The 33-year-old mother who has tested positive for the BRCA2 cancer gene is one of 12 people in her family over three generations linked to the gene or diagnosed with cancer. Now Koszegi is using her family’s genetic history to contribute to cancer research, prevention and treatment — with the aim of improving the quality of life for those facing hereditary risk…
“Oncology is an exceptionally rewarding career, but it can be demanding and stressful at times,” said Dr Susana Banerjee, lead author of the study and a consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Trust in London, UK. “Oncologists make complex decisions about cancer management, supervise the use of toxic therapies, work long hours, and continually face patients suffering and dying,” she said…
The study made a surprising finding: While most women were satisfied with their decision whether they followed it with breast reconstruction or not, patients who decided against reconstructive surgery were likelier to say they would choose to have both breasts removed again. …
source : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140203131317.htm
For centuries, silica has been known to cause lung disease (silicosis). Evidence that silica causes lung cancer has been more recent, accumulating over the last several decades. Writing in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Kyle Steenland, PhD, at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, and Elizabeth Ward, PhD, of the American Cancer Society highlight three important developments that hold potential to prevent illness and death from silica exposure at work…
source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/27/marriage-equality-has-health-benefits-for-all/
Doctors who wear casual and even “scruffy” clothes to work not only look unprofessional, but they also convey a lackluster attitude toward personal hygiene, which could have implications for hospital infections, one doctor argues. Dr. Stephanie Dancer, a consultant microbiologist at Hairmyres Hospital in Scotland, says that after the United Kingdom's Department of Health recommended in 2007 that doctors not wear ties, many younger doctors started to dress very informally. There was even a report at one hospital of doctors wearing ripped jeans. “I hear that patients complain that they do not know who the doctor is no tie, no white coat, no jacket and no presence,” Dancer said. “Untidiness erodes the image of doctors as responsible and competent.” Although some studies suggest that men's ties contribute to the spread of bacteria between doctors and patients, Dancer pointed out that diseases are spread in many ways. “Hand-touch contact, airborne delivery, environmental reservoirs and human carriage are all implicated in transmission,” Dancer said. Scruffiness in appearance also suggests “a lack of personal hygiene, and correspondingly lower standards of hygienic behavior,” Dancer said. “It could be argued that ditching the white coat and tie for hygiene purposes has had the converse effect,” in that informal attitude could encourage less-rigorous practice of infection control, Dancer said. “Before the antibiotics run out, we need to revisit the hygiene values of the past, and we need to communicate those values to the doctors of the future,” Dancer said. Dancer's view was published June 13 in the British Medical Journal. 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/2013/06/13/doctors-should-dress-sharp-in-name-hygiene-doc-says/
An estimated 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have some form of hearing loss due to exposure to loud noise at work or at play. That’s partly because our suburban and urban lifestyle has gotten louder, due to things like city traffic, a screeching subway, a football game, a loud bar or restaurant, or leaf blowers in the suburbs.  Research has also shown that the now ubiquitous practice of listening to music through earphones increases the risk of hearing loss. Aside from damaging hearing, loud noises are also associated with stress and symptoms of stress like hypertension and cardiovascular disease. As the noise level has increased, we’ve grown accustomed to the higher decibels, so it’s become difficult to know what is normal and what is too loud. According to the National Institutes of Health, long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the shorter the time period before noise-induced hearing loss can occur. Regular exposure to more than one minute of 110 decibels or more risks permanent hearing loss. Less than 75 decibels is generally considered safe. Now to put that into perspective: Normal conversation is approximately 60 decibels, heavy city traffic can reach 85 decibels, stadium noise can roar to 120 decibels, a rock concert or symphony orchestra can reach 110 decibels, a snowmobile generates 100 decibels, and a movie hovers at 85 – but can have 100 decibel peaks. A good way of gauging high decibels is if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone sitting or standing nearby; this is not uncommon in noisy restaurants, bars or at a concert. If the noise hurts your ears, it’s also a sign that it’s too loud. To get a more accurate reading on sound, you can download an app that can quickly measure decibels. “If you think something’s loud, you can pick up the phone and see just how loud it is,” said Dr. Annette Hurley, associate professor of communications disorders at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.   Walk into a restaurant, quickly test the decibels, and go somewhere else if it registers above 75. If you feel like being an advocate for all patrons, you can bring it to the attention of the restaurant owner, who may be able to lower the decibels simply by turning down the background music. If you’re going to a concert or other noisy venue, take earplugs to dampen the sound. Here are a few apps that Dr. Hurley recommends:  - dB Volume Meter - TooLoud? - deciBel It’s also a good idea to set maximum decibels on your personal listening device. If you’re trying to hear your music in a place that’s already noisy, it’s easy to inadvertently turn up the volume to damaging levels. Make sure it’s set below 85 decibels, recommended Dr. Hurley.Laurie Tarkan is an award-winning health journalist whose work appears in the New York Times, among other national magazines and websites. She has authored several health books, including “Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility.” Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/11/avoid-hearing-loss-check-decibels-before-entering-room/
What if you had the ability to heal your body just by changing how you think and feel? I know it sounds radical, coming from a doctor. When people are doing everything “right”—eating veggies, avoiding red meat and processed foods, exercising, sleeping well and so forth—we should expect them to live long, prosperous lives and die of old age while peacefully slumbering, right? So why is it that so many health nuts are sicker than other people who pig out, guzzle beer and park in front of the TV…