Breast Cancer Risk Declines with Use of Aspirin and Ibuprofen

Recent findings published in the Journal of American Medicine show that taking aspirin and ibuprofen can actually reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

The results of the study were staggering and offer hope to women who live in fear of developing breast cancer due to a genetic disposition to the disease. The study found that among the women who participated in the study, those that adhered to an aspirin regimen had a thirteen percent lower risk factor of developing breast cancer and those that adhered to an ibuprofen regimen had a staggering twenty-one percent lower risk of developing the deadly cancer.

Caution Issued for Aspirin and Ibuprofen Use

Researchers caution, however, that while it may be enticing to pop these over-the-counter and easily attainable drugs in an effort to reduce one’s chance of developing breast cancer, it is also important to point out that taking these drugs can also cause one to develop intestinal bleeding. And even more alerting is the profound risk of heart problems that can develop after taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which for simplicity sake are usually abbreviated to NSAIDs or NAIDs , are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic and, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory effects, which reduce pain, fever and inflammation.

These Medicines Used for Preventing Breast Cancer

One of the authors of the study, Mahyar Etminan, Pharm.D. of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, comments that the link is plausible. But Bahi Takkouche, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, states that he would not recommend women take these medicines for the goal of preventing breast cancer.

Research that was conducted on animals show that NSAIDs could be more beneficial in fighting certain types of cancer of the breast than others and the results are mixed.

The REACT Trial Study

Mahyar Etminan remarked that the initial study looking at NSAIDS and its possible effect on cancer is currently being conducted in a study called the REACT trial. This study is being conducted in the UK on women who are, unfortunately, at a higher risk of developing cancer of the breast. The study is aimed at answering the question as to whether or not NSAIDs are indeed effective in lowering the risk of breast cancer for these women.

Risk Factors for Developing Breast Cancer

Risk factors of developing breast cancer include aging, genetic factors, which can cause a predisposition to the disease, personal history of the disease, race and ethnicity, dense breast tissue, and certain benign breast conditions.

Breast Cancer Statistics

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancers in women. Notwithstanding non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in women. Breast cancer is the highest individual cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. And breast cancer is the second most prevalent reason for death related to cancer in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Screening for Breast Cancer

Screening is important because it can aid in finding the cancerous cells at an early stage. When abnormal cells or tissue are found at an early state they are easier to treat.

By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread.

Visit to the Doctor

A woman’s visit to the doctor will most likely include a breast exam during which any breast changes are examined. This is a way to help screen for breast cancer. In most cases, if a woman is 40 years old, the attending physician will recommend a mammogram as well as routine breast exams.

It is important for women to periodically visit their physicians office for an exam. Some medical experts have commented that the term well women “annual visit” should be replaced by “periodic well-woman visit.”

In Some Cases, It Is Mistaken For A Toothache Or A Headache.

What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Many people have experienced it – a shooting pain in a tooth that just doesn't seem to go away. Chewing or drinking even aggravates the pain. But for some, face or jaw discomfort can be so intense that it electrifies certain areas of the face with piercing pain.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a nerve disorder that causes severe face discomfort, usually on one side of the face, and results in a shooting pain that can appear in the eye, nose, check bone, mouth and chin. The pain can feel like an ice pick being forced into the skin and can last for weeks, months, even years. The disorder is so rare that it is difficult to diagnose.

Signs and Symptoms

Trigeminal Neuralgia usually affects just one side of the face but there have been known cases of bilateral Trigeminal Neuralgia. In many situations, it is mistaken for a toothache or headache. People who suffer from this disorder can suffer from attacks of pain repeatedly throughout the day. Then, the pain can disappear for a period of time only to reappear later with a more severe episode. Remission is less frequent the longer period of time the person has suffered from Trigeminal Neuralgia.

People who have suffered from severe Trigeminal Neuralgia have described the pain episodes as:

• Lightning-like or electric-like shocking pain
• Shooting pain
• Jabbing-like pain
• Like having live wires in the face

What Causes the Pain?

