Tag Archives: foxnews

Michael Douglas’ reveal: Can you get throat cancer from oral sex?

Michael Douglas made a shocking announcement on Sunday, maintaining that his throat cancer hadn’t been caused by drinking or smoking – but by having oral sex. “Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus,” Douglas told The Guardian newspaper.  The 68-year-old actor also went on to speculate that the stress of his son Cameron’s incarceration might have helped trigger the cancer as well. While a connection between oral sex and cancer may seem bizarre, it is very possible that some oral cancers are the end result of intimate sexual contact. Rates of oral cancer – sometimes referred to as head and neck cancers – have been on the rise over the past decade.  While the main risk factors for oral cancers typically include drinking alcohol and smoking, around 25 percent of mouth and 35 percent of throat cancers are related to human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. “(HPV) is present within the fluids that are part of oral sexual behavior,” Dr. Marshall Posner, director of the head and neck oncology program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told FoxNews.com. “The vaginal fluids and semen will contain epithelial cells that have the virus on them and also free viral particles that can cause infection.” HPV cannot be transmitted through blood contact, but Posner said it may be possible to contract the virus from the direct contact of fluids through kissing. This can occur if an individual kisses someone who previously performed oral sex on someone else who had the virus. “If the virus is present in the oral pharynx and if it gets secreted in the saliva, then the saliva will contain potentially dangerous viral particles,” Posner said. There are more than 100 different types of HPV, and nearly everyone contracts some form of the virus in their youth.  Fortunately, the majority of HPV strains do not cause any symptoms, and in 90 percent of cases, the infection is naturally eradicated from the body within two years. However, some HPV types can cause genital warts, while others may lead to certain cancers in rare cases. HPV 16 and HPV 18 – which are sexually transmitted – are most closely associated with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer. According to Posner, 3 percent of adult males and 1 percent of adult females will have detectable HPV 16 in their saliva at any given moment in time.  However, just because HPV is detected in a sample of someone with oral cancer does not necessarily mean HPV caused the cancer.  According to the National Health Service in Britain, the virus becomes part of the pre-existing cancer cells’ genetic material, fostering the cells to grow. Oropharyngeal cancer symptoms include a lump in the back of the throat or mouth, pain in the ear or back of tongue, and difficulty swallowing. While the prognosis for HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer is around 40 to 50 percent, the survival outcomes are generally better for HPV-positive cancers, ranging from 80 to 95 percent.  However, that prognosis is affected by drinking and smoking, which may have been a problem for Douglas. In the United States, HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer represents 60 percent of the total number of orapharyngeal cancer cases, which equal to about 15,000 per year.  Posner estimated that those cases will increase to 20,000 a year by the year 2015. While researchers cannot fully explain the rising rates of these cancers, one of the biggest risk factor for contracting HPV-positive oroharyngeal cancer includes having a high number of sexual partners, Posner said. “In smoking cigarettes and cancer, it doesn’t matter what brands you smoked, it matters how many you smoked,” Posner said.  “With HPV, it’s about the number of ‘brands’ you’ve been involved with. If you have numerous partners, you have a much higher risk of developing cancer. So (monogamous) people should go ahead and have the same intimate and personal relationship that they have with their partners and not be worried about it.” For those looking to protect themselves from contracting dangerous forms of HPV, practicing safe sex by using protection such as condoms and dental dams may help to diminish the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.  Posner also called for parents to get their children – including young boys –vaccinated against HPV. “I think people should make every effort to have children vaccinated, so I don’t have to treat this in the future,” Posner said.  I think it’s very important and to cure cancer we have to support research – it’s the best way we have to figure out how to cure this. Click to learn more about HPV from Mount Sinai Hospital.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/michael-douglass-reveal-can-get-throat-cancer-from-oral-sex/

