Cancer indicates the growth of certain unusual cells, generally uncontrolled in nature, in any part of your body. It may also refer to a malignant tumor and it can affect any organ or any part of your body. There are many different cancers accordingly, such as lung cancer, bladder cancer, skin cancer or blood cancer. Ayurveda offers effective measures for preventing cancer. Read on to find more about the tips and get better prepared to fight this killer:

1) According to Ayurveda, having fresh foods can help you to prevent cancer. Consuming more of green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits may prove to be helpful.

2)Avoiding fat based foods or fried foods can be effective in preventing cancer. Strike off hydrogenated fats (such as cookies, peanut butter, crackers etc) or saturated animal fats from your diet.

3) Exercising on a regular basis may be very helpful. Stretching exercises, walking, breathing exercises and aerobics are considered to be useful preventive measures for cancer.

4) Meditation and yoga are also effective ways to prevent cancer. These can help you to reduce stress and remain calm.

5) Drinking green tea regularly can be very useful for killing any growth of cancerous cells in your body and thus help you to prevent cancer.

6) Cutting down on foods with higher quantities of sugar can help you to prevent cancer.

7) Include foods replete in vitamin D and vitamin C or citrus foods as these help to combat many kinds of cancer.

8) Incorporate spices like turmeric in your daily cooking regimen. The 'curcumin' present in turmeric coupled with a few other accompanying properties can help to prevent the growth of cancer cells in your body.

9) Garlic, whether consumed raw or cooked, can help you to fight the killer that cancer is.

9 Ayurvedic Tips to Prevent Cancer

One of the most common problems faced by ageing men is benign prostatic hypertrophy. Prostate is the gland at the base of the urethra near the bladder and when it enlarges it can lead to symptoms, mostly related to urination.

1. Frequent urge to pass urine
2. Prolonged urination
3. Frequent nocturnal visits to the toilet
4. Intermittent urination
5. Difficulty to start urinating
6. Inability to completely empty the bladder
7. Urinary tract infections

There are medications available to manage this, but offer only temporary relief. Many men therefore prefer to have the surgery undergone to manage these bothersome symptoms. However, like any surgery, the risks and benefits need to be considered along with other conditions like age, overall health status, other comorbid conditions, etc.

Surgical removal of the enlarged prostate gland is a more definitive approach to manage these symptoms. In addition to providing a quick cure, it also is used in the following cases:

1. Patients who do not respond to medications
2. Presence of blood in the urine
3. Associated bladder stones
4. Frequent infections of the urinary tract
5. Associated damage to the kidneys

Procedure of Surgery
During the procedure, a tube is passed through the tip of the penis into the urethra towards the bladder neck. Once it is in the desired position, laser is passed through it to deliver energy that acts on the prostate to either completely or partially destroy it. There are two methods by which laser acts on the enlarged prostate and making way for free flow of the urine.

1. Ablation: Excess prostate tissue is melted away by the laser by using photosensitive vaporization of the prostate. This is also known as Greenlight laser therapy or KTP laser vaporization. Alternately, Holmium can be used as the source of laser energy to ablate the prostate tissue.

2. Enucleation: Excess prostate tissue is cut and teased out through the urethra. Holmium laser is used to resect the prostate into smaller pieces, which are then removed out through a resectoscope. Another technique uses a tissue morcellator which grinds the enlarged prostate into smaller pieces to enable easy retrieval.

More men now opt for laser prostate removal as it has the following advantages:

1. Reduced risk of bleeding: This becomes essentially important in patients who are on blood thinners.
2. No hospitalization: This can be done either as an outpatient or with minimal one day stay at the hospital
3. Immediate symptom relief: As compared to medications, the relief is felt almost immediately after the surgery
4. No catheter: With laser surgery, a catheter may be required for less than 24 hours unlike in open surgical cases.

As noted above, as with any surgery, once enlarged prostate symptoms set in, have a detailed discussion with your doctor to identify if you are a suitable candidate for laser surgery.

