Health News Blog provides coverage of current health news. » Cancer http://pharmald.net The blog has unique health contents. The blog deals in asthma, diabetes, Antidepressants, HIV, cancer and more. Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:28:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 DIARRHEA AS A SIDE-EFFECT OF DIET THERAPY FOR CANCER http://pharmald.net/2011/03/diarrhea-as-a-side-effect-of-diet-therapy-for-cancer http://pharmald.net/2011/03/diarrhea-as-a-side-effect-of-diet-therapy-for-cancer#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:05:54 +0000 admin http://pharmald.net/?p=173 Diarrhea may have several causes, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy to the abdomen, infection, food sensitivity and emotional upset.
Long-term or severe diarrhea may cause other problems. During diarrhea, food passes quickly through the bowel before the body absorbs enough vitamins, minerals and water. This may cause dehydration and increase the risk of infection. Contact the doctor if the diarrhea is severe or lasts for more than a couple of days. Some ideas for coping with diarrhea are given here. The patient should:
1. Drink plenty of liquids during the day. Drinking fluids is important because the body may not get enough water when having diarrhea.
2. Eat small amounts of food throughout the day instead of three large meals.
3. Eat plenty of foods and liquids that contain sodium (salt) and potassium. These minerals are often lost during diarrhea. Good liquid choices include fat-free soup. Foods high in potassium that do not cause diarrhea include bananas, stewed peach and apricot, and boiled or mashed potatoes.
4. Try these nutritious low-fibre foods:
- Curd
- Rice or noodles
- Grape juice
- Porridge
- Eggs (cooked until the whites are solid, not tried)
- Ripe bananas
- Coconut water
- White bread
- Skinned chicken or fish (boiled or baked, not fried)
- Cottage cheese, cream cheese.
5. Eliminate foods such as:
- Greasy, fatty or fried
- Raw vegetables and fruits
- High-fibre vegetables such as corn, beans, cabbage, peas and cauliflower
- Strong spices, such as hot pepper, curry and chillies.

6. Drink liquids that are at room temperature.
7. Avoid very hot or very cold foods and beverages.
8. Limit foods and beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee, strong tea, some sodas and chocolate.
9. Be careful when using milk and milk products because diarrhea may be caused by lactose intolerance.
10. After sudden, short-term attacks of diarrhea (acute diarrhea), try a clear-liquid diet during the first 12 to 14 hours. This lets the bowel rest while replacing the important body fluids lost during diarrhea.
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]]> http://pharmald.net/2011/03/diarrhea-as-a-side-effect-of-diet-therapy-for-cancer/feed 0 BREAST CANCER PREVENTION: RIGHT SORT OF FAT AND HEALTHY GENERAL DIET http://pharmald.net/2011/01/breast-cancer-prevention-right-sort-of-fat-and-healthy-general-diet http://pharmald.net/2011/01/breast-cancer-prevention-right-sort-of-fat-and-healthy-general-diet#comments Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:02:07 +0000 admin http://pharmald.net/?p=163 Eat the right sort of fat
A number of studies in respected journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine have looked at the connection between dietary fat and risk of breast cancer. In 1988, the US Surgeon General stated that the top priority in the prevention of chronic diseases, including cancer, was the reduction of dietary fat. By this he meant saturated fat in the form found in animals’ milk, cheese, red meat, not the unsaturated fats found in oils, nuts, seeds and fish which seem to have a protective effect especially against breast cancer. A study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1995 showed that olive oil in the diet lowered the risk of breast cancer.

Enjoy a healthy general diet
Cancer rates are lower in people who eat the most fruits and vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts help to guard against cancer because they contain the compound indol-3-carbinol which changes the way oestrogen is metabolized in the body.
The more antioxidant-rich foods we eat the more protection it seems to give. Diets high in beta-carotene – found in carrots, sweet potatoes and dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and Swiss chard – have been shown to protect against cancer. In a study conducted at Harvard University beta-carotene altered the proteins needed for tumors to grow. Citrus fruits with their powerful mix of natural substances, including carotenoids and flavonoids, have been shown to neutralize powerful chemical carcinogens in animals.
Anti-oxidants include vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin E, vitamin ะก and selenium. Low levels of selenium have been directly linked to higher rates of cancer.
Allium vegetables, which include garlic, onions and spring onions, have been found to contain certain cancer-inhibiting properties. Garlic’s sulphur compounds increase the activity of macrophages and T-lymphocytes, two components of the immune system that destroy tumor cells.

