Our body’s largest organ is our skin, stretching from the tips of our toes to the top of our head. Our skin is exposed to the outer world, and is subject to cuts, nicks, abrasions, burns, bites, stings, punctures, eruptions, sores, and a host of insults. Over the course of traveling to tropical jungles, bug-infested locations, harsh windy plains, mountains and other challenging environments, I have learned a lot about first aid for skin. On one memorable... 

A fresh look at the medical evidence shows women who eat more fiber are less likely to get breast cancer. Chinese researchers found those who ate the most of the healthy plant components were 11 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least. Their findings don’t prove fiber itself lowers cancer risk, however, because women who consume a lot of it might be healthier overall than those who don’t. The results “can... 

Drugs used in the hope of slowing multiple sclerosis progression may help some patients, but at a very high cost, according to a study out Wednesday. The medications in question are the so-called disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) that have been available since the 1990s to treat multiple sclerosis. The drugs include beta interferons (brand-names like Avonex, Rebif and Betaseron), glatiramer (Copaxone) and natalizumab (Tysabri). They are given by injection or... 

For the first time, researchers have found that HIV-infected women are more likely to spread the AIDS virus if they are on hormone-based birth control. The Africa study found that women were about twice as likely to transmit HIV if they were on the pill or getting hormone shots, compared to women not on that kind of birth control. The research also found that uninfected women were about twice as likely to catch the AIDS virus from their infected partners if... 

It doesn’t take a doctor to know that the medical field has more than it’s fair share of germy situations — but some recent findings about germs at the dentist, in places you may not expect, could really gross you out, and may even be dangerous. While sitting in the dentist chair, gloves, masks, eyewear and plastic-wrapped sterile packets are all common sights. But as careful as the staff at the office can be to make sure everything is clean, there are... 

Surviving cancer demands a sense of humor. One of the women in my support group was scheduled for surgery last week to have the final step of her reconstruction done on her breasts. She had months of the annoying expander series where they add fluid on a regular basis to stretch the skin to get ready for the implants after her mastectomy. This last step is highly anticipated since it sets a milestone on this crazy cancer journey. So at lunch we gave her a... 

Health officials say colon cancer deaths continue to drop across America — except in the state of Mississippi. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report Tuesday that echoes earlier findings of a national decline in colon cancer deaths. Death rates fell by as much as 5 and 6 percent in some New England states. Mississippi was the only state that saw no real decline. Screening exams can catch colon cancer before it grows deadly. Mississippi... 

The longest-running breast cancer screening study ever conducted has shown that regular mammograms prevent deaths from breast cancer, and the number of lives saved increases over time, an international research team said on Tuesday. The study of 130,000 women in two communities in Sweden showed 30 percent fewer women in the screening group died of breast cancer and that this effect persisted year after year. Now, 29 years after the study began, the researchers... 

Diethylstilbestrol, What is diethylstilbestrol?, Has DES caused any other problems? Thehealthtime.com Diethylstilbestrol What is diethylstilbestrol? Diethylstilbestrol (say: “die-eth-el-still-bess-troll”), or DES, is a man-made form of estrogen. Between 1938 and 1971, millions of women in the United States were given DES to prevent them from having a miscarriage or giving birth too early. DES was used in other countries until at least the early... 

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options, What are some of the treatment options for prostate cancer? Thehealthtime.com Prostate Cancer Treatment Options What are some of the treatment options for prostate cancer? The treatment options for prostate cancer depend in part on your age, your overall health and whether the tumor has spread. For tumors that are still inside the prostate, radiation therapy (using x-rays that kill the cancer cells) and a surgery called radical...