Osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, is on the rise in countries in Asia. Those at highest risk for the disease include women, small stature, low calcium intake and a lack of exercise. It leads to fractures of bones, particularly the hip, bones of the legs and the spine. The fractures can come as a result of a fall or tripping injury or can be spontaneous, particularly with vertebral fractures. The problem has become critical because of the advancing age of the populace and because screening for osteoporosis are often ignored. Treatment for osteoporosis exists but is not always used when needed.
The UK government has been looking into the use of CT scans in screening people who have no symptoms or reason behind needing the scans. The Royal College of Radiologists and the Royal College of Physicians have been asked to guide doctors on the use of CT scanning in the management of disease and in the screening for disease. CT scans are often offered directly to the public, saying that CT scans are much more powerful of a screening tool than possibly a chest x-ray. On the other hand, the government is of the belief that the risk of x-ray in these tests may outweigh any benefit gotten from taking the test.
Using Saliva to Diagnose Disease
Saliva testing has become an increasingly effective test for determining disease. There are saliva tests that detect very small quantities of hormones in diseases like hypothyroidism, reproductive illnesses and diseases of the adrenal gland. They have not reached mainstream medicine yet but are effective in showing the amounts of these hormones in the body when compared to saliva levels.
A recent telephone survey in the US showed that, while people know what mammograms, colonoscopies and Pap smears are for, they don’t know when they’re supposed to be taking the tests and they don’t know how often these tests are supposed to be done. It inspired folks at the National Cancer Institute to step up educational efforts to make sure people understand what the standards are.
Researchers and doctors in Singapore have determined for the first time, the cost of getting cervical cancer or other related diseases caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV. They have compared this cost with the cost of getting the new vaccination series for HPV and having regular pap tests for cervical cancer. The savings over twenty-five years is estimated to be in the range of S $83 million or more. For a long time, it has been known that the cervical cancer screening test, primarily the Pap test, is the best screening test for cervical cancer, which affects around 200 new Singaporean women each year.
Heart disease is one of the diseases of the body that can be screened for so that the disease can be detected and managed before the individual suffers from dire consequences. Tests can be done at rest, when the heart is at its least overactivity. Tests can be done during or after exercise to test the heart’s ability to tolerate stress.
Health screening involves tests and exams done to determine the presence of a particular disease or problem with your health. It is designed to detect disease in its earliest state, when it is most treatable and leaves the fewest complications. Doctors and health officials don’t completely agree on which tests to perform and when people should have the test. Different doctors have their own ideology about health screening and there are certain standards set up by health officials that tell doctors and the public their opinion of who, when and how a certain test or screening should be performed.
There have been new MoH policies that are in place or are soon to be in place that will make Singaporeans healthier. It starts with our children. Currently, they are immunized in school and have the opportunity to have checkups and dental care as part of the educational process. The end result is that they are among the healthiest children in the region. Even children who are pre-schoolers get screening for vision and hearing. The goal of these programs is to have a youth population that starts out life as healthy as possible. To further this goal, a physical education program that promotes general physical health is part of the focus on health.
Homocysteine is one of many amino acid made by the body and is something we get from eating meat. Normally, amino acids are those that help make muscle and proteins in the body. It has been found that high levels of homocysteine in the body are associated with hardening and narrowing of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis. Things like heart disease, blood clots, strokes and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease are related to atherosclerosis and elevated homocysteine levels. Some doctors believe that one can test for elevated homocysteine levels and can determine who is at risk for heart disease and who isn’t.
Tea, whether it be black tea or green tea, contains catechins, which are potent antioxidants that might selectively block the growth of cancer cells. Catechins have been studied in the laboratory and have been found to scavenge tissue for oxidized cells and promote the death of those cells. This is especially important when cancer cells are involved. Studies on humans have been less than successful, in part due to other factors in a person’s diet. Even so, catechins have been the focus of study in cancer treatment and prevention by the National Cancer Institute.
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