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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Ovarian cancer: The risk factors Want to boost your brain? Take a tip from Mother Nature Health Notes
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Ovarian cancer: The risk factors Ovarian cancer is a disease which starts in the ovaries (the part of female reproductive system that produces hormones and eggs). There are several types of ovarian cancer and it can occur at any age. The more common type is epithelial ovarian cancer which generally occurs in women older than 50 years but is also seen in younger women. One out of 70 women can develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime. Symptoms The symptoms are very non-specific. They include: *
Swelling of the stomach or bloating, shortness of breath *l Persistent pelvic or lower abdominal pain or pressure *
Trouble eating or feeling full quickly * Feeling the need to urinate urgently or often These symptoms are common for some women, and may not mean that there is ovarian cancer. However, if these symptoms are new and persist daily for more than two or three weeks, the woman concerned should ask her gynaecologist about ovarian cancer so that certain tests can be performed to rule out this disease. Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can be tiredness, gradual weight loss or weight gain, constipation, upset stomach or heartburn, back pain, pain during sex, unusual vaginal bleeding, and developing coarse facial hair or a change in voice. Unfortunately, there is no accurate test at present to screen for early detection of ovarian cancer. However, a routine annual gynaecological check-up may help in early detection. It is pertinent to mention here that sometimes an ultrasound of abdomen done for some other problem may detect a cyst in the ovary. Women should know that all cysts are not cancerous. Most of these cysts during the child-bearing years are functional. They show up in response to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle and as the ovaries produce and release eggs. Most of these cysts are harmless and disappear on their own without any medical intervention. Is ovarian cancer hereditary? A woman can inherit an increased risk for ovarian cancer from either her mother's or father's side of her family, particularly if a first-degree relative (grandmother, mother or sister) has or has had cancer of the breast, colon, uterus or rectum. Furthermore, women with a strong family history of ovarian cancer are more likely to develop the disease at an early age (younger than 50). Other risk factors Aging is a risk factor, but there are other considerations. Going through menopause after age 50 and having a personal history of breast, uterine or colorectal cancer puts one at a higher risk. Women who have never been pregnant or conceived for the first time after age 30 have an increased risk. Still, it should be noted that there are women with ovarian cancer who do not have any of these risk factors. Can ovarian cancer be prevented? At present, there is no known method to prevent ovarian cancer, but certain factors appear to reduce a woman's risk of developing the disease: Oral contraception: Birth control pills reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 50 per cent, especially among women who use them for three or more years. Breast feeding and pregnancy: Having one or more children, particularly if the first is born before age 25, and breast feeding may decrease a woman's risk. Tubal ligation: Surgically tying the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy reduces the relative risk of developing ovarian cancer. Hysterectomy: Surgical removal of the uterus has been demonstrated to reduce the relative risk of ovarian cancer. A woman should not have a hysterectomy exclusively to avoid the risk of ovarian cancer, but if one is being performed for valid medical reasons and she has a family history of ovarian or breast cancer or is over age 40, she should discuss concurrent removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes with her gynaecologist. Preventive surgery:
Women who are at a high risk due to their personal or family history of cancer can undergo preventive removal of ovaries and the fallopian tubes. A discussion with your gynaecologist is necessary to determine your individual risk and options for surgery. Optimal treatment of ovarian cancer can result in a prolonged healthy life. There are two main types of treatment for ovarian cancer: surgery and chemotherapy which need to be taken at a specialised centre. The points that need emphasis are: *
All women are at risk * Symptoms exist — they can be vague, but increase over time *
Early detection increases survival rate The best thing one can do for one’s gynaecologic health is to be in tune with her body. As one cancer survivor said, "Take the time to get to know yourself and realise what is normal for you. If you know something is wrong with your body, pursue it with a vengeance."
The writer is Consultant (Gynaecology), Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, and works closely with Tata
Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, on cancer.
