Medical ScienceTag Archives

Breast Cancer – Its Main Culprit is Hormones

Nowadays, women are scared of breast cancer, since about 212,000 women were diagnosed with it in the USA in 2005. Pink ribbon is a women’s movement to find a cure for it.

As everybody is expecting a cure for it, I think find the most risky factor is more important. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Although doctors will tell you if you have a family history of breast caner, you are at high risk for it, but most women diagnosed with it are without a family history.

After analyzing tumor tissues, medical science classifies breast cancer to three types.

1. Hormone-positive type: About 60 % to 70% of patients are in this type. The tumor growth is driven by excess amounts of estrogen or progesterone. The treatment is tamoxifen which blocks the absorption of estrogen.

2. Her-2 gene mutation type: About 20 to 30 % of patients are in this type.

The aggressive tumors are caused by a mutation in the Her-2 gene. The treatment is Herceptin which blocks the genetic mutation.

3. Triple-negative tumors: About 10 % of patients are in this type. The tumor growth is not sensitive to hormones or Her-2. There is not much we can do about this type except surgery and radiation.

So, the genetic mutation is only counted to about 20 to 30 % of breast cancer. Most people have hormone-positive type.

Bingo! The No. 1 risk factor for breast cancer is excess amounts of hormones.

That makes perfect sense. Women can feel breast tender after taking some hormone pills because breast tissue is hormone sensitive.

No wonder breast cancer is epidemic toady. In fact, we live in the ocean of hormones, such as food produced by growth hormones, birth control pills, and hormone therapy.

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September 6, 2011

Intermezzo

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Medical Terminology Is A Key Component In Medical Field Careers

Medical terminology is just what it sounds like. It is the everyday verbiage, words and phrases used throughout the medical community. If you are heading towards a career in the medical field, you will be required to delve into this world of language. Sure, some of the words may seem like a jumbled mess of letters at first, but once you learn the basics, you will find it very helpful as you make your way into your career of medicine.

It’s important to point out that most of the terminology used in medicine derives from Latin or Greek. This is one if the main reasons that it isn’t exactly too difficult for those who have a background in either of these other languages. The roots of many of the words used in the medical community are based off of and have a historical structural link to the languages as well. It’s actually pretty interesting.

Who uses medical terminology anyways? Well, obviously anyone who works in one of the many different related fields. It’s not just doctors and nurses who must know proper terms while working their rounds. Pharmacists, psychologists, as well as other therapy-type positions and medical science positions also must know the language.

Learning medical terminally via a course is typically designed to focus on memorization of the word, definitions and then locking it all into your brain’s memory. Often times, these courses are taught by people who are already in the medical field on some level, as they have the experience of being around the industry. Helpful techniques for learning medical terminology would include using flashcards, vocal tapes, as well as word association skills.

So what is medical terminology actually used for in a professional health care related setting? Well, medical professional will use the terminology when documenting a patient’s history. They will also use it during their examinations, consulting reports, as well as sharing certain diagnosis with patients and colleagues.

Since the medical field is constantly growing and changing, there are a lot of different ways that someone can obtain the medical terminology classes. There is the traditional way, attending class if you are on a college or university campus, or you can opt to work around your own schedule and can study the terminology of medicine online. Most classes are available in a variety of settings suited to cater to the needs of any student.

Being able to relate to your co-workers is just one of the imperative benefits of having a background of medical terminology. It is the glue that bonds the communication of health care professionals to their colleagues and eventually to their patients by way of explanation.

Medical Coding Careers

Careers in medical fields require great responsibility; dexterity in the specialized line of medical affairs is an inevitable part of the whole thing. As time goes by, a career in the medical profession is becoming more of a challenge, adventure and competition. One can belong to any of the fields of medical science.

One can be a doctor, medical officer, pharmaceutical manager, administrator of a hospital, a nurse, medical transcriptor, medical biller, medical coder and much more. Many new medical careers are related to the manufacturing, business administrative and management fields of medicine. Among all the various careers, one of the most intriguing and interesting fields is that of medical coding.

The profession of medical coding involves the frequent use of alpha-numeric codes to record specific illnesses, injuries, and medical procedures. This process of assigning codes is usually done under the system of a particular rule of coding that is used across the world, from doctor’s offices and hospitals to insurance companies and federal agencies. These codes are greatly utilized by the hospitals, nursing homes, labs and doctors for internal data collection and other planning objectives.

On the other hand, various insurance companies and public agencies concerned with the health care system require the codes to reimburse health-care providers. One of the greatest utilities that these codes offer is that they are even used by international health organizations to track patterns of disease and the costs of health care which will enable them to take measures to prevent the diseases.

Medical Employment – Which Are the Most Popular?

