Long term study shows Dutasteride reduced the risk of prostate cancer detected via prostate biopsy by 23% over a period of four years. The study group included men between the age of 50 to 75 who had increased cancer risk, with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels between 2.5 and 10 ng/ml.

Dutasteride is a 5-alpha-reductase enzyme inhibitor that inhibits both type 1 and type 2 isoenzymes. These enzymes convert testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the prostate gland. High levels of dihydrotestosterone accumulates and cause hyperplasia. Dutasteride capsules have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate gland.

BPH is benign enlargement of the prostate gland in men over forty, which may not present any problems until over sixty. BPH causes urinary track symptoms such as frequent urination, leaking, and urinary urgency. Dutasteride trials show significant improvement of urinary track symptoms.

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A good night’s sleep is not just a remedy for grumpy moods, mental and physical lethargy. Researchers at the University of Chicago have recently discovered that adequate sleep makes your heart strong and healthy.

The research team noted that lack of sleep promotes calcium buildup in the heart arteries, causing plaque that eventually brakes off, blocks arteries, and leads to stroke and heart attack. The study suggests doctors warn their patients about lack of sleep, along with other rick factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension.

Chronic diseases are also conducive to sleep loss. Pain and pulmonary obstruction, the two most common ailments associated with chronic diseases, can keep you awake most of the night. Get relief for those maladies that prevent you from getting enough sleep.

The study shows eight hours sleep is ideal for human heart health. Anything less entertains heart risk. The closer you move toward a four hour sleep deficit, the greater your chances of developing coronary disease.

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According to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Boston, half of participants who underwent three weeks of daily treatments for early breast cancer that last 15 minutes each, and half who underwent standard radiation therapy for five weeks, showed low rates of cancer recurrence — 6.2% for participants who underwent the accelerated therapy and 6.7% for those who underwent standard therapy after 10 to 12 years of study. The study also found that about 70% of participants in both groups had an excellent cosmetic outcome, with little shrinkage, scarring or breast discoloration from the radiation. The accelerated therapy also cost two-thirds less than the standard therapy.

The results of the study provide strongest evidence that radiation schedules can safely be shortened to make life easier for patients, and let clinics treat more women without buying more machines. This could change treatment practices in the U.S., reports the New York Times. Accelerated radiation therapy is offered at some U.S. Hospitals, but the treatment is more common in European countries and Canada.

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Thirty percent of patients who are diagnosed with prostate cancer choose the wait-and-see option, also called ‘active surveillance’, which is unique only to prostate cancer, and cannot be applied to other type of cancers, since prostate cancer is a very slow growing neoplasm. Those men who chose this option, must still have regular PSA testing and physical testing every 6 month, plus a second biopsy after a year. In doing so men may avoid impotence, incontinence and other side effects. The no treatment option is only possible because doctors have the data to support it. It doesn’t mean no treatment ever, but rather no treatment right now.

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Take Care Clinics in select Walgreens stores across the country has been offering flu vaccinations starting Oct. 1. Board certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants will administer the flu shots seven days a week. FluMist nasal spray will also be offered in some states with no appointment necessary. There are more than 6,300 neighborhood Walgreens pharmacies from coast to coast offering the vaccine. Walgreens anticipates administering more than one million flu vaccinations.” For more information visit TakeCareHealth.com.

CDC recommends taking the flu vaccination starting in October. Flu activity peaks between December and March, and it takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to be really prepared to protect against influenza. Medical experts strongly recommend patients 50 and older, as well as children and adults with chronic heart and lung conditions get vaccinated. The vaccinations may be covered by insurance plans or Medicare Part B. Patients are encouraged to check with their insurance provider.

FluMist nasal spray is not available in these states: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia. Flu Vaccinations will only be administered in these states by nurses at scheduled flu shot clinics Visit walgreens.com/flu or call 1-800-FLU-9950 for Walgreens locations and available times. Appointments are recommended.

Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion. The company operates 6,443 drugstores in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

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The holidays are times for celebrating, and include lots of cooking,
home decorating, and entertaining. As you set out to accomplish
these things, please remember that more lives are lost during the
holiday season due to fires and accidents, than any other time of the
year. Of course, you should celebrate, but follow these safety tips to
ensure a more enjoyable and healthy holiday season.

Christmas Trees

When purchasing a tree, make sure it is fresh and green, not dry and
brittle. Pull and bend the needles between your fingers. If they easily
come apart from the branch, or break instead of bend, the tree is
neither fresh nor green.

Cut a few inches of the bark off the trunk exposing bare wood to
ensure maximum absorption of water to keep it fresh and green.

Keep the stand fill with water to prevent the tree from drying out, and
becoming a fire hazard.

Tuck the tree, away from heavy traffic areas, firmly into the stand so
it won’t topple over.

Decoration and Lighting

Make sure all materials used for decorating are flame resistant, and
non-combustible. Check the lights for frayed wires. Don’t use any
lights that appear to be damage.

Don’t use decorations that look like food or candy, to avoid the
temptations of young children placing then into their mouths. This tip
can prevent chocking. Also use good judgment when selecting
decorations that are breakable or those with small removable parts.
Hang them high out of reach of little hands.

Never place candles near the Christmas tree, or in any other place
where they can be knocked over.

Home Safety

Check your smoke alarm to make sure it is functioning properly. Now is
the time to test the batteries.
Don’t use to many electrical extension wires to overload the circuit,
and cause overheating. Get professional expert help to determine how
far out on the limb you can go without falling.

Holiday Entertainment

Avoid leaving lit cigarettes on ashtrays unattended, and never throw
undistinguished butts into the trash. Keep matches and lighters out of
sight and reach of children. These are two of the primary fire starters
especially during the holiday season.

When entertaining friends and family, stay in the kitchen when you are
cooking. Don’t leave the stove unattended.

Overeating raises cholesterol level and body weight, which increases
the risk of heart attack. Highly salted foods can elevate blood pressure.

Don’t eat hot food and drink cold beverages at the same time. The cold
solidifies fats, making the stomach work harder. One can develop
stomach ache, which sometimes leads to indigestion.

Excessive drinking of alcohol and alcohol products increases the heart
rate, and causes palpitations. It can also lead to reckless driving, and
unsociable behavior. So drink in moderation, and apply common sense.

Before beginning holiday drinking, be sure to drink plenty of water.
Finish each cocktail with a glass of water to provide a balance that
keeps the body working well.

Mistletoe (Phoradendron Flavescens) is poisonous. It contains toxins,
which when ingested (leaves or berries), can cause stomach irritation.
Accidental ingestion may also result in increased heart rate, and high
blood pressure. Keep out of the reach of children, and animals.

Toys and Ornaments

Toys should not have sharp edges, sharp points, strings or cords
attached to cause harm to children. Neither should they be small
enough to be swallowed.

Match toys with the age of the children. Toys that are safe for
older children might not be necessarily safe younger ones.

Electric toys should be UL/FM approved.

I wish you a safe and healthy holiday season.

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There is currently no approved pharmaceutical treatment for premature ejaculation. But there are several advertised products that claim to do the job. However, these products may leave an after effect, which could include numbing and burning sensations, with the other sex partner. But this new product is stealth in design, and performs with minimum partner transfer.

PSD502 is the name given to the test-product, whose formulation consists of two marketed drugs, lidocaine and prilocaine, dispensed by metered aerosol. PSD502 is applied locally when needed, is effective in five minutes, and lasts up to 2 hours.

The prevalence rate of premature ejaculation in Europe and the United States is about 30%, which is fairly steady compared to erectile dysfunction that rises with age. The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) data revealed this prevalence rate, which could be conceivably higher because of the number of men who don’t seek treatment.

Premature ejaculation is a condition that affects the male only. It lowers self-esteem, presents marital dysfunction, and contributes to a state of depression.

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With age comes a multiplicity of reduced bodily functions. Tearing of the eye is one of these functions that provides lubrication for the conjunctiva, the surface between the eyelid and the eyeball. Tears is the watery saline solution produced by the lacrimal gland, which bathes the eye to keep it moist.

