Breast Cancer Stages and Survival Rates

Breast Cancer Stages and Survival Rates
Where the disease has not metastasized, the five-year
survival rate for women suffering from breast cancer is
about 86%. That percentage means that 86% of women who
develop breast cancer live for at least five years after
diagnosis. The good news is that depending on the stage it
is discovered, the survival rate can be even higher than
the overall average.

As with most cancers, breast cancer, develops in stages. A
standard classification of letters and numbers is used to
describe the stages - T, N and M and 0-IV. T depicts tumor
size, N signifies a spread to lymph nodes and M describes
distant metastasis. When a primary tumor spreads to another
area/s and forms more tumors, it has metastasized.

When a tumor cannot be assessed, it is designated the
classification of TX. Where there is no indication of
cancer, T0 is used. If one of the following forms is
suspected - DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), LCIS (lobular
carcinoma in situ) or Paget's disease (where the nipple
and/or areola is cancerous) - Tis is used.

Stage 0 indicates that the cancer is in its earliest stage.
Stage I indicates that tumors have not spread and are less
than 2cm in size. A tumor that is 2-5cm in diameter is
classified as Stage II, and a tumor larger than 5cm is
considered Stage III. When a tumor has attached to the
chest wall and spread to the lymph nodes it is considered
to be Stage IV.

Today, due to medical advances, many breast cancers are
diagnosed and treated during the early stages.

Treatment received in Stage 0 and Stage I results in men
and women having five year survival rates of almost 100%.
And yes, men can develop breast cancer, though at a far
lower rate of 1/133 when compared to women. The survival
rate for those with Stage II cancer is between 81%-92%. At
Stage III the rate lowers to 67%, and then drops
substantially to 20% at Stage IV.

Despite being a serious condition, breast cancer is now
rarely life threatening. Even sufferers of later stage
cancers often survive past seven years. As technology and
medicine advance, survival rates increase. Even later stage
cancer survival rates are rising as medical and treatment
methods improve.

The QM-MSP (quantitative multiplex methylation-specific
PCR) is one such new method of diagnosis. Discovered in
2001, it uses fluid from the breast and tests the chemicals
contained in the fluid. The chemical analysis undertaken
during this test allows cancer to be detected with 86%
reliability, and cancer clumps with as little as 50 cells
can found. Treatment given in the early stages is highly
effective, and new methods like this allow cancer to be
diagnosed at the earliest possible stage.

Treatments are also improving, with hormone therapy,
targeted radiation and molecule specific drugs now readily
available.

Breast cancer is no longer the death sentence it used to
be. While still serious, the odds of beating this disease
are high, and treatments are far less invasive than in the
past.

----------------------------------------------------
Moses Wright is a health conscious webmaster. He sets up
this site to help people learn more about breast cancer.
You can get more useful resources at:
http://www.healthfitnesswellbeing.com/breast_cancer.htm

How Baby Boomers Build Muscle

How Baby Boomers Build Muscle
Last week, I had a couple of old friends drop in on me for
dinner. As usual, it only took a little bit of time before
the conversation turned to nutrition and working out.

One of my friends was in his late 50's. He has always been
in great shape. He maintains a great workout program and
always pays attention to what he eats. Yet, on this
particular visit, he seemed a little discouraged with his
progress.

After a little bit of prying I found out why. He had been
out having dinner with several of his friends who were all
medical doctors and they were "on him" about working out.

Turns out these three highly educated individuals were
trying to convince my friend that it was physically
impossible to put on muscle once you pass fifty years of
age. They told him that it had something to do with his
hormone levels and lack of testosterone.

No wonder he was discouraged!

Thankfully, in no way is any of this true. Here's a great
example for you to consider.

In a research trial conducted on people who were over 50
years old and had chronic renal insufficiency (real bad
kidneys) researchers explored the idea that resistance
training could counteract the low protein diets that these
people had to be on because of their medical condition.

On average these subject were eating under 0.3 grams of
protein per pound of body weight. To put that into
perspective, a 180 pound man would be eating about 50 grams
of protein per day! For 12 weeks!

