• This prostate cancer treatment could actually RAISE your cancer risk!
• Dangerous “superbug” flu viruses defy all drug treatments!
• The best 15-minute investment you can make!

It’s no exaggeration to say that being sick can really ruin your life. That’s why it’s important to know about potential health threats—and what you can do to protect yourself.

In today’s Thursday Edition of Health News Weekly™, I’ll tell you why one prostate cancer treatment could actually put you at risk for other forms of cancer. You’ll also discover why some experts fear drugs may become useless during the annual flu season.

So let’s not waste another minute!

Prostate Cancer Treatment Ups Risk for
Developing Other Cancers!

Layne Lowery

If you’re considering radiation treatment for prostate cancer—new study findings may help speed your decision—making process.

A team of doctors found that men who underwent a recommended radiation treatment for prostate cancer slightly increased their risk of developing other cancers!

Common treatment options for prostate cancer include: 1) surgical removal of the prostate, 2) implanted radioactive seeds that deliver radiation to the prostate gland, and 3) external beam radiation.

According to the Prostate Cancer Institute, external beam radiation delivers radiation from outside the body to the affected tissue. The radiation halts the growth of abnormal cells. The cancerous cells stop multiplying—and eventually die.

The new study of external beam radiation included researchers from Canada, Italy and the United States. Dr. Naeem Bhojani, from the University of Montreal’s Department of Urology, led a group that collected data on 10,333 men being treated for localized prostate cancer.

The study group included 6,196 men who’d had their prostate surgically removed. The group also included 4,137 who underwent external beam radiation.

The researchers then examined later cases where bladder, lung and rectal cancer developed. They wanted to determine which treatment might increase the risk of these cancers.

Compared with men who underwent prostate removal, men treated with external beam radiation were three times as likely to develop bladder cancer.

The men who received the radiation treatment also showed a nearly twofold increase in lung and colorectal cancers!

If you’re facing a health threat from prostate cancer—the publication Treatment Choices for Men with Early-Stage Prostate Cancer from the National Cancer Institute recommends educating yourself about all treatment options available. The authors acknowledge the need to “seek the opinions of several different doctors since some may only recommend the option they know the most about.”

Fast Fact

In order to lower your salt consumption, move the salt shaker off the dinner table! Learn to enjoy the flavor of foods without the added sodium. If you must add a little dash—try healthier sea salt or look for low-sodium products in your supermarket.

Flu Bugs Becoming Resistant to Drugs

Tiffany Lowery

The American medical establishment stresses the importance of getting a yearly flu shot to protect you from viruses that can leave you flat on your back.

But at a recent conference, some doctors reported that flu viruses worldwide are becoming resistant to drugs. And according to a Reuters Health report, the doctors are puzzled as to how and why this is happening.

In a recent meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, doctors reported that Europe is the worst region affected by drug-resistant flu strains. But they cautioned that resistance is growing globally.

“A significant proportion of resistant viruses were observed in Europe this winter,” said Dr. Bruno Lina of Claude Bernard University in Lyons, France.

Their findings show that flu viruses may be even more unpredictable than anyone thought. Experts fear drugs may become useless in fighting a severe flu season—not to mention the emergence of new flu strains that could cause a pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been collecting samples of the annual flu viruses to check them against the four available flu drugs: amantadine, rimantadine, and the newer drugs Tamiflu^® and Relenza^®.

The viruses changed rapidly over the 2007-2008 flu season, Lina said. “We started with something like 10 percent in Europe, but by April of this year, 25 percent of the viruses tested were resistant to Tamiflu^®.”

Flu viruses in the United States developed a sudden ability to evade the effects of the older drugs amantadine and rimantadine during the 2005-2006 flu season, said Dr. Larisa Gubareva of the CDC. In 2006, the CDC said no one should use those drugs any more.

The newer drugs—Roche AG’s Tamiflu^®, known generically as oseltamivir and GlaxoSmithKline’s Relenza^®, known generically as zanamivir—had some doctors feeling hopeful. But doctors are seeing resistance to Tamiflu^® already.

As these “superbugs” continue to develop—doctors have stressed the need to develop new flu drugs, along with quicker and better ways to make vaccines.

Health E-Hints

Mini-Naps Provide a Quick Energy Boost!

If you’re sleep deprived—a 10-to 15-minute mini-nap can help you repay your sleep debt. If you can’t take a full nap, try lying horizontally for the same amount of time.

Lie flat, close your eyes and breathe deeply. It can help you rest your senses—and keep you refreshed as your continue your daily activities.

Posted in General Health, Immunity, Prostate Health.

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