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]]> http://pharmald.net/2011/01/breast-cancer-prevention-right-sort-of-fat-and-healthy-general-diet/feed 0 BREAST RECONSTRUCTION: PEDICLED SKIN AND MUSCLE FLAPS http://pharmald.net/2009/04/breast-reconstruction-pedicled-skin-and-muscle-flaps http://pharmald.net/2009/04/breast-reconstruction-pedicled-skin-and-muscle-flaps#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:34:10 +0000 admin http://pharmald.net/2009/04/breast-reconstruction-pedicled-skin-and-muscle-flaps Otherwise known as autogenous tissue reconstruction, the creation of a pedicled flap involves taking skin and muscle from another part of the body and placing it on the chest wall to replace the tissue removed during a mastectomy. The tissue transported to create a pedicled flap remains attached at some point – either via a section of the tissue itself or via blood vessels – to the site from which it is taken.

One of the commonly used procedures to create a flap following a mastectomy involves using the large muscle on the back -the latissimus dorsi muscle – and its overlying skin. A section of the skin and muscle is separated from the back, with some of its blood vessels still attached, and is then tunneled beneath the skin to the front of the chest. If this skin and muscle alone are not enough to augment the chest to match the size of the other breast, a small silicone prosthesis may be placed within the space thus created to provide symmetry.

This method of reconstruction is useful when tissue expansion is not possible, for example after radiotherapy or when a single-stage prosthetic reconstruction is required. In some cases, the extra muscle cover it provides for a prosthesis is also important.

Although the loss of part of the large muscle from the back does not usually have any significant functional effect, its removal leaves an obvious scar, which can stretch.

The imported skin will be – to some degree – a different colour from, and will therefore contrast with, the remaining breast skin, although this tends to improve with time.

Another type of autogenous tissue reconstruction involves the use of the rectus abdominis muscle together with a large flap of overlying skin and subcutaneous tissue from the lower abdomen. (Once the skin has been removed from the lower abdomen, the navel is re-sited.) This is known as a transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap. It is usually large enough to create a good-sized breast with natural droop and texture, and an artificial prosthesis is not required.

Removal of the excess abdominal tissue in this operation has a similar effect to a ‘tummy tuck’ operation. The abdominal muscles can occasionally be left weakened, although not usually significantly so.

Some of the blood vessels remain attached to the skin and muscle as it is transported from the abdomen to the chest, and these can form new attachments to blood vessels within the chest. However, the normal blood supply to the skin is altered during this operation, and healing can therefore be slow. Wound dressings may thus be required for a week or two longer than normal. Occasionally, significant portions of the transferred tissue can die, and further minor surgery may then be necessary to allow healing to take place.

Microvascular tissue transfer

Reconstruction of a breast using this technique involves transferring tissue from one site in the body, usually the lower abdomen, separating it from its normal blood supply, and reattaching it on the chest wall by microsurgery. Small sections of some blood vessels remain attached to the transferred tissue, and very fine surgical techniques are used, as well as high-powered magnification, to join the severed ends of these blood vessels to veins and arteries in the chest or axilla region.

This technique gives the best-shaped and most natural-looking of all the breast reconstructions. It involves the removal of less muscle from the abdomen than does the pedicled TRAM flap, and as the blood supply is more secure, healing is usually quicker. However, the operation itself is complex, and takes longer than the pedicled TRAM flap, thus involving a longer anesthetic time. It may fail completely in up to 10 per cent of cases, and is most suited to young, fit women who do not smoke and are not obese.

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