Archive for August, 2009

Cancer research: Virus that causes cervical cancer also causes penile cancer

Not too many people have heard of penile cancer, that is, cancer that affects the penis; and it is rare, with only around 1% of total cancer cases in the United States and Europe being those of penile cancer. The cancer can cause mutilations, and affects a higher number (upto 10% of all cancer patients) in certain parts of Africa and Asia. Penile cancer starts at the tip (also called the glans) of the penis, and spreads from there. Some of the common symptons of penile cancer include:
* A wart-like growth or lesion
* An open sore that won’t heal
* A reddish rash
* Persistent, smelly discharge under the foreskin
The good news is that research has establised that the virus that causes cervical cancer also causes at least half of penile cancer cases, and hence, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, used against cervical cancer, can also be used against penile cancers (link to article):

Dr. Silvia de Sanjose and colleagues reviewed cases of penile cancer reported in clinical studies between 1986 and 2008 and found 46.9 percent of tumors were associated with HPV.
Nearly all of these were linked to HPV strains 16 and 18, the two types that most commonly cause cervical cancer and which are targeted by Gardasil and Cervarix, they wrote in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.
Merck reported results of a clinical trial last November showing that Gardasil was effective in preventing lesions caused by the virus in men.

Finding that an existing medicine can be used in the fight against cancer is always great news.

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Foods for losing weight – Link to external article

A lot of us would have heard or read about miracle foods, food that can help you lose weight, or even foods that take more energy to eat than the calories you get from such foods. However, it is difficult to construct a diet from such foods, since there are almost no nutritional values to be derived from a diet heavy in such foods. Celery is one such example. Doctors and nutritional experts always advice losing diet with a well constructed diet that removes high calorific value food items, and instead substitutes them with food items that provide the required balance of food.
Here is an article that touts the advantage of certain food stuffs that you would not have thought would be recommended ways for losing weight; however, there are constant revisions in the matter of food, nutrition, and diet, especially when you are looking for ways to lose weight.
Some of the items in this article (link to article) are interesting in the least – these include steak, eggs, oats (you would not have been surprised at seeing oats in this list), lentils, apples, chiles, yoghurt, Parmesan, Avocado, Olive Oil.
Some of these are items you would have known, such as Yoghurt, Apples, Oats, others are not ones that you would have particularly known. Steak and eggs are particularly ones that you would not have associated in respect of foods that can help you in losing weight.

Ad: Click Here to learn about the Master Cleanse Diet for weight loss and detoxication!

Boils : Natural Home Remedy

Boil is a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue in the skin. It starts off as reddened tender area and over a period of time, the area around it becomes firm and hard. The center of the boil full of pus is soft and is filled with infection fighting white blood cells, bacteria and proteins that eradicate the infection. Finally the pus forms a head, which can be surgically opened or drained out through the surface of the skin. One can not pinpoint the reason for the occurrence of boils. They can be caused by ingrown hair, any splinter or foreign object lodged in the skin or clogged sweat glands that become infected to name a few.

What Causes Boils ?
The main cause of this painful disease is growth of staphylococcus germs. These germs enter into the body through sweat glands. Another reason for boils is increase in level of toxic substance in blood. This can be due to improper bowel movement, unhealthy food style, excess alcohol consumption, or due to some chronic diseases.

What are the symptoms of boils ?
The main symptom of boils is small red balls appear on the skin. Slowly, these red balls become big with a small mouth at the center, where puss accumulates. With the passage of time these balls become stiff, and the surrounded area also become hard and red. Patient may also suffer from fever because of severe pain.

Natural Home Remedies For Boils :
- Garlic and Onion : The juice of garlic or onion may be applied externally on boils to help ripen them, break them, and evacuate the pus.
- Bitter Gourd : A cupful of fresh juice of this vegetable, mixed with a teaspoon of lime juice, should be taken, sip by sip, on an empty stomach daily for a few months to treat this condition.
- Sandalwood paste : Sandal is good in softening the skin and it also provides much needed coolness.
- Milk Cream : One teaspoon of milk cream, mixed with half a teaspoon of vinegar, and a pinch of turmeric powder, makes an excellent poultice.
- Betel Leaves : A leaf is gently warmed till it becomes soft. It is then coated with a layer of castor oil. The oiled leaf should be spread over the inflamed part. It should be replaced every few hours. After a few applications, the boil will rupture, draining out all the purulent matter.
- Cumin Seeds : The seeds should be ground in water and made into a paste. This paste can be applied to boils with beneficial results.
- Margosa Leaves : They can be used as a poultice, decoction, or liniment with beneficial results. To make the decoction, 15 gm of margosa leaves should be boiled in 500 ml of water till it is reduced by one-third.
- Bread : On boiling water, put a piece of regular bread. Remove it when it is soft. Apply it to the boil on a temperature tolerable to the skin. This will bring out the head of the boil faster.
- Carrot and wheat germ : On a 1 tbsp of wheat germ oil, mix a grated raw carrot and apply it on the affected area.
- Honey : There are several ways to prepare honey as a home remedy for boil. One is to mix honey with oil. Two is to soak in to honey fresh figs. Three is to combine wheat germ and honey. And four is plain warm honey. Apply one of these on the affected area and the boil will come to its head.
- Herbs : Wild pansy, catnip, dock, chickweed, burdock, or yarrow. The leaves of these herbs are effective healing treatment for boil. Soften any of these leaves by steaming. Make sure you get it from clean source. Apply it on the boil.

Are Boils Contagious?
Yes, boils and carbuncles are contagious. The pus that drains when a boil opens can contaminate nearby skin, causing new boils to occur, or can enter the bloodstream and may cause other body parts also to infect. A carbuncle is a cluster of boils that occurs when the infection spreads and other boils are formed. The formation of a carbuncle may be an indication of immune depression.

DIETARY CONSIDERATIONS :
Balanced diet is very important to keep your body healthy and disease free. Patient suffering from boils should take special care about their diet. Patient suffering from boils should stay on orange juice for 7-8 days. During this period they should only take diluted orange juice 4-5 times a day. Once this orange-juice diet is over, they should be given green leafy vegetables, fresh juicy fruits, cereals, grams, etc. Patient however, should stay away from fried, oily junk foods and sweets and chocolates. They should not take caffeine and hard or soft drinks as well.