numerous potential health effects of flavonoids associated with fruit and vegetable-rich diets. Even in people without disease, benefits may occur for the cardiovascular system, brain, joints, skin, and urinary tract.

• Many of the biological effects of flavonoids seem to come from their ability to modulate communication between cells, a new mechanism of flavonoid action in addition to the more traditionally accepted antioxidant activity.

• Scientists are examining flavonoids as "biological response modifiers", a role where they may alter the body's responses to viruses, allergens, bacteria, carcinogens (cancer agents), inflammatory agents, and oxygen radicals.

• Flavonoid intakes through the diet may help prevent cancer in humans.

• Flavonoid consumption may lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases, as in Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

• While higher intakes of flavonoid-rich foods have been associated with reduced risk of some chronic diseases, it is not known whether isolated flavonoid supplements or extracts confer the same benefits as flavonoid-rich foods.

6 Major Classes of Dietary Flavonoids

Although flavonoids are related by a common chemical structure (called in chemistry, a "phenolic ring"), there are at least 4,000 variations in flavonoid structure and therefore more than 4,000 individual flavonoids in the plant kingdom. To manage such diversity, it is useful to group these compounds into 6 major classes, each having members with similar structure. The following groups have been devised by food chemists and give a place to start educating the public. The names of classes are similar because the chemical structures are closely related.

1. Anthocyanidins. Also called flavonals. Parent structure to anthocyanins found in red, blue, purple and black berries and grapes. Present in dark wines. Examples: cyanidin, delphinidin, petunidin, peonidin, malvidin, pelargonidin.

2. Flavanols. Found in black and green teas, berries, dark chocolate. Single structures ("monomers") are called catechins whereas multiple-unit structures ("polymers") are called proanthocyanidins, tannins, epigallocatechin, and theaflavins. May contain subgroups of ellagic or gallic acid. This class is also named flavan-3-ols.

3. Flavanones. Characteristic of citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemons), members of this group include naringenin, silybin and hesperidin.

4. Flavonols. Found in all plants with bright colors, such as berries, kale (dark green), broccoli and bell peppers, this group includes quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, rutin and isorhamnetin.

5. Flavones. Represented by apigenin and luteolin, flavones are found in herbs (chamomille, parsley) and subterranean plants like celery and radishes.

6. Isoflavones. The signature group from soybeans and soy products (tofu, soy milk), isoflavone members include genistein and daidzein.

Less Antioxidant Activity Than We Hoped?

Due to their favorable chemical structure for serving as antioxidants, flavonoids are expected to be effective scavengers of free radicals in the human body, just as they are in the test tube ("in vitro").

However, even with very high flavonoid intake through the diet, blood and intracellular flavonoid concentrations in humans are around 100-1,000 times lower than concentrations of other known antioxidants, such as vitamin C, melatonin or glutathione. Part of this effect occurs because flavonoids do not stay in the blood or tissues, but are filtered by the kidneys into urine for excretion. Scientists would say from these circumstances that flavonoids are not very "bioavailable".

Also, it has been found that most circulating flavonoids are actually flavonoid substructures cleaved off from the parent molecule by stomach acids and metabolism. Naturally, some of these new, smaller flavonoid molecules have lower antioxidant activity than the parent.

For the reasons above, the relative contribution of dietary flavonoids to the body's antioxidant protection is less than predicted from their chemical structure and antioxidant activity in vitro.

Flavonoids Affect Communications Between Cells

Although initially thought that flavonoids would have antioxidant roles as their main biological function, new scientific evidence from cell culture research indicates that flavonoids can modify signaling activity between cells. Flavonoid concentrations needed to change cell signaling pathways are considerably lower than those required to serve antioxidant roles.

Changes in cell-to-cell signaling capability require enzymes known as kinases to sensitize target proteins ("receptors") at the receiving cell. Cell culture experiments indicate that flavonoids may affect chronic diseases by selectively inhibiting kinases.

This means that flavonoids may alter receptor sensitivity in certain diseases, such as in cancer by these candidate mechanisms:

1. Cancer cells depend on growth stimuli to enlarge and spread; flavonoids may inhibit cancer cells from communicating these signals to one another.

2. Cancer cells proliferate rapidly and lose their ability to undergo normal cell death signals ("apoptosis"; pronounced eh-poe-toe-sis); flavonoids may inhibit both the proliferation process and apoptosis.

3. Cancerous cells invade normal tissue aided by enzymes called matrix-metalloproteinases; flavonoids block the activities of these metal-containing enzymes.

4. Invasive tumors must also develop new blood vessels by a process known as angiogenesis to support their rapid growth; flavonoids inhibit angiogensis.

5. Tumor growth may depend on mechanisms of inflammation to grow, proliferate and resist apoptosis; flavonoids are well-established as anti-inflammatory agents.

Ongoing research will reveal additional characteristics of flavonoid biology in health and disease. It seems safe to conclude that the surest way consumers can gain the health rewards promised by flavonoid research is to consume plentiful plant foods containing them.

This should be an easy task as such foods are the most colorful and best-tasting fresh produce in the store -- Berries, red delicious apples, citrus fruits, black and green teas, red, orange, yellow and dark green vegetables, and even dark chocolate!

Reading

• Flavonoids, Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University,

• Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods, US Department of Agriculture, Nutrient Data Laboratory,

• PubMed, online database of the US National Library of Medicine,

• Wikipedia on Flavonoids,

• Ross JA, Kasum CM. Dietary flavonoids: bioavailability, metabolic effects and safety. Annu Rev Nutr. 2002; 22:19-34.

• Joseph JA, Nadeau DA, Underwood A. The Color Code, Hyperion, 2002.

Dr. Paul Gross is a scientist and expert on cardiovascular and brain physiology. A published researcher, Gross recently completed a book on the Chinese wolfberry and has begun another on antioxidant berries. Gross is founder of Berry Health Inc, a developer of nutritional, berry-based supplements. For more information, visit

What Is The Flax Plant?

The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fiber from which linen is woven, as well as seeds and oil. The flax seed oil, also called linseed oil, has many industrial uses, it is an important ingredient in paints, varnishes, and linoleum, for example. Flaxseed oil also comes in an edible form, sold mostly at health-food stores. We urge you to check out the many flax seed oil available in the market these days.

What Are Flax Seed Health Benefits?

There are many health threats that appear to be helped with the consumption of flaxseed. Among them are cardiovascular health and digestion, the inhibiting of tumor formation, a decrease in the symptoms of menopause, and increase in stamina, the reduction of the inflammation of arthritis and even the production of silky smooth skin and shiny hair. And these are just for starters. There are so many more that researches has confirmed on. That is why we urge you to find out more about how flaxseed can benefit your health today!

Flax Seed And Your Stomach

Flax seeds contain 12% mucilage, which makes it a gentle, natural laxative. Flax seeds are perfect for individuals who has a sensitive stomach. Do see below for a few of what flaxseed can do for you today.

1. Flax seed oil acts as a buffer for excess stomach acids

2. Flax seed oil soothes ulcers and irritable bowel disorders

3. Flax seed oil lubricates and absorbs toxins

4. Prevents toxic build up in the bowel

Flax seed Benefit For Your Brain

Doctors generally believe that the best way to treat mood, thought, and memory disorders is with pharmaceutical medicines that directly influence levels of brain chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine. Although drugs have very important clinical uses, they are only part of the solution. A comprehensive approach to treating cognitive disorders should include foods and supplements that benefit the overall health of brain cells. These include omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseed and fish. However, it has been proven that Flax Seed contains substantially more Omega 3 oil that fist alone!

How Flax Seed Influences The Brain?

One way to influence brain health through diet is to consume the right fats and oils. About 60 percent of the brain consists of lipids (fats) which make up the lining, or cell membrane, of every brain cell. The types of fats present in the brain influence its structure and function. How well your mind works depends, in the long run, on what you eat. So, what are you waiting for? Do try to incorporate Flaxseed into your daily diet today and you will live a healthier life. Flax Seed Lowers Cholesterol too!

Flax Seed Recipe: Oatmeal Flax Pancakes

Ingredients:

1-cup quick cooking or old fashioned rolled oats

1-2 cups dry whole-wheat pancake mix

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

2 cups milk, soy or rice milk

1 1/2 egg or egg substitute equivalent

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions:

In mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add milk, egg and vanilla and stir until all dry ingredients are moistened. Allow mixture to stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Pour pancakes using scant ¼ cup for each. Turn when edges of pancakes begin to look dry and surface has bubbles. Cook until second side has browned. Serve warm with syrup, applesauce or apple butter. Recipe makes about 14 pancakes. Our body is like an automated machine that needs to be taken well off!

There you have it, a delicious Flax Seed pancake recipe for you and your entire family! With so many health benefits associated with Flax seed, we do urge you to find out more about Flax Seed and how Flax Seed can make your life healthier! More Flax Seed Benefit at Flax Seed is 1/3 oil, and the rest of it is made up of fiber, protein, and mucilage. Discover the miracle for Flax Seed Oil today!

Does Flax Seed Oil Lowers Heart Diseases?

