World Cancer Day, organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and celebrated each year on 4 February, is an opportunity to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.
Cancer is one of the worst diseases, which kills millions of people across the world. While there is a wide range of treatment options available, the best way to deal with it is to ensure a good diet along with a healthy lifestyle. Here is a list of cancer-fighting food products, which can immensely help to prevent cancer.

Green vegetables: Leafy green vegetables have multiple health benefits. They are not only rich in minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants, but also have very low content of calories, toxins, and sodium. Being antiviral and antibacterial in nature, green vegetables can successfully inactivate carcinogens, halt metastasis and pause the formation of a tumour. Certain vegetables contain isothiocyanates that can detox the cells. Some of the vegetables that are mighty effective in countering cancer cells include kale, romaine, watercress, nutritious, spinach, collard greens etc.
Berries: Berries are one of the best antioxidants among all food items, owing to their high ORAC score. Their antiviral and anti-fungal nature of berries is extremely healthy for the body. Moreover, abundant supply of vitamin A and C makes berries a perfect agent for increasing body immunity. Free radicals are one of the top reasons for metastasis. The proanthocyanidin content of berries helps the body to get a hang of free radicals, thereby decreasing the chances of cancer cells to grow rapidly. They can be consumed daily with any meals.
Spices and herbs: There are a lot of herbs and spices, which boost the immune system and prevents cancer cells to grow further. Turmeric, for instance, is scientifically proved to be a great agent for reducing tumor size and effectively countering breast cancer and colon cancer. Some of the other herbs and spices include black pepper, ginger, raw garlic, parsley, oregano, and basil. They can be consumed daily in the form of juice or along with regular meals.
Organic meat: Many scientists are of the view that organic meat does wonder in a cancer diet. Liver of beef and chicken has high B12 content and helps to remove harmful toxins from the digestive tract and liver. They can balance hormone, digest fat and counter the side effects of triglycerides, drugs, and obesity. This can be included in the diet every alternate day.
Seeds and nuts: Flax seeds and chia seeds are few nutrient-power packed foods in the world. They should be included in the diet due to high fiber, mineral, and fatty acid content. Some other healthy seeds that can pay rich dividends in fighting cancer include walnut, sprouted bean, sunflower seeds etc. Nuts and seeds with all their nutritional qualities can successfully stop metastasis, reduce tumor size and increase immunity in the body, if consumed daily.

World Cancer Day - 5 Amazing Foods That Help Fight Cancer!

The prostate gland in a man begins to grow in size on reaching 25 years of age quite naturally, and this is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia abbreviated as BPH. Now the problem arises when the enlargement of the prostate is more than normal.

In men, the urine flows through the urethra from the bladder. An abnormally enlarged prostate blocks the flow of urine through the urethra. The cells of the prostate slowly multiply to cause it to enlarge. This puts pressure on the urethra thereby giving rise to a number of problems, most of which manifest as symptoms.

Common Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate Gland
The condition of enlarged prostate gives rise to some noticeable symptoms which provide the signs that you need to visit a doctor to get it treated. A weak or slow urinary system is one of the most common symptoms of being affected with an enlarged prostate. This includes urinating more often, an increase in the urgency to urinate, difficulty in starting urination and a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying immediately after urinating. At times, it is seen that passing urine becomes very strenuous. All these above symptoms indicate that there is an enlargement of the prostate gland and medical help should be sought immediately to prevent the condition from worsening.

