Cancer Blog

Mesothelioma can be described as a rare type of cancer which is caused due to the exposure of humans to asbestos. In more clear words, mesothelioma occurs when asbestos are inhaled and absorbed into the individuals bloodstream which results in the formation of a cancerous coating on the internal body organs of patients.

Pleural Mesothelioma is considered as the most common type of mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma creates a tumor on the pleura - the sac which lines the chest cavity protecting the human lungs. Peritoneal Mesothelioma is another type of mesothelioma which affects the peritoneum of the human abdominal cavity. There are also several other forms which effect various areas such as the lining of the heart and abdomen.

Causes of Mesothelioma

As mentioned earlier, exposure to asbestos is the main reason for mesothelioma cancer. Asbestos is a heat resistant fibrous mineral which is commonly used for various industrial purposes. Asbestos is widely used as the main object in creating gasket compounds, roofing, patching compounds, and floor tiles. Asbestos dust is injurious to the human body, and may invariably lead to this cancerous condition if exposed to for a longer period of time.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

According to physicians, mesothelioma is common with people working with asbestos. It is reported that the effect of a couple of weeks or even less can result in the risk of mesothelioma. The effect is not immediate and to say an average it takes around 35 to 45 years to develop a malignant tumor. Mesothelioma cancer is mostly seen in miners, factory workers, railroad laborers, ship builders, insulation workers, and gas mask makers.

Some of the main symptoms of mesothelioma cancer include breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, bowel obstruction, and continuous coughing causing chest and stomach pains.

Treatments

With the advancement in science and technology, newer treatment techniques have been introduced, and some of it is looking promising as well.

Today, there are several procedures used for mesothelioma treatment. The type of mesothelioma treatment purely depends on several factors such as the health and age of the patient, location of the cancer, and the stage of the disease.

The main form of treatment for mesothelioma is surgery to remove the tumor and some of the tissue around the infected part. For cancer of the pleura, an operation known as pneumonectomy is usually done to remove a lung. In certain cases, the diaphragm, the muscle just below the lungs which aids in breathing is removed.

Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, is another method of mesothelioma treatment. In this treatment high energy rays are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumor affected cells.

Another treatment for mesothelioma cancer is chemotherapy. In this treatment anticancer drugs are used to kill cancer cells throughout the patients body. This treatment involves the administration of the drugs by injection into a vein.

The oncologist asked Melisa, who had cervical cancer that had spread to the liver and lungs, to have her liver surgically removed. There were about thirty spots of varying sizes in her liver. Melisa asked the oncologist how such surgery could possibly save her. The oncologist was irritated and replied: “Who is the doctor, you or me?” Melisa was right. By declining the surgery she saved herself from unnecessary sufferings and also her life! Medical tradition regards patients as passive elements in the technological battle between the doctors and the cancer. The ideal patient therefore is one who is under anaesthesia!

Now, there is a new awakening that patients who participate in their healing succeed while those who take their fate ‘lying down’ fail. We have been taught that when we are ill it is the medicine that cures. Modern medicine has long ignored the self-healing ability of our body. We take healing for granted. We never realise that our body heals by itself. Let me remind you of the following:

1) The healing power of the body is within us. There is a physician within us and this power heals us absolutely.

2) Many of us are ignorant or are unaware of our own body’s healing potential.

3) Many of us block ourselves off from this potential, preferring to trust others whom we think can ‘cure’ us rather than trust our own ‘Infinite Intelligence’ within.

4) Many of us create unhealthy circumstances with negative and self-denying thoughts and these eventually make us sick. We fail to recognise that these are the root causes of our many illnesses.

5) We are unaware that from the day we are born, we have been bombarded with negative suggestions. Negativity begets illness.

Joseph Murphy in The Power of Your Subconscious Mind wrote: “Think good and good will follow, think evil, evil follows. Change your thought and you change your destiny.”