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Want to boost your brain? Take a tip from Mother Nature Wandering lonely as a cloud high o’er vales and hills may be the best way to recharge your batteries - so long as you leave your conventional battery-powered devices at home. What writers have known for centuries, scientists are now endeavouring to prove – that contact with nature can boost creativity and problem-solving skills. Backpackers who spent four days in the wilderness without access to electronic devices scored 50 per cent better on a creativity test at the end of the trip, according to researchers. The backpackers – 56 in all – joined one of four separate expeditions run by the Outward Bound organisation and took a 10- item “creativity test” at the start and end of the hike. On an average, they got four out of 10 questions right at the start and six right at the end. The researchers used the Remote Associates Test, a standard measure of creative thinking, in which participants are given three words and asked to supply a fourth that is linked with the other three. For example, the answer to SAME/TENNIS/HEAD might be MATCH – because a match is the same, tennis match and match head. Earlier studies have shown that going for a long walk can improve the accuracy of proof-reading, the ability to perceive an optical illusion and the capacity to repeat a list of numbers backwards. Yet the time people spend outdoors and in contact with nature is diminishing. Children spend only 15-25 minutes daily in outdoor play and sport and the average teenager spends more than 7.5 hours a day using mobile phones or computers and watching TV, according to the US researchers. Psychologists from the University of Utah who led the study said: “Our modern society is filled with sudden events (sirens, horns, ringing phones, alarms, television) that hijack attention. By contrast, natural environments are associated with gentle soft fascination, allowing the executive attentional system to replenish.” “Executive attention” is the ability to switch rapidly among tasks which is important in a modern society but is overtaxed by the constant demands from a technological environment. However, the authors of the study, published in the online journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) One, say they cannot be sure if the effects they observed were due to exposure to nature or withdrawal of electronic devices – or a combination of both. “We show that four days of immersion in nature, and the corresponding disconnection from multimedia and technology, increases performance on a creativity, problem-solving task by a full 50 per cent,” the researchers conclude. The participants had an average age of 28 and took part in treks in Alaska, Colorado, Washington State and Maine. The results were controlled for age differences between the groups that took the test, because “as you get older, you have greater verbal abilities,” the researchers said. “This is a way of showing that interacting with nature has real, measurable benefits to creative problem-solving that really hadn’t been formally demonstrated before,” said David Strayer, a co-author of the study and professor of psychology at the University of Utah. “It provides a rationale for trying to understand what is a healthy way to interact in the world, and that burying yourself in front of a computer 24/7 may have costs that can be remediated by taking a hike in nature.”
— The Independent |
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Health Notes Washington: Even the smallest stroke can damage brain tissue and impair cognitive function, according to a new study. The study from the University of California, San Diego, found that blocking a single tiny blood vessel in the brain could harm neural tissue and even alter behaviour. But these consequences can be mitigated by a drug already in use, suggesting treatment that could slow the progress of dementia associated with cumulative damage to minuscule blood vessels that feed brain cells. “The brain is incredibly dense with vasculature. It was surprising that blocking one small vessel could have a discernable impact on the behaviour of a rat,” said Andy Y. Shih, lead author of the paper who completed this work as a postdoctoral fellow in physics at UC San Diego. Shih is now an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. — ANI
Erectile dysfunction ‘may
be linked to heart disease’
Washington: Erectile dysfunction, which typically focuses on a man’s inability to have sex, has a more devastating issue that could be behind having difficulty maintaining an erection — heart disease — researchers say. Research has connected erectile dysfunction with heart disease in men between the age 30 and 60 for years, but it is still not commonly known among the public. “You hear about men who pass away from heart disease and their wives find Viagra (in their belongings) and they didn’t even know they had a problem,” the Huffington Post quoted Dr. Kevin Billups from Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Integrative Men’s Health Program as saying. According to doctors, for many men experiencing erectile dysfunction is the first signal of risk factors which, if unchecked, can lead to heart disease. — ANI
Maintaining weight as important as losing it for women
Washington: Gaining weight back after intentional weight loss is associated with negative long-term effects on some cardiometabolic (CM) risk factors in postmenopausal women, researchers say. In the new study, lead authors Daniel Beavers and Kristen Beavers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center wanted to look at how weight regain affects health risk in these women. The researchers looked specifically at CM risk factors — a cluster of risk factors that are indicators of a person’s overall risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They include blood pressure, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose and insulin. — ANI
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The outcome with ovarian cancer depends upon the stage of the disease which is defined according to the degree of its spread within the body. Early stage disease (when it is limited to the ovaries) has a very good survival rate of 90 to 95 per cent. Unfortunately, most women are diagnosed at an advanced stage and fewer than 50 per cent live longer than five years after diagnosis. Therefore, early detection is the key to a better prognosis, for which awareness is essential.