Breast Cancer Risk Factor Drops With Decline in HRT

A decline in hormone replacement therapy may be causing a decrease in the rates of a known risk factor for breast cancer, according to researchers.

A recent study published in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention has shown that the rate of a benign breast condition known as atypical ductal hyperplasia has decreased along with the decline in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) seen since 2002. Atypical ductal hyperplasia is a known risk factor for developing breast cancer, and is suspected of being a breast cancer precursor. According to researchers, women diagnosed with atypical ductal hyperplasia have a 3 to 5 times higher rate of developing cancer in either breast.

In this study, researchers compared the atypical ductal hyperplasia rate in 1999 and 2005, and found that it decreased from 5.5 per 10,000 mammograms to 2.4 per 10,000 mammograms. Over the same time period, the rate of mammography increased, and the rate of HRT use decreased from 35 percent to 11 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

Physical Health is Attainable Through Proper Nutrition and Exercise

Obesity is epidemic in this country for both children and adults. The invention of television, video games, and convenient appliances help to influence us to be sedentary. Obesity can create such problems as Diabetes, Heart Disease, Lung problems and circulation problems. Obesity also can sap your strength. So the cycle goes you are obese, you tire easily so you rest, a lot. You get up and move and you become tired and you rest again. Climbing stairs is nothing less then difficult, going a few steps can make you breathless. Joint problems also can be caused or aggravated by obesity. They say no pain, gain. I say if there is pain rest, you will gain nothing if you injure yourself. This is why it is wise to get a complete physical and the approval of your physician before beginning any exercise or nutrition program.

Caring for yourself physically by seeing a doctor regularly, getting the proper rest, and eating right will prolong your life and in the long run you will feel better. Exercise is imperative to help you become fit however if your goal is also weight loss, you need to be burning more calories than what you take in. For example if you are eating a 1800 calorie diet be sure that whatever exercise regime you choose causes you to burn more than those 1800 calories in a day. There are many excellent books and programs that can help with this. Read the rest of this entry »

Women’s Health and Hormones

A common subject of interest amongst my girlfriends is health, mainly women’s health. Yes, we are concerned with our families, fitness, diet, exercise, eating and balance. But as of late, hormones are a hot topic. Maybe it should be more clearly defined as a lack of hormones, or too much, or better yet — imbalanced.

If you look back to 18th and 19th century novels, female characters are frequently portrayed as illogical beings. Fortunately for us, medicine today has dispelled this portrayal and much of the blame points to the H word: Hormones. But before we go any further, let’s define hormones and their function, and maybe then can we understand this occasional female madness. Read the rest of this entry »