What You Need to Know About Mammograms

January 26th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

Mammograms aren’t all that much fun so a lot of women put them off and don’t get them on a regular basis. Women, especially those who are over the age of 40, need to educate themselves about the where, why and how often mammograms are needed.

Mammograms are done to look for lumps or other irregularities in the breasts that may go unnoticed otherwise. Mammograms are similar to X-rays. Often, the lumps are tested and turn out not to be dangerous at all. Mammograms are also fairly reliable in detecting cancerous growths. For women, mammograms are essentially their first line of defense when it comes to early detection of breast cancer.

Doctors do not all agree on the age at which you should start getting mammograms. Some doctors think that you should get them at a young age but mammograms are expensive and often women end up getting needless tests due to false positive results. The younger you are, the more likely mammograms are to find something that turns out to be nothing. The testing that happens then can be stressful and expensive.

Most doctors will tell you to start having a mammogram when you hit 40 to establish a base for doctors to compare to future mammograms. This allows doctors to notice small changes in your breasts. After your first mammogram, which should be before you turn 50 at the latest, you should have a yearly mammogram done or at least have one every other year.

There are some women who should get a mammogram at an earlier age. For instance, if you have a family history of breast cancer and your mother, grandmother or other close relatives have had breast cancer, you should get a mammogram earlier. Also, if your doctor detects any lumps in your breasts during a routine physical exam, she might suggest you have a mammogram earlier.

Digital mammograms are a new technology that takes the same pictures as regular mammograms but processes the images faster since the pictures are digital and not on film. While this is a great improvement, it doesn’t mean that you are not getting as good of a mammogram with a regular machine. One benefit of digital mammograms is that the pictures during surgery can be used to make more precise and accurate incisions during surgery.

Mammograms are only part of maintaining good breast health. All women should get regular breast exams from their doctor and do their own breast self-exam each month as well. If you’ve never done a self-exam before and don’t know how, ask your doctor and she will show you how to do it.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Identifying the Symptoms of Arthritis

January 6th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

We all have aches and pains especially in our joints as we get older. Many people think that this means they have arthritis, which may or may not be true. You need to get a proper diagnosis for your joint pain so that you can get a treatment that will work for you. You need to visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Pain in the joints and even swelling in these areas is a common arthritis symptom. This pain can be a little annoying for some people, but it can be debilitating for others. One thing is certain: arthritis symptom can be persistent. The pain can occur while you are sitting down doing nothing or while you are active. The painful swelling and redness that can occur at the joints can be so bad that you just can hardly get around if you don’t take care of the problem.

Sometimes, people with arthritis will have bone deposits on their hands or other affected body parts. These look like lumps and form around the joints. They stick out and look odd.

Another arthritis symptom is loss of range of motion in certain joints. The joints become stiff and difficult to move or bend. This can make walking and using your hands and other body parts difficult and painful if it is not properly treated. As this symptom of arthritis progresses, it can significantly affect your ability to perform daily tasks or go about your daily activities.

Symptoms that you may not commonly associate with arthritis include tiredness, weakness, moodiness and weight loss. These are not joint problems but are caused by arthritis all the same.

Arthritis is not just one disease that is the same for everyone. With as many as 100 different kinds of arthritis, it is important to see your doctor and find out what kind you have and how it is best treated. You may have the same kind of arthritis as someone else but you may have an entirely different set of symptoms.

A doctor’s visit to check you for arthritis will probably consist of a health history, an examination and X-rays. All this is done to properly diagnose your arthritis and make sure there are no other problems that could be causing the symptoms.

While over-the-counter pain medicine may alleviate some of your symptoms, it isn’t a permanent solution to your problem. Your doctor can tell you what you should be taking and prescribe something for you if necessary. Your doctor may also recommend therapy depending on how advanced your arthritis is.

Arthritis is painful and difficult to deal with. It is one disease that science has not found any cure for. If you notice symptoms of arthritis, don’t ignore it. Go see your doctor and find out what you can do to treat your symptoms.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,