In particular, if you do not eat a diet naturally rich in the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your body requires to fight illness and disease and function properly, vitamin supplements can help you meet the minimum recommended daily requirements. However, studies in 2007 and 2008 suggest there may be negative risks of vitamin supplements people are not considering.

Interestingly, while a quick Google search unearthed news stories about these studies from several years ago, it didn’t show any more recent studies or updates. Therefore, it is unclear if these potential risks are truly the risks of vitamin supplements they were originally touted to be. In fact, even at that time there was controversy about how the studies were conducted, so there was no conclusive evidence that vitamin supplements put people who took them at any greater risk than non-supplement takers.

One of the very real risks of vitamin supplements, however, is a potential overdose of one or more vitamins or minerals. While it is nearly impossible to get an overdose of a vitamin or mineral from eating a normal diet of foods, taking vitamin supplements with too high of a dose of a particular vitamin can be dangerous. Likewise, taking too many vitamin supplements could definitely result in an overdose.

The symptoms of an overdose of a particular vitamin or mineral can vary. Common symptoms, however, include nausea and/or vomiting which could result in weight loss. In addition, muscle weakness and/or nerve damage could result.

If you do decide to take a multivitamin supplement, you can reduce the risks of vitamin supplements by taking only water soluble supplements. This means they dissolve in the body’s fluids. It also means excess amounts of the vitamin should get flushed out of the body and reduce the chance of an overdose.

While it isn’t a risk of vitamin supplements per se, there are a few potential disadvantages associated with taking them. For instance, supplements can be costly and many come in large pill form. Some people have trouble swallowing large pills. This could be unpleasant or require them to buy more different supplements to swallow to get smaller sized pills.

On the other hand, there are also some distinct advantages for vitamin supplements. Certainly pregnant and nursing women-and those women who plan to become pregnant-can benefit from taking supplements. Likewise, people who are unable to consume adequate calories or get the appropriate nutritional components from their diet would do well to consider taking a vitamin supplement.

This can include several groups of people: those who are ill or suffering from a chronic condition, those with digestive problems or disorders, and anyone who excludes entire food groups from their diet for whatever the reason. Of course, even those people who may benefit from taking a vitamin supplement should consult a physician or nutritionist for professional advice. This helps ensure they make wise choices and take the proper supplements to best meet their individual needs.

-The Health Dude-

It is very aggressive, has distinct patterns of metastasis, has unique molecular profile, and doesn’t have targeted therapies that have been proven to work. Most triple negative breast cancers are “basal like” on gene expression arrays, and this characteristic is being actively researched to determine whether or not the BRCA1 (breast cancer 1, early onset) pathway is a contributor to sporadic basal like breast cancer’s behavior.

What are the risk factors for triple negative breast cancer?

Younger women, especially those of African-American descent, appear to be at greatest risk for triple negative breast cancer. In addition, because it does occur in young women, its diagnosis is usually made in the later stages, when treatment is not as effective. If you are a woman of African-American descent, your social economic status is below average, and you are under the age of 40, you are at highest risk of developing triple negative breast cancer.

If you are a Latina woman living at or near the poverty level, your risk is still quite high, second behind African-American women of poverty level socioeconomic status. No one quite knows why and this is still being studied, but it’s assumed that these women have less access to information and regular medical treatment, and the social isolation of living in a high crime area, as often happens with lower socioeconomic levels, may also contribute to its late diagnosis and treatment.

Some studies have also shown that there may be a possible link between infrequent breast-feeding and the number of full term pregnancies a woman has had. Specifically for Latina women, three or more full term pregnancies accompanied by shorter-term breast-feeding may contribute to the incidence of triple negative breast cancer, although more studies need to be done before this can be said definitively to be true. If you have a mutation of the BRCA1 (breast cancer 1, early onset) gene, you’re also at greater risk for developing triple negative breast cancer.

Treating triple negative breast cancer

This type of cancer is sensitive to chemotherapy, but early relapse is quite common, as is metastasis to the brain and other areas. Epidermal growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, and other targeted agents are being used in clinical trials; early results show promise in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer.

As of 2008, more than one million women were diagnosed with breast cancer, with about a fifth of those (about 173,000) being classified as “triple negative.” Gene expression analysis now guides treatment of triple negative breast cancer, such that this type of cancer generally has a muted expression of ER- and HER2-related genes; this is usually accompanied by a lack of of HER2 over-expression and is ER/PR-negative. This is why it’s called “triple negative” breast cancer.