Trigeminal Neuralgia refers to a nerve disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve, a nerve that distributes feeling to the skin of the face, the teeth, the eyes and the lining of the mouth. This severe pain-causing disorder may be prompted by aging, a disease such as Multiple Sclerosis, or a tumor that could press on the nerve. Upon diagnosis, physicians will order a MRI so that Multiple Sclerosis can be ruled out.

What is the Treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia is usually started with a medication regimen, which in most cases will cause the pain to subside. But in some situations, the Trigeminal Neuralgia does not respond to medication and the ultimate treatment is surgery.

Some people who are treating their Trigeminal Neuralgia with medication can in time stop responding to medications, or they might experience unpleasant side effects. In this case, surgery, or a combination of surgery and medications, may be a viable treatment option.

Recent Cases of Trigeminal Neuralgia in the News

In Knoxville, Tennessee, Knox County Commissioner Amy Broyles announced that she was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia and her treatment plan included surgery to correct the pressure that was on the nerve resulting in her pain. According to her statement, her surgery required opening a hole behind the ear and inserting a cushion between the base of the trigeminal nerve and the artery that loops over it.

Shortly after the surgery, a news release stated that the surgery was slightly more complicated than originally planned, and that there were some "complications". Apparently Broyles was suffering from balance and coordination issues, however Broyles reported success shortly afterwards. The resulting issues with coordination and balance should fade over time.

A reader of the news release commented that "...those that have it liken it to a lightning bolt burning across the face..... terrible terrible nerve pain. Those who have this condition virtually live in fear of the next episode."

It is anticipated that Broyles will have a complete recovery.

Coping and Support for Pain Management

Living with Trigeminal Neuralgia may be a challenge. Pain management skills and networking with others that suffer from this nerve disorder can be helpful. If you or a loved one is experiencing tooth pain or pain in the jaw or face, it is recommended that you consult with physician to learn more about treatment and diagnosis.

For further reading on Trigeminal Neuralgia:

• http://www.fpa-support.org/aboutfp/index.html
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446

Insomnia: Causes, Side Effects, Treatment

Insomnia is indeed the most prevalent sleep disorder in the world. Nearly one-third of all adults have a background of some type of insomnia and nearly ten percent have persistent sleepless nights. The disease can be defined by its time duration and is categorized by three types of sleepless nights: transient, short-term, and chronic.

Different Types of Insomnia

Transient or short-term sleepless nights originate from similar factors, while short-term sleepless nights generally require a considerable disturbance. Transient sleepless nights can be suggestive of a sleepless night that lasts from only one night to several weeks and is most likely related to alterations in the sleep schedule, such as traveling or sleeping in unusual surroundings. Short-term sleepless nights last a relatively longer period of time, usually from two to three weeks in time and can be linked to emotional influences such as anxiety or stress.

Chronic sleepless nights, the most severe type of sleeplessness, occur essentially every night and can last a month or more.

Side Effects of Sleepless Nights

Recent reports show that sleepless nights are more than a nuisance. In fact, insomnia can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure. Indeed, people who sleep fewer than five hours a night are more than five times more at risk at developing hypertension than people who sleep well.

Dr. Alexandros Vgontzas, a lead researcher who studied sleepless nights at Penn State College of Medicine, which is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, studied the possible relationship between stress hormones and high blood pressure. The results of the study confirmed the theory that patients who suffer from decreased sleep efficiency more possibly might suffer from hypertension as well.

Dr. Vgontzas studied the tie between sleep problems and increased blood pressure in over fifteen hundred people who were randomly selected volunteer participants. The volunteers classified themselves as being either normal sleepers, those who had some difficulty sleeping or as being afflicted with sleepless nights.

The study members were separated in accordance with their sleep productivity, which was determined by surveying the sum of the hours they slept per night. The results suggested that a mixture of low aggregate sleep duration and sleepless nights including waking up in the night or even having difficulty getting to sleep on a lasting basis - were actually linked to hypertension.

