Charlie Sheen reveals his HIV Status Today

Sheen said he made the announcement to end a smear campaign and extortion efforts.

"I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn't be further from the truth," he said.

Sheen said he's trusted the diagnosis with people he thought he could confide in, but has paid out upwards of $10 million to keep the illness a secret.

"What people forget is that it's money taken from my children," he said about the "shakedowns" he has experienced. "I trusted them and they were deep in my inner circle, and I thought they could be helpful. My trust turned to their treason." He said appearing on TODAY will help put a stop to those payouts."That's my goal. That's not my only goal. I think I release myself from this prison today," he said.

Charlie Sheen revealed he is HIV positive Tuesday in an exclusive TODAY interview with Matt Lauer.

"It's a hard three letters to absorb. It's a turning point in one's life," the 50-year-old actor said.

Charlie Sheen reveals he's HIV positive in TODAY Show exclusive

Source: Today.com

D&C much more than abortion!

Often times, women are told to plan their families appropriately and refrain from resorting to abortion as a family planning option. Rather than have an unplanned pregnancy, experts advise use of contraceptive devices and condoms because of the untoward effects abortion could have on a woman.

Unlike family planning methods, experts warn that when women resort to abortion with a common gynecological surgical procedure, known as dilatation and curettage (commonly called D&C), it could be a reason for them in future to have premature babies.

In a new study, experts found that women who have undergone dilation and curettage who later become pregnant may be at increased risk of giving birth before the baby reaches full term.

They end up with premature babies because of damage to the cervix, the opening at the bottom of the womb that normally stays closed during pregnancy but opens during labour.

In understanding more the risks of D&Cs, the scientists analysed 21 previously published studies that included more than two million women.

They found that compared with women who had never had a D&C, women who had undergone the procedure prior to giving birth were 29 per cent more likely to deliver their babies before the 37th week of pregnancy. Pregnancies are generally considered to reach full term at 37 weeks.

Also, women who had not undergone a D&C had a six per cent chance of having a preterm delivery, compared with 7.6 per cent for those who had undergone the procedure.

In addition, the procedure also increased women’s risk of preterm births, or those occurring before 32 weeks of gestation, by 69 per cent. The risks were higher for women who had multiple D&Cs.

According to the World Health Organisation, about 15 million babies are born before 37 weeks of gestation and complications arising from premature birth kill one million children a year worldwide. This makes it the leading cause of death for children under the age of five.

Professor Dapo Olayemi, a consultant obstetrics and gynecologist, however, linked the increase in possibility of women who have undergone dilation and curettage in their future pregnancies giving birth before the baby reaches full term to cervical incompetency.

He declared: “The weakening of the mouth of the womb of a woman makes her unable to carry a pregnancy to term. As a result of the neck of the mouth of the womb been loose, when pregnancy comes to put pressure on it, it opens up.”

“Also a complication of D&C is the puncture, adhesion or scarring of the walls of the womb.” When the linings of the womb stick together, this usually leads to infertility and may be a reason for the womb repeatedly aborting any implanted baby. These abortions take place early after conception,” he added.

Professor Olayemi, who assured that improvement in the conventional way D&C is done had made it far safer than before, stated that the use of D&C exceeds abortion purposes as many presume.

Sometimes a D&C is medically necessary. If a woman has unusually heavy bleeding as a miscarriage complication, a D&C can even be lifesaving because it stops the bleeding at the source.

In other cases, a D&C might be used if the doctor feels the miscarriage is unlikely to complete without intervention. In other cases, some women request a D&C because they prefer to get over the miscarriage rather than waiting for it to begin naturally.

A D&C may also make it easier to collect a usable tissue sample for couples who want to pursue chromosomal test on the baby.

D&C is one of the most common surgical procedures performed for abortion and miscarriage. During the 15-minute procedure, doctors dilate, or open, the cervix, then scrape the wall of the womb using either an implement called a curette or a vacuum suction tube.

Professor Olayemi, however, declared that many things aside miscarriage and abortion can predispose a woman to premature births, including infections, genetic problems and birth defects.

Common causes of preterm birth include multiple pregnancies, infections, bleeding in pregnancy, and chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is identified. There is also a genetic influence.