-The Health Dude-

You Are What You Eat
At a time when childhood obesity is at the highest levels ever, it’s important to control your children food choices. You can teach kids about healthy menu choices whether you’re at home or at a fast food restaurant. Let them know that meats, poultry, and fish are the proteins that work like fuel in a train’s engine. What else should kids eat? They need carbohydrates, and the best kind come from fruits and vegetables. But you can also show them that it’s all right to eat potatoes, pasta, and rice, as long as their food portions are the right size-a half cup or less. Of course, it doesn’t work if you preach this; instead, demonstrate it by serving that amount. Your children need your guidance in controlling their portions.
Don’t forget, by the way, that some fats are necessary in every diet, and a little sugar-the key word is little-never hurt anyone!

Exercise
Gone are the days when the neighborhood children spilled out of their houses after dinner and played together until the street lights came on. Families live by fast-paced schedules, and in most families both parents work. Plus, people worry more than they used to about the safety of their neighborhoods. Add to that the hodge-podge of extracurricular lessons that keep most children tied to a schedule, and their playtime is just not what it used to be.Many of them use their free time sitting in front of a television, game console, or computer.

One of the game companies had a great idea with a video game format designed to get kids off their duffs and onto their feet, but in reality most people still just sit to play. Teach kids about health, then, by making them go outdoors and play. Help them understand the importance of running races that get their hearts pumping. Get them flexing muscles while they climb on playground equipment or, better yet, trees. Whether they bike, skate, jump rope, or just go for walks, you are instilling beneficial habits in them that will last a lifetime.

Hygiene
Remember how much fun it was when your children were little more than babies, and they played in the bathtub with bubbles and rubber duckies? You can reminisce about those days while you’re enjoying your own time in the bathtub, relaxing in warm scented water, surrounded by dimly lit candles. However, somewhere during those years between rubber duckies and aromatherapy candles, your kids stop cleaning themselves when they bathe. Believe it or not, just about all kids-girls as well as boys-go through stages where they skip showers. Or they get into the shower but they don’t use soap.

Or they just put the same underwear back on. You need to tell them they will smell bad if they skip these steps. You can teach kids about health by keeping close tabs on their hygiene routines. Show your children how to soap up the washcloth and scrub all their body parts. Teach them how to get their fingertips going when they wash their hair, and be certain they wash behind their ears and between their toes. And no job is done until you get to the end! Your kids need to learn proper dental care, too. Demonstrate the right way to brush, and teach them how to floss. Make mouthwash a part of the daily routine.

Be in Control
Teach kids to be healthy by ensuring that they sleep enough hours each night. Give them chores so that they learn to handle responsibility. Talk about bad habits such as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes with them. And model good behaviors: The best way to teach kids about health is by showing them, personally, how to be healthy.

-The Health Dude-

Beauty is certainly something that women are concerned about on a daily basis. If you are dissatisfied with the way you look, you may want to look into having some form of cosmetic surgery done.

Cosmetic surgery has help thousands of women improve their appearance, but it isn’t for every women. Determining if cosmetic surgery is right for you, one should look at the many variables that you important factors to consider:

Cost. While it is no secret that cosmetic surgery is expensive, take under consideration that the bigger the area you need repaired, the more costlier it can become. Bear in mind that if correction is needed on the medical level, you may be covered under your insurance which would pay a potion or the entire procedure may not cost you any money.

Type: There are numerous popular procedures depending on what you are trying to accomplish. Some of the more popular types of cosmetic surgery are to repair skin damage (burned skin), remove wrinkles, breast enlargement. Any one of these procedures can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Cost might also play a factor depending of what area of the country you live in as well.

The right doctor: This is the most important decision of all yet some do not spend enough time researching what is right for you. This decision should definitely not be made on a whim. Whatever procedure you are looking to get, make sure that you  examine the area that you are looking to undergo very thoroughly and find doctors with that expertise.

This cannot go understated. Most cosmetic surgeons can preform most of the procedures, some procedures do require a certain kind of expertise from a specific doctor who specializes in his or her area of cosmetic surgery.

Time: Anytime you are dealing with cosmetic surgery, you must take under consideration that you have to devote time as it may take more than one procedure to correct or enhance your surgery. Most people really don’t look at all the factors when dealing with this type of surgery. Most of these procedures require that the individual miss days or even up to a week off from work to rest and allow the surgery to start the healing process.

So remember that cosmetic surgery can enhance your look but it is not for everyone. However, if you feel that you want to boost your look or have an issue that needs to be dealt with from having cosmetic surgery, the best thing to do is have a consultation with a surgeon that deals with what you need or want to have done to accomplish the look of your desire..