The very first step in healing is for every cancer patient to recognise the influence of his own mind on his illness and recovery process. A negative mindset leads to more trouble and possibly unnecessary death, while a positive mindset gears you towards recovery. Many a time I asked patients if they carry any emotional ‘baggage’ or harbour any ‘unresolved’ emotional conflicts within them. Invariably the answer would be: “No, no, I have no emotional problems at all”. They simply do not want to admit or discuss them; perhaps for fear that people know their ‘secrets’ or they do not see the relevance or relationship between unresolved personal ‘emotions’ and their cancers. After all, in schools we are taught that illness is caused by some kind of a ‘bug’, virus or germ and that it has nothing to do with the head. Most patients would tell me that whatever ‘problems’ they have are all ‘old issues’ and have ‘long been forgotten’. Such comments and attitudes only go to show sheer ignorance or ‘arrogance’. Think again I say; do you carry any ‘baggage’? Remember that you are not just a machine — without any mind or soul. You are sick because ‘something inside is eating you up’.

Let me, however, clarify myself. I am not against anyone taking medicine for his/her illness. By all means, go and see a doctor and take the medicine prescribed. When an illness has reached an advanced stage, the use of medicine becomes inevitable. By taking medicine, be it chemical, drug or herb, what we are doing is to help in the healing process. Let me suggest a list of some active steps that you can take to heal your mind, your soul and lastly, your body.

1) Think positively; as you think, so you become! Cultivate positive attitudes of love, joy, happiness, sharing, caring, promotion of self-esteem and self-confidence.

2) Free yourself of negative thoughts. Many negative thoughts are ingrained into our subconscious mind and they become part of us. You and I have similar problems. And more often than not, we do not even know that these negative thoughts ever exist or are causing us all these problems. We are the products of our environment and experiences of our lives. To be able to free ourselves from these negative thoughts we must, first and foremost, be aware and recognise that these negative thoughts are in us. If we keep denying that they are non-existent, there will be no reason for change.

3) Be the active participant in your healing. You cannot remain neutral in your healing. You can either be passive or active. The golden rule of psychosomatic medicine is that patients must actively take charge of their illness. Get rid of the psychological or emotional cancer in you. Doctors cannot help you with emotional cancer. Indeed, no one can help you deal with that, except yourself. On the other hand, if you decide to be passive, then by default, you are encouraging the cancer to take over you. So, the choice is yours. Again, remember that a positive mindset promotes healing.

4) Accept the diagnosis, NOT the prognosis. When diagnosed with cancer, it seems the most popular question asked of the doctor is: “How much longer do I have?” Patients then get answers like: “At most three to six months,” or “Go home and get your papers in order.” If we understand voodoo, then know that such answers are indeed a voodoo curse. They are like hypnotic instructions. The patients’ mind will bring that prognosis to pass. Doctors give the death sentence and the patients keep the bone pointing at themselves. Norman Cousins (Head First: The Biology of Hope) advised: “Don’t deny the diagnosis, just defy the verdict that is supposed to accompany it.” It short, accept the diagnosis but do not believe the prognosis. Know that the prerogative of living and dying rests with the Almighty God, not men.

Work with electrical fields that surround animals and plants suggests the presence of an energy body. Studies using Kirlian photography show energy fields surrounding physical objects although there is still some debate as to what these actually are. One famous Kirlian experiment is the ‘Phantom Leaf Effect’. In this experiment the leaf is cut or torn and the top part removed. The Kirlian photographs taken reveal it still to be there as an etheric body, perhaps a ‘holographic energy template’ for the leaf, although there is much discussion as to what this effect actually is.

Electro-acupuncture systems show a way forward to combining the best abilities of orthodox medical science with far more subtle and less invasive treatments. The Motoyama A.M.I. Machine compares the electrical balance of two sides of a human body, by attaching electrodes to acupoints of the 12 main meridians. This machine allows observers to analyse subtle energy streams in the body. Acupuncture and the philosophy behind it has an enhanced understanding of the energy systems that nurture cellular growth and repair.

The Voll machine or Dematron is another breakthrough device in this field that is relatively unheard of. Instead of monitoring the terminal acupoints as in the A.M.I. machine above, the Voll machine measures the electrical parameters of any single acupuncture point in the body. It can show which organs are affected by dis-ease (or un-ease) by analysing the electrical voltages associated with each spot. The Voll machine can help to find the reasons for energetic dysfunction and has a ‘treatment mode’. This can apply energy at the right frequency through resonance, or is used to introduce other substances into the electrical circuit for resonance information. This technique is used to match the frequency of homeopathic remedies to the patient. The Voll machine is also used to study the ill-effects of environmental poisons in the growing field of clinical ecology.

