The American Cancer Society is pleased to announce Putnam County’s 3rd Annual Walk Against Breast Cancer on Saturday, October 27, 2007, at 10 am at the Hurricane Wave Park. The Pink Ribbon Challenge is a non-competitive walk designed to raise awareness, foster camaraderie and raise funds for breast cancer research, patient services, education, and advocacy. For more information, please contact Terri Francis at 523-7989 or terri.francis@cancer.org.
• Get annual mammograms (beginning at age 40).
• Get tested for colorectal cancer (beginning at age 50).
• Schedule regular pap smears.
• Watch for signs of changes in skin conditions, especially moles that change shape, color, or size.
• Get a second opinion before making any decisions about treatment.
This test was created by Dr. Larina Kase author of the book The Confident Speaker.
Answer “agree” or “disagree” for each item.
#1: I have a hard time disagreeing with people whose views I think are wrong.
#2: It is difficult for me to say no and I often end up taking on tasks that I don’t want.
October is breast cancer awareness month. It is time to turn our attention to breast self exam, mammograms and lifestyle changes in an effort to maintain breast health.
Breast self exam remains the cornerstone of breast health. All women are capable of performing breast self exams. The most important question to ask yourself as you do an exam is “Do I feel the same as I did last month?” As you do breast self exam you become accustomed to your “normal” texture and any changes in your breast tissue will be easily noticed.
Menopause happens to every woman. There is no way to avoid it, but there are ways to cope with the changes. Menopause is a transition in a woman’s life when the ovaries stop producing eggs and is the time when the body stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
The normal menstrual cycle in a healthy woman estrogen is the dominant hormone that is produced for the first 10-12 days following the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, ovulation then signals the female body to produce progesterone, which happens for the next 12 days or so. If pregnancy does not occur during ovulation, progesterone and estrogen levels will drop at around day 28, allowing menstruation to begin. However, if you do not ovulate, you will not produce progesterone that month. This event, called an “annovulatory” cycle, is a typical occurrence today for women even 10 to 20 years before the normal age of menopause. This leaves the woman with an excess of estrogen and a deficiency of the vital hormone progesterone, which can only be produced if ovulation occurs.
By John McColgan
Is it hard for you to go near your pet without itching or sneezing? If so, your body may be overly sensitive to the pet dander that the animal is emitting. But just what is pet dander and how does it affect ones body? Basically, it is a combination of hair and dead skin flakes that can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and respiratory tracts of humans. Not surprisingly, more than 70% of families in the United States have either a dog or cat in their household. Sadly, almost 10% of the American population suffers from allergic reactions caused by these animals. Given these statistics, what can be done to cope with the harmful health effects of having a pet in your family?