-The Health Dude-

Treatment options exist and some are quite successful. The stigma of mental illness is becoming less pronounced as public awareness increases via education and media campaigns. But are we doing enough? Is mental illness more prevalent than it was in the past, or just more readily identified? What is the cause of these disorders? Is it all genetic, or is some of it induced by the culture and circumstances we live in today?

Certainly, evidence has shown that a higher percentage of people who live in grossly dysfunctional circumstances suffer from more stress related illnesses and mental disorders. But is the state of mental health in individuals brought on by their circumstances completely? Do they have a genetic predisposition to mental problems that is exacerbated by their circumstances? Or do the circumstances simply draw attention to their condition?

The state of mental health in an individual can vary from day to day and depending on the circumstances. No single person is immune to problems with mental health or mental illnesses. Yet some people do seem more prone to or vulnerable to some mental conditions than others. What is the common denominator? And if it is genetic, what are the other influencing factors that affect the severity of the condition?

Today we have more answers than ever before-when it comes to the state of mental health in individuals. Yet, we also have more questions than ever before. Why do some treatments work and others do not? Why is one treatment effective for one person with a disorder yet ineffective for another individual with the same disorder?

Why are individuals reluctant to seek treatment in the first place? Why are people afraid to discuss mental health issues? Why do individuals who get treatment often seek to discontinue treatment or simply quit taking their medication or getting treatment after a period of time?

Are mental health issues treatable or curable? To what degree? In what ways?

Yes, the questions surrounding the state of mental health are many and diverse. The answers are not always easy or forthcoming. So are we doing enough?

Until we more completely identify mental health problems in their infancy and treat them successfully in all cases, the answer is: No. We need to continue to research and conduct more development and case studies to continue delving deeper into this complex issue.

We need to find ways to identify precursors to problems before individuals become violent with themselves and others. We need to help prevent the pain that can result from untreated mental health problems and issues. We need to treat the symptoms and lower the statistics related to suicide and other tragedies that result when the state of mental health is not properly evaluated or goes unnoticed.

Millions of people are affected by these issues-whether they know it or not. It could be that they are personally affected themselves. It could be that they are affected by a family member or loved one. Some people are impacted by strangers with mental health issues. All around us, people are hurting and suffering unnecessarily. We need to open our eyes and do more-and help heal the pain for all.

-The Health Dude-

Aside from skin cancer, this is the most common type of cancer in American males. According to statistics from the American Cancer Society 1 in 6 men during their lifetime will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer leads to death in 1 in 35 men diagnosed and is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths. It is extremely important that men take prostate health seriously and get an annual prostate examination.

The prostate is a gland that is found only in males. It is the size of a walnut and is found beneath the bladder. The prostate surrounds the top part of the urethra and is kept in check by testosterone. The prostate gland is responsible for making the majority of the fluid that makes up semen.

Prostate cancer when found early can be cured which is why it is so important to understand prostate health. The tumor that results from prostate cancer is slow growing. For this reason many men do not experience any symptoms until the cancer has reached an advanced stage. Once prostate cancer reaches an advanced stage it grows or spreads to other areas of the body and is likely fatal at this point.

Life expectancy when diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer is about five years. An annual prostate examination can help find cancer at an early stage and provide a greater success of curing this deadly cancer. Prostate cancer mainly affects men that are older but it has been diagnosed in men between the ages of 30 and 40. Any male with a family history of prostate cancer are more likely to develop this disease.

The medical community is also in agreement that diet is a contributor to developing prostate cancer. Diets that contain high levels of fat from sources such as red meat and animal fat have been linked to advanced prostate cancer. A diet that promotes good prostate health is important because it can reduce the dietary risk factors of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is a silent killer because of the non-existence of warning signs or symptoms of prostate cancer in its early stages. Once the tumor has begun to cause the prostate gland to swell or spread is when a man may experience symptoms.

Many men may feel the need to urinate often and this may especially occur at night. When the need to urinate occurs it may be difficult to start or stop the stream of urine. These are symptoms that men may experience after the cancer has already formed and it cannot be stressed enough the need for proper prostate health and a regular prostate examination.

A prostate examination can be conducted in one of two ways that when combined detect abnormalities from prostate cancer. A digital rectal exam and a blood test to detect PSA are the two prostate health exams that doctors utilize to help diagnose prostate cancer. During the digital rectal exam the physician will feel the prostate gland for lumps or hard areas called nodules. The blood test is designed to detect elevated levels of PSA. Neither test is full proof at diagnosing prostate cancer but they provide important prostate health tools in helping to find and treat prostate cancer.