So what the researchers were thinking was 'since these
people were on such low protein diets, for extended periods
of time, muscle loss is definitely a risk. However, maybe
if we made them weight train, we could prevent this from
happening'.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

At the end of the study, the subject working out 3 times
per week maintained there body weight, while the group that
was not lifting weights lost about 7 pounds.

The group lifting weights also saw increases in muscle
strength and muscle size. While the group not weight
training lost some muscle and a little bit of strength.

This study is a great example of people over 50 actually
gaining muscle size as a result of resistance training.
And, they didnt even have to follow some crazy high protein
diet to do it!

This research shows that you can be over 50 and still build
a significant amount of muscle with relatively low protein
intakes (the amount you get from your food in the average
north american diet) as long as you are lifting weights.

When it comes to muscle - Use it or lose it. That's the
bottom line. There is no truth to the saying that you can't
build muscle over a certain age. People in their 70's can
build muscle with weight training.

----------------------------------------------------
Brad Pilon is a strength training and nutrition
professional and author of Eat Stop Eat. You can learn
about his new book "Eat Stop Eat" that is quickly changing
the way people think about dieting, by visiting
http://www.eatstopeat.com Brad Pilon is an expert
contributor at eFit-Today
http://www.efit-today.com/public/department59.cfm

How to Boost Your Metabolism on a Diet

How to Boost Your Metabolism on a Diet
In order to lose weight you must eat less calories than you
are currently burning off. This simple advice becomes
complicated by the commonly held misconception of
'starvation mode'.

The basic idea with 'starvation mode' is this:

If you don't eat enough calories in a day your metabolism
will slow down and end up storing most of what you eat as
fat. Or when you eat very low calories for too long, and
you go back to eating 'normally' you will store more fat
than before.

This is absolutely ridiculous and illogical. Let me explain.

For starters, I could not find any scientific research that
shows this happens at all.

Secondly; Your metabolism is mostly determined by your body
mass. The amount of food you eat in a day has a very small
impact on your metabolic rate and not enough to have any
real impact on weight gain or loss.

If you lose muscle mass while you are dieting then yes your
metabolism will decrease slightly. But a slightly decreased
metabolism doesn't mean you will somehow just magically
store more fat each time you eat. All it means is that you
now need to eat less to maintain your new lighter
bodyweight.

Third: "When you go back to eating 'normal' you will
experience a rebound effect and store more fat". This is
backwards thinking because there is no such thing as eating
'normal' For example: Lets say you weigh 200 pounds and you
eat 3500 calories per day...and this is what you call
eating 'Normal'

Now lets say you reduce your intake to 2000 calorie per day
for 10 weeks, and now weigh 180 pounds (that would be a
nice 20 pound weight loss!)

As soon as you go back to eating your 'normal' 3500
calories per day, you will eventually gain weight and weigh
200 pounds again.

This is not a rebound and has nothing to do with this idea
of 'starvation mode'. Your body isn't all of sudden storing
more fat, it is simply the amount of calories you need to
eat to keep you at 200 pounds, vs the amount of calories
you need to eat to keep you at 180 pounds.

The term 'starvation mode' is not even a scientific term,
it is a term created by the diet and fitness industry. You
can't even find this term written in nutrition or human
physiology research.

It is this false idea of 'starvation mode' that is scaring
people away from one of the most effective ways to lose
weight in our society of food and diet confusion. And that
new way to lose weight is fasting. Intermittent short term
fasting is a an effective and easy way to lose weight.
Short term fasting is an easy way to significantly reduce
your calorie intake without any negative side effects to
your metabolism. There is good research to indicate that is
also can contribute many other healthful benefits.

The bottom line is that there is no harm done to your
metabolism be reducing your calories intermittently mixed
with days of eating 'normally'. This style of dieting also
allows you to eat what you like, when you like, and helps
remove the guilt many people have associated with eating.
This may very well be one of the only true ways to lose
weight and enjoy food all at the same time.

----------------------------------------------------
John Barban is a professional strength and conditioning
coach and nutrition expert. He has extensive experience
designing nutritional supplements and has developed his
trademark workout for women 6 Minute Circuits. John is an
expert contributor to
http://www.efit-today.com/public/department59.cfm and
recomends the diet program http://www.eatstopeat.com , and
believes it is the best new diet for easy and effective
weight loss.