Elephant at Oregon Zoo diagnosed with tuberculosis

The Oregon Zoo has quarantined an elephant that tested positive for tuberculosis. “Rama,” an Asian elephant that was born at the Portland-based zoo in 1983, tested positive on Friday. He shows no symptoms of the disease, poses no threat to visitors and is expected to make a complete recovery, zoo staff said. “We're confident Rama is going to be fine,” zoo director Kim Smith told The Oregonian newspaper. “It's a very treatable disease. We've caught it early with Rama. We feel very good about this.” Treatment with drugs, however, is expensive, costing more than $50,000, the newspaper reported. None of the other elephants in the zoo's heard of eight Asian elephants are showing signs of tuberculosis, but they will be retested. The zoo tested some staff members Friday and will continue this week. It's unknown how Rama contracted the disease. Tuberculosis spreads among people and between people and animals through airborne bacteria carried in droplets. To become infected, you must be directly exposed to the bacteria while it's airborne. “In order to contact TB, you have to be in really close contact for hours at a stretch,” Smith said. The zoo has tested the herd annually for TB since 1999, based on guidelines developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those guidelines stemmed from the 1996 deaths of two circus elephants touring in California. An estimated 3 percent of the elephants in the United States have the disease, according to a 2000 study published in the journal Zoo Biology. The zoo gets 1.6 million visitors a year and the elephant herd is a popular attraction. Rama is the smallest of its adult bull elephants, weighing 9,000 pounds.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/elephant-at-portland-zoo-has-tuberculosis/

Naturally conceived quintuplets born in Czech Republic for first time

A 23-year-old Czech woman has given birth to quintuplets for the first time in the Czech Republic. Officials at Prague's Institute for the Care of Mother and Child say four boys - Deniel, Michael, Alex and Martin - and a girl - Terezka - were born by cesarean section on Sunday. Zbynek Stranak, chief doctor at the neonatal section of the institute says the birth took place “without any complications.” Stranak says that Alexandra Kinova and her five babies have been placed at an intensive care unit. He says the babies who were naturally conceived have a 95-percent chance to grow up healthy. The father was present at the birth. Kinova who is from Milovice, a town located northeast of Prague, already had a son.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/naturally-conceived-quintuplets-born-in-czech-republic-for-first-time/

Tired of water? Mix your own fresh flavors

The next time you want a drink of water, instead of going to the faucet or the refrigerator dispenser, try looking in your crisper drawer. Unless you’re a bachelor with nothing in the drawer but a dried out apple and a wilted lettuce leaf, I’m betting you’ve got the secret to delicious tasting water right there in your refrigerator. I’m sure you’ve heard a thousand times that you need to drink more water.  So I’m not going to tell you again. I’m just going to ask one question.   Why aren’t you doing it? Your body needs water to be healthy. Your skin will feel softer, and you will look younger if you drink more water. Soda, coffee and tea and all those other chemical-filled drinks just aren’t giving your body the water it craves.   As a health advocate, I have to tell you that you need to try harder to find water that you like to drink – and that’s where your crisper drawer comes in. You can make a huge variety of delicious flavored waters just by adding some of your favorite fruits, vegetables or herbs.  I got my inspiration from the website 52 Kitchen Adventures. The author lists 50 of her favorite flavor combinations, including things like lemon and lavender, watermelon and mint, cucumber and lime or papaya and mango.  It’s easy to do.  Just wash your produce carefully, cut it up and add it to your water.  If you use herbs, rub the fresh leaves between your hands to bruise them before adding them to the water. Depending on what you include, you may want to pour it through a filter to remove the small particles before you drink it. A fine mesh strainer for loose tea or a paper coffee filter will work great for this. Try out different flavors by making one glass at a time or mix up a whole pitcher and you’ll be set for the day. If you just can’t wait to try it, you can drink it as soon as you put it all together. But to get the most flavor, you’ll want to let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Just remember, this is fresh produce, so if you leave the fruit in the water for more than a day or two, the water may change color and start to taste bitter.  That’s a good sign it’s time to dump that batch and start over. My best suggestion is to mix up as much as you think you can drink in 24 hours.  If you get to the end of the day and have some left over, strain out the fruit and freeze it into ice cubes for tomorrow. If you want to jump-start a cold pitcher of water, try using frozen mixed fruit or berries.  That way the fruit will flavor and chill the water at the same time.   This can also be a great way to get your kids started on a healthier path.  Let them choose their favorite fruit for their own special blend, or hold a family contest to see who can come up with the best flavor.  If you have the space, let everyone create their own mix then judge which flavor was the family favorite by seeing which flavor is gone first. Even if the kids guzzle their own creations to win, you’ll know they are drinking the healthy water they need to stay hydrated. And hopefully you’ll all be forming a water-drinking habit that will last for the rest of your lives. So what’s your favorite way to flavor your water?  Visit EmpowHER to share your ideas under the “wellness” category.Michelle King Robson (pronounced robe-son) is one of the nation's leading women's health and wellness advocates. She is the Founder, Chairperson and CEO of EmpowHER, one of the fastest-growing and largest social health companies dedicated exclusively to women's health and wellness. & In 2011 EmpowHER reached more than 60 million women onsite and through syndication expects to reach more than 250 million in 2012.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/tired-water-mix-your-own-fresh-flavors/