The Mora device has holders for multiple remedies for simultaneous testing to find resonance between them and the patient. Instead of a wire hook-up it uses radio waves to broadcast the vibrations to the machine. It is used to identify allergens and it is possible to inject special frequencies of subtle energy into meridians with this device.

The Interro system contains a memory bank of magnetically coded vibrational signatures for hundreds of homeopathic remedies. The computer searches the data bank for acupoint resonance reactions, meaning that the actual remedies don’t even need to be present for resonance tuning.

Light treatments for cancer are also in evidence. Photodynamic therapy uses drugs or herbs to enhance the body’s light sensitivity and then tunes in specific wavelengths of light. Reports suggest that this treatment destroys only malignant cells. Colour light therapy is a new field, directing specific colour frequencies that resonate with the patient into specific parts of the body.

These machines and others demonstrate the principles of frequency matching between patient and remedy. Radionics measures the patients primary energetic frequency. Although this is nonsense to most doctors. Energy or ‘vibrational’ medicine is heavily legislated against and machines have been made illegal and confiscated. This field has been overlooked for far too long.

In a recent study by the Department of Dermatology at the Mount Sinai-NYU Medical Center in New York, NY, aqueous extracts of green and black teas were revealed to ward off experimentally induced animal tumors, particularly those caused by ultraviolet (UV) light-induced skin carcinogenesis. The study compared the impact of variable extractable fractions of green and black teas on scavenging hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and UV irradiation-induced formation of 8-hydroxy 2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in vitro.

These samples were extracted via serial chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The extracts were then divided into four subfractions. Upon their division, they were designated as GT1-4 for green tea and BT1-4 for black tea. The team then monitored their affect on various controlled tumor growths.

The study’s results showed that both green and black tea exhibited a very strong scavenging capacity of exogenous H2O2 in a dose-dependent manner. Black tea appeared to scavenge H202 in a more effective manner than green tea. Specifically, when tested individually, the results for green tea’s potency as a scavenging agent for H202 were as follows: GT2 > GT3 > GT1 > GT4. The order for the potency as a scavenging agent for black tea was: BT2 > BT3 > BT4 > BT1.

The study also showed that the total fractions of green and black teas possessed the ability to dramatically inhibit the induction of 8-OHdG in a calf’s thymus by all three portions of UV spectrum (UVA, B, and C). Like the results found in the study of the scavenging ability of green and black tea in regards to H202, the subfractions from black tea showed a greater ability to thwart UV-induced 8-OHdG than those from green tea. The final results of both the green and black teas’ effectiveness were remarkably similar.

At lower concentrations, the order of potency most effective at thwarting 8-OHdG by green tea was GT2 > GT3 > GT4 > GT1. Black tea seemed to thwart 8OHdG at all levels, and the order of potency was BT2 > BT3 > BT4 > BT1. The effectiveness of all subfractions evened out when the dosage amounts were raised to the levels of what would be considered a high concentration.

When Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), an ingredient found in green tea extract, was added to low concentrations of green and black tea extracts, the scavenging of H202 and the quenching of 8-OHdG was increased dramatically. This provided compelling evidence that the role of EGCG in both thwarting 8-OHdG and scavenging H202 is significant in both green and black teas. These findings also indicated that if EGCG is extracted and used as a bolstering agent to green and black tea, this might hold scientific and medical significance in the future. Further study is definitely warranted.

Overall, the results of this test were powerful indicators of the role teas might play in being able to scavenge oxygen species and blocking UV-induced oxidative DNA damage. These results could play a major role, or at the very least, be used as a weapon against future exposure. More study is needed, but the results were both compelling and promising.

Additionally, the EGCG addition and the subsequent results provide a very good indicator of its role in the antioxidant activities of tea extracts. The ability to scavenge oxygen species and block UV-induced oxidative DNA damage is a likely explanation, at least in demonstrating how green and black teas inhibit photocarcinogenesis.

These results possess great promise both in terms of regular use of teas as a scavenging agent and inhibitor. The study also suggests the benefits of using both in higher concentrated dosages. Their impact as a regular mechanism for avoiding exposure or warding off contamination has yet to be determined.

Asbestos Cancer Mesothelioma is a malignant disease to take a lot of lifes each year, many people concentrate their effort in to know o find out a cure for this disease, and in other economic aspect of the asbestos, such as money compensation.

