Painkillers Might Help Men Avoid Prostate Problems

SATURDAY, June 20 (HealthDay News) -- Taking over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen might help men avoid prostate problems.

But even so, medical experts are quick to caution men not to self-dose or to take more than the recommended amounts of these medications, because harmful side effects can result.

"Our data suggest if men are taking these [medications] for another problem, it might prevent urological problems as well," said Jennifer St. Sauver, an epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who led a study that found that men who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) daily had a reduction of about 50 percent in enlargement of the prostate gland. The condition, called benign prostatic hyperplasia, affects many men after age 40.

The gland, about the size of a walnut, is below the bladder and surrounds the urine-carrying canal or urethra. The gland often enlarges in older men, making urination difficult.

But men in St. Sauver's study who took painkillers daily had more than a third fewer moderate to severe urinary problems than men who did not take daily painkillers.

Lower levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) also seem to be a benefit experienced by men who take NSAIDs regularly. PSA is a biomarker in the bloodstream that is used to assess the risk of getting prostate cancer.

Dr. Eric A. Singer, chief resident in urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, led a team of researchers who found that regular use of NSAIDs yielded PSA levels 10 percent lower than in men who didn't use them. St. Sauver's study found lower PSA levels among NSAID users in her study as well.

Men taking acetaminophen also were included in Singer's study, and they had about the same reduction in PSA levels. But, because the number of men who took acetaminophen was low, the result was not great enough to be statistically significant, he explained.

Exactly how the medications seemingly prevent enlargement of the prostate and other problems isn't certain, St. Sauver and Singer agreed. But they speculated that the medication's anti-inflammatory action plays a major role.

However, men who take NSAIDs need to keep in mind that, if taken in excess, the drugs can cause kidney ailments and other problems, Singer warned. And too much acetaminophen has been associated with liver toxicity.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that extended use of NSAIDs can increase the chances of a fatal heart attack or stroke and also can cause ulcers or excessive bleeding in the stomach and intestines.

Because of such possibilities, "we are certainly not telling men to take NSAIDs to reduce PSA or prostate cancer risk," Singer said, despite the "good news" from the studies.

''Talk to your health-care provider about prostate health and prostate cancer screening," he advised, adding a reminder to "make sure your doctor knows what medications you are taking."

No one knows exactly why some men develop prostate cancer, and others don't. In the United States, though, almost 190,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year, and about one in six will develop it at some point in their life, according to the American Cancer Society.

Age is the main risk factor for prostate cancer. U.S. government statistics show that the disease rarely occurs in men younger than 40 and most often strikes men older than 65.

To treat prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the gland, according to the Cancer Society, doctors most often recommend:

• Prostatectomy, surgery to remove all or part of the prostate gland
• Radiation, either via an external beam or implanted radioactive seeds
• Watchful waiting, the term used to describe deferring treatment until there are signs that the cancer is progressing
  

And, as treatment and detection methods have improved, the survival rate for prostate cancer has been improving in the United States in recent decades, according to the National Cancer Institute.

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The Healthy Way Of Eating Fruits

We all think that eating means simply buying fruits, cutting it and just popping into our mouths. You will be much more benefited if you know how to eat!

The correct way of eating fruits

Fruits should be take in empty stomach, not as a deserted meal as is often done. If you eat fruit like that it will also sere a major role to detoxify your system, supplying with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

Fruits is the most important food

Lets say you eat 2 slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. As fruits digest faster than bread, the slice of fruits digest quickly and ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest.

In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. Consequently when fruits, come into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil. So it is better to eat fruits in empty stomach or before your meal!.

You have heard people complaining:

• every time i eat watermelon i burp
• when i eat durian my stomach bloats up
• when i eat banana i feel like running to toilet, etc.

Actually this all will not arise if you eat the fruits in empty stomach. The fruits mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence bloat!

Graying hair, balding and nervous outburst, dark circles under the eyes - all this will not happen if you take fruits in empty stomach

It is incorrectly presumes that some fruits like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that all fruits become alkaline in our body.

When you need to drink fruit juice, drink only fresh fruit juices, NOT from the cans.

Don't drink juices that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get nutrients at all.

So stop making "durian porridge" if you want nutrients. Cooking fruits destroys all the vitamins. Eating the pulp or the whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice as the fiber is good for you.

If you drink the juice drink mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

A 3-day "fruit fast" is a very simple and very effective way to cleanse and de-toxify your body.

Just eat fruits and drink fruits juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

During the "fruit fast" you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would also be permissible and more interesting.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

Wishing you all a healthy life.

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Health Tips For Mothers on Mothers Day

As a mother it is important that you take care of your body, and your health is no exclusion to this rule. From the way you eat, to taking the time to give yourself a break from it all; each of these factors can have a detrimental impact upon your body.

This being said, finding the time to actually eat properly is easier said than done. With your mind 100% focused on looking after your child, finding the time to eat right can be hard. Instead it is much easier to eat on the go and to put your body on hold until later.

Yet if the Wellcome Trust is correct, making the time to focus on your health may be more important than you think.

In their current study which looks into the inheritance of genes in children, they believe the way you eat during pregnancy could have a direct effect upon the way your children develop when they are born.

From the way they look, to the characteristics they develop, the Wellcome Trust have developed the theory that even the foods you eat during pregnancy could have an influence over their eating habits as an adult. Including their ability to experience effective long lasting weight loss.

Taking statistics offered by the Heart Institute’s Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Research Centre, they found that due to DNA methylation particular mechanisms that control weight loss in muscles can be capped making it harder for the said individual to lose weight.

And this capping is rooted in the belief that external environmental elements can impact upon the way genes are expressed in children.

So if this thesis is to be taken seriously it would mean from the moment you conceive you need to take care of your diet in order to ensure your children have the best possible start in leading a healthier lifestyle.
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Now when this information is compared to the recent revelation that nine in ten children will be obese by 2050; the time to take action and put a stop to this statistic is now – beginning with yourself.

By offering your body a healthy and nutritious diet combined with regular exercise, you can directly pass on this lifestyle change to your children.

Taking charge of your health doesn’t have to be a solo act. You can get your whole family involved and can set the precedent for your children to follow for many years to come.

Plus to top it all, by changing your dietary habits today, your body will be able to cope with everything your children have got to throw at you: from action packed weekends playing on the park, to going for a bike ride… with a healthier, happier body you’ll always be able to keep up.

So make this Mother’s day one to remember… as the day you took charge of your body, toned up and achieved the body you always wanted.

For more information about how to offer your body a healthier route to a fitter lifestyle visits www.proactol.com

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