Sleeplessness Related Hypertension Also Linked to Teens

Teenagers who slept less than six and a half hours nightly experienced more than twice the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, according to a research study conducted at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The study was published in the American Heart Association Journal Circulation, and the researchers discovered a pattern that was not withstanding sex, weight and socioeconomic status.

The study broke ground by showing the relationship between low quality sleep and the risk of hypertension development as well as other health issues, said Dr. Susan Redline, a pediatrician researcher who led the study. Dr. Redline also noted that poor sleep might be more consistently related with pre-hypertension than a shorter sleep period.

For further reading, refer to the Health Science News article Insomnia Increases Chances of Diabetes in Young.

Risks of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a serious illness that can lead to damage to the arteries and kidneys and can cause stroke, kidney disease and various other illnesses.

High Blood Pressure Medication Can Cause Insomnia

Widespread causes for sleepless nights exist. Occasionally the cause is apparent. There are certain medical causes for sleeplessness, plus some mental health illnesses that include depression, anxiety or chronic stress. Additionally, as patients are treated with high blood pressure medicine for their hypertension, the result could be something that is counterproductive to their lack of sleep problems as well. Some medications for high blood pressure, decongestants and antidepressants are well known to cause sleepless nights, which can result in a snowball effect to the patient's insomnia-related hypertension.

Treatment of Insomnia

The most commonly thought of treatment for sleepless nights is sleeping pills, but there are indeed non-medical therapies that are comparatively better in the long term and work more efficiently than sleeping pills. Sleeplessness treatment is sometimes classified into two different groups: treatment with or without medication.

Sleepless Night - Treatment with Medication

There are many self-prescribed sleep aids such as alcohol that actually increase the sleepless symptoms and have limited benefit. A pretty small extent of alcohol can be relaxing and result in sleepiness early in the evening, but can result in a re-bound effect that can occur later in the evening as illustrated with difficulty sleeping. And, extended alcohol abuse can result in tolerance as well as dependence, which may lead to other medical problems.

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Sleepless Nights

Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and "recreational" drugs are well-known causes of sleepless nights. A healthy lifestyle, which includes a consistent workout regimen, a well-rounded diet, as well as a less stressful lifestyle are recommended to reduce the nagging effects of sleepless nights. As with any health issue, it is recommended that you consult a professional health care provider if you are experiencing sleepless nights and are concerned about the causes of sleepless nights, the side effects and treatment of insomnia.

Viagra Benefits Women on Antidepressants

Pfizer released Viagra in 1998 for men, and not long afterwards, Pfizer began to study its use for women. In a recent blog entry, editors at Health Science News discussed Viagra and women, the pros and cons of Viagra and women, in addition recently it has been revealed in other studies that documentation points to the success of Viagra in the female population.

Women With Depression Benefit from Viagra

Women who are suffering from depression may also have the unpleasant side effect of decreased libido. The women examined in these recent studies were in their pre-menopausal years and were also being treated for their depression with anti-depressant medication. It is important to note, however, that the women's depression was in remission.

Leading researcher of sexual medicine at the Alvarado Hospital, which is located in San Diego California, Dr. Goldstein has treated women by prescribing Viagra, and he noted that there are a lot of similarities between men and women regarding their sexual drive.

Study Reveals Hope for Women Who Suffer From Depression and Decreased Sex Drive

The study conducted separated women participants into two different groups, one group which was asked to take the drug Viagra up to two hours prior to sexual activity for a period of eight weeks. The second group of female study participants was given a placebo and both groups were tested.

At the conclusion of the study, it was discovered that over seventy percent of the women who were given Viagra showed increased sexual desire, while only twenty percent of the female participants who were given the placebo showed improvement.

Study Concludes - Testosterone the Key

Dr. Goldstein noted that the key is testosterone levels and as long as women do not have health issues with testosterone, the drug can help them combat reduced libido.

More Studies Back Up Goldstein's Findings

Yet another study, which was conducted in Italy on female diabetics, found similar results - that women with normal testosterone levels were helped with Viagra.