The Only Natural Way to Weight Loss

The Only Natural Way to Weight Loss
Being overweight is no laughing matter. Obesity is becoming
an epidemic and is responsible for a ton of health problems
including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and
even cancer. There may be no single cause for the rise of
obesity, but the increase of technology and the convenience
of "fast food" are certainly major factors. So if you are
obese or even just a little bit overweight, you need to
start taking your weight problem seriously. If you don't,
the pounds will pack on and your health will decline. Read
on to discover the natural way to lose weight.

First of all, let's get one thing straight. Fad diets won't
work. You may drop the weight initially on a fad diet, but
when you have lost the weight, what is going to prevent you
from putting the weight back on? Everyone wants an easy
answer to weight loss, but unfortunately there is no magic
button or magic pill that we can take to make the pounds
drop off.

Think about this, how long did it take you to put on that
excess weight? One week? Two weeks? Six months? Unless you
had a non-stop high fat eating marathon, you probably
progressively gained weight over a period of months or
years. So if it took you a while to put the weight on, why
would you think that it would only take a few weeks to take
it back off. So if you want to lose the weight and keep it
off, you need to be patient.

The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to change
the way you eat. Eliminate those fast food meals. If you
want to be shocked, look up how many calories your favorite
fast food meal contains. Now do you see why you are gaining
weight? These foods are high in calories, high in fat and
high in sodium. The only they are not high in is nutrition.
So the first step to lose weight the natural way is to stop
the fast food dining.

Learn how to prepare delicious, healthy meals at home.
Instead of snacking on those yummy chips and chocolate
bars, try eating fruits and veggies. Eat six small healthy
meals a day instead of two or three large meals. This is
the most important tip for weight loss. Eating more meals
will increase your metabolism and help it to burn off the
excess fat.

Try drinking green tea instead of sodas. Green tea has been
shown to increase your metabolism and it is also a great
antioxidant that can help you fight off certain diseases.
It is also critical that you start taking vitamins and
supplements. Choose a good source of all natural
supplements and start taking them everyday. You will feel
healthier and have more energy.

So if you are looking for that magic bullet that will make
you lose weight, stop looking, it doesn't exist. The only
way to lose weight and keep it off for good is to start
eating a healthy diet.

----------------------------------------------------
The Only Natural Way to Weight Loss
http://www.1thinkhealthy.com/rice-n-shine.html

The Best Body Hair Removal Options for Men

The Best Body Hair Removal Options for Men
When we think of hair removal, we think primarily of women
as the gender that most often want to remove unsightly body
hair, but often forget that men are also concerned when it
comes to removing excessive hair on their chest, back, and
belly.

Some of the world's hottest, most sought after male
celebrities remove hair from their body, and it often gives
them a nice, tones and even look because it takes away a
lot of the distraction from what usually are fine, chiseled
muscular features.

A lot of my male friends do say that hair on their backs
and chest often bothers them, especially hair that grows on
the back and neck, because that is less accepted as an
ideal aesthetic, even than a lot of chest hair, where it's
expected to grow on men.

Other than the very costly procedure of laser hair removal,
what are some of the other options that men have for hair
removal? Well, in short, they have the same options that
women have to remove hair on the most sought after spot on
their body to get hair gone, their legs.

There are special devices called epilators that work for
both men and women to pull body hair out by its root, and
make it more difficult for hair at those locations to grow
back.

Once the hair does grow back, especially after a few times
around with an epilator, it is very soft and finer than it
was before, making it less noticeable and a heck of a lot
more aesthetically pleasing.

These epilators are primarily made for women, because that
is their target market, but there are a few that are
marketed for the removal of male hair as well, that are
more distinctly engineered for coarser and harder to remove
hairs.

They can run the gamut when it comes to pricing though,
anywhere from fifty to hundreds of dollars in some cases,
and with these devices, you do often get what you pay for.

Some of the complaints about epilators is that they are
painful and may make the skin bleed or become irritated
after use, but many people, men and women love them, and
they do become accustomed to any associated pain after a
few treatments.

It is akin to electrolysis, except your hair will grow back
more quickly, but with repeat use, you may only have to use
a good epilator once every month. Of course, this varies
depending on the individual's growth rate and the type of
hair they have (ie, coarse or fine).

