Turacoz Insights: Can cancer awareness noise make a difference?

Supporting the fighters, admiring the survivors, honoring the taken, and never ever giving up Hope.

How can cancer awareness help us?

The Cancer Research UK, has estimated the risk of a newborn child has of being diagnosed with cancer at some point during its life. The results are quite shocking with more than one in three people in the UK getting some cancer during their lifetime.

The American Cancer Society, estimates the risk of developing a cancer at all invasive sites as 1 in 2 males with a mortality of 1 in 4 males. In the females the corresponding figures are 1in 3 for developing cancer at all invasive sites and 1 in 5 as the risk of dying due to cancer.

So developing a cancer is not something that cannot happen to you. The one difference that an individual can make in his life is by taking the informed decision to be aware of the types of cancer, what factors increase the probability of developing cancer and how to get it diagnosed on time with regular checkups and screening methods so that a disease like cancer can be fought with

Some of the factors that increase the cancer risk, according to the National Cancer Institute are:

1. Chemicals/Environment
1. Asbestos
2. Formaldehyde
3. Hair dyes
2. Food
1. Acrylamide
2. Alcohol
3. Artificial sweeteners
4. Fluorinated water
3. Lifestyle habits
4. Genetic factors
1. BRCA1 and BRCA2
2. TP53
3. PTEN
4. APC
5. MEN1
5. Hormones
1. Diethylstilbesterol
2. Menopausal factors
3. Oral contraceptive
6. Infectious agents
1. HIV
2. HPV
3. Helicobacter pylori
7. Radiation
8. Sunlight
9. Tobacco
10. Weight and physical activity

Bringing better cancer awareness among the population by individual, community and government levels will go a long way in reducing the incidence, and improving the health economics. About 4/10 cancer cases can be prevented by making lifestyle changes like:

1. Quit smoking
2. Healthy diet
1. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
2. Limit fat
3. Drink alcohol in moderation
3. Maintain a healthy body weight and be physically active 
4. Avoid excessive sun exposure
5. Get immunized
1. Hepatitis B
2. Human papilloma virus
6. Avoid risky behaviors
1. Safe sex
2. Do not share needles
7. Regular medical checkup with screening for specific cancer

As a socially responsible medical communication company, Turacoz is dedicated to spread the word on cancer by conducting awareness campaigns for cancer and reaching out to the healthcare fraternity and decision makers to get their viewpoint on this issue.

Our aim is to

 Prevent benign from becoming malignant.

Read more at

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

http://www.cancer.gov/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/

For a sweet life – Think of prediabetes as a wake-up call

• Are you hungrier than normal?
• Are you losing weight, despite eating more?
• Are you thirstier than normal?
• Do you have to go to the bathroom more frequently?
• Are you more tired than usual?

Are you ignoring the slow signs of prediabetes. Diabetes doesn’t usually appear all of a sudden. Many people have a long, slow, invisible lead-in to it called prediabetes. During this period, blood sugar levels are higher than normal. However, they’re not high enough to cause symptoms or to be classified as diabetes. It’s still possible at this stage to prevent the slide into full-blown diabetes. Think of prediabetes as a wake-up call.

"India is facing an epidemic of diabetes. At present, confirmed diabetes patients in India are more than 70  million, with another 30 million in prediabetes group. By 2030, India will have the largest number of patients in the world. Diabetes is not only a blood sugar problem, but brings along other complications as well,"

The American Diabetes Association and other organizations recommend routine blood sugar testing in people at high risk for developing diabetes. These include:

• Everyone over age 45
• Younger people who are overweight and who also have one of these diabetes risk factors:
• Little or no physical activity
• Family history of diabetes
• High blood pressure or high cholesterol
• Previous diagnosis of heart disease or polycystic ovary syndrome
• Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) or having delivered a baby weighing more than nine pounds

There's good news, however. Prediabetes can be an opportunity for you to improve your health, because progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes isn't inevitable. With healthy lifestyle changes — such as eating healthy foods, including physical activity in your daily routine and maintaining a healthy weight — you may be able to bring your blood sugar level back to normal.

So chose a healthy and sweet life.. #DiabetesAwarenessMonth

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM), an event celebrated across the world as a month to educate and raise awareness about type 1 diabetes (T1D).

The theme for this year is “You don’t know the half of it.” Type 1 diabetes has both a visible, public side and a second private, invisible side. The public side, the one that everyone sees, is physical, treatment-focused and often showcases few visible signs of struggle. 

 What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

What are the types of diabetes?

·         Type 1 diabetes, which was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes, may account for about 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

·         Type 2 diabetes, which was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes, may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

·         Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women get. If not treated, it can cause problems for mothers and babies. Gestational diabetes develops in 2% to 10% of all pregnancies but usually disappears when a pregnancy is over.

·         Other specific types of diabetes resulting from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses may account for 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Prediabetes is an elevated blood glucose level that is not quite high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, but is higher than normal. One in three American adults has prediabetes, and most do not even know they have it. Many people with prediabetes who do not lose weight or do moderate physical activity will develop type 2 diabetes within 3 years.

Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations of the foot, toe or leg. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

You are at increased risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if you:

·         Are 45 years of age or older.

·         Are overweight.

·         Have a family history of type 2 diabetes.

·         Are physically active fewer than three times per week.

·         Ever gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds.

·         Ever had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes).

How you can manage your diabetes?