Posted by Prue Morland | 1:15 AM | 0 comments »

What is Flax Seed?

Flax seeds are a great source of fiber, lignans, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Flax seeds are slightly larger than sesame seeds and have a hard shell that is smooth and shiny. Their color ranges from deep amber to reddish brown depending upon whether the flax is of the golden or brown variety. While whole flaxseeds feature a soft crunch, the nutrients in ground seeds are more easily absorbed. It is always recommended that you take the grounded flax seeds. Your body is like a fully automated machine that works non-stop, so make sure you take good care of it!

How Much Flax Seed to take?

For promoting bowel regularlity, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of whole or ground flaxseed is taken one or two times per day, accompanied by a full glass of water. When used to treat other health conditions, it is used in amounts of 30 to 35 grams (1 to 2 ounces) per day. However, there are no consequences if flax seed is taken in access.

How to Take Flax Seed Oil

Although it is not suitable for cooking, flaxseed oil (unlike fish oil) can be used in salads. Some doctors recommend that people use 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of flaxseed oil per day as a supplement in salads or on vegetables to ensure a supply of essential fatty acids.

Flax Seed Oil Lowers Heart Disease

Several scientific studies show that consumption of omega-3 oils leads to a substantially lower risk of death from coronary heart disease. Until recently, experts believed the best sources of omega-3 were fish oils. However, flax seed oil contains twice as much omega-3 essential fatty acids as fish oil products, without the fishy aftertaste. Each concentrated softgel capsule contains 550 mg omega-3 essential fatty acids. With that reason, many doctors recommend flax seed supplements to their heart patients.

Flax Seed Fights Cancer Too?

The use of flax is gaining credibility in fighting the battle against many health conditions such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and menopause. Even more promising is the role of flax in combating heart disease. So, what do flaxseeds contain that makes them so effective? The answer is one that has been a hot topic in health care lately: alpha-linolenic acid.

Flax Seed Counter Inflammation

Flax Seed counter inflammation associated with lupus and gout. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to limit the inflammatory reaction associated with these conditions. In cases of lupus, flaxseed oil not only reduces inflammation in the joints, kidneys and skin, but also lowers cholesterol levels that may be elevated by the disease. Taking flaxseed oil for gout may lessen the often sudden and severe joint pain or swelling that is a symptom of this condition. Check with your doctor if you decide to take flax seed oil for your ailments. It would be better so that both you and your doctor can track your progress!

Flax Seed, the Next Multi Vitamin?

Some nutritionists, researchers, and scientists believe that it could be the most important health-promoting supplement next to a multi-vitamin. Nearly every system in the body can benefit from flax seed oil's natural properties, including the cardiovascular system, immune system, circulatory system, reproductive system, nervous system, as well as joints.

More Flax Seed Benefits at Omega 3 is essential for the function and structure of the brain and improve cognition, memory, moods and concentration. Do find out more about Flax Seed Benefits today!

Achieving Optimum Health! How?

Posted by Prue Morland | 9:17 AM | 0 comments »

This makes EFA's an important part of your diet. Other sources of these fats are fish and nuts. Flax seed oils is the form in which the oil was extracted from the seed. Omega-3 fatty acids which contain the majority of flax seed health benefits are very susceptible to heat.

You can either buy the seeds just like that, or you can buy the flax supplements in pill form. Whatever you fell more comfortable with.

The types of fats present in the brain influence its structure and function. How well your mind works depends, in the long run, on what you eat.

In one study men with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseeds (almost three tablespoons) a day as part of a very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery.

Achieving Optimum Health

"Optimum health is not just the absence of disease but the presence of wellness in mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and social areas. Some would also include financial health."

Introduction

Optimum health is essential at all levels, from the individual to the society we live in to the environment around us. We have to start thinking of wealth not just in terms of possession of money and properties but also the possession of mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual well-being.

Mental Health

The truth is mind is the forerunner of all states.

With a proper mindset, a poor man can still be happy. Conversely, if the mindset is not right, no matter how much material possessions you may have, you may still be a very unhappy person. Thus, Gandhi said, "The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not enough for even a single person's greed." So a healthy mind is one that possesses a mindset that can lead to happiness and contentment with self and the world around us. It provides clarity of thoughts, good insight and the ability to see things through an unbiased mind.

To be able to see things through an unbiased mind is no small feat. It is extremely difficult to note or observe the unfolding of events and phenomena without judging. We habitually associate emotions or feelings to events, and allow such emotions to direct our actions. Our likes for certain things and dislikes for others are closely associated with our emotions.

Emotional Health

It is our emotions that lead us to act impulsively at times. Thus a high level of self-awareness in this area is extremely useful. In fact, it is essential to our well-being. After all, things and relationships that may take us years to build can be destroyed in a moment of anger.

There are positive and negative emotions. Positive emotions such as love, compassion and joy should be cultivated, while negative emotions such as fear, anger and hate need to be eradicated. When asked about this, a wise sage of India once illustrated with a story: An old man said to his grandson, "Boy, I have two tigers caged within me. One is love and compassion. The other is fear and anger."

The young boy asked, "Which one will win, grandfather?"

The old man replied, "The one I feed."

At times, it may seem that we have no control over our emotions. This is not true. The truth is how well we manage our emotions depends on how aware we are of our emotions, particularly on the arising of our emotions. The earlier we are able to note the arising of our emotions, we better we can manage them.

More and more researches are showing that our well-being is closely linked to our emotional and mental health. Our body's immune system is generally enhanced by positive mental outlook and emotion. Conversely, it is depressed by negative mental and emotional states. Thus, stress, worry, anger and fear are some states that may lead to physical illnesses such as hypertension, cardiac diseases, peptic ulcers, depression and a host of other ailments.

Physical Health

To maintain an optimum physical well-being, therefore, requires us to focus not only on our body but also our mind and emotions.

Flaxseed has recently gained attention in the area of cardiovascular disease primarily because it is the richest known source of both alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the phytoestrogen, lignans, as well as being a good source of soluble fiber. Diets high in lignans can lead to a lower chance of getting colon, prostate, and breast cancer. Flax is 100 times richer in lignan than most whole grains.

The lignan constituents of flaxseed (not flaxseed oil) possesses in vitro anti-oxidant and possible estrogen receptor agonist/antagonist properties, prompting theories of efficacy for the treatment of breast cancer.

Flax seeds contain vitamin E and B. The seeds are also rich in zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, nickel, calcium and many other essential minerals.

But that should come as no big surprise, since any highly unsaturated oil will do that, particularly if substituted for saturated fats.

On a physical level, our body can be kept healthy through adequate sleep and rest, proper nutrition, regular exercises and a healthy environment that is free from pollution.

Spiritual Health

Throughout the ages, wise men have consistently informed and taught us that we are essentially spiritual beings. Although medical science has not been able to reveal to us our spiritual nature, there are many indirect evidence that we would be foolish to ignore. Stories from people who had gone through a near death experience (NDE), or dying people with heightened nearing death awareness, or simply a cure from an 'incurable' disease all suggest that there is more to life than just the physical state.

Major religions of the world all based their teachings on the belief that we are essentially spiritual beings. According to these teachings, our physical existence is secondary.

While it may be true that we should focus our life more on our spiritual nature than our physical nature, it would be difficult for the majority of people to do so, at least not immediately. Things cannot change overnight. Mindset, however, can, and that is perhaps the best place to start.

Financial Health

However, on a more mundane level, most people are still stuck on how to survive from day to day, where to get the next cheque to pay for the house installment, so on and so forth. Practically, therefore, we need to look into ways to achieve a financial state that would theoretically free us from the constrain of 'forced' work. This is where the concept of financial freedom is so attractive. According to this concept, one should strive for a state where we have one or more than one source of income that can be generated passively, that is, even when we don't work.

This is what Robert Kiyosaki termed as 'passive income'.

According to him, passive income can only be achieved by becoming an investor or a business owner, not a sole proprietor or an employee. To become an investor or a business owner, you must spend the time and money to acquire financial intelligence. Unlike IQ or EQ, you can acquire financial intelligence through self education.

To get a financial health check-up, consult an accountant, a banker or a financial planner you can trust. Healthy Relationship

"No man is an island, entire by itself."

As a medical doctor, I am in a unique position to confront and comfort dying patients. One of the most important thing that I have observed is that dying people do not ask about their money or possessions. Instead, they focus their remaining energy and strength on trying to heal wounded relationships. It is as though there is an inherent need to get a proper closure to a relationship.

Thus, forming and cultivating a healthy relationship is important for our well-being. Unfortunately, this is something we often ignored until it is too late. If there is any forgiving to be done, or the need to be forgiven, leaving things to the last minutes may end up with an unfulfilled desire for a closure.

Knowing this now, shouldn't we spend more time and effort in improving our relationship with our loved ones, especially with our parents, spouse, children and siblings? Flaxseeds also contain omega-6 fatty acids in the form of linoleic acid; omega-6s are the same healthy fats found in vegetable oils.

Avoid or limit these oils. Omega-3, meanwhile, is typically found in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and fish. However, flax seed oil is the best oil where Omega-3 and Omega-6 are balanced. Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health!

