Yoga: Minimize stress, maximize flexibility and even more

Besides relieving stress and improving your body's flexibility, yoga can help you manage health conditions and cope with disease. Explore yoga's benefits, risks and how to select a class.

What is yoga?
Yoga is part of the Hindu religion and a way of life. The ultimate goal of yoga is to reach complete peacefulness in your body and mind. While traditional yoga philosophy requires that students adhere to this mission through behavior, diet and meditation, chances are you aren't looking for a complete change in lifestyle but rather increased flexibility, relaxation or stress relief.

If that's the case, then like most people in the United States, you're interested in hatha yoga — a style of yoga designed to encourage a more flexible body and a calm mind.

Hatha yoga: The most popular form of yoga
Hatha yoga focuses on physical poses and controlled breathing. Several versions of hatha yoga exist. Which version you choose depends on your personal preferences. But all varieties of hatha yoga include two basic components — poses and breathing.

Poses
In a typical hatha yoga class, you may learn anywhere from 10 to 30 poses. More experienced yoga students might know many more, including more-advanced poses that require advanced stretching and twisting. Poses range from the seemingly easy, such as the corpse pose, which involves lying on the floor, completely relaxed, to the most difficult poses that take years of practice to master.

Remember that you don't have to do every pose your instructor demonstrates. If a pose is uncomfortable, or you can't hold it as long as the instructor requests, don't do it. Good instructors will understand. Spend time sitting quietly, breathing deeply until your instructor moves the class on to another pose that's more comfortable for you.

Breathing
Controlling your breathing is an important part of yoga. In yoga, breath signifies your vital energy. Yoga teaches that controlling your breathing can help you control your body and gain control of your mind.

You'll learn to control your breathing by paying attention to it. Your instructor might ask you to take deep, loud breaths as you concentrate on your breathing. Other breathing techniques involve paying attention to your breath as it moves into your body and fills your lungs, or alternately breathing through one nostril.

Yoga, stress relief and other health benefits
Yoga offers a good means of relaxation and stress relief. Its quiet, precise movements focus your mind less on your busy day and more on the moment as you move your body through poses that require balance and concentration.

Other health benefits of yoga include:

• Increased flexibility. As you learn and refine new poses— such as touching your toes — you'll find that each time you practice, you can reach a little farther. More range of motion means you'll be less likely to injure yourself in other physical activities.
• Management of chronic health conditions. The breathing and relaxation methods used in yoga might help you if you have asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, low back pain, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis of the knees or memory problems. Yoga can also be helpful when combined with other therapies for heart disease and high blood pressure. Yoga, when combined with a vegetarian diet, aerobic exercise and medication, has reduced cardiovascular disease rates and blood pressure levels.
• Weight loss. If you're overweight, yoga may help you make the healthy lifestyle changes necessary to drop those extra pounds.
• Balance. Yoga classes tailored for elderly adults can help them stay steady on their feet and avoid falls and hip fractures.
• Coping with cancer. People with cancer and their caregivers who practice yoga may improve their quality of life and sleep better at night.
• Alzheimer's caregiver stress and fatigue. Yoga practice may help family caregivers by boosting their mood and ability to cope and manage stress.

While you shouldn't expect yoga to cure you, it can help some health conditions when combined with treatment recommended by your doctor. And if you're perfectly healthy, yoga can be a good way to supplement your regular exercise routine.

Yoga risks
Yoga, overall, is considered safe if you're generally healthy. Some yoga positions can put significant strain on your lower back and on your joints. See your doctor first if you have any joint problems or a history of low back or neck pain. You might want to avoid certain yoga positions depending on your condition.

Also see your doctor before you begin a yoga class if you have any of the following conditions, as complications can arise:

• High blood pressure that's difficult to control
• A risk of blood clots
• Eye conditions, including glaucoma
• Osteoporosis

If you're pregnant or nursing, yoga is considered generally safe. But avoid any poses that put pressure on your uterus, such as those that require you to twist at the waist. Some yoga classes are specifically tailored for pregnant women. Check with your obstetrician if you have any questions whether yoga is right for you and your baby.

