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Posts Tagged ‘growth’

What are different health benefits of zinc and zinc supplements.

July 26th, 2010

Zinc is a mineral found in almost all cells and is a key nutrient in the body. More than 300 enzymes in the human body require zinc for normal functioning. Many organs of the body secrete zinc, including the pancreas, the salivary gland, and the prostate gland. Immune cells also secrete zinc.

Best Sources of Zinc

Good food sources for vegetarian people include dairy products (milk, curd, yoghurt), beans and lentils, peanuts, peanut butter, seeds, fortified breakfast cereals, and wholegrain cereals.
Red meat and poultry also provide good sources of zinc.

Health and Skin Benefits of Zinc

- To soothe the nappy rash and itching.
- Zinc is necessary for a good immune system.
- Helps wound healing.
- Allows a sense of smell and taste, growth and development and is essential for the synthesis of DNA.
- It promotes biochemical reactions in the body.
- It increases the fertility.
- It helps to prevent osteoporosis.
- Zinc has anti-inflammatory effects.
- Zinc plays a leading role in weight loss and in controlling the appetite of the person.
- Consuming Zinc in about 150-450 mg will improve the vision.
- Zinc prevents bone loss.
- Diet rich in zinc avoids alopecia that causes loss of hair in both children and adults.
- It is required for fighting skin problems such as acne, boils and sore throats.
- Zinc is important for the prostate gland in males.
- Zinc also promotes normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence.
- As an insect repellent.
- As bactericides in high quality cosmetics and toiletries.
- To help heal leg ulcers through addition to the diet.

The deficiency symptoms of zinc include growth retardation, low blood pressure, retarded bones, loss of appetite, loss of sense of smell and taste, depression, rough skin, weight loss, pale skin, diarrhea, hair loss, fatigue, white spots under finger nails.

What is the recommended dose of zinc needed by the body

- For children 0 to 6 months, 2.0 mg of zinc per day.
- 3 mg of zinc per day for 7 months to 3 years.
- 5 mg for 4 to 8 years.
- 8 mg for 9 to 13 years.
- 14 and above, and are encouraged to 11 mg of zinc for males and 9 mg for women.

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Posted in Appetite, Diet, benefits, growth, health

Tags: benefits Body Cells Deficiency Diet Doses Functions Grow growth health Human Mineral Nutrient Sources Zinc

Papillary Cancer – The Most Common Thyroid Cancer

May 4th, 2010

- Papillary carcinoma is a relatively common well-differentiated thyroid cancer.
- Papillary/follicular carcinoma must be considered a variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
- Papillary carcinoma may be overtly or minimally invasive. In fact, these tumors may spread easily to other organs.
- Papillary tumors have a propensity to invade lymphatics but are less likely to invade blood vessels.
- Papillary carcinoma typically arises as an irregular, solid or cystic mass that arises from otherwise normal thyroid tissue.
- About 75 – 85% of all thyroid cancers diagnosed in the United States are papillary carcinoma.
- The cause of this cancer is unknown. A genetic defect may be involved. High-dose external radiation to the neck increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Treatment for Papillary Cancer
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Surgery

With this type of thyroid cancer treatment, part or all of the thyroid gland is removed. Additionally, if any nearby lymph nodes have been affected by the cancer, they too may be removed. Following this type of thyroid cancer treatment, individuals will begin taking thyroid hormone pills to replace the thyroid hormones that used to be secreted by the thyroid gland which also serves to suppress re-growth of the thyroid cancer.
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Chemotherapy

Used almost exclusively as a thyroid cancer treatment for anaplastic cancer, chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill malignant (or cancerous) cells.
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Radioactive iodine therapy

Usually employed as a follow-up thyroid cancer treatment to surgery, patients ingest a measured amount of radioactive iodine. This iodine then usually kills any thyroid tissue that was unable to be removed during the surgical procedure.
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External radiation

External radiation is a thyroid cancer treatment option that involves directing radiation at residual tumor cells from an outside radiation source to help shrink or kill these cells. In patients for whom surgery may not be feasible, external radiation is usually the next preferred option.

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Posted in Cancer, Thyroid, Treatment, causes, cure, growth, health

Tags: Cancer Characteristics Chemotherapy Common growth health Nodules Papillary Cancer Surgery Thyroid Thyroid cancer Treatment Type

How is staging determined for thyroid cancer?

May 3rd, 2010

If the diagnosis is thyroid cancer, the doctor needs to know the stage, or extent, of the disease to plan the best treatment. Staging is a careful attempt to learn whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body.
Staging is based on the results of the physical exam, biopsy, and imaging tests, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, chest x-ray, and/or nuclear medicine scans.
The TNM method is the most universally used staging method and applies to both papillary and follicular thyroid cancers.
- T indicates the size of the main (primary) tumor and whether it has grown into nearby areas.
- N describes the extent of spread to nearby (regional) lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped collections of immune system cells that are important in fighting infections. Cells from thyroid cancers can travel to lymph nodes in the neck and chest areas.
- M indicates whether the cancer has spread (metastasized) to other organs of the body. If there is distant metastases, M = 1, if the cancer has not spread outside of the neck region, M = 0.

Based on these three categories, the cancer is assigned a Stage of 1, 2, 3 or 4. Stage 1 is the least advanced form of cancer with the best prognosis, and Stage 4 is the most advanced category.