Essential fatty acids are further metabolized into hormone-like substances in the cell known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are involved in the regulation of many important physiological functions.

Randomized clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce cardiovascular events (death, non-fatal heart attacks, non-fatal strokes). They can also slow the progression of atherosclerosis in coronary patients.

The seeds and oil of the flax plant contain substances which promote good health.

Find out why flax seed can make you lead a healthier life today!

This makes EFA's an important part of your diet. Other sources of these fats are fish and nuts. Most of the fat in my diet comes from a combination of nuts and flax seed oil.

Several scientific studies show that consumption of omega-3 oils leads to a substantially lower risk of death from coronary heart disease.

But now let's talk about the nutritional values of flax seed. They are the best source for Omega 3 fatty acids, which is great for the brain and concentration. Adding flax seeds to your diet can increase your ability to concentrate better and think faster.

Although drugs have very important clinical uses, they are only part of the solution. A comprehensive approach to treating cognitive disorders should include foods and supplements that benefit the overall health of brain cells.

Lignans and other flax seed components may also have antioxidant properties, which means they may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals.

Buying Fitness Equipment On ebay: Deals or Duds?

With tens of millions of registered members and more than 12,000 items listed, eBay is, without a doubt, the world's largest Internet marketplace. And you can buy just about anything there--from CDs, movies and vitamins to first edition books, new businesses and even someone's last breath of air. But--what you want to know--is it the place to shop for fitness equipment?

The answer is yes, but that's if you don't mind sifting and, in most cases, bidding. On a given day in June 2003, there were 1,026,771 items listed under the "Sports" category; and there were 344,705 items in the "Sporting Goods" subcategory, which is broken down into more than three-dozen subcategories. Under "Exercise & Fitness," a "Sporting Goods" subcategory, there were 7,146 items. And that subcategory is divided up into six subcategories. Hope you're not too confused.

On that given June day, I took a look at several fitness products sold on eBay. I wanted to find out how low prices on new (never been used) popular or quality products go on this mega auction site. The good news: They can go pretty low.

One product I examined was Total Trainer, and there are several models listed on eBay. I zeroed in on the 3000 model, which is supposed to be comparable to the Brinkley- and Norris- endorsed Total Gym 3000. On eBay, Total Trainer is offered in two pricing formats: Name your own or Buy It Now (skip the auction process) for $277. Off eBay, Total Gym retails for, on average, $500.

But that should come as no big surprise, since any highly unsaturated oil will do that, particularly if substituted for saturated fats.

Studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids help lower cholesterol and blood triglycerides, and prevent clots in arteries, which may result in strokes, heart attacks and thromboses.

As a source of fiber mucilage, oral flaxseed (not flaxseed oil) may possess laxative properties, although only one human trial has been conducted for this indication.

But you should be drinking a lot of water after consuming the seeds.

Does Omega 3 Lowers Cholesterol? Does Flaxseed Oil Prevent Cancer too? The primary sources of omega-6 are corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil; these oils are overabundant in the typical diet, which explains our excess omega-6 levels.

I also compared a few other infomercial-marketed products. One, a knock-off of the Fast Abs bodybuilding belt, an electronic muscle stimulation device, runs for about $10 to $15 on eBay (with free shipping). Off eBay, the real product will cost you around $30, plus shipping/handling. Another, Smart abs, is priced at $50 on eBay; off, it ranges between $70 and $80. A third product is a Fitness Quest glider similar to the Tony Little Gazelle Freestyle Elite. Buy it on eBay and you'll pay roughly $220, almost half of what you would spend at Little's official site.

The last product I checked out was Jolie Weights, one-pound attachable fitness shoe weights introduced this spring by Jolie World. At http://JolieW these weights cost $19.99. An independent eBay seller was auctioning them for $14.99. That's a 25 percent savings. Plus, shipping/handling charges are exactly the same.

The bottom line is: You will find some good deals on eBay. But there are a good number of duds there too. The best advice? Do your research before buying. Compare prices; read the fine print; ask the seller whether it's a discontinued or irregular product; and be vigilant of bloated shipping/handling charges (a common practice among eBay sellers). A final tip: before buying anything, read the seller's reviews, where buyers post their positive or negative shopping experiences. If the eBay seller has too many negatives, then you may want to pass on the deal. If the seller seems legitimate, and you've confirmed it's a steal, jump on it.

The truth is that although the odds of surviving bypass surgery have improved since the operation was introduced, bypass surgery kills anywhere from 2% to 4% of the patients on the operating table, and more within a few months.

In this Omega-3 benefits and facts section you will learn the basics about omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) from fish oils and their function in our bodies.

These beneficial fats play important roles in brain, nerve, glandular, and eye functions. In addition, they are involved in the transport and metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Let me first address the issue of fat. Fat seems to receive a lot of reprimand but the fact is we all need fat; fat helps nutrient absorption, nerve transmission, maintaining cell membrane integrity etc. However, when consumed in excess amount, fat contributes to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Flax seed boasts a long history as a healing herb. First cultivated in Europe, the plant's brown seeds were regularly used to prepare balms for inflamed skin and healing slurries for constipation.

Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health!

This makes EFA's an important part of your diet. Other sources of these fats are fish and nuts. Most of the fat in my diet comes from a combination of nuts and flax seed oil.

The best manner of extracting the oil while maintaining all the health benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids is by cold pressing the seed. In this form of oil extraction the flax seed oil is pressed out of the seed and not exposed to heat.

But now let's talk about the nutritional values of flax seed. They are the best source for Omega 3 fatty acids, which is great for the brain and concentration. Adding flax seeds to your diet can increase your ability to concentrate better and think faster.

A comprehensive approach to treating cognitive disorders should include foods and supplements that benefit the overall health of brain cells. These include omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseed and fish. In one study men with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseeds (almost three tablespoons) a day as part of a very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery.

Cancer Survivor Turns Cancer Information Specialist

When callers to the Canadian Cancer Society's information service connect with Isabelle Wilson, they're talking to someone who's been there herself.

The Christmas of 1997 was turned upside down for the Montreal mother of three. Days before the holiday she learned she had a rare tumour on her left lung. The lung was removed on Christmas Eve. Wilson was a 30-year-old non-smoker and had a six-month-old baby at home. Even her doctors were stunned.

"Everything went so fast," she says. "I didn't know what was happening to me."

Like the omega-3s found in fish, it appears to reduce the risk of heart disease and numerous other ailments.

Flax Hull Lignans are very beneficial for many health conditions. Studies have shown that SDG or lignan (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, but for simplicity this substance will be referred to as lignans)

In large doses, or when taken with inadequate water, flaxseed may precipitate bowel obstruction via a mass effect. The effects of flaxseed on blood glucose levels are not clear, although hyperglycemic effects have been reported in one case series. Omega-3 fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (18-22 carbon atoms in chain length) with the first of many double bonds beginning with the third carbon atom (when counting from the methyl end of the fatty acid molecule). Read on for more details on flax seed benefits.

Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health! There are also many ways of consuming the seeds. You can simply just chew them. You can grind the seeds to make a power.

Worse, Wilson had to recuperate during the infamous ice storm, which knocked out power and heat to her home for days. Eventually she turned to the Canadian Cancer Society's information service for support and help in understanding her condition. It was a life-changing call. Three years later, Wilson joined the service herself.

"Knowing there was a professional there who was with me and researching this disease too meant a lot. I felt a lot less isolated," says Wilson, a biologist and former health services worker. "One morning I woke up and said, 'I have to do this job.'"

The service is Canada's toll-free bilingual source of cancer information. Trained and caring specialists provide information about cancer and community resources. This helps newly diagnosed patients and their families understand their condition and act as informed members of their healthcare team.

There is nothing as profitable to a drug company as a patient who is forced to take some drug for the rest of his life - heart medications fit in that category. In this Omega-3 benefits and facts section you will learn the basics about omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) from fish oils and their function in our bodies.

Flax Seed Oil is a rich balanced source of essential fatty acids. The high content of omega-3 fatty acids in flax seed oil is one of its positive attributes.

Let me first address the issue of fat. Fat seems to receive a lot of reprimand but the fact is we all need fat; fat helps nutrient absorption, nerve transmission, maintaining cell membrane integrity etc. However, when consumed in excess amount, fat contributes to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Why is Flaxseed called the Miracle Food? More at You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to chew them good to break them up. Your stomach will not dissolve whole flax seeds and many of them will come out in your stools.

Does Omega 3 Lowers Cholesterol? Why is Flaxseed called the Miracle Food?

Are You Eating The Right Carbohydrates?

Posted by Prue Morland | 1:15 AM | 0 comments »

This is the technical meaning of "healthy fat." Your body needs these fats to function properly, yet it doesn't produce it on it's own. Flax seed oils is the form in which the oil was extracted from the seed. Omega-3 fatty acids which contain the majority of flax seed health benefits are very susceptible to heat.

Flax seeds may come in different colors, but the colors don't anything to do with the value of their nutrition. They are all equally beneficial to you.

One way to influence brain health through diet is to consume the right fats and oils.