How to find a yoga class
If you've decided to try yoga, look around for classes in your area to see what's offered. You can also learn yoga from books and videos. However, individualized attention to your specific needs won't be available with these teach-yourself methods.

When you find a class that sounds interesting, call and ask questions to get an idea of what to expect, including:

• What are the instructor's qualifications? Where did that person learn yoga, and how long has he or she been teaching?
• Does the instructor have experience working with students with your needs or health concerns? If you have a sore knee or an aching shoulder, can the instructor help you find poses that won't aggravate your condition?
• Is the class suitable for beginners? Will it be easy enough to follow along if it's your first time?

Also find out what you need to bring to class. Some classes require you to bring a mat or towel to sit or stand on while doing poses. Other classes will provide this.

At the end of a yoga class, you should feel invigorated, yet calm. If this isn't the case, talk to your instructor. He or she might have suggestions for you. Otherwise there may be another yoga class better suited to your needs.

Description
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the United States. There are two major types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. Non-small cell makes up about 80 to 90 percent of the cases; small cell, approximately 10 to 12 percent. Both arise from lung epithelial cells.

Symptoms of lung cancer can include a cough that won’t go away, chest pain, hoarseness, shortness of breath, bloody or rust-colored sputum and recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Statistics
In 2005, an estimated 172,570 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed, making it the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and accounting for 13 percent of all cancer diagnoses. In men, the incidence rate has declined significantly, going from 102.1 cases per 100,000 in 1984 to 77.7 in 2001. The incidence rate in women has also declined for the first time after a long period of increase, from 52.8 cases per 100,000 in 1998 to 49.1 in 2001.

An estimated 163,510 individuals will die from the disease – about 29 percent of all cancer deaths. Among all patients with lung cancer, 42 percent are alive after one year – an increase from 37 percent in 1975. Still, the relative five-year survival rate for all lung cancers combined is only 15 percent. While 49 percent of individuals live at least five years when their cancer is diagnosed early and remains only in the lungs, very few cancers – about 16 percent – are detected at this stage.

In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death each year in women. Lung cancer death rates in women have recently leveled off after decades of continual increase. In contrast, death rates in men have dropped by about 1.9 percent a year since 1991.

Early Detection and Diagnosis
It is extremely difficult to detect lung cancer early. If lung cancer is suspected, a chest X-ray or a spiral CT (computed tomography) scan will be taken to look for a spot or mass on the lungs, or for lung tumors or metastatic disease. Improvements in computer imaging and particularly spiral CT allow physicians to see a more detailed cross-sectional view of the lungs, and have improved detection of early stage lung cancer. If something suspicious is found, then a bronchoscopy, which involves a lighted scope being placed into the lungs, may be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Innovative technologies involving fiber optics are being developed that uses laser light with bronchoscopy to identify early lung cancer and as well as precancerous changes in cells; the technology can be used as a research tool for diagnosis and prevention. A lung tissue biopsy may be performed to look for cancer cells in the phlegm and lung tissue as well.

In 2004, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, on the basis of results of several studies, upgraded its recommendations regarding the use of spiral CT in routine screening. The group said that there was not enough evidence to date to recommend for or against routine screening in individuals who do not have symptoms.

A large, randomized clinical trial called the National Lung Screening Trial is trying to determine whether taking spiral CT scans of people at high risk will save lives. The trial, which started in 2002, involves some 50,000 people. The International Early Lung Cancer Action Project involves 27,000 individuals enrolled in a clinical trial at 30 sites on three continents. Preliminary results from the first 20,000 enrollees found a stage I lung cancer detection rate of 82 percent. Some 96 percent of the patients were cancer-free up to 100 months after surgery.