Steps to Manage an Enlarged Prostrate

Effective medication is usually the first step in the management of an enlarged prostate gland. Alpha blockers are the drugs that are most commonly used in this situation. These drugs do not reduce the size of the prostate, but they are great in relieving the symptoms to allow free and painless passage of urine. Another group of drugs known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can help in shrinking an enlarged prostate. The drugs work by the reducing the levels of the male hormone called dihydrotestosterone.
In some advanced stages of prostate enlargement, minimally invasive treatments are used for the effective management of the condition. Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy or TUMT is used to treat mild blockages that reduce the frequency of urination, the urgency, and straining. However, it is not able to correct the bladder emptying issues. Transurethral Radio Frequency Needle Ablation or TUNA helps in the destruction of the prostate tissues resulting in an improvement in the flow of urine.
Prostatic stents are also sometimes used for the management of the condition of an enlarged prostate. In this treatment procedure, a small metal coil is inserted into the urethra for widening it and keeping it open. In most severe case of prostate enlargement, only surgical methods remain as the opted method of treatment. Laser surgeries are performed to destroy the tissues of the prostate for easing of the condition. Ultimately, an open prostate surgery is performed when the transurethral procedure cannot be used. In this surgery, the tissues of the prostate are removed by the surgeon in case of great enlargement.
The condition of an enlarged prostate gland requires medical attention and treatment for the most effective management, and it is best that a medical professional is consulted as soon as any of the symptoms surface.
Enlargement starts usually after 50 years. Surgery 'Transurethral resection of prostate (TURP)' either by monopolar or bipolar electrocautery. Enucleation of prostate by laser is also an option.

Enlarged Prostate - How Can It Be Managed?

Causes and symptoms of enlarged prostate

The problem of an enlarged prostate or benign prostate hyperplasia is a very common occurrence as you grow older. It's known to strike men above the age of 50, with more than 50% of men after the age of 60, having this complaint.

Causes of enlarged prostate

A non-cancerous condition, enlarged prostate makes the passing of urine from the bladder through the urethra difficult. The multiplication of the prostate cells causes an enlargement of the gland, leading to a buildup of pressure on the urethra, affecting the discharge of urine from the body. The narrowing of the urethra, due to this benign condition, forces the bladder to contract more vigorously so as to push urine out of the body.

As time passes, the muscles of the bladder get significantly affected, causing them to become extremely sensitive, thicker and stronger. As a consequence, the bladder begins to contract, even if the amount of urine in the organ is negligible, causing episodes of frequent urination. Gradually, the bladder fails to completely empty itself of urine due to the constriction of the urethra. This can give rise to a number of health problems including the formation of bladder stones, urinary tract infections, blood in the urine and so on.

How can you identify the signs of the condition?

Signs of enlarged prostate are very easy to identify and include:

- A slow or weak urine flow
- Difficulty in initiating urination
- Instances of frequent urination
- A feeling of not completely emptying one's bladder
- Frequent urination during the night
- Exerting a lot to urinate
- Instances of dribbling
- Urgency to pass urine
- A feeling of urinating again minutes after doing so
- Urination that starts and stops



What Leads to an Enlarged Prostate?

The prostate gland in males surrounds the urethra, through which urine and sperm are passed out of the body. Its function is to secrete a fluid, which provides nourishment to the sperm. It is about the shape of a walnut and is present between the pubic bone and the rectum.

As a man crosses 40, the prostate gland begins to increase in size due to an increase in the number of cells. This is known as hyperplasia.  The condition is usually benign and therefore the name benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). As it continues to grow, there is an increased pressure on the urethra. Therefore, there can be problems with urination. The bladder, being a muscular organ, compensates to some extent and so the problems with urination are mostly managed. If left untreated, this can continue to be a major problem and the bladder may not be able to compensate. In men who are 60-plus, BPH is very common.

Signs and symptoms 

One of the initial symptoms of BPH is when the urine stream begins to grow weak.
There could also be a reduced speed of passing urine.
Men with BPH never have a feeling of complete emptying of the bladder.
On the other hand, there is also a constant difficulty in initiating a urine stream. There could be intermittent breaks in the urine stream.
The person may feel the need to strain to initiate the stream and to ensure complete emptying.
There could be dribbling of urine after passing urine.
The duration between two bathroom visits can constantly reduce, with the constant urge to urinate.
There is a constant urge to visit the bathroom, which is more common in the night. One of the most annoying features of BPH is the walking up at night to urinate, but with an inability to initiate a stream and an inability to completely empty the bladder, it leaves the person very irritated and frustrated.
There could be blood in the urine. In fact, blood in the urine accompanied by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting are indications of an emergency.
There could be blockage of urine completely, if the enlargement is quite severe.
Diagnosis
If you are having any of these symptoms, then the doctor will first test for an enlarged prostate through a digital rectal exam. Then a test is done to check a chemical called prostate specific antigen.  Increased levels of this chemical is almost always indicative of BPH. In addition, X-rays and scanning may be used to confirm diagnosis. 

