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Cervical cancer is the cancer of the cervix. It is a disease caused by the abnormal growth and division of cells that forms in the lining of the cervix. It is the second common form of cancer that affects women today. It is very common in middle age women and older.

The statistics of cervical cancer in the United States, according to American Cancer Society (ACS), shows that about 11,150 women are diagnosing with this cancer and approximately 3,670 women die from this cancer every year.

To understand more about cervical cancer, it is important to note what a cervix is first. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that connects the uterus to the vagina (birth canal) in a woman’s body.

Usually, cervical cancer exhibits no symptoms to detect the presence of cancer in your body. It is known as a slow growing form of cancer. When cancer develops in your body, the healthy cells in the cervix begin to change into abnormal cells, which then turn into pre-cancerous cells. If left untreated, these pre-cancerous cells will turn into cancer.

Risk factors of cervical cancer:

Although the cause of cervical cancer is not known there are certain risk factors that increase the risk of developing this cancer. Risk factors are the things that will affect the chances of developing a disease greater.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a sexual transmitted disease is highly associated with invasive cervical cancer.

Sexual transmitted diseases occur due to sexual contacts with an infected person. Chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes, HIV/AIDS are some of he examples of sexual transmitted diseases.

Other risk factors that increase your chances of developing cervical cancer are: a history of sexual transmitted diseases, having sexual intercourse with multiple partners, having sexual activities in very young age (without using contraceptives).

Smoking doubles your risk of having cancer of the cervix. Weakened immune system, regular usage of birth control pills, age, giving birth to many children, and irregular pap tests increases your risk of developing cervical cancer.

As the cause of cervical cancer is unknown, it can be detected with regular Pap tests or pap smears. It is very important for you to have regular Pap tests to identify the condition early to take appropriate treatment and prevent cervical cancer from developing.

Pap test to detect cervical cancer:

With Pap tests, you can detect the cancer in the early stages before it spreads to other parts of the body. Pap smear is a procedure where scraped cells from the cervix are examined under a microscope to check for the changes in the cells of your cervix that leads to cervical cancer.

The rate of cervical cancer in women has greatly decreased in recent years in the United States due to regular pap smears.

As cervical cancer is a malignant tumor, it is very important for you to have Pap tests done annually. Remember, it is not a good idea to wait for signs to consult a doctor as early detection is the key to being treated successfully. Visit Online Cancer Blog

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What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a defect in the body’s ability to convert glucose to energy. It is caused due to insufficient production of glucose by the pancreas. In diabetes patients, the production of glucose is impaired.

What are the symptoms of Diabetes?

Patients with Type-1 diabetes usually develop symptoms over a short period of time, and the condition is often diagnosed in an emergency setting.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

Increased thirst
Fatigue
Nausea
Increased urination
Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
Vomiting

However, because Type-2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood sugar experience no symptoms at all.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:

Increased thirst
Impotence in men
Increased appetite
Increased urination
Blurred vision
Fatigue
Slow-healing infections

How to diagnose diabetes?

The diagnosis of diabetes is made by a simple blood test measuring blood glucose level. Usually blood glucose level tests are repeated on a subsequent day to confirm the diagnosis. Your health care team may also request that you have a glucose tolerance test. If two hours after taking the glucose drink your glucose level is 200 or above, you will be diagnosed as having diabetes.

How can I control diabetes?

Gather all the information about diabetes, its symptoms and causes
Check your blood glucose level regularly
If find any symptom of diabetes, visit your health care team for diagnosis of diabetes
Ask your health care team about how to check blood glucose level at home
Stop smoking
Exercise daily
Follow a healthy meal plan
Check your vision at regular intervals, If found blurred visit your health care team
Check your feet regularly for checking the occurrence of diabetes
If you are diabetic, monitor you diabetes regularly
Follow instructions of health care team strictly
Avoid sweet ingredients, use sugar free food

Can diabetes be cured?