Another option for men is some of these great new hair
removal gels and creams that are designed to sink down into
the follicle, and inhibit hair growth for several weeks.

The more you use them, the better and longer they are
supposed to inhibit hair growth, so many people love using
them, including bodybuilders who rely on a hairless body to
show off their muscles and definition to win competitions.

Electrolysis is another option for men wishing to get rid
of bodily hair, but this is both expensive and painful. In
fact, I knew someone who underwent the procedure several
times and actually had a bit of scarring from the
procedure. I'm sure the process is more refined now, but I
wouldn't risk it.

Some men still like to use the handy old razor or electric
shaver to get rid of hair, but this of course results in
harder to remove hair and a more coarse and darker hair,
since this is how shaving affects body hair. In the end,
shaving takes more work, and it grows back many times
within one day.

For my money, I'd say that a top notch hair removal cream
or epilator would be my method of choice, both for the
economic aspect as well as for an ease of use and
permanence perspective. These both can dramatically cut
down on your hair removal routines, and they won't put a
huge dent in your wallet at the same time. I'd say that's
a win/win situation!

----------------------------------------------------
Danna Schneider is a contributor to an online magazine for
men about male enhancement, male health and vitality
http://www.maleenhancementmagazine.com . She also has
reviewed countless men's products, including what she feels
is the best hair removal cream for men for long term body
hair removal at
http://www.maleenhancementmagazine.com/best-male-hair-remova
l-cream/ .

Top 10 Ways to Regain Weight After Weight Loss Surgery or Weight Loss

Top 10 Ways to Regain Weight After Weight Loss Surgery or Weight Loss
As many weight loss surgery post-operative patients know,
it is possible to regain weight after having weight loss
surgery. If you aren't a weight loss surgery patient, the
same essentially apply to you too. A nutritious, active
lifestyle is the key to losing weight AND maintaining your
weight loss regardless of how you do it.

Here's the Top 10 reasons how to do it:

10. Don't exercise.

9. Don't bother drinking water.

8. Drink alcohol, soda and fruit juice.

7. Graze either all day long or for long periods of time
throughout the day.

6. Eat mostly carbs in your meal, especially sugary,
refined carbs.

5. Ignore taking your vitamins or take them whenever
convenient and if you remember.

4. Protein first? Eat protein after you eat your mostly
carb-heavy meals only if there's room.

3. Don't bother keeping a food and exercise journal.

2. Don't get support either by a support group, online
support, or your own weight loss coach.

And the number 1 way:

1. Thinking you are cured, your surgery will do all the
work in maintaining your weight loss, and never have to be
concerned about emotional eating or food issues ever again.

Losing weight is a process. We didn't gain our weight
overnight and it won't come off overnight either. If you
keep this list and refer to it often, you can maximize your
weight loss and the rate at which you lose. When we make
the decision to have surgery and lose weight, we want it
NOW.

Rather than focus strictly on the number on the scale,
appreciate all the positive changes you're making. When
you reach your desired weight, you will have experienced
all sorts of little and big "wins" along the way. By
following the Top 10, you'll no longer need a seat belt
extender, you'll be able to zip up jackets, wear your jeans
you haven't worn in years, you'll have more energy, you'll
be able to participate in activities that would have
exhausted you before, and many more that will be special
and unique to you. Losing weight can be a wonderful
adventure and journey with many wins along the way.

The process of losing weight is to change your habits. You
need to discard the old habits that made you heavy in the
first place and replace them with new, healthy habits. The
above Top 10 are the best habits you can incorporate into
your life. Habits are learned behaviors. Just as we
learned the unhealthy habits of becoming overweight or
obese, you can relearn habits that will allow you to lose
weight and maintain the weight. I've lost weight before
but never maintained it. How did I do it? I did it by
following the Top 10. You can too.

----------------------------------------------------
Cathy Wilson is a weight loss life coach. Cathy lost 147
pounds six years ago. Her passion is helping clients
achieve their weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with
clients to create a weight loss life plan that is
customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com

Why Your Diet May Not Be As Rich In Iodine As You Assume

Why Your Diet May Not Be As Rich In Iodine As You Assume
The trace mineral iodine is well known for its crucial role
in enabling the body's manufacture of vital thyroid
hormones, but it is also important for the health of the
immune system and for optimal brain function. It is widely
believed by many authorities that iodine deficiency should
never be seen in the affluent West, although this problem
affects millions throughout the developed world.

