Search Results for: blog mammograms a necessary non evil

Huge Health Innovations from 2007

The past year was a big one for health innovations. Here’s a look at some of the most amazing advancements in tests and treatments in 2007. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered bisphosphonates. These compounds actually prevent bacteria from sharing DNA — which could mean an end to drug-resistant bacteria. Bisphosphonates can actually kill the cells that harbor drug-resistant DNA. Probiotics — the friendly bacteria in the body — can prevent or cure yeast infections. 2007 saw the introduction of an over the counter supplement that contains two strains of lactobacillus that are known … Continue reading →

Fat Cells May Prevent Cancer Fighting Mechanism

We have known for a long time now that obesity increases our cancer risk. New studies have found though that fatty tissue actually decreases the body’s ability to fight cancer. This study was performed in mice, and by decreasing their percentage body fat (with surgery or by running three to five km a day on training wheels) made them more able to fight skin cancer. Researchers at Rutgers University performing this study on mice suggest that fat cells could potentially be secreting compounds that counteract the body’s main anti-tumour defense systems. This system is called apoptosis and is pretty much … Continue reading →

The Thief Who Stole My Mother: Breast Cancer Strikes

I am rapidly approaching the age my mother was when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was forty-three then, and here I am now, nearly forty. Apparently she had been watching a television show about Ann Jillian, an actress who survived breast cancer. At the end of the program, there was a brief explanation about how to give a self-examination. My mother thought, “I’ve never done that,” and so she gave herself one. There was a lump she hadn’t noticed before. My mother had never had a mammogram. Parallels My life has paralleled my mother’s in some ways. She … Continue reading →