Home and Health

Breast health is very important to adult women and good self-esteem about breasts and all physical features are very important for younger girls. Keeping these two different angles in mind are important for girls and women alike when it comes to good breast health and good self-image and self-esteem.

In North America, the incidence of Breast Cancer has increase almost three-fold in 40 years, going from 1 in 20 in the 1960's to 1 in 8 today. From the age of twenty, women should do monthly breast self-examinations. Breast cancers tend to grow significantly faster in younger women under age 50. Despite billions of dollars raised for research to "Find the Cure," the risk of breasts cancer today is greater than ever before. It's critically important for women to take charge of their health through these screenings and to understand that survivability is greatly enhanced when breast cancer is found early.

Because when it comes to breast health, knowledge is more than power–it's confidence. Women can help with the early detection and treatment of breast cancer by playing an active role in their own health care. While there are some different recommendations from medical organizations on the value of breast self-exams, all women's health organizations agree about the value of annual clinical breast exams, and the importance of regular mammograms after the age of 40. Breast health is more than just luck, genetics, where you live or what you eat.

Staying healthy is a challenge that engages our body, mind, and spirit. No matter what your age or position in life, understanding the connection between a healthy lifestyle and healthy breasts is vitally important. Breast health is on a continuum with normal healthy breast tissue at one end and cancer at the other. You can certainly go from no pathology to cancer and you can slide down the continuum and never develop breast cancer, but not accepting unhealthy changes in your breasts is proactive and may very well prevent cancer. Also, you may lower your risk of breast cancer by living a healthy lifestyle, including eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet and exercising.

Most people are familiar with the antioxidant process, and many include this in there daily routines, but not many are aware that this is just the first step to a healthy body. Antioxidants are beneficial because they affix themselves to free radicals while absorbing the elements before they have the ability to infiltrate healthy normal tissues. It is in everyone's health interests, to include regular daily amounts of the best antioxidants in their diets, in support of healthy lifestyles.

Only 10% of breast health issues are attributed to family genes, the higher percentage due to environmental, dietary or lifestyle issues. Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage -- the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases. Antioxidants are key elements in preventing cancer, because they stabilize highly reactive free radicals that can otherwise damage our DNA and begin the process of cancer development. 

About The Author Paul Rodgers specializes in marketing natural skin health and beauty products With current women's health statistics in the United States, the need to educate and provide effective nutritional supplements to maintain breast health is a necessity. Find out more about Breast Health The author invites you to visit: http://admirable-breast.com

In order to function at optimum capacity, the internal body environment must remain as close to neutral as possible. It likes to measure in on the pH scale at 7.39. When the body takes in an excessive amount of acids, as it does so often as a result of making the wrong food choices, this excess must be brought back into balance. The way the body accomplishes this is by bringing the acid and alkaline levels back into balance.

Each of the elements inside the body, the vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, sugars and trace elements, can be categorized as either an acid or an alkaline. One interesting fact about an acid and an alkaline element is that when they are mixed together, they are able to cancel each other out. The scientific term for what is created when an alkaline and an acid element are combined is a neutral salt.

Much in the same way as the neutral color gray results when black and white are combined, and when the neutral temperature of warm results when hot water is combined with cold, a neutral salt cancels out the inherent respective properties of the combined acid and alkaline elements. With no acid or alkaline properties, neutral salts have no impact on the cellular serums or blood in which they are present.

When excess acid is present, the body must go out and find alkaline elements to begin the process of neutralizing this excess acid. Alkalines are usually present in the blood, but because the blood cannot tolerate much variation in its pH level, this is never a good source from which to borrow. A better source for alkaline elements is the internal organs and tissues. These areas can tolerate a greater degree of pH level fluctuation.

Even though the internal organs and tissue can exist in the short-term without all of the necessary alkaline, it is of critical importance that the borrowed alkaline be replaced. Normally this is not a problem. A healthy diet is generally all it takes to replenish alkaline levels. But most people don't consume a healthy diet. It is this repeated borrowing of alkaline without replacement that becomes a serious situation.

In fact, given the way many people eat today, it is not uncommon for alkaline to be borrowed and not replenished every single day, and worse, many times in a single day. Taking more alkaline than is being replenished will sooner or later create a deficit. Alkaline has a purpose. It is crucial to the properly functioning of the internal organs and tissue. It is not present in the body so that it can be used to help neutralize excessive acid.

A shortage of alkaline inside the body occurs much more frequently than it should. The end result of this alkaline mineral loss can be any number of different illnesses and diseases and an overall feeling of poor health.