However, last researches to point out that a blood test could help screen for pleural mesothelioma by checking the blood for high levels of a protein called osteopontin, because blood esteopontin levels rise dramatically in the early stages of pleural mesothelioma, this kind of cancer is a deadly asbestos related illness.

The pleural mesothelioma is a rare disease of the lining of the lung and chest cavity that is usually cancerous, the cause is asbestos exposure and it could take 15 to 35 years to develop the disease, from the time of asbestos exposure.

The above exposure can be direct with the substance or second-hand with a family member whose clothing or skin carried the asbestos into the home. Obviously in the last case the development of the disease could take more than 35 years.

To say, the pleural mesothelioma was so difficult to detect its in early, high mortality rate and a life expectancy of few months, but with the new blood test there are higher percentage of probabilities to detect this kind of cancer, moreover its can detect or determine other kinds of asbestos related cancer. But in the letter case the findings need further study, other kind of cancer to could be early detected for osteopontin blood test is for instance “Ovarian Cancer”.

So, the earlier to pleural mesothelioma cancer is detected, the better and if you want to know how to do it, a blood test could be very useful in this case, and don´t forget it, “Osteopontin”.

Cancer is a word that strikes fear in the heart of individuals and families. When it strikes close to us we sit impotently by as we watch our loved one suffer. The victim is usually offered surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and goes through a dreadful time of illness and suffering, not knowing whether they are winning the battle. Cancers vary. Some are more aggressive than others. Some have a reasonable chance of survival. Other cancers are outright killers. A cancer death is always ugly, usually painful and often degrading.

We know that the rates of most cancers are rising, especially breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. We know that the death rates in these cancers have dropped but the suffering has not. We also know that a great deal of research has been undertaken but most of the results we hear about are concerned with treatment. Perhaps there is a new wonder drug on the market or a new discovery about how to administer radiation. This research is of course very helpful once we are ill but why isn’t there more effort put into prevention? Do we need to get ill in the first place?

There are several fairly obvious reasons why most money, effort and publicity is put into cure rather than prevention. It is really very easy to understand but this bias is hard to justify.

• First, almost all of us live in a capitalist economy. Businesses have to make money and so they need to sell products. Drug companies invest heavily in each drug that they develop and many never reach the market so pharmaceutical companies need to market their products very strongly in order to recoup money for their shareholders.
• Second, prevention doesn’t sell newspapers and is hard to prove. The absence of something is never as interesting or startling as drama. Prevention doesn’t captivate the audience in the same way as dramatic cures. Being saved from a trauma is much more interesting than the absence of trauma in the first place. Drama sells newspapers, books, radio, TV and films.
• Third, there are vested interests in many of the products that are causing cancer. In 1939 there was definite proof that tobacco smoking causes lung cancer. Serious efforts to curtail smoking have only occurred in some countries recently. In others, it hasn’t started. We have a long way to go before we restrict other cancer causing agents.
• Fourth, politicians don’t win votes on prevention. Prevention is slow. The results are only seen over the long term. Politicians are generally disinterested in things that can’t be accomplished within their term of office.

The good news is that a great deal is known about the cancer process and the variety of things that can affect it. There are three major steps in development. They often occur over long periods of time, even decades, but can occur simultaneously in one part of the body. The steps are MUTATION, CANCER PROMOTION and CANCER PROGRESSION.

The chances of any of these steps taking place in your body can be significantly reduced by understanding and knowledge. Research has explained most of the mechanisms that underlie cellular errors and the progression of changes from a normal cell to a cancer cell. Intelligent people are capable of understanding these processes even without a Science or Health background. Research has also gone a long way to showing us how the three stages can be eliminated or minimized. This is still work in progress but there is already a great deal that you can do right NOW.

Throughout the world, cancer remains a leading cause of death. All told, more than six million people around the globe die of the disease each year. Cancer has become a particular concern in China, where the mortality rate from the disease has been on the rise. In fact, some 1.5 million people in China died of cancer in the year 2000.

For Chinese men, the most common form of cancer is cancer of the stomach, followed by liver cancer, cancer of the oesophagus, lung cancer, and intestinal cancers. Stomach cancer is also most common for women, followed by uterine, oesophagus, lung, and liver cancer.

