Cancer in the United States 
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is America's
second leading cause of death. Cancer attacks half of all men and about a
third of all women. This ravaging disease occurs when good cells in the
body for some reason go bad.
While cancer seems like the major threat to ward off in America, which would
have the biggest impact, finding a cure for cancer or finding a cure for mental
illness? Would you believe that more Americans are diagnosed with mental illness
than with cancer. At this time more researchers are working on cures for
cancer in all its various forms.
Which cancer do you think occurs most often in the United
States? Breast cancer has a high rate
of occurrence and gets a lot of press coverage. But skin cancer has the
highest number of victims today. Surprisingly, nearly half of all cancers
diagnosed involve non-melanoma related skin cancer. According a study by
the American Cancer Society, the most prevalent cancers today after skin cancer
and breast cancer are:
- Prostate cancer
- Colon and rectal cancer
- Endometriosis cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Leukemia
- Lung cancer
- Melanoma
- Pancreatic cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Thyroid cancer
Where does cancer come from? Is cancer a genetic disease or does it come
from the environment? Researchers believe that the tendency to develop
many cancers is programmed into the genes but it takes an environmental trigger
to start the cancer process. People who never smoke may never know if they
have a predisposition to lung cancer. This is why it is important to
avoid cancer-causing situations.
What actually happens to a cancerous cell? A cell is programmed to behave
in certain ways. Think of the cell as a toy that can be turned on and
shut off at certain times in its life span. Sometimes, the toy won't shut
down and starts to carry on duties that it shouldn't. The toy may even
start to replicate itself and take over the playroom. This is ...
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Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by the deposition of fatty substances called plaques in the walls of medium and large arteries. Depending on which arteries are affected, it can lead to leg pain, erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and heart attack or stroke. It is the main cause of death in developed countries. The disease often starts in childhood and the arteries become clogged over many years, initially without symptoms.Mechanism of the disease High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, sedentary life style, hormone status and age are all risk factors for atherosclerosis. These factors conspire to cause tears to the lining of the medium and large arteries, which results in fatty deposits, inflammation, and ultimately narrowing of the afflicted arteries. High blood pressure provides the shear force to produce tears in the fragile endothelium, the lining of the arteries. Cholesterol migrates into these torn sections when concentrations of LDL, or low density lipoprotein are high. Smoking has a direct toxic effect on the arterial wall, causing an inflammatory response. Exercise modifies many of these risk factors, ultimately lowering the inflammatory response of the arterial walls. Hormones, especially the presence of estrogen, has a healing effect on the arterial walls. The resident cells interpret this as an intrusion, "call for help", and inflammation results. Immune cells called monocytes circulating in the blood enter the artery wall, turn into macrophages and ingest the LDL particles, thereby turning into large "foam cells". The inflammation also causes a fibrous cap to be formed between the fatty deposits and the artery. These capped fatty deposits (called atheromas) narrow the blood vessel. This can lead to narrowing (stenosis) of the artery. The atheromas are fragile. When they rupture, a partial blockage can be quickly converted into a complete obstruction, resulting in a heart attack or stroke, depend ...
(Hits: 1714 | Votes: 0 | Visited: 0 | Added: 2005-05-22 09:35:19)
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Conditions and Diseases 