Utah twins doing well after being born on side of interstate

A set of Utah twins are doing well after they were born on the side of an interstate Sunday. Fox 13 reports Lynette Hales of Utah was not due until August, but began to go into labor while visiting a friend in Nevada. Her friend began driving her to the hospital, but was forced to pull over on the side of Interstate 80 as Hales grew closer to delivery. With the help of a 911 dispatcher, Hales' friend was able to deliver both boys. The first twin, named J.J., was not breathing, so Hales performed CPR on him and was able to resuscitate him. J.J. and his twin, A.J., were taken  to a Utah hospital and are doing well, Fox 13 reports. Click for more from Fox 13.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/utah-twins-doing-well-after-being-born-on-side-interstate/

Vinegar cancer test saves lives, India study finds

MUMBAI, India – & A study of women in India has found that a simple test using vinegar could save thousands of lives a year by spotting early signs of cervical cancer. Researchers tested 150,000 women in India, where cervical cancer is the leading cancer killer of women. Vinegar swabbed onto the cervix can cause abnormal cells to change color, a warning sign that further testing is needed. The test lowered the cervical cancer death rate by 31 percent among women who were screened versus those in a comparison group who were not. Cancer experts say the vinegar test could help in many poor countries that cannot afford Pap tests and that it could save 73,000 lives worldwide each year. Results of the study were reported at a cancer conference in Chicago on Sunday.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/02/vinegar-cancer-test-saves-lives-india-study-finds/

France to ban electronic cigarettes in public

France will ban electronic cigarette smoking in public places by imposing the same curbs enforced since 2007 to combat tobacco smoking, Health Minister Marisol Touraine said on Friday. Amid mounting global concern over the public health implications of so-called e-cigarettes, Touraine said they faced the same fate as traditional ones: a ban on smoking in public spaces and sales to minors and a blackout on media advertising. In a country where the pungent waft of Gaulloises and Gitanes once seemed an unassailable part of cafe culture, smokers have long been banished to outdoor terrace seats. The near-odorless electronic alternative - battery-driven devices that allow users inhale odorless nicotine-laced vapor rather than smoke - are gaining ground in no-go zones such as bars, cafes, trains, waiting rooms and offices. A government-commissioned report said this week that around 500,000 people in France had turned to e-cigarettes, which are designed to look like cigarettes although some come in different colors, and recommended a crackdown on public use. Health officials in many countries say the impact of electronic cigarettes on health needs further study. Another worry they cite is that the electronic alternative will increase the general temptation to smoke, including enticing those who have quit to start again, or that smokers may use them alongside rather than instead of regular cigarettes. “This is no ordinary product because it encourages mimicking and could promote taking up smoking,” said Touraine, who announced her plans at a news conference. In the United States, the number of smokers who have tried out e-cigarettes doubled to one in five in 2011 and the number of all adults trying it doubled too, to 6 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In France, a country of 66 million, the government says tobacco smoking kills some 66,000 people a year and another 5,000 are killed through passive exposure to smoke. The expert in charge of the French report advised against an outright ban on e-cigarettes, however, saying they still seemed safer than tar-laden tobacco. Electronic cigarettes, whose invention is widely credited to a Chinese pharmacist a decade ago, usually comprise disposable cartridges of liquid such as propylene glycol that is easily turned to vapor and can contain artificial flavors alongside concentrated liquid nicotine.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/31/france-to-ban-electronic-cigarettes-in-public/