Lignans and other flax seed components may also have antioxidant properties, which means they may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals.

Are You Eating the Right Carbohydrates?

Whether you're trying to lose weight or just want to eat healthier, you may be confused by the news you're hearing about carbohydrates. With so much attention focused on protein diets, there's been a consumer backlash against carbohydrates. As a result, many people misunderstand the role that carbohydrates play in a healthy diet.

Carbohydrates aren't all good or all bad. Some kinds promote health while others, when eaten often and in large quantities, may increase the risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates come from a wide array of foods - bread, fruit, vegetables, rice, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant ones are sugars, fibers, and starches. The basic building blocks of all carbohydrates are sugar molecules. The digestive system handles all carbohydrates in much the same way - it breaks them down (or tries to break them down) into single sugar molecules, since only these are small enough to absorb into the bloodstream. It also converts most digestible carbohydrates into glucose (also known as blood sugar), because cells are designed to use this as a universal energy source. This is why carbohydrates can make us feel energetic. Carbohydrates fuel our body. Your body stores glucose reserves in the muscles in the form of glycogen ready to be used when we exert ourselves.

Carbohydrates are the highest octane - the most desirable fuel source for your body's energy requirements. If you don't have an adequate source of carbohydrate your body may scavenge from dietary protein and fat to supply glucose. The problem is when you've depleted your stores of glycogen (stored glucose in muscle and lean tissue) your body turns to burning muscles or organs (lean muscle tissue) and dietary protein or fat to provide blood glucose to supply energy needs. When this happens, your basal metabolic rate drops because you have less lean muscle tissue burning calories and your body thinks its starving and cuts back on energy requirements.

So you should continue to eat carbohydrates discriminately selecting those which have the greatest health benefits.

Flaxseeds and their oil may also lower total blood cholesterol, as well as LDL ("bad") cholesterol Human studies have shown that flaxseed can modestly reduce serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, reduce postprandial glucose absorption, decrease some markers of inflammation, and raise serum levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, ALA and eicosapentaenoic acid.

Omega-3 fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (18-22 carbon atoms in chain length) with the first of many double bonds beginning with the third carbon atom (when counting from the methyl end of the fatty acid molecule). Read on for more details on flax seed benefits. Like most vegetable oils, flaxseed oil contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid needed for survival. But unlike most oils, it also contains significant amounts of another essential fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA). There are many benefits to adding flax seeds to your diet. Well for instance they can get rid of your constipation problem.

The carbohydrates you consume should come from carbohydrate-rich foods that are close to the form that occurs in nature. The closer the carbohydrate food is as Mother Nature intended, the greater the density of other vital nutrients. If you are looking for health-enhancing sources of carbohydrates you should choose from: Fruit: rich in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, potassium and often vitamin E.

Vegetables: fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, often vitamin E, potassium and a wider variety of minerals than fruit. Whole grains and grain foods: rich in fiber, protein, and some B vitamins and are very rich in minerals.

Legumes: an excellent source of protein, fiber folate, potassium, iron and several minerals.

Dairy foods: protein, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin B12. You can also source carbohydrates from processed foods such as soda pop or soft drinks, snacks such as cookies and chips, and alcohol. These generally are considered to be a poor food choice and should be consumed rarely. The carbohydrate source (sugar and flour) in these food choices has been highly refined processed. A diet rich in refined carbohydrates and processed foods has been associated with heart disease and onset of type 2 diabetes.

Why are these sources of carbohydrates to be avoided?

1. They are calorie dense and contribute a large number of calories in a small amount of food. For example a 7oz bag of potato chips or corn chips have approximately 1000 calories. Most women on a weight management program will be aiming for 1200 daily calorific intake. So, this is what we mean by calorie dense and nutritionally scarce.

2. They offer little appetite-holding power because they have no fiber or protein. As a result you end up searching for food again soon after your first serve.

3. They contribute nothing to your nutritional profile except calories. This means you have fewer calories left for foods that your body requires for good health.

Whenever possible, replace highly processed grains, cereals, and sugars with minimally processed whole-grain products and ensure you have at least five serves of fruit and vegetables daily.

Rather than cut out carbs completely for a very short-term gain (usually weight loss), there are greater long-term health benefits in learning how to distinguish good carbs over bad carbs and incorporating healthy carbohydrates into your weight loss program. Heart disease is by far the #1 killer in the U. S., although 1/3 of those deaths could be prevented if people exercised more and followed better diets, the American Heart Association said in an annual report.

Also discussed will be the affects of our western diet on omega-3 levels and the latest research on the cardiovascular, heart, and the other health benefits of omega-3 compounds. Flax seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the flax plant. Flax seed oil and flax seed contain substances that promote good health.

Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health! Randomized clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce cardiovascular events (death, non-fatal heart attacks, non-fatal strokes). They can also slow the progression of atherosclerosis in coronary patients. You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to chew them good to break them up. Your stomach will not dissolve whole flax seeds and many of them will come out in your stools.

Among the women given flaxseed, blood levels of total cholesterol dropped 6%! Find out more!

Cancer Is An Energy

Posted by Prue Morland | 5:17 PM | 0 comments »

This is the technical meaning of "healthy fat." Your body needs these fats to function properly, yet it doesn't produce it on it's own.

Flax seed oils is the form in which the oil was extracted from the seed. Omega-3 fatty acids which contain the majority of flax seed health benefits are very susceptible to heat.

Flax seeds are basically available everywhere. You can purchase then at a health food store to a place were you buy natural foods sold in bulk. Although drugs have very important clinical uses, they are only part of the solution. A comprehensive approach to treating cognitive disorders should include foods and supplements that benefit the overall health of brain cells.

Studies of animals, too, suggest some anti-cancer benefit from flaxseed.

Cancer Is An Energy

Einstein, a genius scientist of the 20th century, and central to the new energy physics, stated that 'a problem cannot be solved by the same mind set that created it'. Cancer is a case in point. Cancer is a dis-ease that stems partly from the products of the mechanistic, anthropomorphic and exploitative philosophy at the heart of our culture, which we tend to ignore. Its effective treatment demands that we see ourselves in a different light and act accordingly.

Medicine is extremely slow to move from a mechanistic and physical philosophy to a more energetic model, like the Gaian paradigm that values all life forms as connected. A philosophy of medicine that is over-reliant on logic and limited mainly to drugs and surgery is fundamental flawed. Acts of logic always rely on analysis, that is breaking down a 'whole' into its constituent parts, and examining each minutely. Reductionist approaches fail to see the connectivity and relatedness of all things. As a result this philosophy is offering us 'cures' to cancer that are often as dangerous and destructive as the disease itself.

Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health! Nobel prize-winner Carlo Rubbia maintains that only a billionth of the world is actually made of matter and the rest is made of energy. The new sciences are challenging the way we perceive the world and as a result the way we relate to our bodies. Dr. K. Scott-Mumby is author of Virtual Medicine and an allergy specialist in the UK writes: Science is proving that we exist as regulated and informed energy. Disease can now be redefined as a disruption, cessation or distortion in the information and energy fields. Its time for medical practitioners to join the party.

Classical science has reached the end of what it can explain in reductionist terms. Issues such as whether light is a particle or a wave, or whether or not water has a memory (an issue central to the 'proof' of homeopathy), are moving modern science to a quantum level that deals with fields of energy. Medical science is still stuck in a very physical universe, where the objective is to 'excise the lump' almost regardless of where it came from and individual conditions of the patient and their experiences.

New sciences such as the chaos theories point a way forward into handling the complexities of whole systems that work together, in synergy. Unfortunately our medical systems and practises are still too often based on philosophy formulated in medieval times.

Because all interventions in a medical process have to been 'proven' as workable (using scientific double-blind testing methods) before doctors will recognise their validity (if they then do the research), medical science mostly marginalises or ignores healing alternatives that can provide only 'anecdotal evidence'. Multiple simultaneous treatments of different types and 'levels' tuned for one patient are un-testable by a reductionist philosophy and therefore ignored by mainstream medicine. In addition to this regulatory pressures force researchers and companies to test their drugs on patients with advanced cancer - when the dis-ease is much more difficult to treat and when the chances of success are modest - this means that potentially useful treatments are discarded as worthless. Omega-3 fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (18-22 carbon atoms in chain length) with the first of many double bonds beginning with the third carbon atom (when counting from the methyl end of the fatty acid molecule). Read on for more details on flax seed benefits.

The lignan constituents of flaxseed (not flaxseed oil) possesses in vitro anti-oxidant and possible estrogen receptor agonist/antagonist properties, prompting theories of efficacy for the treatment of breast cancer.

There are many benefits to adding flax seeds to your diet. Well for instance they can get rid of your constipation problem.

