Aspirin Fighting Against Breast Cancer

A study which included 4,164 nurses found that using regular low dose aspirin could lower their risk of dying from breast cancer. The study using aspirin has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Women that were breast cancer survivors, who took aspirin after completing their cancer treatments, were half as likely to have their tumors spread throughout their body. There were also fewer deaths caused by the breast cancer and tumors in those women who took aspirin. Women that had not taken aspirin were more likely to find the cancer had spread.

Researchers following the study feel that the aspirin may aid in controlling cancer by fighting inflammation throughout the body.

Research studies from the past have proven that breast cancer cells produce more inflammatory chemicals in a woman’s body, compared to normal noncancerous breast cells.

It is very important to talk to your health care provider before starting any additional treatment, which they have not recommended even something as simple as aspirin. Often cancer patients are told to avoid aspirin, due to the fact aspirin acts as a blood thinner. Women undergoing treatment such as radiation and chemotherapy for breast cancer need to be extra cautious due to side effects. 

There are 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, which are already taking a daily low-dose aspirin to reduce their risk of heart attack. If you have had breast cancer and are already taking aspirin, you should take comfort in knowing that you may be helping to keep your breast cancer from reoccurring or spreading to other areas of your body.

Bill Clinton’s Heart Issue Explained

Chest pain is nothing to fool around with. If you think you’re having a heart attack, you get it checked – no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The good news is that there’s a good chance that it’s not your heart that is causing problems. Many issues, from severe heartburn to panic attacks, can make it feel as if you are having a heart attack, but it’s much better to be safe than sorry, right?

U.S. President Bill Clinton isn’t unfamiliar with heart problems – he had a quadruple bypass a few years ago because of blocked arteries. A quadruple bypass is a surgery that involves taking blood vessels from one part of your body (usually the leg) and attaching them to the heart, making an alternate route for your blood to flow. You can have one artery done (bypass), two (double bypass), and so on.

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Cardiovascular Disease Threat To Men And Women

In the past Cardiovascular disease has commonly been seen as a disease that afflicts middle-aged or elderly men.  Researchers have been studying the affect of Cardiovascular disease in women as well. Results of these tests have shown that on average more women than men are dying from heart attack and stroke.

A study carried out in 1973 showed that, heart disease and stroke killed 45,404 men in Canada. In 2003 thirty years later, the number of male deaths had fallen by 19 per cent to 37,004.

At the same time research was being carried out on women as well in 1973, 34,924 died from heart disease or stroke. Thirty years later the research showed, that the number of women who died from heart disease or stroke almost equaled the number of male deaths at 36,823.

From 1973 to 2003 men dying from Cardiovascular disease dropped by 49 per cent to 10,643, within the same period of time women dying from the same disease fell by 24 per cent to 8,019. These numbers have become a real concern to doctors around the world, women’s heart health concerns have not kept pace with men’s making Cardiovascular disease a truly equal opportunity killer. As you can see the number of deaths for men have been dropping while the number of deaths for women is on the rise.

Researchers as well as doctors are puzzled as to why women’s risk of dying from a heart attack, within the first 30 days is 16 per cent higher than that of a man, the risk of a woman dying from a stroke is 11 per cent higher than a man’s. Doctors believe that women tend to ignore signs of heart attack and stroke often putting off going in for an exam. Part of the delay in seeing a doctor is due to the fact that Cardiovascular disease has in the past been considered a man’s disease.

Some of the reasons that more women are dying from Cardiovascular disease are as follows:

• Women are less likely than men to be treated by a specialist.

• Women are less likely to receive treatments such as angioplasty or cardiac bypass surgery.

• Fewer women than men are referred to cardiologists.                 

Women need to be more vigilant when it comes to watching for any signs or symptoms of Cardiovascular disease and calling their doctor immediately.

Signs of heart attack are as follows:

• Pain in chest, neck, jaw, shoulders, arms or back the pain can feel like squeezing, heaviness, pressure, burning or tightness.
• Breathing problems such as — shortness of breath.
• Indigestion
• Vomiting, nausea
• Clammy skin
• Pale skin
• Sweating more than normal.
• Fatigued most of the time.

Depression and Your Heart

It is a well known fact that as our loved ones get older the holidays seem to cause them to get more depressed. When someone suffers lose of a loved one, or the simple fact of their being alone for long periods can trigger a deep depression.

If you notice a serious change in the behavior of the older family members at the holidays, you should encourage them to talk to their health care provider.

What if you notice that one of your older loved ones isn’t quite their old self? You may notice that they’re more anxious, more irritable, less joyful or quieter than they once were? They seem to have trouble focusing, they may be obsessed with talking about people who have died, or have lost interest in things that they used to enjoy such as holiday traditions and festivities.

When thinking of depression one generally thinks it is associated with women, this is not always true as you get older. There have been studies that show when men are in their fifties they may start to show signs of depression, if this happens it puts them at a greater risk of a heart attack.

Research shows that in the U.S. 80 percent of suicides are male and 90 percent of these suicides are Caucasian males over the age of 60. If men at this age fall into a depressed state after a heart attack or stroke are more likely to die of heart disease.

We all seem to think that depression goes along with aging, which is a myth. People do not just get old, tired and sad naturally there is usually an underlying problem of some kind. Normal aging is not associated with depression, and late-life depression is just as treatable as any other form.