Causes & Prevention

The importance of physical activity in cancer prevention, independent of diet and obesity, is becoming better understood. Twenty five percent of all adults engage in no leisure time physical activity. Less than half engage in moderate or vigorous physical activity.

By age 18 to 22 years, only 26 percent of males and 12 percent of females engage in moderate or strenuous activity at least five times per week.

Irritable bowel syndrome* (IBS) is a “syndrome,” meaning a group of symptoms. The most common symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain or discomfort often reported as cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation. IBS affects the colon, or large bowel, which is the part of the digestive tract that stores stool.

IBS is not a disease. It’s a functional disorder, meaning that the bowel doesn’t work, or function, correctly.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between your brain and your body, leading to the symptoms of MS. They can include

• Visual disturbances

• Muscle weakness

• Trouble with coordination and balance

Pregnant women seem no more prone to UTIs than other women.

However, when a UTI does occur in a pregnant woman, it is more likely to travel to the kidneys.

According to some reports, about 2 to 4 percent of pregnant women develop a urinary infection.

Scientists think that hormonal changes and shifts in the position of the urinary tract during pregnancy make it easier for bacteria to travel up the ureters to the kidneys.

Many women suffer from frequent UTIs. Nearly 20 percent of women who have a UTI will have another, and 30 percent of those will have yet another. Of the last group, 80 percent will have recurrences.

Usually, the latest infection stems from a strain or type of bacteria that is different from the infection before it, indicating a separate infection. Even when several UTIs in a row are due to E. coli, slight differences in the bacteria indicate distinct infections.

Some people are more prone to getting a UTI than others. Any abnormality of the urinary tract that obstructs the flow of urine (a kidney stone, for example) sets the stage for an infection. An enlarged prostate gland also can slow the flow of urine, thus raising the risk of infection.

A common source of infection is catheters, or tubes, placed in the urethra and bladder. A person who cannot void or who is unconscious or critically ill often needs a catheter that stays in place for a long time. Some people, especially the elderly or those with nervous system disorders who lose bladder control, may need a catheter for life. Bacteria on the catheter can infect the bladder, so hospital staff take special care to keep the catheter clean and remove it as soon as possible.

Normally, urine is sterile. It is usually free of bacteria, viruses, and fungi but does contain fluids, salts, and waste products. An infection occurs when tiny organisms, usually bacteria from the digestive tract, cling to the opening of the urethra and begin to multiply. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. Most infections arise from one type of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli), which normally lives in the colon.

Approximately 50 million people take aspirin every day to prevent cardiovascular events such as stroke or heart attack. So, is more better? Not necessarily.

A recent study indicated that the difference beween taking a 'baby aspirin" (81 mg) a day, vs an adult or whole aspirin (325 mg) is negligible. Both prevent platelets from clotting; thus, preventing stoke or heart attacks. However, there is a difference with bleeding ulcers from the stomach or intestines (mostly the stomach).

Heart Failure is defined as a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way it should.

The weakening of the heart's pumping ability causes

• Blood and fluid to back up into the lungs

• The buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles and legs - called edema

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Also called: Estrogen replacement therapy, HRT, Menopausal hormone therapy.

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her period stops. It is a normal part of aging. In the years before and during menopause, the levels of female hormones can go up and down. This can cause symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Some women take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to relieve these symptoms. HRT may also protect against osteoporosis.