-The Health Dude-

When you reach a certain age people who remain active seniors can help to keep you healthier and to maintain a happy lifestyle. There are many great exercise routines that are safe and fun for seniors so that they are able to maintain optimal health. Of course active seniors need to consult with their doctors before starting any kind of new exercise regimen. This is incredibly important to senior health as you do not want to do any kind of activity that could be dangerous and cause injury. The following are some very safe and low impact exercises that are perfect for seniors.
Since stretching is very important for any kind of exercise routine.

If it is done properly stretching can prevent injury from occurring during exercise. Yoga is the perfect exercise for you to get a great workout and increase the flexibility of your body. You will be able to develop a great core strength quite quickly when active seniors do yoga. You can really maintain excellent senior health do to yoga. It will improve your mood, decrease the amount of stress in your life and can ease the symptoms of conditions such as arthritis. Seniors will get a great physical and mental workout.

One of the most perfect exercises for senior health is walking. There are so many people that discount the wonderful effects that walking can provide you with. Active seniors can keep a slow pace or go faster if they so choose and it is a very low impact workout. You will often see many groups of seniors participating in mall walking. Finding a nice place to walk indoors is perfect. You will not have to worry about avoiding traffic and you will not have to put off walking due to bad weather.

The most popular form of low impact exercise for maintaining senior health that many active seniors really enjoy is water aerobics. The small amount of resistance provided by the water can help increase flexibility, posture and muscle development. Being in the water also takes away a lot of the risk of developing heat stroke and will prevent accidental falls.

Seniors need to include a thirty minute cardio routine at least two to three times a week. Be sure to keep your routines nice and simple and low impact. This will make sure that seniors are getting the most out of your total senior health workout routine. To go for optimal senior health seniors need to start out with a fairly low impact exercise routine and then gradually increase the intensity. This way most all seniors can reduce the changes of injury while also giving them the fitness results that seniors are looking to achieve.

As was mentioned before seniors should always check in with their health care provider before beginning an exercise routine. You should also consult them concerning dietary changes as another measure to maintain senior health and to remain among all the active seniors in the world.

-The Health Dude-

Pomegranate is popular for its cancer-fighting components that defied the process of aging. This is one of the many health benefits of a pomegranate that got people raving about it. These anti-aging effects prevent accumulation of fine wrinkles and aging spots, giving younger looking skin. Here is the list of other health benefits of a pomegranate you might be interested in:

• It minimizes the possibilities of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. One of the several health benefits of a pomegranate you can benefit from is this. A unique compound found in pomegranates keep your platelets from forming clots. It also improves the circulation in your system, maintaining a neutral blood flow. It also enhances the removal of bad cholesterol out of your arteries to prevent clots and barrier formation against normal blood flow.
• It prevents cancer. Other popular health benefits of a pomegranate are its antioxidant effects. Pomegranates contain flavonoids, a compound that fights the formation of cancer-forming agents. Health experts recommend that regular consumption of pomegranates might fight off certain forms of cancer.
• Reduces risk for atherosclerosis, Diabetes and Osteoarthritis.  The Health benefits of a pomegranate include formation of good cholesterol or HDL. HDL helps in the removal of bad cholesterol or LDL, thus prevent weight gain in Diabetes and fat deposits in atherosclerosis. Some studies even showed that it might also prevent osteoarthritis by strengthening cartilages and joints.
• Good source of nutrients. Pomegranates are packed with Vitamins A, E and C as well as folic acid. These are essential everyday nutrients that your body needs. Folic acid is essential in the formation of neurons in developing babies.
• It might reduce the induction of premature babies and low birth weight.
• Enhances immune system. Aside from its antioxidant compounds, one of the many unique health benefits of a pomegranate is to fight off minor illnesses like sore throat.
• It prevents Alzheimer’s disease. Free-radicals are known to damage neurons, an integral part of your brain. Restorative compounds in pomegranates might reduce damages on these neurons, thus prevent Alzheimer’s disease from progressing.
• It decelerates the aging process and promotes youthful skin.
• It prevents anemia: Lack of iron is the main cause for anemia. Pomegranates contain iron compounds to alleviate just that. Compared with synthetic ones, iron found in pomegranate is generally safer for daily consumption.
• It prevents body weakness associated during menopausea another unique component of pomegranate is it might overcome malaise experienced during menopause. With its essential nutrients and vitamins, it gives your body much needed fuel to keep you away from a stressful process of menopause.

The health benefits of a pomegranate are great for your body. The surge of interest among consumers is a proof that it really gathers quality results. It’s safe to consume daily, it fights off cancer and boosts your immune system. Other forms of pomegranate supplements might also be beneficial. So, get started and make healthy living a habit!

-The Health Dude-