Bhard

Archive for August, 2010

Cancer is a deadly disease that affects millions of people worldwide. The treatments that attempt to cure it are chemotherapy and radiation treatments, along with surgery, when it can be performed. Not all cancer tumors can be removed with surgery. The new technology that is highly appreciated for cancer treatment uses gold nanoparticles. It has been discovered in the last years that gold nanoparticles are of great use in the process of detecting and destroying the cancer cells. This technology is less invasive to the human body, as it does not affect the healthy cells. On the other hand, chemotherapy and radiation cause hair loss, nausea, exhaustion and lots of other side effects.

There are many techniques for detecting cancer, but there is always a need to find new and less invasive ones. A new alternative is to use nanotechnology. Cancer cells have the EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) protein at their surface. This makes them distinct from the normal healthy cells that usually do not have it (or have it, but in much smaller quantity than the cells). Anti-EGFR antibodies are attached to the gold nanoparticles in the lab. An anti-EGFR antibody will attach itself to EGFR protein. That means that the gold nanoparticles carrying the anti-EGFR on their surface will get attached to the surfaces of cancer cells. When the gold particles are attached to the cells, they will be illuminated with infrared laser light, and the exact location of the cells will be revealed. The reason for this is that gold particles absorb and scatter light much more than it would be expected. That is why gold particles are great optical contrast agents used in molecular imaging procedures. The gold particles also have the ability to transform the radiation absorbed into heat, making it possible to target the cancer cells.

Gold particles can carry the treatment straight to the cells. It is possible to load the gold nanoparticles with the anticancer drugs and these articles will target the tumor directly. It has been discovered that there is a possibility that the gold particles, after they carry the treatment to the cancer zone, they will release the drugs over a specified period of time, so that the cancer cells are targeted with drugs constantly.

In conclusion, using nanotechnology, scientists are now able to destroy the cells, without damaging the healthy tissues around them. This is an extra reason to value gold and to invest in it. People can buy gold bullion as a means of investment, and they will not be disappointed. The price of gold will always stay up.

The Medi Fast diet plan is a premium meal replacement diet plan which has been used by over 1 million people. Yet, like any other weight loss program, Medifast has both pros and cons. This article will relate them for you to see and decide whether or not this diet is for you.

MediFast Diet Plan – Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Medi Fast has different plans for men, women, and diabetics. There are also variations for kosher eaters.

2. This diet has been researched by Johns Hopkins and found to produce impressive weight loss among both men and women.

3. Medifast is approved by many doctors.

4. This program has been used for over 20 years by over 1 million people so it has a long and proven track record.

5. With Medi Fast you can lose 2-5 pounds each week.

6. The diet is affordable

7. Medi Fast diet plan offers a great variety of food items and meal replacement items to choose from so you won’t find the menu boring at all.

8. The meal replacement items are delivered to your house so the diet is very convenient.

Cons:

1. The diet is a low calorie program which takes some getting used to.

2. It takes a while to get used to eating regular foods instead of the meal replacement items on which the diet is based after you lose all the weight that you want.

3. You will need to wait for the meal replacement to be delivered by mail. This doesn’t take long, but 2-3 days wait is something you need to be aware of.

Overall, MediFast has worked for a lot of people and helped them to lose a lot weight.

Home health care businesses are becoming more popular these days and may offer a range of services. They are usually relied on by the elderly, those who have disorders which limit their movements and require constant medical attention, or those who are recuperating from an illness or from surgery. Their services include proper health management, meal planning and preparation and may even include light chores such as keeping the house clean and running some errands. Home health care businesses are quite easy to start cost-wise since they only require minimal start-up costs and may even be started from the house, which obliterates having to rent your own space.

Although it helps if the prospective business operator has a background in health care, home health care business operators are not required to be trained formally in areas of health care. There are countless operations manuals and books available which operators may use to gain information about the business. They can also opt to attend intensive training programs where they will experience the business directly. These training programs also offer support after the business has started.

Home health care services usually offer non-medical home care service. These providers cater mainly to the elderly and the disabled so they can remain safe and secure in their homes. These services are focused on personal care and cover daily living activities such as companionship, supervision, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation.