Also, women with certain abnormalities of the reproductive organs are at greater risk for preterm labour and birth than are women who do not have these abnormalities.

 More than 60 per cent of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12 per cent of babies are born too early compared with nine per cent in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk. Babies born prematurely have reduced chances of survival and even when they survive, they are forced to contend with life-long ailments and conditions.

SOURCE: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Natural Cures For Back Pain

According to Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, back pain is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. However, internal structures such as the gallbladder and pancreas may also refer pain to the back.

Most back pain is felt in the lower back. The remainder of this article considers back pain in all regions.

The onset of back pain may be acute or chronic. It can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. It may be characterised by a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may radiate into the arms and hands as well as the legs or feet, and may include symptoms other than pain. Examples of these symptoms may include tingling, weakness or numbness in the legs and arms, indicating injury to the nerves.

We often get a strained and aching back if we lift something heavy, keep stooping over a work desk all day, or simply due to overwork of the back. In these situations, it is always advisable to try some natural cure for back pain that will relieve you from the pain without any harmful side effect.

However, keep in mind that you should resort to home remedies only if the back pain is due to some such simple reasons. If along with the back pain there is weakness, pain or numbness in the legs, it may be an indication of some more serious problems and hence, you should immediately see a doctor.

To Ease Back Pain Here Are Top Natural Cures:

Apply Ice: Ice Pack For Back Pain

It is a good idea to apply ice to the injured area of the back within 24 hours of the injury. This will keep the inflammation down and also prevent the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. Hence, it acts as a natural pain killer. The best way to apply an ice pack is to apply it for 20 minutes, then take it off for 30 minutes and repeat application for 20 minutes.

Change Your Mattress

One major cause of back pain could be an inferior quality mattress. Lumpy mattresses or ones, which do not support the back sufficiently can result in a painful back. Hence, you should invest in a good mattress that provides good back support to cure recurrent back pains

Get A Hot Bath

If the injury occurred more than 24 hours ago, ice will not be of help. After the first day, heat will help in increasing the elasticity of the muscles; hence, it will be a good idea to soak in a hot water tub for 20 minutes at least. Dong this will provide a natural cure for back pain. Women, who are pregnant should not try the hot soak method as increase in body temperature over 100 degree Fahrenheit may cause birth defects or even miscarriage.

Don’t Keep Lying Down

Earlier, most people believed that when suffering from back pain, it was best to take bed rest, but nowadays most medical professionals have changed their opinion. This is because modern research has proved that lying down for long periods not only fails to relieve back pain but even worsens it in some cases. If you do feel the need to lie down, you should do so with two pillows under your knees because this is a great natural cure for back pain. More than three days of bed rest can cause the back muscles to become weak and make you more prone to a sore back.

Get A Massage

A professionally executed massage can relieve back pain almost instantly if it is not too severe. If you are unable to get a professional masseuse, you can ask one of your family members or friends to give you a massage. Nowadays, many massage therapists also make house calls. So, it will be a good idea to check the yellow pages to find such a massage therapist for this natural cure for back pain.


SOURCE:LEADERSHIP

Are anti-ageing pills, creams doing more harm than good?

VITAMINS are good for us. We have grown up with this as a basic fact of health. That’s why it seems like common sense to take supplements and to use creams with vitamins C and E to keep our skin looking young.

These vitamins have gained renown for working as antioxidants. Supplement-makers promise that antioxidants protect the cells that make up our skin and internal organs from being damaged by free radicals – molecules produced by our bodies as we process oxygen, which can also be inhaled from polluted air and cigarettes. They claim that this damage is a significant cause of ageing.

However, disturbing evidence is emerging that shows antioxidant supplements are not only often unnecessary, they may also do more harm than good.

New studies reveal that taking supplementary vitamins C and E can switch off the body’s ability to protect itself against disease and damage – increasing our danger of premature death. These two vitamins may even prevent us benefiting from exercise.

Vitamins C and E are key to the multi-million-pound anti-ageing beauty industry, which markets them as a magical ‘elixir of youth’. But a new investigation has reported that they can instead make skin age faster.

It has been thought that free radicals can break down our cells’ protective membranes and damage the DNA inside. This in turn may make the cells age faster, as well as increasing the risk of cancerous mutations developing.

