Disease Proof

• Andrew Bridges of the Associated Press reports tobacco may kill 1 billion this century:

Tobacco accounts for one in five cancer deaths, or 1.4 million deaths worldwide each year, according to two new reference guides that chart global tobacco use and cancer. Lung cancer remains the major cancer among the 10.9 million new cases of cancer diagnosed each year, according to the Cancer Atlas.

• According to Reuters most female students don’t realize how their lifestyle can influence future breast cancer risk:

A poll of more than 10,000 students in 23 countries showed more than half knew heredity was a risk factor. But less than five percent realized that eating and drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise also had an impact.

• Bitter Poison mulls over the idea of consuming MSG:

I am a hypocrite. There are many well designed studies that proof that MSG is safe. If you just look at the science salt is much more dangerous, but there are hardly any scary websites about that. I still do not use it myself though. I do not explicitly avoid it, but products with MSG often are very processed or have ingredients I do not eat (animal products, lots of fat etc.). I wonder if I should give MSG a chance. I have not yet been able to find a way to make relatively inexpensive tasty low-sodium vegan soups and MSG may be the answer.

• Dr. Deborah Serani discusses the devastating consequences of low self-esteem:

*It can create anxiety, stress, loneliness and increased likelihood for depression.

*It can cause problems with friendships and relationships.

*It can seriously impair academic and job performance.

*It can lead to underachievement and increased vulnerability to many self destructive behaviors.

*Worst of all, these negative consequences themselves reinforce the negative self-image and can take a person into a downward spiral of lower and lower self-esteem.

• DoctorMental reflects on the difficulties of being a medical practitioner:

We in the United States take our health care for granted, but did you know that doctors take health care for granted, too? Many doctors spend more than a little of our time berating ourselves because we see patients in the clinic who have chronic diseases for which there is no cure and for which all we can do is attempt therapies which, if we are fortunate, provide only partial relief of symptoms. We feel like fakes, sometimes: able to cure some things, but most of what we see back is what we have been unable to cure, and these cases come back to us in the clinic and hospital over and over precisely because we are impotent to cure.

I'm enjoying these informative health points and love the links to other health minded blogs.