Minimizing Risk/Prevention
Approximately 85 to 87 percent of all cases are caused by tobacco use, making lung cancer one of the most preventable cancers. Another several percent stems from radon exposure. Individuals who have been smokers and asbestos workers have a much higher risk of dying of lung cancer.

In the last decade, researchers have identified many of the genes involved in the development of lung cancer. They have found that turning off the activity of certain cancer-blocking genes called tumor suppressor genes such as p53 and Rb, and turning on various cancer-promoting genes such as c-myc, ras and bcl-2 may play roles in triggering lung cancer. More recently, scientists have identified a gene associated with a cluster of inherited lung cancer. The challenge remains for researchers to turn this knowledge into advances in diagnosis, therapy or prevention.

Latest Research
Scientists are beginning to further develop and refine tools such as spiral CT that allow physicians to more routinely detect lung cancer. Innovations in radiation therapy for small volume lung cancers is one area that will continue to be explored, while the development of molecularly targeted, low toxicity adjuvant therapy for early cancers will be extremely important to manage such lung cancers.

Targeted therapies such as Iressa (gefitinib) and Tarceva (erlotinib) have shown some promise in clinical testing. These drugs are called EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitors, and they work by blocking a signaling pathway that cancer cells need to grow.

Iressa was approved by the FDA in May 2003 for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors continue to grow despite chemotherapy. A randomized study last year by the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group showed that patients given Tarceva (approved by the FDA in November 2004) after chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC lived longer than those who didn’t receive the drug. Patients with advanced disease generally only live a few months.

Scientists have known it is effective in only 10 to 15 percent of individuals who take it. A series of studies last year showed that certain mutations in EGFR tumors were associated with higher response rates to drugs such as Iressa and Tarceva.

Current Treatment
Lung cancer is notoriously difficult to treat effectively. There are three standard ways to treat lung cancer: surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Tumor type, size and location determine the necessary treatment. While the most common type, NSCLC, is treated with surgery whenever possible, lung cancer is usually diagnosed after it has spread to other areas in the body, making a cure nearly impossible. Despite surgery that apparently removes all of the cancer, it nearly always comes back in the lung or elsewhere, such as the bone or liver.

Early-stage (stages I and II) NSCLCs are usually treated with surgery and often followed by chemotherapy. In some cases, radiation is used. In stage III, where some cancer cells have traveled to the lymph nodes, chemotherapy is typically required. But such patients are at risk for having the cancer return, and doctors may delay surgery until they can see if the chemotherapy has been effective in shrinking the tumor.

Individuals with lung cancer deemed inoperable (stage IIIB) may receive both chemotherapy and radiation if the cancer has not spread to other areas. Most patients with stage IV lung cancer or stage IIIB in which cancer cells are in the fluid around the lung – are very likely to have disease that has spread to other areas in the body and are treated with chemotherapy. They are rarely “cured.”

Some recent important advances have been made in treating early-stage NSCLC. In 2004, a pair of clinical trials by the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, respectively, showed that adding chemotherapy after surgery in early-stage NSCLC helped individuals live significantly longer. Similarly, two recent randomized trials of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for early-stage lung cancer also showed the importance of adding chemotherapy for the first time in lung cancer, and have changed the standard of care for such disease.

One innovation in the clinical trial setting is the so-called window of opportunity trial. In such studies, investigators give experimental therapeutics to lung cancer patients who have a two-to-four week period of time prior to surgery. Such drugs have already shown some favorable results and low toxicity. Researchers then can evaluate the drug’s effects on tumor size and biology.