An Increase in Western Cancers

Because of the increase in economic development in China, it appears that the nation is witnessing an increase in cancers most common in the West. As a result, the incidence of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers in China is expected to rise exponentially. This stands to reason, given the fact that such cancers have increased a great deal in Taiwan and Hong Kong as those nations have modernized.

In an effort to stem the cancer tide, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association is screening a million Chinese women over six years. The project is designed to help save lives through early detection. Geographical Considerations

Cancers in China also appear to vary by geography. For the most part, cancer is most prevalent in East China, North China, and Northwest China. Cancer is decidedly less common in South China, Southwest China, and Northeast China. It has been said that the highest cancer mortality rate occurs in the city of Shanghia and in the provinces of Jaingsu, Fujian, and Zhejiang.

For cancer of the oesophagus in particular, the worst mortality rate occurs in North China, specifically the Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi provinces. It appears that, in the outer reaches of these provinces, the mortality rate is less severe than in the inner reaches. There is some indication that oesophagus cancer may be linked to nitrites, although the evidence is not conclusive.

The Tobacco Factor

Because of widespread tobacco use in China, cases of lung cancer in the nation are expected to increase significantly. Currently, China is home to some 320 million smokers—in fact, it’s considered to be the smoking capital of the world. By the year 2025, as many as two million Chinese residents may die of lung cancer and other tobacco-related diseases each year.

Other Risk Factors

There are additional environmental factors which may contribute to the increase in cancer in China. For instance, an upsurge in the Hepatitis B infection may be responsible for the high incidence of liver cancer in the Asian nation. And stomach cancer may be exacerbated by the Chinese diet of high-salt fermented food and unsanitary food storage procedures.

Examining Oesophageal Cancer In-Depth

Because of the prevalence of cancer of the oesophagus in China, it only makes sense that researchers would take a closer look at ways the Chinese might be able to cut their risk for this form of cancer.

A research team at the Harbin Medical College in China decided to zero in on the factors leading to oesophageal cancer in northeast China. In an article entitled, “Risk Factors for Oesophageal Cancer in Northeast China,” J. Hu and his research team document a hospital-based study of oesophageal cancer in the Heilongjiang Province.

It should be pointed out that this province is actually a low-risk area for this form of cancer. However, from May of 1985 to May of 1989, dozens of cancer patients were interviewed in the wards of several major hospitals for the purpose of the study.

Serious Risk Factors

The research team gathered evidence relating to diet, socio-economic status, incidence of smoking, and alcohol use. Not surprisingly, the researchers found that smoking and alcohol consumption appeared to be significant risk factors for cancer of the oesophagus. Those people who had smoked handmade cigarettes were at the greatest risk.

Reducing the Risk

The Chinese researchers found that there were demonstrated ways that people could reduce their risk of developing oesophageal cancer. For instance, eating a greater amount of fruits and vegetables lowered oesophageal cancer risk by 35 percent. By the same token, upping vitamin C intake by 100 mg reduced the risk of cancer of the oesophagus by 39 percent.

The researchers also found that using salt did not seem to increase the risk for oesophageal cancer. Likewise, foods preserved in salt and pickled vegetables offered no heightened risk.

Combating Cancer Over the Long Term

Treating cancer of the oesophagus and other cancers is a particular challenge in China and the rest of the developing world. That’s because the cancers tend to be discovered late when the chances of successful treatment are much lower. Treatment may also be difficult because the nation’s pain medications tend to be less effective than those found in the West. As a result, groups such as the American Cancer Society are working to improve the quality of life for Chinese cancer patients, particularly in the area of pain medication.

After active treatment is a time when patients often feel at a loss. The frequent treatments, follow ups and consultations have ended, but the fear of recurrence and side-effects of treatment may not have not gone away. The transition away from the aggressive fight to a care that is not as defined leaves many wanting. The physical body may be very different than the one that was there before cancer. Old ailments may flare up like allergies or excema and new problems may compound the picture. Complimentary and natural health strategies in the post-treatment phase help fill the gap not only on the physical level and also provide much needed calm. The importance of nutrition, exercise, and related lifestyle factors take center stage along with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

In a study of 551 breast cancer survivors. Two-thirds (66%) of the women used at least one CAM (complimentary and Alternative Medicine) therapy during the previous 12 months, and the majority of them perceived that their CAM use was without the recommendation of their doctor. Relaxation/meditation, herbs, spiritual healing, and megavitamins were used most often. Significant predictors of CAM use included younger age, higher education, and private insurance. The majority of the CAM therapies were perceived by their users to be at least “moderately important” in remaining free of cancer. The reasons given for using CAM were to enhance overall quality of life, to feel more in control, to strengthen the immune system, and to reduce stress. Those surveyed stated that CAM use did not reflect negative attitudes towards conventional medical care, but rather an orientation to self-care in the optimization of their health and well being. Altern Ther Health Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;10(1):52-7.