With a blink of the eye, a film of tears spread over its surface to moist and clear. The tear film is made up of three layers…

The oily layer… the outermost surface of the tear film, keeps the tear surface smooth, and reduces evaporation.
The watery layer… or middle layer is the largest layer, and it cleanses the eye and washes away foreign particles.
The mucus layer… causes the teat to stick to the eye, and makes the watery layer spread evenly over the entire surface of the eye.

The symptoms associated with dry eyes include…

• Excessive tearing
• Stinging or burning eyes
• Stingy mucus in or around the eyes
• Increased irritation from smoke or wind
• Discomfort wearing contact lenses
• Sensitivity to light

The principal cause of dry eye is degradation of the quality of the tear. Or if a person does not produce an adequate amount of tears to keep the eye lubricated. Aging is not the only reason for dry eye. Dry eye can occur at any age in both men and women, especially post menopausal women. People having Sjogren’s syndrome suffer from dry eye condition. A variety of medications are associated with dry eye. The list includes painkillers, diuretics, nervines, sleeping pills, antihistamines and beta-blockers. Most of these medications are essential to the well being of the people who take them, so the dry eye condition would have to be treated.

Lubricant eyedrops known as artificial tears, help the eyes retain moisture. Artificial tears are available over the counter, in many brands, without a prescription.

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Once the body and mind become equally relaxed, blood pressure falls considerably, even for elderly people. And the best tools for relaxation are background sounds of ocean waves, calming voices and classical music. These findings were reported by researchers at the American Heart Association’s 62nd Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research in Atlanta.

Although the relaxation program listeners showed slightly better results than the Mozart’s sonata listeners, all in all, both groups did very well in reducing their blood pressures. The relaxation program has been used for many years to correct disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), but this is first time it is been used to reduce high blood pressure.

This program can be used by anyone to supplement their regular blood pressure medications. It is self regulated, so there is no need for physicians supervision.

Elderly people are plague by high systolic (number on top) blood pressure , and the relaxation program showed a 6.4 percent drop in systolic pressure. This is as good as any single treatment can do.

The relaxation CD, “Revitalizer II”, used for the study was produced by clinical psychologist Dr. Thomas Budzynski, and is available here.

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A cerebral hemorrhage, causes sudden loss of consciousness, followed by paralysis. Bleeding in the brain occurs when ruptured blood vessels spill blood into the surrounding brain tissue. Disrupted blood flow deprives the brain of blood and oxygen, which causes a stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), causing brain cells to die. Blood flow disruption is attributed to blockage or rupture of arteries.

Blockage of an artery comes about because of the formation of a blood clot in the vessel due to previous narrowing of the artery cause by high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. Blockage can also occur when atherosclerotic plaque (cholesterol and calcium deposits) brakes away from the wall of a vessel forming a plug or embolism within the artery, prohibiting blood flow.

Rupture of an artery is cause by uncontrolled blood pressure over a long period of time, or by aneurysm that weakens the wall of the vessel These two conditions make the artery so tenuous that it bleeds into the tissue of the brain. The accumulation of blood from the hemorrhaging causes swelling of the brain tissue or cerebral edema. Swelling escalates the pressure of the bony skull on the brain, inflicting more damage to the brain.

The symptoms of stroke expressed by The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), are as follows:

• Complete paralysis on one side of the body.
• Weakness on one side of the body.
• Problems with thinking, awareness, learning, judgment and memory.
• Problems understanding or forming speech.
• Difficulty controlling emotions.
• Numbness or strange sensations.

To prevent a stroke you have to reduce the risk factors. You must control high blood pressure and diabetes, reduce cholesterol levels, and avoid using tobacco products.

There may be an open window for treating the patient with anticlotting drugs to dissolve the clot, or treatment to reduce the hemorrhaging, and stop the stroke while it is happening. These forms of acute stroke therapies, if performed soon enough can reduce the damage. Post treatment could include physical, speech and occupational therapies.

Isaac Hayes was 65 years old when he succumbed to a killer stroke, but it could happen at a much younger age if the risk factors are not controlled. Click [READ] for more detailed information.

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