Know About Laser Prostate Surgery

Once the reality of the positive pregnancy test sets in, dreaming about the yet-to-arrive begins. Curiosity about gender, options for names, ways to manage, shopping ideas, etc., begin to get discussed. And then totally out of the blue the news comes that there is a miscarriage. This is one of the most depressing phases. It is very important for the family to be around and support each other. While the entire family is upset and hurt over the news, the mother needs most care as there is just not emotional but a huge physical component also to the episode. On the other hand, remember that miscarriages are extremely common, and is no indication of a fertility issue.

The first step would be to diagnose and confirm the miscarriage. After that, depending on whether it was complete or incomplete, some medical intervention might be required. In most cases, medications like misoprostol are given to expel the uterine contents. These help by clearing out the contents in about a couple of days' time. In some cases, a D and C might be required if your doctor suspects that medication will not suffice. This also helps identify if there is any issue in the uterus that could have caused the miscarriage.

While the above take care of the physical part, the emotional component also requires cautious management. Needless to say, this is trickier than the earlier one.

Mourn to your heart's content - When you have nursed a life within you and have lost it, it is very normal to cry for its loss. There would be a mix of emotions - shock, denial, confusion, anger, grief, depression, etc. Take some solace from that fact that this is nature's way of removing unhealthy fetuses.

Get someone to talk to - Need not be your husband, but anybody whom you can talk to without having to watch words. A sibling, a good friend, a close relative - your choice. Make sure you don't pick ones who will judge and sympathize with you. More than sympathy, you need someone understanding and knowledgeable.

Socialize more - As you would have kept to yourself post your positive test, use this time to socialize more and meet friends whom you have not regularly been in touch with. Close family members, your children (if you already have), society groups, movie groups, etc., help to a great extent.

Formal medical counseling: If you are not able to cope with your regular circle of family and friends, try seeking professional advice from counseling.

Spirituality - Whether you believe in temple or churches, spend some time there. Involve in some religious activity if you would like, this helps very often.

As much as it is painful and traumatic, it is not very uncommon or unnatural. Get back on your feet, the sooner you do, the better.

Miscarriage - Ways To Recover

The condition of enlarged prostate occurs due to the enlargement of a man s prostate gland, with the passage in time. Also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), it is more common in men over the age of 60. Some cases might have symptoms and others may be symptomless. Although the causes are relatively unknown, it is evident that BPH is not a form of cancer, neither does it cause cancer. The prostate is located below the bladder and is responsible for producing the fluid needed by semen. The growth of the prostate tissue that is associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia begins near the inner prostate which is a tissue ring around the urethra. Its growth is generally inward.

Causes
It is of common knowledge that in males, the urine originates from the bladder and flows through the urethra. BPH is a condition where the prostate experiences a benign i.e. non cancerous enlargement which leads to blockage of urine flow through the urethra (the urinary duct). The resultant enlargement, caused due to the gradual multiplication of cells, subjects the urethra to extra pressure. Further narrowing of the urethra causes more contraction of the bladder, resulting in the urine being forcefully pushed out of the body.

With time, the condition leads to the bladder muscles gradually becoming thicker, stronger and oversensitive. Contraction occurs even due to the presence of small amounts of urine, giving rise to frequent needs of urination. At one point, the bladder muscle is unable to overcome the effects of the narrowed urethra. Due to this, urine does not pass properly and the urethra is not emptied.

Some of the common symptoms of enlarged prostate include:
1. Frequent urination
2. Urgency to urinate
3. Difficulty during urination
4. A slow or weak urinary stream
5. Requirement of extra effort to urinate
6. Interrupted sleep due to need of urination

Further risks
Sometimes, when the bladder is not emptied completely, a risk of urinary tract infections develops. Some other serious problems which can be a result of enlarged prostate include blood in urine, bladder stones as well as acute urinary retention (inability to urinate). In some rare cases, kidney and/or bladder damage might also result from such a condition.