About The Author Beverly Taylor Address: P.O. Box 2535 Key West, FL 33045 Phone: 954-732-3310 Website: http://www.pH-health.com Email: beverlyt@myarticleannouncer.com Email for website: admin@pH-health.com

Since the beginning of time, the biggest challenge that has always faced human existence was in how to effectively cope with the physical environment that surrounds us. From the need to hunt and gather food, to searching for adequate housing protection from the elements, or escaping an occasional life threatening danger, our bodies are uniquely designed to handle brief episodes of stress.

When our thinking mind determines that we must summon up an effort to tackle a perceived problem, the adrenal gland bumps up its production of hormones to confront the issue with a sudden burst of energy. This really is a good thing, as it enables us to handle the important details of our lives.

The downside to this process, however, is that our thinking mind is not always rational about what it considers to be a threat to our well being or what is harmless. Our thinking mind is bombarded with literally hundreds of bits and pieces of useless information that is a normal part of living in a modernized world.

While it is certainly impossible to eliminate all of the stress from our lives, it would not necessarily be beneficial for most people. Keep in mind that a certain amount of stress actually motivates many people to make positive changes in their lives. Learning how to prioritize and distinguish between what needs are important to you, and which ones you would be better off letting go of, is the key to balancing your stress levels.

Be advised that a constant infusion of a stress hormone called 'cortisol' can build up in the bloodstream. Over a relatively short amount of time, this can lead to a variety health complaints such as anxiety, depression, decreased immunity, weight gain or loss, hypertension, muscle aches and pains, digestive issues, or adrenal exhaustion resulting in a no hormone response at all to fight or flight, ending in a complete collapse. Nearly all physical health problems can be traced back to one main contributor, emotional upheaval.

Reducing the amount of stress we have some amount of control over is one constructive way of turning off a few of the everyday, little things that may really be bothering us like loud music, the media, and that constant on-the-go cycle of modern life.

Despite our best efforts to keep a lid on run away stress, the unpredictability of life is going to throw us an occasional curve ball. Troubled relationships, natural disasters, and job losses are an inevitable part of living life and will cause our stress hormones to spike. You may just have to let go at a time like this, and treat yourself extra nice until the crisis passes, as it usually does.

Dietary Needs:

One of the best ways to sustain our physical stamina in an emotional crisis is giving our body what it needs to produce energy in the first place. Junk foods may be an easy pacifier to reach for, but a well balanced healthy diet would serve us much better. Avoid using caffeine and alcohol to cope with life's unpredictability, drink more pure water instead.

Get more fresh air and plenty of sunshine when at all possible, as vitamin D will help keep your sleep/wake cycle regulated.

Exercise and Sleep:

Even if you really aren't motivated to exercise, find some type of physical activity that you can do on a regular basis. Walking and aerobics are popular choices, but there are so many others to choose from.

Try to get in 20 to 30 minutes of physical exertion (3 to 5 times a week) that gets your heart pumping and you have to breath deeply. Stress hormones are proportionately produced during physical activity and provides a healthy release mechanism for emotional anxiety. This re-uptake helps relax our body and mimics our running away from danger so we can rest and sleep normally afterward.

Sleep is something many of us short change ourselves on. We often get keyed up trying to finish that one last thing before bedtime. Whatever you think you must finish up, it usually can wait until the next day. Give yourself at least an hour to relax and unwind before bedtime. Take a warm bath or shower, as it helps lower body temperature to help make you drowsy. Read something pleasant that makes you feel good.

Emotions:

Many of us have been taught to live by a certain set of rules or standards that can cause a lot of unhealthy emotions to be kept suppressed. Our ideas, thoughts and beliefs about certain situations or people can have a very limiting effect upon our lives. Open up your mind to the possibilities that we all carry around some emotional burdens from our past that we may not be consciously aware of in the here and now. When we make the effort to free ourselves up from something that we may have long forgotten about, we can open new pathways to happiness and resolve old issues for good.

There are so many little day-to-day things that can really add up over time. Consider learning how to appreciate more of the things that are going well in your life, and all the material things that you already have.

Get together often with family, friends and neighbors that make you smile, laugh and feel good about life. Connect with your significant other and give each other back and foot massages, meditate, or pursue some creative project. Just know and trust that making the effort is enough, and the calmer life you are hoping for will be here before you know it.

About The Author Brenda Skidmore can attest to the many positive results natural health cures can bring to human health. Along with the many medical professionals, whose published works she has studied, it is her sincere desire to empower others by sharing this important information. To improve your health today visit: http://www.mywater4life.com

Millions of women are in search of menopausal relief while their younger counterparts struggle with PMS. Confusion about the safety of available treatments for their symptoms often keeps women from getting any help at all.

After the Women's Health Initiative Study released its findings about the dangers of synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in July 2002, doctors abandoned women's hormone health for misinformation, confusion, antidepressants and birth control pills. Due to special interest groups, mainstream medicine offers no alternatives to traditional HRT. Instead, they continue to ignore the needs of these women even after years of research and countless medical studies have shown USP Progesterone and other bio-identical hormones to be safe and effective.

