Exercise may prevent and control cancer

Exercising daily not only prevents different forms of heart disease but is also highly beneficial for the people living with and beyond cancer, suggests a study. To spread the message, an initiative called -- Moving Through Cancer -- led by Kathryn Schmitz, professor of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, and an international team of health practitioners and researchers -- has been started.

In a paper published in 'CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians', Schmitz and her fellow researchers outline new exercise recommendations for people living with and beyond cancer. "With more than 43 million cancer survivors worldwide, we have a growing need to address the unique health issues facing people living with and beyond cancer and better understand how exercise may help prevent and control cancer," said Schmitz, who is also a member of the Penn State Cancer Institute.

"This esteemed, multidisciplinary group of leaders at the forefront of exercise oncology aimed to translate the latest scientific evidence into practical recommendations for clinicians and the public and to create global impact through a unified voice," added Schmitz.

According to the researchers, exercise is important for cancer prevention and can lower the risk of developing colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, bladder, esophagus and stomach cancers. Exercise during and after cancer treatment can help improve fatigue, anxiety, depression, physical function, and quality of life, and can also help improve survival after a breast, colon or prostate cancer diagnosis.

Depending on the patient's activity levels and abilities, the researchers generally recommend 30 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise three times a week and 20 to 30 minutes of resistance exercise twice a week. But, Schmitz said health care professionals can also customise exercise prescriptions to individual patients.

"Through our research, we've reached a point where we can give specific FITT exercise prescriptions -- which means frequency, intensity, time and type -- for specific outcomes like quality of life, fatigue, pain, and others," Schmitz said. "For example, if we're seeing a head and neck cancer patient with a specific set of symptoms, we could give them an exercise prescription personalised to them."

The recommendations are one result of a roundtable of experts formed by Schmitz and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to review the latest scientific evidence and offer recommendations about the benefits of exercise for prevention, treatment, recovery and improved survival for people living with and beyond cancer.

Schmitz said the second piece of the initiative is resources and programs to help get people with and beyond cancer moving. The Moving Through Cancer website has an exercise program registry that can help patients, families, health care providers and others find programs near them.

The final piece is policy, Schmitz said, which could be used to increase the likelihood that health care professionals will talk to their patients about exercise and that patients will be adequately referred to as they move through cancer.

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Cancer patients need custom exercise regime

Cancer patients, irrespective of their treatment type, must receive a custom exercise prescription to protect their heart, states a study. "Cancer patients are often less active than adults without cancer," said the author. "However, exercise is essential for patients diagnosed with cancer who are under treatment, irrespective of the type of treatment."

"Endurance training is more effective for improving cardiovascular performance and reducing inflammation, but resistance training may be a better starting point for frail cancer patients," explained the Dr. "Other types of exercise, such as inspiratory muscle training, are safe and effective, particularly in those with thoracic cancer; therefore, the specific exercise should be chosen based on individual characteristics," he continued.

Cardiovascular diseases are common side effects in patients with cancer. This is the result of cardio-toxicity, whereby cancer treatment impairs heart function and structure, or accelerated development of the cardiovascular disease, especially when risk factors such as high blood pressure are present.

Furthermore, cardiovascular diseases and cancer often share the same risk factors. Therefore, cancer patients are advised to eat healthily, quit smoking, control their weight, and exercise. The study  highlighted the importance of an individual exercise plan for each patient, taking into account personal history, cancer treatment, response to exercise, and personal preferences.

Exercise should start as soon as possible, even before starting treatment such as chemotherapy. A multidisciplinary team should be involved in formulating an exercise prescription, including oncologists, cardiologists, physical therapists, nurses, nutritionists, and psychologists.

Cardiac evaluation, with exercise testing (and particularly cardiopulmonary exercise testing or lactate testing) to determine response to exercise, is the starting point. The appropriate 'dose' of exercise (as usually done for a drug) can then be prescribed, including the intensity, type of training, and training volume (hours/minutes of training per week).

"Defining the intensity and volume of exercise is important for maximising the benefits of physical activity while avoiding muscular soreness, fatigue, and sleep disorders," said the Dr. Ongoing treatment is not a contraindication to exercise, but patients are urged to consult their doctor before starting a new activity. Specific guidance is provided: for example, patients with low haemoglobin levels should avoid high-intensity activities; those with low platelet levels (needed for blood clotting) should not do contact sports.

Activities that could increase the risk of fracture should be avoided in frail patients. Breathlessness or fatigue must be investigated but, after excluding associated health problems, exercise can help cope with fatigue, which is relatively common in cancer patients. 

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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The Many Dangers and Pitfalls Of Home Ancestry DNA Tests

Isn’t it tempting to be able to build your genealogical tree and learn about your health and dietary needs by simply spitting in a test tube? Little to no effort needed, you don’t even have to leave your home. Various private genealogical DNA companies have been offering and advertising these exact exciting services, at relatively low prices, too.

But are they safe? Are they even effective? Growing controversy and concerns are raised regarding these companies, with more and more people deeming them imprecise, vastly under regulated, and capable of exposing your identity to third parties.