However, the California-based Buck Institute for Research on Ageing this month published work suggesting that free radicals are essential for skin healing and healthy regeneration in people under 50.

When the scientists bred mice with excess free radicals, they expected to see their skin wrinkle prematurely. But instead the opposite happened: their skin quality improved.

Dr. Michael Velarde, the study’s lead author, says that while scientists previously believed free radicals to be harmful to skin, it seems that nature has harnessed their powers to ‘optimise skin health’ – though the precise workings of the process are not yet understood.

It is only once we pass the age of 50 that our cells’ energy stores get depleted and wear out, and the free radicals’ benefit ebbs away, the researchers said. So women under 50 who use vitamins C and E to keep their skin young may actually be making it age faster.

It is just one of the latest studies to show that we should stop treating free radicals as the ‘enemy’.

They may pose a challenge to our cell health, but it appears that our cells need to be challenged in order to remain robust. It’s rather like they need regular workouts in the gym in order to stay buff.

Michael Ristow, a professor of energy metabolism at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, has found that our bodies create free radicals when we exercise intensely. This prompts our bodies to mount better defences against those free radicals, effectively strengthening our cellular defences and making our mitochondria – the tiny powerhouses that generate the energy within our cells, which we need to survive – work harder.

An earlier overview of human studies showed that the use of the popular antioxidant supplements beta-carotene, vitamin E, or vitamin A slightly increases a person’s risk of death.

The study also showed no benefit — and no harm — for vitamin C supplements. Selenium supplements tended to very slightly reduce risk of death.

Oxidative stress — caused by highly reactive “free radical” compounds circulating in the blood — is a factor in most diseases.

Antioxidants sweep up these free radicals. It seems to be a no-brainer that taking antioxidant supplements would protect your health. But it may not be that simple.

The detailed analysis of human studies of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E shows that people who take these antioxidant supplements don’t live any longer than those who don’t take them. In fact, those who take the supplements have an increased risk of death.

The finding, reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association, comes from Goran Bjelakovic, MD, DrMedSci, of the University of Nis in Serbia; Christian Gluud, MD, DrMedSci, of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark; and colleagues.

In 2009, Professor Ristow reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that if we take antioxidant vitamins, the strengthening system is blocked and fails to work. Meanwhile, in June, research reported to the American Diabetes Association warned that giving vitamin C and E supplements to diabetic patients could increase their risk of dying prematurely.

Kumar Sharma, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, who led the study, believes this is because diabetic patients’ mitochondria tend to underperform. Therefore, they suffer particularly badly if their cells are not stimulated into behaving energetically by free radicals. In turn, vital organs can become extremely susceptible to damage.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN( http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/08/are-anti-ageing-pills-creams-doing-more-harm-than-good/)

Obesity and cancer

There are many reasons why you should avoid being overweight or obese; and cancer is one of them. It has long been known that excess weight increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes. But, fewer people know about the frightening link between cancer and obesity.

A recent report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that being overweight and inactive accounts for one-fifth to one-third of all breast, colon, endometrial, kidney and oesophageal cancers. IARC says strong evidence also associates obesity with higher risk of cancers of the pancreas, uterus, prostate and ovary.

New findings suggest that fat cells constantly secrete a variety of hormones and other growth factors into the bloodstream. In obese and overweight individuals, greater amounts of these hormones and growth factors are continually pumped into the bloodstream. Cells are urged to grow and divide at an accelerated rate. Thus, according to this theory, the random mutations that can lead to cancer are more likely.

Are you at risk?

Most of us know when we gain weight. Clothes no longer fit, the mirror becomes an irritating reminder, and the scale is permanently hidden under the bed. Many of us, however, have learnt to overlook these signs. Use either of the following two methods to ascertain whether you need weight control and, consequently, lower your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.

Body Mass Index: This is one common method used to measure overweight and obesity levels. BMI shows the range of healthy and unhealthy weights for different heights.

Waist circumference: This is a complementary means of assessing possible risks due to excess body fat. Place a tape measure around your waist immediately above your hipbone. Measure right after exhaling. For women, a waist measurement of 35 inches or more indicates high risk. For men, the significant figure is 40 inches or more.

Contributed by Onyekachi Kalu, certified fitness instructor, befitnaija@gmail.com +2348050862690

SOURCE: PUNCH