Menopause and PMS relief does not have to come from potentially dangerous synthetic hormone replacement drugs anymore! "The Truth about Hormone Therapy," an article published in the Wall Street Journal, delivered a slap to the face of mainstream medicine by pointing out their archaic hormone replacement therapy practices. The article made reference to the dangers of synthetic HRT and the fact that natural USP progesterone (produced from yams or soy plants) and other bio-identical hormones are the safe alternative to traditional HRT.

Natural bio-identical hormones are now available over-the-counter at health food stores and online. In addition, compounding pharmacies across the country offer prescription required bio-identical hormone preparations. The days of ignorance and confusion are over. Physicians should be recommending safe and effective bio-identical alternatives instead of opting for the new look of an outdated therapy (lower dosages of the same old dangerous drugs).

Natural bio-identical hormones have a chemical structure that is identical to the hormones naturally produced by our bodies. Synthetic hormones such as Premarin (estrogen made from a pregnant horse's urine), Provera (progestin), or Prempro (estrogen plus progestin) have similar but not identical structures, often resulting in unpleasant and dangerous side effects. The Women's Health Initiative Study found Prempro posed unacceptable risks of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clots. Several major studies have confirmed the WHI findings and more ongoing studies are vigorously being conducted every day.

Hormones are our bodies' chemical messengers. They travel through the bloodstream to trigger certain activities or changes in the body. Hormones work by binding to specialized areas of cells known as receptor sites. There they initiate a chain of events in specific cells, organs and systems. The body produces many hormones, but the most significant hormones related to the female cycle are estrogen, and progesterone.

Estrogen is a female sex hormone. Women produce greatest amounts in the ovaries, adrenal glands and fat tissue. It is the dominant hormone during the first part of the cycle causing the uterine lining to thicken and at mid cycle causes ovulation. Estrogen contributes to bone and cardiac health, vaginal lubrication and many other physical and emotional aspects of health. At one time low estrogen was blamed for all of the discomfort associated with menopause, but current medical research has led to the discovery that it is a lack of progesterone that is not only responsible for many symptoms of menopause but PMS as well.

Like estrogen, progesterone is a female sex hormone. It is also produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands, and during pregnancy in the placenta. During the reproductive years, progesterone prepares the uterine lining for pregnancy. Each month, progesterone levels rise following ovulation and then gradually fall to trigger a monthly menstrual period. Progesterone balances the effects of estrogen and when not enough progesterone is present can lead to PMS and/or menopausal symptoms.

USP (United States Pharmacopeia) grade progesterone is most often prescribed for peri-menopausal women to counteract the effects of "estrogen dominance." An article published on-line in Associated Content, "Obstacles to Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight during Menopause," explains how estrogen dominance occurs when a woman's body produces smaller amounts of progesterone than normal (relative to estrogen levels) creating a hormonal "imbalance". However, USP progesterone studies have shown that symptoms of PMS and menopause respond quite favorably to progesterone therapy.

The benefits of natural bio-identical USP progesterone have been shown to include:

Protects the breast from cancer by counteracting the effects of estrogen
Reduces bloating and weight gain
Reduces carbohydrate and sugar cravings
Produces a calming, anti-anxiety effect
Reduces mood swings
Regulates menstrual flow
Decreases cramping and miscarriage
Reduces uterine fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease
Reduces bone loss
Decreases hot flashes
Promotes vaginal lubrication
Increases libido
Reduces dry skin
Lowers cholesterol
Improves memory
Reduces chronic fatigue
Reduces migraine headaches
Reduces insomnia
Reduces hair loss

In addition to the symptom relieving benefits of USP progesterone, post-menopausal women can take advantage of its protective benefits. They can feel confident knowing they are helping to protect themselves from breast cancer and many of the chronic diseases associated with the post-menopausal years such as osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke.

USP progesterone is currently available in a cream that is rubbed into the skin. The absorption rate of certain medications can be increased when delivered through the skin instead of the stomach. The cream is made up of tiny, fat-soluble molecules that easily cross the skin barrier and can quick be absorbed. This allows for up to 90 percent absorption and utilization by the body and is thought to be the delivery system of the future.

Over-the-counter USP progesterone cream can be purchased without a prescription or can be ordered by a physician and prepared as a cream or suppository by a compounding pharmacy.

About The Author Dr. Patricia Beckstead is the Founder of Freedom from Menopause and PMS - natural products for healthy living, menopause and PMS relief. The #1 doctor recommended resource for holistic alternatives to prescription drugs, her website http://www.FreedomFromMenopause.com offers information and the most powerful bio-identical hormones and nutritional supplements available without a prescription.