Treatment
Though medications are available, confirmatory treatment is through surgical removal. The procedure needs a inimum of 2 to 3 days.

Enlarged Prostate - 10 Warning Signs To Watch Out For

Science has advanced a lot through the ages. Doctors have also succeeded in curing many diseases in this time. But even with one of the most advanced technologies, they still haven t found a fool proof way to cure cancer. Even out of the many types of cancer, blood cancer is the worst among them. You surely wouldn t want to get into such a situation. Would you? The best way out of blood cancer is never to get one. To prevent it you can take care of a few things:

Maintaining proper body weight: Although you can t do much to prevent cancer, you must ensure that you maintain a healthy body weight. This implied that your BMI should be normal (healthy weight) so that you have a good chance of fighting it. It has been said by many leading institutions worldwide as the best way to prevent cancer. One can maintain proper body weight by making sure they exercise every day for at least 30 minutes and also maintain a well-balanced diet. This would help you maintain a healthy body weight.
Reduction in the consumption of calorie dense food: Not only because calorie dense foods like cold drinks increase your weight, the sugar mixes with your blood and thus is difficult to transport through the body. Thus they add a lot of impurities to the body and must be avoided for the best interests in your effort to fight cancer. The worst fact about calorie dense foods is that you can easily consume 1000   2000 calories long before you can satisfy your hunger. Thus, it also defeats your first preventive measure to avoid cancer.
Staying away from harmful chemicals like pesticides: You might not know it and be happily spraying pest control sprays everywhere without a proper mask thinking you will make the pests go away. What you don t know is that those pesticides are harmful for your blood and one should avoid them. To increase the probability of winning against blood cancer, it s vital to keep this in mind.
Consulting a doctor from time to time: One should always go and visit a medical practitioner from time to time so that they can maintain proper health. Furthermore, if you see symptoms like fever, frequent infections, night sweating, swollen liver with abdomen pain, enlarged lymph nodes (they are usually painless), then be sure to go to a medical practitioner. Always remember that prevention is better than cure. Thus one should try to prevent blood cancer not cure it.

Blood Cancer - How To Prevent It? 

Skin cancer is a condition with abnormal and cancerous skin growth. This often develops due to the over exposure of skin to the sun rays. The three main types of skin cancer include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Skin cancer affects those areas of skin which remains sun-exposed, including ears, neck, chest, scalp, lips, face, hands, arm and legs. It can also develop on those areas of skin that are not exposed to sunlight like beneath toenails or fingernails, on palms and on genital area.

Here are some of the factors which increase your risks of getting skin cancer:

1.Fair complexion: Low levels of the pigment melanin in skin causes fair complexion. Fair- skinned individuals who have a history of hazel or blue eyes, repeated sunburns and people who have red or blond hair are highly susceptible to developing this form of cancer. Less pigment in skin makes an individual more vulnerable to skin damage from harmful UV radiation.
 
2. Excessive sun exposure: Exposure to the sun may lead to the development of skin cancer, if you don't protect your skin by sunscreen and clothing. Tanning beds and lamps may also increase the risk of developing this type of skin cancer.
                                            
3. High-altitude places: The exposure to sunlight is more intense in areas of high altitude and near the equator. Living at higher elevation also makes you more vulnerable to radiation because the sunlight is strongest there.

4. Moles: People with abnormal moles are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. These moles are irregular in shape and are larger than normal moles.

5. Precancerous skin lesions: Your risk of developing skin cancer increases if you have skin lesion. These are scaly and rough patches that range from brown to dark pink in color. The most commonly affected areas are head, hands and face of fair-skinned people.

6. Weak immune system: Weak immune system caused by HIV or AIDS and immunosuppressant drugs that you take after an organ transplant may increase your risk of developing skin cancer.

Know If You Are At Risk Of Skin Cancer

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