Every year, there are surveys that inform about the top ten jobs. Since the past few decades, the number one types of jobs in these surveys have been medical jobs. Therefore, it can be said that medical employment is the most lucrative type of jobs today. Here are some types of medical employment that are lucrative today:-

Nurses

Nurses are as lucrative as the profile is difficult to handle. The nurses form a very integral part of any medical organization, be it a small hospital or even the biggest of hospitals. To be a nurse, one has to undergo the proper academic qualifications and training. Being a person of the medical profession requires a person to undergo the proper education and training, without which you will simply not be allowed to work in the medical profession.

Pharmacist

A pharmacist is the person who can handle a pharmacy. The person who gives you medicines either with a prescription or over the counter if that is allowed. It is a misconception that a pharmacist is a shopkeeper. The pharmacist is an undeniable part of the medical industry. A pharmacist has to ensure that he or she provides the right medicine to the customer.

The pharmacist’s job is one of the most important in the medical field, because they are end points with the patient. If the pharmacist gives the wrong medicines to the patients, it can have damning repercussions on the patient’s lives and also the pharmacist’s career.

Surgeons

The surgeons are the most paid out of all the people in the medical employment. As the name suggests the surgeon carries out all the surgeries which they have been trained to perform. The job of the surgeon is the most critical and complicated and also the most paid.

There are several kinds of surgeons, like the heart surgeon, the Ear Nose and Throat surgeon, etc. Each surgeon specializes in one part of the body or one aspect of medical science. To become a surgeon of any kind, one needs the proper academic qualification and experience in the line of work.

Gynecologist

A gynecologist is not only an important part of the medical world, but also a friend of nature. The gynecologist specializes in the reproductive health of the female of the human species. The gynecologist also ensures that women have a safe delivery.

Allied Health Officers

Allied health officers work in all the departments of the medical world, right from radiology, oncology, and all kinds of surgery. They can also be surgical or medical assistants. Allied health officers are quite well paid, as they are provide the very necessary support that is required during the other medical officers giving care and treatment to the patients.

Medical Transcriptionist

Medical Transcriptionists is another integral part of the medical world, and considered to be medical employment. Medical transcription is basically the process of keeping a record of the progress and case history of a patient. Once the patient goes through the treatment, the doctor records the happenings in a Dictaphone. The audio is then heard by a qualified medical transcriptionist and is written in a document format.

Is it Safe to Stop Period With Birth Control Pill, Lybrel?

My mother (and maybe yours too) still insists that women shouldn’t meddle with their menstrual periods. They think it’s somehow unnatural and therefore unhealthy and just, well… wrong. They fear that changing the natural cycle of menstruation could have unanticipated health repercussions, now or later in life.

That debate is bound to reopen with the introduction of Lybrel, a new prescription birth control pill that ends your period for as long as you take it.

Putting aside any moral arguments over right vs wrong, natural vs unnatural, let’s look at what the medical experts say about Lybrel healthwise.

Medical science has not reported any health risks associated with menstrual suppression, as it’s technically called. In fact, when Wyeth, the makers of Lybrel, commissioned a Gallup survey of health care professionals in 2006, here’s what they found:

“Approximately 97 percent of OB-GYNs thought it is safe to use oral contraceptives continuously, without a placebo phase, in the appropriate patient population. The survey polled 205 OB-GYNs and 200 nurse practitioners.”

For many years, some doctors in the know have advised their patients to use standard birth control pills continuously (without taking the 7 days off) as a way to suspend their periods to prevent painful cramps and PMS.

The FDA’s approval of Lybrel seems to sanction a practice that has already been going in the medical community in an off-label manner and permit the marketing of a product specifically intended for the purpose.

What’s Really Going On With Birth Control Pills

Here’s what happens when you take birth control pills the 21/7 way and the continuous way, as with Lybrel:

On the regular pill: You take hormone pills for 21 days and “rest” for 7 days by taking either a placebo or no pill at all. During this time, there may be bleeding but you don’t have a real period. It’s withdrawal bleeding that tends to be shorter and lighter than a normal period. That’s because the hormones in the birth control pill prevent the uterine lining from building up so there is less blood to be released.

On Lybrel: You finish the 28-day pack of active pills and immediately start a new one, without a rest cycle. Because your body is receiving a steady flow of hormones, it makes very little uterine lining so there is little or no bleeding. After some months of taking Lybrel, you will likely stop having periods altogether.

This is a great advantage to women who experience difficult menstrual periods with painful cramps and strong flow or women who suffer from severe PMS before their period.

Most medical experts agree that stopping your period with a safe, FDA-approved birth control pill poses no risk to appropriately prescribed patients. In fact, some say the only reason to opt for the 21/7 pills that require you to have a period is simply to reassure you that you aren’t pregnant.

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Gallup Survey, Medical Science, Oral Contraceptives

Medical ScienceTag Archives

Breast Cancer – Its Main Culprit is Hormones

Medical Terminology Is A Key Component In Medical Field Careers

Medical Coding Careers

Medical Employment – Which Are the Most Popular?

Is it Safe to Stop Period With Birth Control Pill, Lybrel?

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