Florida man donates 100 gallons of blood

A South Florida man has reached a rare milestone. He's donated 100 gallons of blood. The Palm Beach Post reports 84-year-old Harold Mendenhall started giving blood on July 7, 1977. Last month, he logged his 100th gallon. Mendenhall started donating blood when his wife, Frankie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she died seven years later, Mendenhall says he was lost. He stopped by the blood bank on his way home from work. Soon he was donating six gallons a year. He's especially coveted because he donates blood platelets. Mendenhall says giving blood helped him cope with the loss of his wife and, later, two sons. There are other benefits to blood donation -- the blood bank offers coupons for free meals at area restaurants.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/florida-man-donates-100-gallons-blood/

Dealing with the side effects of cancer treatment

Are the side effects of cancer treatment worse than the cancer itself? My immediate response to that question is ‘Yes.’  But for me, the reality is that I have stage 4 cancer, so I have no choice but to suck it up.  As awful as this chemo is, I have to try, try, try to focus on the fact that it is working.  I just hate the way it makes me feel. When I was admitted into this phase one clinical trial , I was elated – even more so when I was told this drug had no side effects. “This is fantastic!” I thought.  It seemed almost too good to be true.  And of course, it was. I am exhausted.  My white count, red count and platelet levels are dangerously low.  The neuropathy in my feet is getting worse, and I now have jaw necrosis – which basically involves having your gums disappear, leaving jaw bone exposed. Talk about pain! Alright, enough complaining. No one wants to read bad news, so I apologize. I am just so tired of all of it.  But, I need to focus on the fact that this drug seems to be working, and the cancer in my liver has decreased a smidgeon, which is positively awesome. I want to share with you an example of how one small group of students put thought and effort in motion to make a difference.  I received a letter this week from the principal of St. Simon the Apostle School in Indianapolis, with a check enclosed for $1,177.  Last October, the students added pink accessories – pink socks, pink nail polish, etc. – to their uniforms in an effort to raise money for breast cancer awareness and to honor relatives who have fought this disease.  They made this donation to my foundation in honor of their math teacher who is retiring after 17 years.  Wow!  I am so honored that they would think of The Noreen Fraser Foundation and trust us to spend their money wisely.  And we will! Thank you to all the young kids and teenagers who move beyond self-indulgence to think of others and show compassion to those who are struggling.Noreen Fraser is living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. She is the Founder and CEO of the Noreen Fraser Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to funding groundbreaking women's cancer research.& To stay in touch with Noreen, please 'LIKE' The Noreen Fraser Foundation on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. & Noreen can be contacted via email at noreen@noreenfraserfoundation.org.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/dealing-with-side-effects-cancer-treatment/

Allergy meds can pose driving hazard, FDA says

Allergy medications may help you get through the spring and summer months, but it's important to know that the drugs could affect your ability to drive, the Food and Drug Administration is reminding consumers. These medications, which contain antihistamines, can sometimes cause drowsiness and slower reaction times, the FDA said. Consumers should read the drug facts label on their medication to see whether drowsiness is a side effect. If an allergy medication causes drowsiness, people need to be cautious about deciding to drive or operate machinery, the FDA says. People should avoid using alcohol, sedatives (sleep medications) and tranquilizers when taking allergy medication because these substances may increase drowsiness. [See Will Allergies Be Worse in 2013?] Those who switch to a new antihistamine drug should not assume they can take the same dose as they did with the older drug, the FDA says. Different allergy medications may be dosed differently, and people may need to alter the dose they take. People should not take more than the recommended dose. If the correct dosage isnt providing you the relief you expect, dont simply keep taking more and more of that product, FDA pharmacist Ayana Rowley said in a statement. Instead, people should consult a health care professional, Rowley said. Allergy sufferers should be aware that some allergy medications take longer to work than others. In addition, the drowsiness you feel after taking the medication may last some time, including into the next day, the FDA said. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/allergy-meds-can-pose-driving-hazard-fda-says/