The Director of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, which focuses on Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, Julia R. Heiman, found that sexual side consequences of antidepressants can make such an impact on women's lives that they actually discontinue their use, which can put them at risk for increased depression symptoms.

The study's findings revealed that Viagra could counteract the decreased sexual effects, said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, who is a leading professor of psychiatry at the UCLA medical center. Dr. Leuchter was not involved in the study.

Mixed Reviews

There are mixed reviews on the issue of Viagra and women’s use. A leading endocrinologist, who is chairman of the department of medicine at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, noted that Viagra could possibly not work as efficiently as it did in the studies. Real world results could be less prominent. And the side effects of women who use Viagra are not without notice. For example, some women who took the Viagra drug reported headaches or even flushing. Dr. Glenn Braustein noted that these effects could have affected the study because the participants might have realized that they had taken Viagra due to the side effects, and this realization could have affected their sexual performance.

Dr. Braustein noted that these studies are provocative and stated that he would like to see more studies that could confirm the same results in larger groups of women.

Consult a Professional

Women should be cautioned that rather than asking their partner for a Viagra pill, they should instead consult with a professional if they are considering the pros and cons of Viagra.

For further reading:

• http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-viagra23-2008jul23,0,2061531.story

Sex After Breast Cancer

One of the most frequently diagnosed types of malignant cancer is breast cancer. In fact, in 2006 alone, nearly two hundred and thirteen thousand women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. The risk of a woman being diagnosed with the disease within their lifetime is one in eight, or twelve percent.

Cardiovascular Disease More Lethal than Breast Cancer

In comparison, cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and stroke, breast cancer is responsible for fewer deaths. Nevertheless, among many of the cancer diagnoses, breast cancer is probably the one that is most dreaded for a woman. This is most likely due to the fact that this type of cancer impacts so many women who are within the age range of thirty to forty years old. Also, the stigma of this disease is unfortunately connected to a woman's body and the sense of beauty, femininity, and sexuality.

Loss of Sexual Desire After Breast Cancer

It is common for women who have suffered from a breast cancer diagnosis to suffer loss of libido from the treatment of the disease, including chemotherapy, which may result in nausea and fatigue. Additional side effects include vaginal dryness, which has the added disadvantage of causing uncomfortable intercourse. This is due to the drugs that are often prescribed during treatment, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors.

Communication With Partner

Many breast cancer survivors state that communication with a partner or husband is helpful. Over-the-counter items such as lubricants are beneficial and help combat the dryness. Recommendations for lack of sexual desire include a scheduled date night or romantic dinner on days when the women feels good and has enough energy, such as a week before a chemotherapy treatment plan. Many husbands are sad to see their wife experience fatigue but the fact that energy levels may increase after the treatment is over often helps encourage hope in the relationship. Some patients often benefit from a prescription testosterone gel to replace their libido, although this treatment can have its own risks, therefore, it is recommended that the physician in charge of the patient's treatment be consulted.

Communication With Physician

Regrettably, oncologists sometimes have a difficult time communicating about sexual health with their patients, especially because this area is not usually their main area of expertise. In this case, online research is often beneficial to the patient.

Anti-Depressants and Diminished Sexual Desire

According to two recently published studies, antidepressants may also be responsible for diminished libido. Patients are recommended to consult with their physician about trying Effexor, which is an antidepressant that has been found to have little sexual side effects than the majority of anti-depressants, and also have the benefit of reducing hot flashes in menopausal women.

Foreplay Important

Scientists suggest that foreplay not be neglected. Stimulation of the vagina is important and this can be achieved with foreplay. Sometimes, couples rush the act, and this can become painful for the patient. Also, foreplay can be exciting and reduce stress.

Consult a Professional

If you are suffering with these issues, it is recommended that you seek advise from a doctor or counselor. Sexual health is crucial to the overall mental health and well being of women, but many are afraid to communicate about it and address the issue of sex after breast cancer.

For more information about this topic:

http://www.fhcrc.org/patient/support/survivorship/resources/Healthlink.FemaleSexualDysfunction