Frequent Urination - Can it be a Sign Enlarged Prostate

Lasers have come as a boon to treat many medical conditions very safely and effectively. They are absolutely indispensable for permanent hair removal, tattoo removal, freckle removal, skin rejuvenation, treatment of birthmarks and many other internal medical conditions. There is a common misconception that lasers are harmful for your skin and can cause skin cancers. This is far from the truth, since lasers are actually used to treat skin cancers and also help in keeping the skin youthful and rejuvenated. 

Lasers use non-ionising light (like red or green light) and not ionising radiation like x-rays or gamma rays. These spectrums of light do not induce cancer formation. 
Fair skinned races are at much greater risk than skin of color. Melanin in darker skin does not allow harmful UV light in sunlight to penetrate through and the risk of skin cancers in darker skin is therefore small with normal sun exposure. Also, common lasers do not use UV light. 
Laser treatments are administered not in prolonged durations but in pulses much less than a second and parameters in the range of milliseconds and microseconds are most commonly used. Prolonged sun exposure is the most common precipitating factor for skin cancers. 
Laser light does not reach any internal organ. In fact, it requires some expertise even to make laser light reach its target just 1-2 millimeters below the skin. This is because melanin pigment in skin blocks laser light from getting through. An expert dermatologist with sound knowledge of skin optics and laser physics is able to achieve this safely and effectively. 
Laser treatments work on the principle of ''selective photothermolysis'. This means that laser light very specifically destroys only the intended target. Thus, a hair removal laser will destroy only the hair roots while leaving surrounding skin structures unharmed. Similarly, blood vessels in birth marks, collagen in wrinkles or scars, abnormal growths and cancers and individual inks in tattoos can be targeted very specifically with lasers without affecting any other structure.

Lasers - Do Not Cause Cancers!

Lumpectomy is a surgery where a cancerous or benign tumour is removed from a breast along with some surrounding tissues. The amount of tissue removed varies according to the nature of the tumour. It is a form of breast-conserving surgery. It is also called a partial mastectomy.

Lumpectomy is the first option of treatment for women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

What is the goal of lumpectomy?

Lumpectomy aims to remove the cancerous cells from the breast and at the same time maintaining the appearance of the breast. Studies have proved that for early stage breast cancer, lumpectomy is as effective as mastectomy (complete removal of the breast).

Doctors may recommend lumpectomy to remove precancerous cells as well.

Pre lumpectomy measures-

If you are under any other medication or if you suffer from allergies, inform your doctor. Other pre-surgery measures include-

  Stop taking aspirins or any pain relieving medication

  Your doctor will recommend you to not drink or eat anything 8-12 hours prior to the surgery.

The procedure:

A mammogram and a biopsy reveal the exact location of a tumour. Lumpectomy is performed under general anaesthesia. The surgeon makes a small incision over a tumour to extract the cancerous cells and the surrounding tissues. Sometimes doctors have to perform sentinel lymph node surgery or axillary node dissection.

The surgeon then closes the incisions with sutures. The sutures may dissolve over time or may have to be extracted later by a doctor.

If you have undergone lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy, you will be discharged on the same day as the surgery as soon as your blood pressure stabilizes.

However, after lumpectomy with axillary node extraction, you may have to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days.

Therapy after lumpectomy

Your oncologist will recommend a follow-up radiation therapy to destroy the mutated cells that may have remained in the area where a tumour had developed. Radiation reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

You might also have to undergo hormone therapy. Some types of breast cancer need female hormones like estrogen and progesterone to grow. Hormone therapy inhibits the development of cancerous cells by not allowing these hormones to reach the cells.

Your doctor will advise you to avoid strenuous physical activities for at least a month after the surgery.

Lumpectomy is a safe surgical procedure that can root out tumours or precancerous cells from the breast without deforming the shape of it.

Breast Lumpectomy - All You Should Know!

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