Flax Hull Lignans are very beneficial for many health conditions. Studies have shown that SDG or lignan (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, but for simplicity this substance will be referred to as lignans)

But that should come as no big surprise, since any highly unsaturated oil will do that, particularly if substituted for saturated fats. Traditional research methodology, or 'quantitative research' is central to science and other methodologies are not usually acceptable. 'Qualitative research' is equally, if not more important at the present time in reference to cancer. Other medical systems, such as Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine, Homeopathy or Naturopathy use far subtler tools in both diagnosis and treatment. They are based on seeing the patient as a whole being and often use multiple interventions on several levels, simultaneously in the treatment of dis-ease. Because they work at the level of an individual patient, and from a different philosophy of medicine, it is almost impossible to analyse them with the tools of reductionist science.

Our present rash of immune attacking diseases calls for a different kind of response than just drugs and surgery. A new medicine that combines established scientific excellence with traditional, alternative and natural treatments is needed. One that recognises humans as feeling, vibrant, energetic, spiritual beings as well as physical and mental. There are dramatic developments in the treatment of cancer using energy systems, but information on this is actually suppressed. There is a movement towards an integrated medicine as more orthodox practitioners are starting to join in, led mostly by their patients. >From an energy point of view, when the human body is weak or unbalanced it oscillates at different frequencies than when it is healthy. This less harmonious frequency shows a state of cellular, energetic imbalance in the body. The physical body that is weakened in this way often needs help to shift to the needed frequency, which strengthens the immune system.

Some experienced medical doctors can make an intuitive diagnosis based on experience and can sometimes tell in a second or so what ails their patient. Posture, skin condition, nail, teeth and tongue all give clues, but experienced doctors may also intuitively pick up clues about their patients from energy and vibrational levels in a similar way to a gardener tending plants or a wild animal hunting its prey.

But modern doctors simply do not have the time for the level of attention given in many complementary and alternative therapies. This is one of the reasons alternatives are more popular than ever. Professional detachment is an essential part of the doctors' repertoire and it protects them in part from the huge amount of need they encounter in day to day work.

Given the track record of orthodox medical science into whole person medicine, it may well be another 200 years or so before it is able to assimilate the new quantum sciences in relation to the human body. For those people with cancer now, there are a deliberately limited range of options available from orthodox medicine.

There is nothing as profitable to a drug company as a patient who is forced to take some drug for the rest of his life - heart medications fit in that category.

In this Omega-3 benefits and facts section you will learn the basics about omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) from fish oils and their function in our bodies. Flax seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the flax plant. Flax seed oil and flax seed contain substances that promote good health.

Randomized clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce cardiovascular events (death, non-fatal heart attacks, non-fatal strokes). They can also slow the progression of atherosclerosis in coronary patients.

Omega 3 benefits are wide-ranging and proven by clinical studies. Understanding the best omega 3 sources means you can include more of these healthy foods in your daily meal planning.

Does Omega 3 Lowers Cholesterol? Does Flaxseed Oil Prevent Cancer too?

Bear Creek, Wis. – The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, and a constant craving for a Sauerkraut-laden hot dog, sausage, or bratwurst all signal one thing – baseball season's back.

This season – whether fans enjoy games at a stadium or in front of a television – one thing's for certain: Sauerkraut will be a big hit among many brat, sausage, and hot dog lovers.

In 2006, Major League Baseball fans were estimated to have bought enough sausages and hot dogs to stretch from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., to AT&T Park in San Francisco, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. "It's a fact that many of those were eaten with Sauerkraut as a choice topping," said Ryan Downs, co-owner of Great Lakes Kraut Co. His grandfather was an outfielder on the 1909 University of Wisconsin baseball team that traveled to Japan to play against Keio and Waseda universities.

"Each ballpark offers its unique version of the perfect hot dog or brat," Downs said. "Coors Field (Colorado Rockies), Shea Stadium (New York Mets), and Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) are just a handful of ballparks where Sauerkraut is virtually automatic when buying a hot dog or a brat."

Thanks to recent scientific studies on the health benefits of Sauerkraut – and its chemical compounds that help the body defend against cancer – fermented cabbage has enjoyed increased popularity as a healthy, trendy food, increasingly found on menus at higher-priced restaurants.

"But that doesn't mean it's out of our league," Downs said.

"It still has that ballpark, blue collar sort of feel attached to it," said Jonathan Locke, co-founder of Minnesota-based restaurant consulting firm FoodSense.

HOT & SPICY SAUERKRAUT TOPPING

2 medium onions, cut in half and sliced thin

1 tsp. butter

1 cup Silver Floss or Krrrrisp Kraut Sauerkraut

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

½ cup ketchup

1 tsp. celery seed

½ tsp. white pepper

3 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce

Sauté onions in butter until soft and lightly caramelized. Add Sauerkraut. When mixture is warm, add remaining ingredients. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened.

Servings: 4

Suggestions: Serve as a side or topping for bratwursts, hot dogs, pork, chicken, or hamburgers.

Silver Floss® and Krrrrisp Kraut® Sauerkraut, winners of the ChefsBest™ Award as America's best-tasting Sauerkraut, are manufactured by the world's largest Sauerkraut producer, Great Lakes Kraut Co., LLC, Bear Creek, Wis. With processing facilities in Bear Creek and Shortsville, N.Y. — the best cabbage growing regions in the world — the company combines modern technology and four generations of Sauerkraut-making expertise to produce the country's leading brands. Silver Floss canned and jarred Sauerkraut is found in the canned vegetable section of grocery stores in the East, South, and Midwest. Krrrrisp Kraut refrigerated Sauerkraut is located in the meat department at grocery stores nationwide. For more information about Great Lakes Kraut and its award-winning brands, visit Femi Cole is a public relations specialist for Infusion Inc. in Green Bay, Wis. He can be reached by calling (920) 435-9800, Ext. 231, or by e-mailing fcole@

Necessary steps for lung cancer prevention

Posted by Prue Morland | 9:17 AM | 0 comments »

Research continues to show that the most common cause for lung cancer is the use of tobacco. Lung cancer typically develops over a long period of time. The first pre-cancerous changes that form in the lungs mutate and produce chemicals that result in the formation of new blood vessels. These blood vessels nurture the cancer cells. The cancer cells grow together and form a tumor. These cancer cells have the ability to easily spread to other parts of our body even before the cancer is detected. This process is known as metastasis and is one of the main reasons why lung cancer is so fast moving and life-threatening.

Lung cancers are classified as small-cell lung cancers and non-small-cell lung cancers. Non-small-cell lung cancer is further divided into three types, known as squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. In the United States alone, about 213,380 people are estimated to be suffering from lung cancer, with nearly 160,390 deaths occurring in the year 2007. Current data shows that lung cancer accounts for 29% of all cancer deaths. About one-third of cancer and 80% of lung cancer are caused by the usage of tobacco, either directly or indirectly.

Lung cancer prevention methods are very important because of the difficulty to detect lung cancer until it is in an advanced stage, when treatments are really not effective. A few simple steps have the potential to prevent the incidence of lung cancer. Smoking and the use of tobacco products should be completely avoided or stopped. Data reveals that long-term cessation of smoking reduces the incidence of lung cancer by over 50%. Exposure to radon gas and other carcinogens like petroleum products should be avoided.

A healthy diet consisting of more vegetables and fruits is highly recommended. Nowadays, many governments have initiated active anti-smoking programs and advertising campaigns because of the strain on the health care system that tobacco products add to it. Many of them also impose high taxes on tobacco products to discourage tobacco users. Several nations have enacted strict laws towards smoking in public places including workplaces and for restricting tobacco access to minors. Studies reveal that smoking bans in workplaces effectively reduce the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) by 72%. Mass media anti-tobacco campaigns reduce the initiation of new persons to tobacco, decrease tobacco consumption, and increase cessation of tobacco. A sustained multi-pronged approach alone could create mass awareness about lung cancer prevention. When more and more people realize the harm caused by tobacco, consumption would decline and the effects on lung cancer cases would be immense as well as other health concerns like heart disease, stroke and hypertension.

Darren Dunner is the author of this article on lung cancer prevention. Visit today for more information on the subject.

General Multiple Myeloma Information:

Multiple Myeloma is part of a spectrum of diseases labeled Plasma Cell Dyscrasia. Plasma cells are the cells responsible for forming antibodies against bacteria and foreign proteins. For reasons that are unclear, these cells lose their ability to respond to controlling signals from a hierarchy of immune cells. Plasma cells then divide and form abnormal proteins, which results in damage to the bone, the bone marrow, and/or other organs of the body.

Staging and classification of Multiple Myeloma

These tests can help confirm whether you have multiple myeloma or another condition. If tests indicate you have multiple myeloma, the results from these tests allow your doctor to classify the stage of myeloma. Stages range from Stage I (fewer myeloma cells) to Stage III (more myeloma cells) and can be further classified as A (normal kidney function) or B (abnormal kidney function) — as multiple myeloma often causes damage to your kidneys.

The Cancer Process of Multiple Myeloma

Our concept of bone marrow cancer is that it is a multi-step process, involving multiple alterations to cells, which turn into cancer cells.

The plasma cells of multiple myeloma proliferate (multiply) in an uncontrolled way. Normal plasma cells also proliferate as they go from early immature forms to that of the fully functional cell, principally when they are stimulated to produce antibodies following exposure to an antigen. This cell-antigen interaction occurs outside the marrow (eg in lymph glands) and is controlled by chemicals called cytokines secreted by other cells.