Some nutritionists argue, however, that this conventional
view is too optimistic, because the content of all minerals
in foods is heavily dependent on the mineral content of the
soil from which those foods are derived. The assumption
must therefore be that the continuing de-mineralisation of
farm soils has led to a reduction in the amount of dietary
iodine commonly consumed.

Fish and other seafood, however, remain a relatively rich
source because these ocean creatures concentrate the sea's
iodine in their flesh. Though not commonly eaten in the
West, seaweed, or kelp, is also an excellent source of
iodine for this reason, and is readily available in the
form of a dietary supplements. Dairy products and certain
meats may also be a good source, particularly where iodine
is routinely added to farm animal feed. But in countries,
including most of Western Europe, where animals are grazing
fields growing on iodine depleted soils, levels are likely
to be much lower.

So even in the West, those not including fish or seafood in
their diets, and not using iodised or sea salt, may be at
real risk of deficiency. In an effort to compensate for
low levels of dietary iodine, the mineral has been
routinely added to ordinary table salt in the US for many
years. But the practice is not as common in the UK and
other European countries, where specially iodised or
natural "sea-salt" has been marketed more as a luxury
alternative. The problem of insufficient dietary iodine
has been compounded on both sides of the Atlantic, however,
by increasing concern about the possible adverse health
consequences, particularly high blood pressure, of
excessive salt intake. Many nutritionists, however, regard
these fears as exaggerated, and believe that any such
potential problems are far less serious than the
consequences of an insufficiency of iodine, and may be
easily resolved by the use of the low sodium salt
alternatives available.

Iodine, however, cannot in any case be regarded as a
luxury. Its essential function lies in the production of
the vital thyroid hormones; thyroxine, sometimes known as
T4, and tri-iodothyronine, or T3. And as is well known,
these hormones are crucially important in ensuring a
healthy metabolic rate and the release of energy from food;
so an underactive thyroid gland is commonly the villain in
cases of excessive weight gain, particularly where this of
sudden onset, and in cases of difficulty in losing weight
even when following a sensible reducing programme. A
healthy thyroid gland is also crucial for the optimal
functioning of the immune system.

But perhaps even more importantly, iodine deficiency is
also known as a major cause of avoidable brain damage; a
problem which the World Health Organisation has estimated
to affect an astonishing 50 million people worldwide.
Sadly, many of these cases occur in children whose mothers
were iodine deficient in pregnancy, resulting in a
condition of severely retarded brain development known as
congenital hypothyroidism, or "cretinism". Even where
such catastrophic consequences are avoided, iodine
deficiency in childhood may also have serious effects on
the developing brain, leading to low energy and motivation
for learning, and measurable impairment of IQ scores.

Since 2001 the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute
of Medicine (FNB) has prescribed a Recommended Dietary
Allowance for iodine of 150 mcg for all individuals over
14, rising to 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for
those breastfeeding. Somewhat confusingly, however, an
excessive consumption of iodine is also associated with a
malfunctioning or enlargement of the thyroid gland, as well
as mouth ulcers, headaches and gastric upsets, and the FNB
therefore advises an upper safe limit for daily iodine
consumption of 1,100 mcg for adults. Most people eating a
conventional Western diet are unlikely to exceed this level.

With the possible exception of pregnant and breastfeeding
women, people in the West who use liberal quantities of
iodised salt as a regular seasoning are unlikely to need
further supplements. But many commercial multi-mineral
preparations contain iodine in reasonable quantities,
usually in the form of potassium iodide, and whilst not
perhaps strictly necessary, such supplementary doses will
do no harm and may be regarded as a useful insurance policy
given that, like all minerals needed by the body, iodine
functions best in the presence of adequate supplies of all
the others. And it should be particularly noted in this
context that the effects of any deficiency of iodine may be
intensified by any deficiency of selenium, iron or vitamin
A.

----------------------------------------------------
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter and journalist with a
particular interest in health and wellness.
Find out more at
http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/Io
dine.htm