The nature of home health care businesses and the services that they offer can be done by anyone. However, a lot of caregivers in the home health care business preferred by business operators are retired nurses and nurse assistants. They know a lot about quality health care, yet no longer actively practice in a doctor’s office or hospital. Also, the demands of providing home health care are much lighter than those in hospitals and clinics. They do not follow strict schedules, and as such, enable retired nurses and nurse assistants to pursue their other interests while still earning money upon retirement.

The low GI (glycemic index) diet plan stresses eating foods that register a low number on the glycemic index scale. The basis of this diet plan: foods that have a low glycemic index number lead to a stable blood sugar and less weight gain. Other diet plans also incorporate the glycemic index into their food choices for weight loss.

The glycemic index pertains to blood sugar levels. Diabetics have trouble controlling their blood sugar so eating the right food is important to their health. This index has been transferred into the mainstream to create a diet plan that anyone can use.

Foods that cause the blood sugar to spike increase our hunger. For instance, eating a candy bar will give you a big burst of energy for about half an hour. After that, you will feel tired and sluggish. To keep going, you’ll eat more sugar. Then, the vicious cycle starts over.

A stable blood sugar level keeps us energized throughout the day and we don’t feel hungry. The diet leads to weight loss because of the food choices that are made. When the glycemic index number is fifty or below, the food is considered to have a “low GI” score. Anything over seventy is considered high and between fifty and seventy is moderate.

The glycemic index is not an exact science. According to the equation used to compute the number, there are candies that have a lower glycemic index than healthier foods like carrots. Of course you can’t eat chocolate and processed sugar all day and expect to lose weight. So, there is a flaw in the plan somewhere.

Also, the glycemic index number is computed for foods eaten alone. Carrots taste better with ranch dressing. Potatoes go with steak and onions. Foods that are eaten together change the glycemic index but whether it is for the good or the bad, no one knows for sure.

A person following the low GI diet plan could eat a meal of low glycemic index foods and still come out worse for it according to the plan because other factors have not been taken into account. For instance, fats in a meal slow down digestion, therefore possibly changing the effect on the body. There is more to research needed before this diet is proven to increase weight loss or make a difference in weight loss at all.

It is good to eat foods that provide stable energy all day, but an entire meal plan of them may not be what you are looking for. Right now, there is too much variance in the numbers depending on who you ask. A low fat plan would be easier to follow with better results.

Immunotherapy, also called “allergy shots” is a treatment given to increase your tolerance to substances that provoke allergy symptoms in you. Immunotherapy is used in people with severe allergies, allergies that do not improve with medications or allergic reaction more than 3 months out of the year. It cannot help with allergies to foods. Immunotherapy does not cure allergies but it does reduce your sensitivity to certain substances so that the immune system can focus on the real things it should be fighting, like viruses.

Allergy shots are given in the upper arm in gradually increasing doses over for a certain period of time to start you off and then after that to maintain the effects of the shot treatment. The allergy shots inject a little bit of what you are allergic to into the body each time to train your body not to react to this allergen anymore. If the initial shots are effective, you will continue to visit the clinic for allergy shots every 2 to 4 weeks for 2 to 5 years. You will be tested at regular intervals to see how your body reacts to those original allergens.

Your doctor will prep you for the immunotherapy but here are some general guidelines you should do:

· Get a full night’s rest the night before

· For two hours before and after your appointment, do not exercise or over-exert yourself (this increases blood flow to the tissues and will cause the allergens to spread faster throughout your body

· If told by your doctor, pre-treat with an antihistamine (this is usually done in rush immunotherapy treatments)

· Tell your doctor about any and all medications you are taking

· Do not take any over the counter medications or prescriptions that belong to someone else or herbal supplements without first consulting with your doctor

When you receive immunotherapy, you will need to remain in the doctor’s office for about 30 minutes afterwards so that you can be monitored for severe reaction. Symptoms that you need to be on the lookout for would be shortness of breath, wheezing, itchy eyes, tight throat, tightness in the chest and similar feelings. These could be signs of a more serious reaction to the allergy shots and will require emergency medical treatment.

There are some other new approaches to immunotherapy besides traditional allergy shots. Rush immunotherapy is a rushed, build-up response to traditional shot treatments and there is also oral immunotherapy and intranasal immunotherapy. Your doctor can talk with you about whether or not you are eligible and which treatment options are best for your needs.