Cells such as lymphocytes, bone marrow stromal cells, other plasma cells, and the cells which make and break down bone (osteoclasts and osteoblasts) all play a part in controlling this process and the consequent plasma cell proliferation but in a healthy person the controlling process works perfectly. In multiple myeloma, abnormal cells circulate and then settle in the marrow or other parts of the skeleton, where they proliferate.

General Features of Multiple Myeloma

Common to nearly all cancers are symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss and lack of energy.

About 10 per cent of Multiple Myeloma patients have no symptoms, but are diagnosed incidentally either following a health screen or as a result of tests undertaken as part of investigation for unrelated conditions.

Multiple Myeloma is the most common Cancer of the Plasma Cells. More Info at

Techniques of brain cancer treatment

Posted by Prue Morland | 1:17 AM | 0 comments »

Brain cancer is a very difficult cancer. It is typically hard to detect and not usually found until some form of motor skills are affected. These tumors have the capacity to grow fast and spread in an aggressive manner, which is known as metastasis. They grow out of control and push out normal healthy cells with devastating effects. Brain tumors are difficult mainly because of the brain tissue they are around. Other types of cancer are much more easily removed and can be accessed much easier than going through your skull and operating around your brain tissue (which can be easily damaged from the procedure). Data shows that the incidence of brain cancer due to metastasis is around 25% of all brain cancers.

Certain symptoms could be indicative of brain cancer. They are chronic headaches, weakness, difficulty in walking, seizures, clumsiness in actions, reduced memory or concentration, nausea and vomiting, vision defects, speech difficulty and other motor skill difficulties. Brain cancer treatment is typically individual-specific. The physician would take into consider the age and general health condition of the patient, along with the size, type and location of the tumor. Brain cancer treatment involves consultation with several specialists like neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists, dieticians, and physiotherapists, apart from the primary physician.

Brain cancer treatment is normally done by surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of these three methods. A benign tumor could safely be removed by surgery. A modern method of surgery, which is a knifeless technology, is training of high-energy radiation from different angles on the tumor. The recovery time is much shorter in this 'gamma knife' surgery. However, before the surgery is done, the doctor might prescribe a steroid medication to relieve swelling or an anticonvulsant drug to prevent or reduce seizures.

Radiation therapy could be of two types, external and internal. In external therapy, the brain tumor is targeted with high-energy radiation beams. This treatment is given for a few minutes for 5 days a week and for 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the size and type of tumor. Internal radiation is done by implanting a small radioactive capsule inside the tumor. This treatment might take several weeks and would require hospitalization for that period.

Chemotherapy is the administration of a powerful drug or a combination of such drugs to kill tumor cells. Chemotherapy is normally done in 2 to 4 cycles of treatment, each cycle consisting of a short period of intense medication with enough rest and recovery period after that. However, chemotherapy is not suitable for most brain cancer patients, because very few chemotherapies cross the blood brain barrier so it is useless to give them, and the stronger the medications the more side effects that will cause other consequences and effects on the body. .

Even after undergoing brain cancer treatment, regular follow-up tests and checkups are needed to make sure that there is no recurrence of brain cancer. The physician would also watch the long-term effect of the treatment for corrective action, if needed. The success rate is typically less than 10%.

Darren Dunner is the author of this article on brain cancer treatment. Visit today for more information on the subject.

Janie Canei is battling Breast Cancer for the second time, this time in

her lungs, neck, and brain. She is presently considered terminally ill,

but she remains positive and focused on getting better with the support of

her son Matthew. Matthew, who is an 18-year old college student at

Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta, had the idea to create an

online environment that would provide motivation, inspiration, and support

for not only his mother, but for anyone in a similar predicament.

He created FacesForAC to be a huge online "wall" in which visitors

purchase space on this wall to place a photo of themselves or a loved one

who has ever battled cancer. Matthew's invisions a huge digital

composition with hundreds, potentially even thousands of survivors or

cancer fighters digitally side-by-side creating a large spectacle, which

he believes will leave the viewer feeling motivated, and inspired to

continue their battle against the disease.

Matthew did not want this site to only benefit his mother, but also all of society. He vowed that no less

than 50% of all proceeds from the wall will be donated to breast cancer

research, to aid in the discovery of a cure. His site can be visited at

Matthew looks forward to your future

contributions to the wall, as he will stop at nothing to see his vision in

the flesh.

Modern Breast Cancer Treatment Methods

Posted by Prue Morland | 5:17 PM | 0 comments »

Breast cancer has become a more common disease among women in modern times. Once known as an older women's disease, women in their 20's are now experiencing more cases of it. Statistics reveal that the average breast cancer risk is 14%. This climbs by 32% for smokers. The incidence of breast cancer could also be inherited but is likely more too environmental factors and lifestyle. Studies show that two genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 should normally prevent cancer cell growth but when there are abnormalities in these genes, they can become the cause of higher breast cancer risk. Combine this with the present toxic environment and multiple carcinogens and the higher rates are easier to understand.

Typical breast cancer symptoms are the formation of lumps, swelling or skin changes in the breast. However, a cyst or an infection could also exhibit the same symptoms. Regular self-examination of the breast and an annual mammogram would help in early diagnosis of breast cancer. If there is a doubt and concern that breast cancer may be starting, further scans like ultrasound, MRI, CAT, and PET scans should be taken.

Breast cancer treatment depends on several factors, like the size and stage of the tumor, as well as the lymph node and hormone receptor status. Breast cancer is classified as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC).

Modern technology has ushered in several treatment options. They are surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy. These treatments could be done singly or in a combination of more than one. Normal breast cancer surgery, called lumpectomy, is done where only the tumor in the breast is removed. Normally, radiation therapy is applied as a follow-up measure to ensure that the remaining breast tissues are hopefully cleansed of cancer cells. In mastectomy, the entire breast is removed and in most cases followed up by radiation and/or chemotherapy. This is because the current understanding of cancer is that they really don't know the cause or the extent so they recommend this in hopes that it gets all the cancerous cells.

In persons having invasive breast cancer, surgery and radiation might be supplemented by an axillary lymph node dissection. Further hormonal therapy or chemotherapy - or both - might be needed in a few breast cancer patients. Radiation therapy is an effective process for the destruction of cancer cells that might remain after surgery. Radiation therapy reduces the risk of recurrence significantly. The side effects of radiation therapy are dependant on the type, duration and health of the patient. Dietary changes and nutritional supplements are highly recommended.

If the breast cancer is hormone-receptor-positive, then hormonal therapy is a primary method of breast cancer treatment. Hormonal therapy stops the hormone known as estrogen to stimulate breast cancer cell growth. In recent times, aromatase inhibitors are preferred to tamoxifen, particularly for breast cancer treatment of post-menopausal women who have hormone-receptive-positive breast cancer. Chemotherapy is resorted to mainly to eliminate any cancer cells that could have spread from the breast to other parts of the body. However, the chemotherapy treatment regimen would differ with each individual. It is very important to be regular in the treatment plan and continue with follow-up checkups to avoid recurrence, as well as a change in lifestyle.

Darren Dunner is the author of this article on Breast Cancer Treatment . Visit today

Chinese herbs are considered as being one of the most well known type of natural herbs, and Chinese herbal medicine is actually considered as being one of the greatest herbal systems in the world, and this is with an unbroken long tradition of going all the way back to the 3rd Century BC.

Throughout the medical history, Chinese herbs and Chinese herbal medicine in general has continually developed in response to certain factors, such as changing clinical conditions, and as well has been sustained by research into truly every different aspect of life altogether.

More About Chinese Herbs And Their Treatments

In regards to the matter of traditional Chinese herbs, Chinese herbs are truly able to treat many different health problems, and that includes: skin disease, including eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, and urticaria; gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, constipation, and ulcerative colitis; gynaecological conditions, such as pre-menstrual syndrome and infertility, and many many more.

Chinese herbal medicine can help to treat: hepatitis and HIV; chronic fatigue syndromes, whether with a background of viral infection or in other health situations as well; respiratory conditions, including asthma, bronchitis, and chronic coughs, as well as allergic and perennial rhinitis and sinusitis; rheumatological conditions, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; urinary conditions such as chronic cystitis; diabetes, including both treatment and active prevention; and even psychological problems such as depression and anxiety- to name just a few.

Thus it is easy to see just how many different heath problems Chinese herbal medicine can be used to treat, and really there is nothing put positive and beneficial results that come from using Chinese herbal medicine to do treatments, and so you should definitely at least check it out.

Chinese herbal medicines altogether are considered as being very easy and safe to use, only however when prescribed correctly by a properly trained traditional chinese medicine practitioner, and over the past centuries, doctors have been able to compile incredibly detailed information in regards to the pharmacopeoiea and as well have placed great emphasis on the actual protection of the sick patient; furthermore, allergic reactions are rare to this type of natural herbs treatment, and so you should not have to worry about that.

However, you will still want to consult with your doctor even if you have no known allergies history, just so that you can be sure that you are not bringing yourself into danger by involving yourself in this type of Chinese herbs treatment method.