Resources
National Cancer Institute
1-800-4-CANCER
www.cancer.gov

American Cancer Society
1-800-ACS-2345
www.cancer.org

American Lung Association
1-800-LUNGUSA
www.lungusa.org

Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education
1-800-298-2436
www.alcase.org

Lung Cancer Online
www.lungcanceronline.org

LUNG CANCER

Description

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the United States. There are two major types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. Non-small cell makes up about 80 to 90 percent of the cases; small cell, approximately 10 to 12 percent. Both arise from lung epithelial cells.
Symptoms of lung cancer can include a cough that won’t go away, chest pain, hoarseness, shortness of breath, bloody or rust-colored sputum and recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Statistics

In 2005, an estimated 172,570 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed, making it the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and accounting for 13 percent of all cancer diagnoses. In men, the incidence rate has declined significantly, going from 102.1 cases per 100,000 in 1984 to 77.7 in 2001. The incidence rate in women has also declined for the first time after a long period of increase, from 52.8 cases per 100,000 in 1998 to 49.1 in 2001.
An estimated 163,510 individuals will die from the disease – about 29 percent of all cancer deaths. Among all patients with lung cancer, 42 percent are alive after one year – an increase from 37 percent in 1975. Still, the relative five-year survival rate for all lung cancers combined is only 15 percent. While 49 percent of individuals live at least five years when their cancer is diagnosed early and remains only in the lungs, very few cancers – about 16 percent – are detected at this stage.
In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death each year in women. Lung cancer death rates in women have recently leveled off after decades of continual increase. In contrast, death rates in men have dropped by about 1.9 percent a year since 1991.

Early Detection and Diagnosis

It is extremely difficult to detect lung cancer early. If lung cancer is suspected, a chest X-ray or a spiral CT (computed tomography) scan will be taken to look for a spot or mass on the lungs, or for lung tumors or metastatic disease. Improvements in computer imaging and particularly spiral CT allow physicians to see a more detailed cross-sectional view of the lungs, and have improved detection of early stage lung cancer. If something suspicious is found, then a bronchoscopy, which involves a lighted scope being placed into the lungs, may be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Innovative technologies involving fiber optics are being developed that uses laser light with bronchoscopy to identify early lung cancer and as well as precancerous changes in cells; the technology can be used as a research tool for diagnosis and prevention. A lung tissue biopsy may be performed to look for cancer cells in the phlegm and lung tissue as well.
In 2004, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, on the basis of results of several studies, upgraded its recommendations regarding the use of spiral CT in routine screening. The group said that there was not enough evidence to date to recommend for or against routine screening in individuals who do not have symptoms.
A large, randomized clinical trial called the National Lung Screening Trial is trying to determine whether taking spiral CT scans of people at high risk will save lives. The trial, which started in 2002, involves some 50,000 people. The International Early Lung Cancer Action Project involves 27,000 individuals enrolled in a clinical trial at 30 sites on three continents. Preliminary results from the first 20,000 enrollees found a stage I lung cancer detection rate of 82 percent. Some 96 percent of the patients were cancer-free up to 100 months after surgery.

Minimizing Risk/Prevention

Approximately 85 to 87 percent of all cases are caused by tobacco use, making lung cancer one of the most preventable cancers. Another several percent stems from radon exposure. Individuals who have been smokers and asbestos workers have a much higher risk of dying of lung cancer.
In the last decade, researchers have identified many of the genes involved in the development of lung cancer. They have found that turning off the activity of certain cancer-blocking genes called tumor suppressor genes such as p53 and Rb, and turning on various cancer-promoting genes such as c-myc, ras and bcl-2 may play roles in triggering lung cancer. More recently, scientists have identified a gene associated with a cluster of inherited lung cancer. The challenge remains for researchers to turn this knowledge into advances in diagnosis, therapy or prevention.

Latest Research

Scientists are beginning to further develop and refine tools such as spiral CT that allow physicians to more routinely detect lung cancer. Innovations in radiation therapy for small volume lung cancers is one area that will continue to be explored, while the development of molecularly targeted, low toxicity adjuvant therapy for early cancers will be extremely important to manage such lung cancers.
Targeted therapies such as Iressa (gefitinib) and Tarceva (erlotinib) have shown some promise in clinical testing. These drugs are called EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitors, and they work by blocking a signaling pathway that cancer cells need to grow.
Iressa was approved by the FDA in May 2003 for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors continue to grow despite chemotherapy. A randomized study last year by the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group showed that patients given Tarceva (approved by the FDA in November 2004) after chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC lived longer than those who didn’t receive the drug. Patients with advanced disease generally only live a few months.
Scientists have known it is effective in only 10 to 15 percent of individuals who take it. A series of studies last year showed that certain mutations in EGFR tumors were associated with higher response rates to drugs such as Iressa and Tarceva.