So, are these tests worth it or are they a scam? Decide for yourself after reading about the shortcomings and dangers of at-home ancestry testing.

What Information Can Ancestry Tests Provide To You, and What Can't They?

Nowadays, genealogical DNA tests come in various forms, with some promising to decode your ancestry and others being able to build a custom diet plan or even tell you what medications to take. And while the promises of these companies are grand and exciting, they nearly never manage to live up to them.

Here are the things that no private company can do in a legitimate way, no matter how convincing they may sound:

1. Prescribe or adjust medications

Recently, the FDA issued a warning letter to  a company that claimed they can predict a person’s response to a specific medication through genetic testing without proving to be effective.

When prescribing this or that medication, a doctor is guided by several factors, among which are blood and other test results, age, other or previous health conditions, and even things like your activity level or diet. Though genetic makeup can be one of the many considerations in choosing a therapeutic strategy, it alone cannot possibly paint the complete picture.
2. Give dietary advice
There is at least one company offering clients a custom supplement subscription and a diet and exercise plan based on your DNA to target different concerns, such as skin health and weight loss. In a 2018 study, these seemingly custom dietary plans were proven to be ineffective and unable to yield any weight loss benefits during a year-long trial. Like the case with medications, a fitness plan needs to tailored by taking into account many factors. 

3. Tell you how susceptible you are to a certain illness
Many companies notify their clients that they are more likely to develop a specific condition because they have a certain gene in their DNA. In reality, though, genetics is more complicated than that, and not all people who have genes associated with an illness will ever develop that illness, or vice versa, some people who don’t have that gene will develop the same illness. This makes the predictive capacity of such tests extremely low.

What about ancestral predictions?

If a genetic company cannot improve your health and well-being, can it at least tell you where your ancestors are from? Well, kind of. Apart from the anecdotal stories about twins or even the same person getting different results not only across, but within the same company, the very claims of specific companies cast a shadow on their own reputations.

To illustrate these inconsistencies, let’s consider the story of Sigrid Johnson, whose ethnicity and origins were vastly misattributed across the 4 genetic ancestry platforms she tried. And while most of the tests she took agreed that Sigrid was part African and part South European, the percentages of these ancestries varied greatly, and one company, left over 30% of her genes unassigned.

Not only did one of these tests miss her African ancestry altogether, her results changed with time, with platforms such as Ancestry DNA and changing their mind about whether or not Sigrid had any ancestors from the Caucasus and if her Italian ancestry percentage was 0 or 50%.

Like Sigrid, many people find that their ancestry test results are not only inconsistent across platforms, but also change as the company updates their database, which means that you could be labeled as 50% East Asian today and 0% percent tomorrow.

Also, keep in mind that some of the companies use so-called confidence levels, which are ranges of the company’s certainty about your ancestry. In Sigrid’s case, for example, the company Ancestry DNA was 0-58% percent certain that she was African, which, needless to say, doesn’t exclude the possibility that she has no African descent at all. I am 0-58% percent certain that this kind of business strategy isn't deceitful to the customer.

What Information Can Ancestry Companies Keep or Share With Third Parties?

Now, it’s up for you to decide if you want to spend your hard-earned cash to view your approximate ancestry map, but what is really alarming is the quantity of your personal genetic information the genetic company can use. Genetic companies are private, so they don’t usually hand over their data to governmental agencies and other companies, plus they also have some minimal encryption system that protects confidentiality, but it is usually easy to trace back the client.

There were a few reported cases, however, that a genetic test company handed over the data about one of its clients to aid a criminal investigation. The first cases was published when the so-called Golden State Killer, was arrested. His identity was revealed by comparing the DNA from the crime scene not to his own, but to his cousin’s DNA, who happened to take a home ancestry test.

Whether or not you agree that the genetic company did the right thing, it remains a fact that they can use their DNA database to identify people. This means that you’re handing over your personal and unique biological data to a company that could use it for anything, much like you’re sharing your location when you’re using a navigator on your phone.

In fact, when you take the test, you give permission to the company to use and share your DNA, which is unique and is your property. As you can probably see, this is problematic both legally and morally, but the genetic ancestry industry is practically unregulated, so this is just how it is at the moment.

Are you ready to give the genetic company permission to use and resell information about your DNA in return to a cheap and largely imprecise ancestry estimate? It’s up to you.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/    

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7 Tricks That Will Help You Stop Worrying

Worrying is a harmful habit that disguises itself behind a real intention to solve a problematic situation. Unlike problem-solving, worrying usually leads nowhere and has a tendency to spiral out of control. Furthermore, psychologists point out that worrying is practically never helpful and can even disrupt our thinking processes.

In fact, by teaching our brains to react to stressful situations through ruminations, it decreases our problem-solving skills. That’s why it is necessary for everyone to learn a few tricks that can help stop this terrible habit. Here are 7 great practical strategies that will enable you to put an end to worrying.