Tangopang is the author and owner of For more information on Natural Remedies, please visit Natural Health

Health Warning: Belief happens when someone makes you believe something. But What if they were wrong? And even worse, what if they know they were wrong?

"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied."

Herophilus

"If you eat all your greens up you will grow up big and strong."

Does that sound familiar?

It should! It is what I heard when I was younger and it is most likely what you heard at some point too.

But long gone are the lessons that we learnt from our mothers and fathers. We now have a new mother and father and they are called:

THE MEDIA

The Media has consistently groomed us since we were little kids and we have unwisely followed every one of their steps and lessons by the book!

But is what they told us right?

That all depends upon whom it is right for! It is definitely not right for us, so it must be for the people who are making all of the money. Any guesses who?

For years we have followed fad diet after fad diet in the attempt to get healthy.

"Just go on this diet and you will feel better than ever" rings out from every advertisement.

You have heard it all before and fallen for it time after time.

So many lies infest our minds that we do not know which ones are true or false. That is why I am here to help you find your way through the myriad of lies and find the truth that is going to help you defeat your illness.

Just take a look at some of the lies that we are stupid enough to fall for:

"Prescription drugs will make you healthier."

They do not make you better. Get this simple lesson into your head: they suppress the symptoms and only make illness worse in the long run.

"The U.S. health care system is the best in the world."

The health of U.S. citizens is declining rapidly. U.S Citizens pay double, triple, and even quadruple the price for prescription drugs than any other country.

"You can get all the nutrition you need from three balanced meals a day."

Again, believe it if you want to. In fact, today's foods are nutrient depleted, and they come from depleted soils. They are also processed and manufactured which kills almost all the nutrients. Which in turn is absolutely no good for the body.

Not to say that all is wrong, they do have the right ideas about the balancing of the food we eat. The human body needs food that indeed balances, but unfortunately the food we are eating today certainly does not provide the necessary ingredients for a balanced life. The human race is in for a rude awakening very soon, but that won't save the people who don't get off their butts and do something about it.

We Have Used the Wrong Ingredients and this has unbalanced our health scales.

Which side of the scales are you on? I needn't be a psychic to find this one out.

For as far back as I can remember, people have been saying:

"You need to have a healthy Balance".

Listen up; this could be one of the most important things you will ever hear. You are living out of balance, hell so many people today are living out of balance, and as I do hope you can figure, this is not the best way to live.

What you don't know about your health is hugely affecting how your life is and what it will eventually become.

• Our Body functions are a mystery to us, we are not told a thing!

• We are not told what we need to live and have a vibrantly healthy life, even a normal life!

• And we are not taught about the little intricacies that are within us, which we should be looking after.

Your Body has to perform millions of complex functions every moment in order for it to survive.

The Clock & You

Try to imagine that your body is a clock. Everything within the Clock needs to work in harmony for it to run smoothly and for it to tell the correct time. That is exactly the same for the Human Body. If things are not running smoothly, this is when the trouble starts.

Your body operates on an electro magnetic current. A fine balance that exists in your biochemistry creates electrical power in your body.

This electrical power within your body depends on your blood stream to make it function properly. So, you can imagine what happens when your blood is out of balance.

Our blood stream relies on the balance of its pH Level.

When we have imbalance in our bodies we start to show signs of disease, which could include the following symptoms:

 Low energy,

 Fatigue,

 Poor digestion,

 Excess weight,

 Foggy thinking,

 Aches and pains,

 As well as major disorders.

What you have to do is bring all the good things back into your life, and with my help & The Health Warrior Way we certainly will.

Say goodbye to disease, and hello to:

 Health

 Energy,

 Clear thinking,

 Smooth operation of all body systems,

 Clear, bright eyes and skin,

 And a lean, trim body.

Everywhere I look I can see that people are out of balance. I for one was tired, fat, ill, feeling old before my time, and I always told myself, that was my life. That was what nature had intended. But nature didn't, and I learnt that. I got off my lazy ass and did something about it. I wasn't always The Health Warrior.

I can almost guarantee, that you know at least one person who is suffering from one of the top three Killers in the United States—Heart Disease, Cancer, or Diabetes.

Just look at the shocking statistics, this will be you, this will be your kids and this will be the whole planet if we don't get off our lazy fat guzzling asses and do something about it.

1/2 of the population will die from Heart Disease or Diabetes &

1/3 will die from Cancer.

Do you want this? Hell, do you want your kids to have this?

Well this is it, but the absolutely mammoth news to get into your head is that….

…..These 3 KILLERS are Preventable and Reversible, each one of them being a direct result of poor diet and nutrition. So Simple, But yet so far away from most sufferers.

If you eat the proper foods and get the best nutrients, in balance, this will help you avoid illness, together with the pain and horrific quality of life that so often we are stuck with before our demise, sometimes by decades.

You don't want that, I don't want that for you, that's why I'm trying to get this simple but powerful message across.

Even mainstream medicine agrees:

"Foods contain nutrients essential for normal metabolic function, and when problems arise, they result from imbalances in nutrient intake and from harmful interaction with other factors."

According to the 1988 Surgeon General's Report on Health and Nutrition, this is related to:

"What we EAT"

Since this report, people have stupidly made attempts to follow one diet craze after another. They are killing themselves. This is not only an attempt to drop excess weight, but also as a way to find their way back to good health. However,

"We (as a country) are now fatter than ever. And we're certainly no healthier."

The problem is that while diet and nutrition is the key to a healthy weight, overall health and well being, it simply must be a diet that properly balances our body chemistry.

The diet trends and crazes that have swept over the nation in recent years only cause more damage to us by making our bodies more out of balance than ever. Get this into your head… These useless diets Are Killing You!

Diets, which are hugely popular, including the "Popular Celeb" diets, Health regimes, low-fat diets, the food pyramid, and vegetarianism all create wildly imbalanced body chemistry. And this is completely messing up the human body.

Even if one way of eating does get rid of extra pounds (usually temporarily), lower cholesterol levels and lessen digestive trouble for some people, it does not fulfil the promise of simple good health.

A good thing for you to do is to FORGET what you have heard in the doctors' office and diet books about your health! Forget it all, start from new, can't you see that what you thought you knew is a load of rubbish.

Have YOU ever heard your doctor talk about YOUR pH when you have gone for a check-up?

The single most important measurement to your health is the pH of your blood and tissues. By keeping this in BALANCE, you will keep yourself HEALTHY!!!

Disclaimer

The author of this material believes in a natural, no drug approach to creating

vibrant health, energy and vitality throughout life. A main part of his views are

placed on promoting and maintaining the perfect balance within the human

body.

The author realizes that within medical and scientific fields there are widely

differing opinions and attitudes. This material is written for the sole purpose of

sharing educational information and scientific research gathered from the

studies and experiences of healthcare professionals, scientists, nutritionists,

informed health advocates and the author.

The information contained in this eBook is for informational and educational

purposes only. It is not intended to constitute medical practice nor medical

advice. It is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, nor

is it intended to prescribe any of the techniques, materials or concepts

presented as a form of treatment for any illness or medical condition.

Please, before beginning any practice relating to health, diet or exercise

consult a suitably licensed & qualified physician, medical practitioner or

healthcare provider about the appropriateness of any opinions or

recommendations in regard to what symptoms you have or your own medical

state.

Should you choose to make use of the information contained herein without

first consulting a health care professional, you are prescribing for yourself,

which is your natural right.

However, the author assumes no responsibility for which choices you choose

to make after your review of the information contained herein and your

consultation with a licensed healthcare professional.

None of the statements in this article or in the book have been evaluated by

the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), or the American Medical Association

(AMA).

The Health Warrior is sick and tired of the way the health of the planet is deteriorating and of the mass epidemic of diseases that are afflicting so many. He has made it his mission to get the true word of health out to the masses. Health is the most important thing that we can have in our lives. You can pick up The Health Warriors Free Ebook "Disease & Illness, The Truth Revealed, The Lies Unveiled" by clicking

Cystectomy Bladder Surgery

Posted by Prue Morland | 9:15 AM | 0 comments »

The surgical procedure to remove the bladder is known as a cystectomy and is usually performed as a result of cancer of the bladder. You can also have radiation and chemotherapy treatment which is used to treat bladder cancer. If the cancer is in the muscle of the bladder then surgery is performed to remove it.

Cystectomy is considered a very aggressive treatment option and may not be the best option for everyone. Those who have superficial tumors may respond better to a more conservative treatment. A cystectomy is considered a major surgical procedure and the patient is put under general anesthesia. There is a small incision made on the lower abdomen.

The ureters are found, tied, and cut. The ureters connect the bladder to the kidneys, so cutting them frees the bladder for the removal process. The bladder as well as other associated organs are then removed. In male patients the prostate is removed along with the bladder. In women patients the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and part of the vagina are also removed with the bladder removal process.

The bladder of a healthy person collects urine from the kidneys for excretion at a later time. When the bladder has been removed the doctors must come up with a new method to remove urine from the body. In many cases a small portion of the small intestine is removed, cleaned, and tied at one end to become the form of a tube. After this the other end is then used to form a stoma, which is an opening through the abdominal wall to outside the body. The patient is required to wear a bag to collect the urine.