Current Treatment

Lung cancer is notoriously difficult to treat effectively. There are three standard ways to treat lung cancer: surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Tumor type, size and location determine the necessary treatment. While the most common type, NSCLC, is treated with surgery whenever possible, lung cancer is usually diagnosed after it has spread to other areas in the body, making a cure nearly impossible. Despite surgery that apparently removes all of the cancer, it nearly always comes back in the lung or elsewhere, such as the bone or liver.
Early-stage (stages I and II) NSCLCs are usually treated with surgery and often followed by chemotherapy. In some cases, radiation is used. In stage III, where some cancer cells have traveled to the lymph nodes, chemotherapy is typically required. But such patients are at risk for having the cancer return, and doctors may delay surgery until they can see if the chemotherapy has been effective in shrinking the tumor.
Individuals with lung cancer deemed inoperable (stage IIIB) may receive both chemotherapy and radiation if the cancer has not spread to other areas. Most patients with stage IV lung cancer or stage IIIB in which cancer cells are in the fluid around the lung – are very likely to have disease that has spread to other areas in the body and are treated with chemotherapy.

They are rarely “cured.”

Some recent important advances have been made in treating early-stage NSCLC. In 2004, a pair of clinical trials by the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, respectively, showed that adding chemotherapy after surgery in early-stage NSCLC helped individuals live significantly longer. Similarly, two recent randomized trials of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for early-stage lung cancer also showed the importance of adding chemotherapy for the first time in lung cancer, and have changed the standard of care for such disease.
One innovation in the clinical trial setting is the so-called window of opportunity trial. In such studies, investigators give experimental therapeutics to lung cancer patients who have a two-to-four week period of time prior to surgery. Such drugs have already shown some favorable results and low toxicity. Researchers then can evaluate the drug’s effects on tumor size and biology.

Resources

National Cancer Institute1-800-4-CANCERhttp://www.cancer.gov/
American Cancer Society1-800-ACS-2345http://www.cancer.org/
American Lung Association1-800-LUNGUSAhttp://www.lungusa.org/
Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education1-800-298-2436http://www.alcase.org/
Lung Cancer Onlinehttp://www.lungcanceronline.org/

WHAT IS HEALTH?

WHAT IS HEALTH?

Health is metabolic efficiency. Sickness is metabolic inefficiency. Nobody is totally healthy or totally sick. Each of us is a unique combination of health and sickness. And each of us has a unique combination of abilities and disabilities, both emotional and physical.

As we grow up, we learn that we are loved for our abilities but hated for our disabilities. This happens at home, at play, at school, and at work. Sometimes, this even happens with our doctors, especially if our disabilities mystify them or remind them of their own disabilities.
So, we try to hide our disabilities from people and from ourselves. This charade undermines our relationships and our self-esteem. We learn to fear society and hate ourselves.

Self-hatred is the most debilitating sickness. It interferes with our ability to seek and accept help. And everybody needs help. How do we free ourselves from self-hatred?
First, we reclaim our disabilities, whether society accepts them or not. This means that we learn to accept ourselves. Then, we cope with our disabilities. This means that we learn to take care of ourselves.

Public Health is the science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention. Public health involves the application of many different disciplines including:
biology, sociology, mathematics, anthropology, public Policy, medicine, education, psychology, computer science, business, engineering, and much, much more.

Public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood, or as big as an entire country.
Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or re-occurring through implementing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, and conducting research, in contrast to clinical professional, such as doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured.