cervical cancer in women

Cervical Cancer - What You Need to Know

Cervical cancer is one of those cancers that only women get. You will want to be screened to make sure you don't have it. Here, you will learn about some of those screening methods and what to expect. Learn about what cervical cancer is, ways to help prevent yourself from getting it and what the survival rate of it is if you do get it.  

What Is Cervical Cancer?

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus. Most cervical cancers begin in the cells that line the cervix. The normal cells of the cervix slowly develop into precancerous cells. It takes time for the precancerous cells to turn into cancerous cells, and this is why it's so important to get regular screenings.

Screening for Cervical Cancer

There are two tests which are performed to screen for cervical cancer - a Pap smear and an HPV test. The Pap smear tests for precancerous cells. The HPV test looks for the human papillomavirus which can lead to cancer.

The Pap test is recommended for women ages 21-65. It is done right in your doctor or gynecologist's office. A speculum (a metal or plastic instrument) is placed inside the vagina and used to widen it and then a few swabs are taken and tested in a lab to make sure they are not abnormal.

The HPV test is done similarly, but the lab will test for the human papillomavirus.

The new recommendations from the American College of Gynecology (ACOG) is to have a Pap smear performed every three years starting at the age of 21. If you are at higher risk, meaning you have had precancerous cells in a prior test, then your doctor will recommend more frequent screenings. The Pap test is the most accurate screening test there is for cervical cancer. It does not detect any other gynecological cancers, though, so for any abnormal symptoms you should see your doctor.

Aside from regular screenings, you want to make sure you're doing all you can to prevent yourself from getting cervical cancer.

How to Prevent Cervical Cancer

Getting screened is the most important thing you can do in preventing cervical cancer. However, beyond that there are some other things you can do as well. Since HPV can cause cervical cancer, getting the HPV vaccine will help prevent you from getting cervical cancer. Beyond that, eating right, not smoking, not having lots of sexual partners and practicing safe sex (using condoms) will help prevent you from getting cervical cancer.  

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. And while HPV can live on both the male and female genitalia in areas which are not protected by a condom, using a condom has been shown to lower the chances of transmitting HPV and getting cervical cancer. All of these steps will help prevent you from getting cervical cancer.

Getting Cervical Cancer

In most instances it takes a few years for precancerous cells to turn into cancer cells, and most times that doesn't even happen. This is why it's important to have regular screenings so you can catch the cancer early, because that's always your best chance.

There are many factors which will weigh in on your chances of survival with cervical cancer. These include:

* Type of cancer

* Stage of cancer

* Age and overall health

* If the cancer comes back after treatment

The further the cancer spreads outside of the cervix, the lower the chances of survival. So again, this is why screening is so very important to catch it early. It is completely reasonable to assume that you will survive five years or more after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Breast cancer - early detection

What You Need to Know about Home Breast Exams

Early detection of cancer leads to the best outcomes - especially in breast cancer. You can check your own breasts at home for lumps or abnormalities and call to your doctor's attention concerns you may have so he or she can test further if need be. But do you know how to perform a home breast exam or how often to do it? Do you know what you're looking for? Here's what you need to know about home breast exams.

How to Perform a Home Breast Exam

There are five steps which you should take to do your monthly self-breast exams at home.

1. Look at yourself in the mirror. Keep your shoulders straight and arms at your hips. You want to check to make sure your breasts are the normal size and shape as usual with no visible deformities or swelling. If you see dimpling or puckering of the skin, a nipple which has changed position or is inverted, or a rash on the skin of your breasts, you want to make your doctor aware of these changes.

2. Now lift your arms over your head and look at your breasts in the mirror. Look for the same things as in #1.

3. Check to make sure there is no liquid coming out of your nipples (unless you're nursing, of course). Otherwise any liquid - whether it be milky, clear, yellow, bloody, or watery - should be what you're taking note of.

4. Now lay down and begin feeling your breasts. Use your right hand to feel your left breast and your left hand to feel your right breast. Keeping the fingers flat and together, move the first few pads of your fingers over your breast in a smooth firm fashion. Go in a circular motion around about the size of a quarter. Get the entire breast from top to bottom and side to side. Move from your collar bone to your belly and your arm pit to your cleavage.  

Go in a pattern starting at your nipple and work your way out, making larger and larger circles. You could use a vertical method in rows like mowing the lawn, applying different amounts of pressure. Light pressure at the skin and tissue just underneath the breast, medium pressure for the tissue in the middle of the breast, and firmer pressure for the deep tissue at the back of the breast.

5. Now stand or sit up and feel your breasts. A good place to do this is in the shower. Use the same technique as in step 4; be sure to cover your entire breast using the same movements. You are feeling for any abnormalities or bumps in the breast tissue which are new.

You should perform these steps once a month, every month. It's best done about a week after you have your menstrual period. This way your breasts are the least tender and swollen.

Remember, your breasts are always changing in small ways, but you want to be alerted to drastic changes that happen suddenly so you can contact your doctor. Don't wait and tell yourself it's nothing. Err on the side of caution and contact your doctor so they can determine what's going on. 

Remember, it's your body and you know it best. If you find any new bumps or lumps, make sure your doctor hears about your concerns. Early detection is the best defense against breast cancer. So it's important to know what you're looking for.

Now go check your breasts!

Avoiding Alcohol

Personal Health Care: Avoiding Alcohol

Alcohol is the universal drink whenever celebrations

or get together comes. Although it is considered as a

kind of chemical that has a formidable effect on the

body and it is not labeled as food. There are several

kinds of alcohol. There is alcohol that people use

externally and another that the body use internally.

Drinkable alcohol is ethyl alcohol. Fermentation is

the process that is used to make the alcohol that

people drink. Even though alcohol is widely drank by

almost everyone, there are several health

considerations on what alcohol can do to our body.

How does alcohol affect the body?

- If a person drank only a small amount of alcohol, it

can make him feel relaxed.

- If a person drank more than what is expected, there

may have certain alterations with the person’s

attitude and behavior. The person can do silly or

violent things and their movements become

uncoordinated.

Truth is, when a person drinks alcohol, no matter how

much the intake is, the only thing that is affected is

that person’s balance and coordination. That’s it. It

doesn’t affect the way people think and speak. When

alcohol goes into a person’s bloodstream, it slows

down whatever messages that are coming into the brain

because alcohol is a depressant drug. That’s why when

you feel depressed and you drink alcohol, you will

feel more depressed.

Alcohol affects the liver badly. Especially if you

made alcohol drinking as part of your everyday living.

When it goes to the system, it will take the liver

about 24-48 hours to excrete every single alcohol

inside the body. When the liver can no longer clean

the alcohol, it stays on the liver, thus diseases like

liver cirrhosis are produced.

There are several factors that can influence a person

to drink alcohol:

- Peer pressure. If you’ve chosen a group of friends

that drinks alcohol severely, it will seem that you’re

out of place if you didn’t try even a sip. As long as

you are within the group, you’ll start to enjoy the

taste of alcohol and want more.

- Socialization. Gathering and celebrations always

entail alcohol drinking. It is very seldom that you

encounter a party without alcohol.

- Curiosity. Kids often get curious with the way

adults drink alcohol. When they see their parents

drinking, they will ask themselves a lot of things.

And because the environment of laughter and cheers are

very inviting, there will come a time when they will

take the opportunity of trying too.

- Depression. Your boss hates you. Your girlfriend

dumped you. You’re completely broke. When you arrive

home, there, you see the three bottles of beer sitting

on top of your fridge. You grab it and start wondering

how your life can end at the very moment. During

sadness and melancholy times, a bottle of beer is your

only best friend.

Drinking alcohol can have its benefits and downfalls.

It can greatly affect a person’s entire being and the

way he deals with other people.

One very good benefit of alcohol is that it can dilate

blood vessels with the prescribed amount by the

doctor. Thus, increasing the amount of blood that

flows around the body which is good for the heart.

Realizing all the good and bad factors alcohol bring,

it would be safe to say that if you can’t avoid it

totally, then for your personal health care, drink

moderately.