Mouth Cancer – a Deadly Disease – Are You at Risk?

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Nov 3,2008

November 16 sees the launch of a new health campaign organised by the British Dental Health Foundation called Mouth Cancer Action Week. Mouth cancer (also called oral cancer) is a malignant growth which can occur in any part of the mouth including the lips and tongue. Mouth cancers often appear as a painless mouth ulcer that does not heal normally or, less often, as a red or white patch in the mouth. The campaign seeks to encourage people to understand their level of risk for the disease and to advise dentists to be vigilant in their examination procedures.

Anyone can be affected by mouth cancer, whether they have their own teeth or not. Smoking, or chewing tobacco (or betel quid/paan/gutkha), greatly increases your chances of getting mouth cancer. Heavy drinking is also a risk. If you do both, your chances of getting mouth cancer are much greater. This cancer is more common in men than women and more likely to occur in people aged over 40 years. Experts today, however, are concerned about rising numbers of this cancer in younger age groups.

In the UK about 5,000 people get cancer of the mouth each year and the disease kills one person every five hours. Treated in its early stages, mouth cancer is curable but it if not detected early, it kills around one in two sufferers. A dentist is trained and in the best position to examine for early signs of this disease.

The routine dental examination procedure is quick, simple, completely painless and requires no injection. The dentist carefully examines the inside of the mouth with the help of a small mirror. Remember, the dentist is able to see parts of your mouth that you cannot see easily yourself.

Many UK dental practices now offer a mouth cancer screening service which aims to increase your awareness of your own level of risk for the disease and to help you reduce that risk by changing your lifestyle habits.

In addition to this awareness counselling and regular comprehensive head, neck and mouth examination procedures, dental practices can now offer patients an extended test using a new mouth cancer screening system which highlights any abnormal area of the mouth, identifying areas of potential risk even before they become visible. The latest system is called ViziLite Plus which is used extensively in the USA as an aid to early detection and has recently been introduced to the UK.

If you drink heavily, smoke or use tobacco in any form, you may be at risk. You are advised to contact your dentist, doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns. If in doubt – get checked out.

For more information visit http://www.mouthcancer.org

Source: Scope Dental Professional Relations


Physical therapy is a cost-effective form of treatment for Americans with diabetes

Patients with diabetes who participate in a program combining aerobic and high-force eccentric resistance exercise demonstrate improvements in glucose control, physical performance, and body fat composition, according to a study published in the November 2008 issue of Physical Therapy (PTJ), the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

“Although aerobic exercise is what is typically recommended for treating people with diabetes, this study shows that adding a high-force strength training component has significant advantages,” says APTA spokesperson Robin L. Marcus, PT, PhD, OCS, assistant professor at the University’s Department of Physical Therapy and the study’s lead researcher. Diabetes affects approximately 24 million adults and children in the United States.(1) The onset of type 2 diabetes — a chronic illness marked by decreased insulin sensitivity and overall poor glucose control — is fostered by decreased physical activity.

“This study, which comes as the nation marks American Diabetes Month, is especially pertinent in light of new research highlighting the escalating costs and serious side effects of certain diabetes drugs,” said Marcus. “Patients with diabetes and their health care providers should be encouraged that physical therapy has been shown to be a cost-effective and safe treatment alternative.”

The PTJ study, “Comparison of Combined Aerobic and High-Force Eccentric Resistance Exercise With Aerobic-Only Exercise for People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus,” evaluated 15 people with type 2 diabetes who participated in a 16-week supervised exercise training program: seven in a combined aerobic and eccentric resistance exercise program, and eight in a program of aerobic exercise only.

A podcast titled “Fat, Muscle, and the Benefits of Exercise for People With Diabetes” is available at: http://www.ptjournal.org/misc/podcasts.dtl. The podcast highlights PTJ’s Diabetes Special Issue: “People With Diabetes: A Population Desperate for Movement.” (November 2008). Marcus and other experts discuss new information about the roles of fat in people with diabetes, especially fat in muscle, and about how this fat appears to impair muscle function. Running time: 24:29 (11,487 KB).

Paul LaStayo, PT, PhD, the study’s senior author, notes that the eccentric resistance exercise program was specifically designed to increase strength and muscle size, using a recumbent stepper that produced a lengthening contraction, such as when lowering the dumbbell in a bicep curl.

After 3 months, Marcus and LaStayo found that both groups showed improved glucose control and physical performance in a 6-minute walk, as well as a decrease in fat composition within the leg muscles. “This study is particularly interesting because the patients who did both aerobic and resistance exercise had additional improvements, most notably a decreased overall BMI and a gain in leg muscle,” Marcus said.

“Although aerobic exercise is still key in treating diabetes, it should not be used in isolation,” Marcus observes. “As people age, they lose muscle mass and, subsequently, mobility, resulting in a greater risk of falls. Adding resistance training to the diabetes treatment regimen leads to improved thigh lean tissue which, in turn, may be an important way for patients to increase resting metabolic rate, protein reserve, exercise tolerance, and functional mobility, she notes.

This study is part of PTJ’s special issue (http://www.ptjournal.org/current.dtl) on diabetes, which illustrates that physical therapy interventions can have a dramatic and positive effect in fighting the complications associated with diabetes. As the movement experts, physical therapists are ideally suited to help this population safely and to effectively address their movement dysfunctions.

(1)American Diabetes Association

Physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed healthcare professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility — without expensive surgery or the side effects of medications. APTA represents more than 70,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Its purpose is to improve the health and quality of life of individuals through the advancement of physical therapist practice. Learn more about conditions physical therapists can treat at http://www.apta.org/consumer, and find a physical therapist in your area at http://www.findapt.us/.

Source: American Physical Therapy Association


Lifestyle Changes Can Help Delay or Prevent Diabetes

November is American Diabetes Month and acting Secretary of Health Everette James today reminded Pennsylvanians that there are steps they can take to reduce the risk of becoming diabetic.

“Diabetes rates continue to rise, making the disease a serious — and expensive — health problem in Pennsylvania,” said James. “Studies show many cases of diabetes can be delayed or prevented if people adopt some basic healthy behaviors. We want every Pennsylvanian to know the risk factors, the impacts on their health and how the disease can be managed.”

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas does not produce, or stops producing, insulin (Type 1 diabetes), or is not producing enough insulin and/or the body cannot use it (Type 2 diabetes). Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar and starches from food into energy.

Although the causes of diabetes are not certain, genetics and lifestyle factors, such as obesity and lack of physical activity, are related to its development.

Diabetes affects nearly 24 million people in the U.S., including nearly 800,000 in Pennsylvania. New federal data shows a 90 percent increase in the number of diabetes cases reported nationwide over the past decade. This growth is a key contributor to rising health care costs. According to a recent report by the American Diabetes Association, diabetes cost $174 billion nationally in 2007 in direct costs and productivity losses, up from $132 billion the previous year.

Diabetes treatment drugs are becoming more expensive. According to a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the cost of diabetes medications in the U.S. increased by 87 percent to $12.5 billion in 2007 from $6.7 billion in 2001.

For those who already have diabetes, it is very important to manage the disease and prevent complications by maintaining a healthy weight and getting adequate physical activity. The consequences of not properly managing the disease can include damage to the eyes, kidneys, feet, nerves, and cardiovascular system.

The Pennsylvania Diabetes Action Partnership, convened by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, focuses on increasing the quality of life for individuals with diabetes and preventing its onset by working through a partnership of more than 300 organizations and individuals across the state to implement the objectives of the statewide Pennsylvania Diabetes Action Plan.

To learn more about the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program or to view the Pennsylvania Diabetes Action Plan, visit www.health.state.pa.us.

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health


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