1. Know What Triggers You

It is often the case that a specific topic or situation triggers anxiety, worries and repetitive thoughts. Learn what your buttons are to be able to avoid them. Plus, the very awareness of a triggering situation can make you more capable at controlling yourself.

A good exercise is to record or notice any events, situations or even people that make you worry. I, for one, know that I get very anxious when I have an unfinished project at home or at work, but the things that make you worry can be anything ranging from the news to the neighbors’ dog constantly barking.
Now that you have a more-or-less full list of potential triggers, it’s time to replace them with a positive alternative that will help you relax. For example, if you can’t fall asleep at night, turn on some calming music or watch TV for a few minutes. Switching from one task to another will help you cope with the stressful situation instead of thinking yourself into insanity.

2. Externalize the Things That Bother You

People who worry a lot tend to internalize the things that bother them by overthinking. This thinking process sometimes seems endless, and it is usually very difficult to stop.

To be able to break from the endless chain of thoughts, it can be useful to distance yourself from them. Imagine your thoughts and worries floating away from from you like clouds, or leaves on a stream.

3. Distract Yourself With Something Funny

Who said distractions can’t be useful? When you realize you’re beginning to worry, imagine something funny that could distract you from the worrisome idea. A famous psychological study tackling the subject of thought suppression showed that participants persist thinking about a specific image until they’re given an alternative.

In that study, participants were instructed NOT to think about a white bear, and guess what? It resulted in them not being able to think about anything else but the white bear, until they were given an alternative. I suggest thinking about this monkey with a funny haircut eating a banana, but the image you choose is up to you.

Every time you catch yourself worrying, just think about this monkey. Chances are, it will distract you from your ruminations.

4. Ask Yourself: “Is Worrying Useful in the Given Situation?”

Asking yourself this question can be a way for you to think critically about your own behavior. By “useful” we mean whether or not you can see any productivity in worrying: have you found any practical solutions to the problem at hand while worrying? Did the ruminations let you see the situation in a more positive light?

If not, then the worrying is not worth all that time and effort you are spending on it. In fact, in most cases, it works the other way around: instead of feeling relieved after thinking about a problem and solving it, you feel exhausted, angry, and depressed. This means that worrying will get you nowhere.

5. Be Mindful of Your Thoughts

We have written about mindfulness meditation and other mindfulness practices before, and many psychologists agree that this method is quite useful for worriers, too. Learn to interrupt your ruminations by having a short mindfulness practice. To do this, close your eyes and check in with your body: do you have any spot that carries a lot of tension or even pain?

Imagine that point softening and the tension releasing as you start breathing more deeply. Associate your worries and ruminations with that spot. and imagine it disappearing as you breathe into that area.

6. Designate a “Worry Space”

It may sound silly at first, but our brains often associate mental states and memories with a specific location. You can take advantage of this feature by reserving only 1 place in your home (or outside) for worrying. This can be a worry bench in a park, for example.

At first, allow yourself to worry for 10-15 minutes in this spot, and then leave and don’t allow yourself to worry anywhere else. Repeat this several times, and soon, you will associate this spot with the process of worrying, which will ultimately let you control how often and how much you worry.

7. Learn To Stop Your Thoughts

When you see that no other method is helping you get out of your head, it may be necessary to resort to thought-stopping. The idea is to do anything to switch to another, less stressful topic. For some people, visualizing a stop or detour street sign is enough to direct them to a new topic.

Others need more physical manifestations, like shouting out “Stop!”, or even snapping themselves with an elastic band wrapped around their wrist when they begin ruminating. Choose the method that works best for you. In the end, all of these tricks and methods can and should be customized to suit your needs and habits.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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New shoe insole could treat diabetic foot ulcers

Researchers have developed a shoe insole that could help make the healing process more portable for people who develop ulcers as a result of diabetes. Diabetic ulcers commonly result from high blood sugar damaging nerves, which takes away feeling from the toes or feet.
 
"One of the ways to heal these wounds is by giving them oxygen," said a Professor. "We've created a system that gradually releases oxygen throughout the day so that a patient can have more mobility." Without the ability to feel pain, hits and bumps tend to go unnoticed and skin tissue breaks down, forming ulcers.

A lot of sugar in the bloodstream, along with dried skin as a result of diabetes, further slow the ulcer healing process. The researchers used lasers to shape silicone-based rubber into insoles, and then create reservoirs that release oxygen only at the part of the foot where the ulcer is located.

"Silicone is flexible and has good oxygen permeability," said a post-doctoral researcher. "Laser machining helps us to tune that permeability and target just the wound site, which is hypoxic, rather than poison the rest of the foot with too much oxygen," he added.
In a paper published, the team said the insole can deliver oxygen at least eight hours a day under the pressure of someone weighing about 53-81 kg. It can also be customised to take on any weight, the study said.

The team envisions a manufacturer sending a patient a pack of pre-filled insoles customised to his or her wound site, based on a "wound profile" obtained from a doctor's prescription and a picture of the foot. "This is mass-customisation at low cost," said a research associate. A patent is pending on the insole technology. The team is currently seeking corporate partners.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                             PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

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