Often people think of health as the absence of disease and although that is huge especially for a cancer patient, real health is the person functioning at peak and optimal performance physically, mentally and emotionally without limitation by energy, pain, nor dysfunction of body systems. Optimal health may look different depending upon your individual circumstances. Not everyone will return to their pre-diagnosis life the same as they do after treatment, nor should they.

Rachel Naomi Remen, a doctor and author of Kitchen Table wisdom says, “Sometimes what appears to be a catastrophe, over time becomes a strong foundation from which to live a good life. It’s possible to live a good life even though it isn’t an easy life. And I think that’s one of the best kept secrets in America.” I see people with cancer and other people who have encountered very difficult experiences in their lives as teachers of wisdom. It’s as if the repository of the wisdom to live well is with the sick people in our culture.”

Making choices to live well should include natural medicine. Blood markers may be used to design a recovery program, along with measurements of nutritional or hormonal status. Other times, by looking at the pattern of imbalance within Chinese medicine customized herbal combinations are formulated to address the individuals’ presentation. Acupuncture helps to relieve pain, reduce inflammation restore normalcy to every body system and calm the mind.

Perhaps a surgery recovery program will address your needs. Each person is unique in what they may need.

The proverb, “life is suffering, pain is optional”, can be understood that life is difficult, there is much suffering, but how we react to this circumstance is what can determine the quality of our life. This and staying healthy with natural medicine may keep you away from reoccurence or retard a cancer’s growth.

“Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for 90% of the visible signs of aging on the skin of whites,” says Dr. Michael J. Martin, former Assistant Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco.

Blacks’ skin, however, ages much slower.

Why are most dark-skinned blacks protected from harmful UV rays? Because compared to whites, blacks possess more melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color.

Melanin

Melanin offers protection against UV rays for blacks and other dark-skinned people. Conversely, fair-skinned people are much less protected and more susceptible to skin cancer. Furthermore, albinos’ skin offers no protection.

Although blacks’ skin produces more melanin than whites’, all skin has the same number of melanocytes, the cells that manufacture the melanin.

Melanocytes manufacture melanin from an amino acid, tyrosin, with the help of an enzyme, tyrosinase. In the bottom layer of the epidermis above the dermis, UV light stimulates the production of melanin in the form of insoluble melanosomes. These surround the epidermal cells, which move up to the surface of the skin. The result is a tan.

Blacks’ skin produce more melanin, even in the absence of sunlight, and their type of melanin, eumelanin, is more effective at blocking solar rays. However, white skin produces melanin only in the presence of sunlight and after the UV rays have penetrated the lower portion of the epidermis and have caused skin damage.

“Melanin also functions as an excellent free radical scavenger. It affects the delicately designed lipids that hold moisture in the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis). If the skin loses its moisture, it becomes rigid and cracks,” says Sergio Nacht, PhD., Senior Vice-President of Enhanced Derm Technologies, Inc. in Redwood City.

UV Radiation and Skin

UV-A has the longest wavelength, is not filtered by the ozone and passes through glass. It reaches the earth all year long and the amount is comparatively stable. It can penetrate the skin down to the dermis, beneath the four layers of epidermis. It is responsible for most of the visible signs of aging, due to damage to collagen and elastic fibers of the connective tissue of the dermis.

UV-A radiation also plays a role in the development of sunburns and skin cancer. Tanning salon lamps emit a large amount of UV-A rays to generate tans, so the American Academy of Dermatology does not recommend their use.

UV-B radiation, which is partially filtered by the ozone, penetrates the skin to the bottom layer of the epidermis where the basal cells are produced. UV-B can break the molecular bonds, disturbing the dividing cells and altering their structure. Compared with UV-A, UV-B is responsible for most of DNAs damage. It also causes most sunburns. During a sunburn the reddening of the skin, erythema, is caused by dilation of capillaries.