As yet, there is no treatment for either type of diabetes, although there are many ways of keeping diabetes in control. Studies have shown that good control of blood glucose (blood sugar) is the key to avoid diabetic complications later.

What are the treatment options to cure diabetes?

Diabetes is incurable. The only option is to prevent ourselves from diabetes or to keep diabetes under control.

Is diabetes a hereditary disease?

You are at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother or sister with diabetes.

Complications of Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you are much more likely to have a risk of stroke, heart disease, or a heart attack. In fact, 2 out of 3 people with diabetes die from stroke or heart disease. There are three conditions that make people with diabetes vulnerable to foot problems. These are vascular disease and foot deformities. About 30 percent of patients with Type 1 diabetes and 10 to 40 percent of those with Type 2 diabetes eventually will suffer from kidney failure. Diabetes also may cause damage to nerves in your body.

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High cholesterol levels can be a sign of potential heart disease. High levels of HDL cholesterol can be a warning sign of hardening of arteries that can result in heart disease or a heart attack. Even though high cholesterol is a very serious and fatal condition, there are no symptoms to warn you if you are having high cholesterol levels.


To know your cholesterol levels you must take a cholesterol test. As high cholesterol levels can be life threatening, and coronary heart disease is a common occurrence when you have high levels of bad cholesterol you should get a cholesterol test regularly.


Cholesterol is made of two main types: HDL, or the good cholesterol which actually helps prevent heart disease and LDL or bad cholesterol which will clog your arteries and cause heart disease if present in high levels in your body. The right level of cholesterol should be 200mg/dl of LDL or less and at least a minimum of 40mg/dL of HDL or more.


Cholesterol test is done through a blood test that will tell you the levels of both types of cholesterol in your body. This test can be done at the hospital. There are also home test kits for cholesterol testing available. However, tests done in the hospital are more reliable and you should go to the hospital for your first cholesterol test.


If your cholesterol test result show that your bad cholesterol level is too high, your doctor can advise you on how to lower it. He will probably advise you to change your diet and do more exercise. If you cholesterol levels are very high or you have other medical condition like diabetes, he may prescribe you with cholesterol lowering medication. Most doctors recommend that anyone over the age of 20 should take a cholesterol test once every five years.


The Cholesterol Test Kit


Today there is a way to test your cholesterol levels without having to leave your home. A home cholesterol test kit can be purchased from any drug store. This home test kit consists of the tools required to conduct an accurate cholesterol test. With only a couple drops of your blood you will be able to tell the cholesterol levels present in your body in ten minutes time.


The home cholesterol test kit is FDA approved and is available over the counter for you to purchase and use when needed. It has a 97% accuracy rate and is very easy. The home cholesterol test kit cost about $25 for a pack of two test kits. Some cholesterol test kits are sold with only one test strip but the two tests package is more economical. Everyone who wants or needs to keep check their cholesterol level regularly without having to go to a hospital can use the handy cholesterol test kit.


Home Cholesterol Test Kit May Not Always Be Accurate


Although nowadays you can get all kinds of home kits for many medical problems, some of the results from the tests carried out by these kits may not be very accurate. However, the fault may not lie with the test kit itself, but it may lie in the way it is used. The home cholesterol test kit too seldom gives accurate results because it is usually administered wrongly.


That is the reason why doctors do not like to rely on the results of home cholesterol test. If you go for treatment for high cholesterol level, your doctor will ask you to take another test from the lab. The doctor will only proceed with treatment after they get the lab tests results.


The home cholesterol test kit may be useful if you can get your a physician to administer it for you. This is so that after the test is done, he can interpret the results for you. This is why it is better to take a lab test rather than simply buying a home cholesterol test.


Any home cholesterol test done with a home test kit should be repeated in the doctor’s lab for double confirmation, so that if your cholesterol home test results are actually not accurate, you will know it before you undergo any form of cholesterol lowering treatment.


If you do prefer a home cholesterol test kit than going to the hospital for a cholesterol test, you should still consult your doctor and have the test repeated before taking any form of drugs or medications.

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