Before the procedure is performed a member of the medical staff will discuss the entire procedure and can tell the patient where the stoma will be on their body and what it will look like. The patient will also get all the information they need on how to care for a stoma and bag. Counseling may be discussed and there may be a period of fasting required as well as an enema.

After going through a successful operation the patient will be given fluid based nutritional drinks until the intestines begin to function normally. You are also given antibiotics to prevent infection of the incision area. When a person's organs are removed it means that there will be major lifestyle changes after the procedure.

After this procedure women are infertile as a result of the ovaries and uterus being removed, but it is more common for women to have a cystectomy are postmenopausal and are far past their child baring days. Men are impotent because the nerves that control penis erection are cut during the removal process of the bladder.

The patient must be fitted with an external bad that connects to the stoma and is used to collect urine. These bags are usually worn around the waist and are easily hidden under clothes. It may take a while to get used to wearing a bag but since there isn't a bladder urine is excreted when it is produced, which is continuously.

Article by Sven Ullmann, who runs Deserved Health - information on health for you and your family. Read more about Cystectomy Bladder Surgery. Get our health newsletter.

The Mammogram Controversy

Posted by Prue Morland | 1:17 AM | 0 comments »

Mammograms are a safe procedure that only ensures a woman's continued safety as she gets into the "risk years" for breast cancer, right?

Well, some in medicine are saying that mammograms are not necessarily a one size fits all when it comes to women in their forties, meaning the notion that it is absolutely necessary for women in this age bracket to have regular mammograms may be a fallacy, and in fact may be doing more harm than good in some cases.

But why would that be? And why is this controversy just now getting more publicity?

The reason for the publicity of the controversy, which has sprung up in the past, but with no resolution, is that an organization called the American College of Physicians, representing several doctors, banned together and announced a consensus.

The opinion was that they believe women should now consult their individual doctors on whether or not they personally should have a mammogram performed, based on their medical history and likelihood for developing breast cancer based on the history of the female side of their family.

The concern comes in when these women in their forties get the mammogram performed, and are exposed to unnecessary radiation and biopsies, when it really is more of a pressing issue (most doctors feel, apparently), when a women is in her fifties, and it is at that time more worth the risk and inconvenience, shall we say, of having a mammogram performed and any biopsy that might follow.

While many physicians have staunchly advocated getting mammograms once a year for all women in their forties, regardless of their background history, some are saying that the risks may outweigh the benefits for those not in a high risk category, and a one size fits all recommendation is not in order.

This really is a difficult one to call, because on one hand you have the staggering supporting data that early detection of breast cancer can help increase a woman's odds of successful treatment tremendously, and on the other hand, you have the risk that is run from the radiation exposure and unnecessary chemo and biopsies, not to mention the psychological effects of giving mammograms yearly to every woman regardless of risk category in her forties.

It seems likely that the debate will rage on, as their does seem to be a clear division between medical professionals on this subject, but in the end, it should really be up to the woman which path she wants to take, and hopefully insurance companies won't use this recommendation as an excuse to not pay for yearly mammograms for women in their forties who exercise this option.

Danna Schneider is the founder of Breast Success Review, an online magazine about breast health, and natural breast enhancement and news and breast enhancement gum , which is solely devoted to natural breast beautification.

Janie Canei is battling Breast Cancer for the second time, this time in

her lungs, neck, and brain. She is presently considered terminally ill,

but she remains positive and focused on getting better with the support of

her son Matthew. Matthew, who is an 18-year old college student at

Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta, had the idea to create an

online environment that would provide motivation, inspiration, and support

for not only his mother, but for anyone in a similar predicament.

He created FacesForAC to be a huge online "wall" in which visitors

purchase space on this wall to place a photo of themselves or a loved one

who has ever battled cancer. Matthew's invisions a huge digital

composition with hundreds, potentially even thousands of survivors or

cancer fighters digitally side-by-side creating a large spectacle, which

he believes will leave the viewer feeling motivated, and inspired to

continue their battle against the disease.

Matthew did not want this site to only benefit his mother, but also all of society. He vowed that no less

than 50% of all proceeds from the wall will be donated to breast cancer

research, to aid in the discovery of a cure. His site can be visited at

Matthew looks forward to your future

contributions to the wall, as he will stop at nothing to see his vision in

the flesh.

5 Reasons to Use Herbs Daily

Posted by Prue Morland | 5:15 PM | 0 comments »

Here are 5 very good reasons to use herbs daily to heal and optimize your body.

1. Build Your Immune System. A healthy immune system goes a long ways toward keeping your body healthy. Herbal remedies help create and sustain a healthy immune system which helps your body fight off many common infections like the common cold, as well as cancer and other degenerative diseases. Some common herbs that help you build a stronger immune system are: * astragalus * ligustrum * reishi * nettle herb

2. Increased Energy. Unfortunately, today, we are bombarded with products and advertisers that lead us to believe that caffeine is what we all need to have more energy. But the fact of the matter is caffeine, in large amounts, consumed on a regular basis, does the exact opposite. It actually drains our natural energies, quickly, leaving us feeling poorly even disrupting our sleep. Herbal remedies offer a deeper, more natural, long-lasting energy. Here are some basic ways to increase your energy:

* Herbal energy boosters without caffeine. You can help your body use more energy, more efficiently, by using natural energy herbs. A common and very effective energy-promoting herb is Ginseng.

* Kava, California poppy extract and chamomile tea are all muscle-relaxing herbs. Tension wastes energy and these herbs will help you release that tension and increase your energy.

Another great way to naturally release tension and help your body use its' energy more effectively and efficiently, is deep breathing and stretching exercises, including yoga.

* Avoid sugars. Sugars deplete deep energy from your body and offers absolutely no other benefits.

3. Better Digestion. The key to better overall health and wellness is digestion. Good digestion supports your immune system, increases your energy and even helps your body detoxify and strengthen.

4. Heart Disease and Cancer. The leading cause of death in men and women, heart disease can be counter-acted with cardiovascular-protective herbs as well as immune boosting herbal remedies. One out of 3 Americans develops some form of cancer in their lifetime. Again, herbs that improve the immune system can help avoid the formation of cancer cells and remove them from the body. Used as a daily cancer protectant and immune system builder, the herbs listed above can help you regain and maintain better health.

5. Responsible Health Care. Taking control of your own health and well being is perhaps, the most important reason why you should consider a daily routine of herbs and herbal remedies. Herbal remedies have been around for centuries and have been called the "people's medicine". They can be as simple as growing your own in pots or gardens. They can safely and effectively be used daily in a variety of different ways from teas and tinctures to cooking, bathing and even applying directly to the skin for direct absorption. Even though herbs from your garden are unregulated, they are still much safer, and often equally if not more effective, than most strictly regulated drugs marketed by doctors and sold by pharmaceutical companies.

For more information about herbs and herbal remedies, visit Moms Organic House today. Register to receive even more detailed insight and information into the world of organic living.

Here's the one fact that all men need to understand:

Early prostate cancer detection is the difference between living and dying as far as prostate cancer is concerned.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that cancer is one of the leading causes of death. What you may not have realized is that cancer is the second leading cause of death for men and prostate cancer is a very major contributor.

The reason for this is that prostate cancer can expand beyond the prostate gland and travel to other parts of the body. So a highly treatable cancer in the prostate is ignored and kill it grows into other parts of the body and becomes much more deadly.

The sad part is that doctors are able to detect prostate cancer in its very early stages. To complicate matters however, there are a few symptoms that are directly associated with prostate cancer alone. This in turn causes many men to simply ignore common symptoms until prostate cancer grows beyond the gland and becomes a seriously life threatening cancer.

The good news is that this disease is a slow progressive type of cancer while still localized in the prostate. A person can have prostate cancer for years and not know it if they don't undergo several very simple diagnostic tests. These tests become even more important, as you age. Men with no family history of prostate cancer should be tested yearly. Black men and those with a family member who has had prostate cancer should consider annual testing at age 40.

Prostate cancer screening tests are simple and inexpensive.

+ Digital Rectal Examination

+ PSA Blood test. Measures levels of Prostate-Specific Antigen a key prostate cancer marker.

Your chance of survival and cure is directly related to early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Consistent testing will dramatically increase the chances of early detection before it becomes serious.

Another benefit of early detection is that the treatment options are much less radical. Earlier treatment methods are much more successful in not only curing prostate cancer but also limiting the complications and side effects of more aggressive treatment options.

If you haven't been insisting on a prostate exam and blood test for prostate cancer indicators, you owe it to yourself and your family to start now. Don't make the mistake of assuming symptoms may be simply due to your age. Prostate cancer is a serious illness that needs to be identified as soon as possible.

So at your next annual physical, make certain that basic prostate cancer screening tests are done. This is one of the key ways that you can make certain you life cancer free as long as possible.

Abigail Franks has written many articles on the subject of prostate cancer. On her site you can find valuable information about Prostate Cancer and more about early detection with Prostate Cancer Tests