More UV-B is present during summer months between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and at latitudes closer to the equator. Furthermore, at high altitudes the air is thinner and cleaner, so UV-B radiation is more abundant.

UV-C, which is generally filtered by the ozone, has the shortest wavelength and the most energy, or intensity. It can sterilize hospital equipment and kill bacteria.

In addition, UV light that reaches the earth is scattered in all directions, and up to 85% is reflected from surfaces.

The Theory of Melanin for Environmental Adaptation

Originally, people of a particular race resided in a particular area. As time went on, their skin adapted to the environment. For instance, people who lived geographically close to the equator had darker skin, and people who lived far from the equator had lighter skin.

In Scotland, which lies at a northern latitude, descendants of the Britons have white skin. When their skin is exposed to the meager sunlight, the scant amount of melanin their skin produces is unable to block the sunlight. Therefore, their bodies are able to make Vitamin D with the help of sunlight. Vitamin D, a vitamin found in fish oil, is necessary to prevent rickets, a bone disease caused by too little calcium.

In contrast, in Africa, which is near the equator, blacks require intense sunlight to penetrate their dark skin to make Vitamin D. This is all well and good. However, when blacks lived in England during the Industrial Revolution, they were the first to develop symptoms of rickets, such as retarded growth, bowed legs and fractures because not enough sunlight was available.

Fortunately, in 1930, Vitamin D was discovered and dispensed as a supplement to add to the diet.

On the other hand, the skin of whites in Australia are in complete opposition to their climate. Consequently, intense UV radiation has been the major cause of skin damage and skin cancer Down Under.

Over 100,000 people will find out that they have colon cancer just in the United States alone. Colon cancer is one of the most spread cancer types in the U.S. while being the second and third factor of cancer death. But, thanks to new screening methods cancer can be diagnosed in its earliest stages resulting in a rising number of people being cured of this disease.

Since an abnormal cell needs 10-15 years to evolve into colorectal cancer, regular cancer testing would help diagnose and cure it before becoming a problem.

It is recommended that routine colonoscopies should be made every ten years since the age of 50. If you know that in your family someone had colon cancer or any other cancer forms you should start regular screenings more frequently and since at an earlier age.

The reason thatcolon cancer emerges is unknown and since it’s useless to prevent the abnormal cells from appearing there are measurements you can do to prevent it.

Two kinds of risk factors cause colorectal cancer: the ones you can do something about and the ones you can’t control. The last type of factors includes:

* Age. The risk of getting colon cancer increases with the age. Sure, the risk exists even if you are young but it’s way smaller.

* Family history. If some close relative of you has adenamotous polyps or colorectal cancer while they are still young your doctor will recommend colorectal cancer screenings before you are 50 years old because of the increased risk of developing the disease.

* Other risk increasing diseases. If you have Crohn’s disease or any other chronic inflammatory bowel disease the risk for developing colon cancer increases. It is recommended having regular screenings after you have been diagnosed with any inflammatory bowel disease. If you have diabetes your risk of having colon cancer increases by 40 percent.

* Ethnic Background. Eastern Europeans, Jewish population and the African Americans tend to have an increased factor risk for colorectal cancer due to a genetic mutation.

Your doctor should be informed if you think you have some of these factors. Depending on these factors your doctor will advise you to begin the colorectal screenings earlier.

The risk factors that you can control include:

* The diet. Animal fats increase the risks of colon cancer. It is known that many fruits and vegetables lower the risk of cancer formation so it’s recommended to have them every day and trying to substitute animal based food with “green” products.

* Exercise. Exercising will increase your fitness and in the same time lower the risk of most diseases including colorectal cancer.

* Obesity. Overweight is increases the chances of dying from colorectal cancer. You need to speak with your doctor about helping you lose some weight.

* Smoking. This is responsable for 12 percent of all deaths caused by colorectal cancer. Besides, the chemicals contained by cigarettes are responsable for all sorts of cancer.

* Alcohol. You can lower the risk of colorectal cancer by consuming less alcohol because, large alcohol intake increases the risk.

It really doesn’t matter what your risk factor is. You can change the development of colon cancer by maintaining a healthy life. This includes exercising, having care of your diet and weight and limiting smoking and drinking.