Headwear Etc Blog

Hair loss is a naturally occurring phenomenon. As some hair falls out, new hair will grow to replace it. However, hair loss may be accelerated by a number of conditions, such as menopause, alopecia areata, and physiological changes after chemotherapy, pregnancy, or surgery. Hair loss can affect men or women, as well as children. Below you will find information on a variety of possible hair loss causes.

Alopecia Areata
Highly unpredictable, alopecia areata is an autoimmune skin disease that causes hair loss on the scalp as well as other areas of the body. This disease affects more than 5 million people in the United States alone. In people who suffer from alopecia areata, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, which halts hair growth.

Alopecia areata often begins with small, smooth, round bald spots that appear on the scalp. This can develop into total hair loss on a person’s scalp and may result in the loss of all body hair. Alopecia areata occurs in males and females of all ages and races and often begins in childhood.

After Major Surgery
Hair loss may occur in patients who undergo major surgery. About three or four months after major surgery or a serious illness, patients may lose a large amount of hair. This type of hair loss is the result of stress associated with the illness, and the hair loss is often temporary.

Hair loss is normal after major surgery, so it is important for patients to speak to their surgeon about this possible side effect before undergoing the surgery. If you would like to know more about hair loss after major surgery and ways to treat it, consult a hair restoration specialist.

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Cancer Treatment – Chemotherapy
Hair loss is a common and unfortunate side effect of chemotherapy. Hair loss after chemotherapy can cause hair loss on many different areas of the body, including the scalp, the face, the underarms, and the pubic area. Hair loss after chemotherapy occurs over a period of days or weeks and can result in either thinning and slight hair loss or complete loss of hair. Hair loss after chemotherapy is temporary, and growth of new hair usually occurs six to eight weeks after treatment.

Study: Cigarette Smoke Can Damage Normal Breast Cells (dateline August 31, 2006) Format for Printing

Cigarette smoke can prevent normal breast cells from repairing damage and lead to the development of cancer, according to researchers at the University of Florida. The link between smoking and breast cancer has been controversial. While tobacco contains cancer-causing agents and is known to increase the risk of lung cancer and other illnesses, research has been mixed as to whether smoking increases the risk of breast cancer.

To conduct the current study, lead researcher Satya Narayan, an associate professor of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, and colleagues exposed normal breast epithelial cells to cigarette smoke condensate-a tar derived from a machine that literally “smokes” a cigarette in the laboratory. They found that the breast cells were altered by the exposure and developed characteristics of cancerous breast cells.

“Our study suggests the mechanism by which this may be happening,” said Narayan, in a University of Florida news release. “This is basically the important finding in our case: We are now describing how cigarette smoke condensate, which is a surrogate for cigarette smoke, can cause DNA damage and can block the DNA repair of a cell or compromise the DNA repair capacity of a cell. That can be detrimental for the cell and can lead to transformation or carcinogenesis.”

The study, which is published in the journal Oncogene, shows that the body’s process of DNA repair appears to be compromised when chemical components of smoke activate a key gene. According to the research, that gene interacts with an enzyme that plays a crucial role in repairing damaged DNA, preventing from repairing the cell, which has the ability to multiply rapidly.

“Its DNA repair machinery can be enhanced and it can fix the damaged DNA and restore genomic stability, or if the DNA repair machinery becomes compromised within the cell, then it can lead to an accumulation of mutations because the DNA is not fixed before the cell begins to divide,” Narayan said. “The mutation then becomes a permanent part of the genome and causes genomic instability, and genomic instability can bring about several cellular dysfunctions, and one of them can lead to tumor formation.”

The next phase of research will involve exploring ways to manipulate the DNA repair process and prevent the development of tumors. In the meantime, the researchers caution people, particularly teenagers, to not smoke. “Teenagers should realize they are inhaling 4,000 chemicals, and these chemicals can do so much harm in the body, not only posing a breast cancer risk but for so many other things,” Narayan said. “The consequence of these chemicals is not apparent in one day or two days or in months; it takes years and years for cancers to develop. Once the gene is damaged and sitting there it’s going to provide some harmful effect later on.”

Researchers have been examining the possible link between smoking and breast cancer for years. In 2005, the California Air Resources Board’s report found that secondhand smoke may increase the risk of breast cancer, particularly in pre-menopausal women. However, the report is controversial because some previous studies have not found an association between secondhand smoke and breast cancer.

Study Suggests Vitamin D May Help Fight Breast Cancer
Women with advanced disease had lower levels of the nutrient

HealthDay

Monday, October 16, 2006

TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) — Women with early stage breast cancer have significantly higher levels of vitamin D in their blood than women with cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, a small study found.

This could mean that a lack of vitamin D somehow plays a role in the spread of the disease. However, it’s way too early to make specific recommendations based on the findings, experts say.

“It’s an interesting concept but it’s a small study and needs to be done in a large, randomized, controlled fashion,” said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La.

“There are no real practical implications as such yet, from a lifestyle point of view, all women (and men) should eat a balanced diet and ensure they are exposed to some sunlight, as this is important in vitamin D synthesis,” added the study’s lead author, Dr. Carlo Palmieri, of Cancer Research UK Laboratories and Imperial College, London.

Previous research has hinted at a role for vitamin D in cancer prevention. In laboratory studies, vitamin D stopped cancer cells from dividing and also contributed to cell death. And epidemiological reviews suggest that breast cancer incidence and mortality is lower in latitudes with more sunlight.

Sunlight is critical for health because it allows the skin to synthesize vitamin D. Another recent study found that vitamin D may lower the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Vitamin D is also known to enhance the function of certain genes — including p21, which is involved in the cell life cycle — while inhibiting the function of others.

For the new study, published online Monday in the Journal of Clinical Pathology, the researchers measured vitamin D levels, parathyroid hormone and calcium in 204 women with early breast cancer; 279 women with invasive breast cancer; and 75 women with advanced breast cancer. All participants were Caucasian.

Women with early stage breast cancer had higher levels of vitamin D and lower levels of parathyroid hormone than women with advanced disease. Calcium levels were similar.

The exact reason for the disparities isn’t clear, the study authors stated. Nor is it clear that there’s a cause-and-effect relationship between the presence of vitamin D and cancer prognosis.

“Our study showed an association,” Palmieri said. “In other words, women with advanced breast cancer had lower vitamin D, and the question is whether this is cause or effect.”

Still, Palmieri said, the findings should be viewed in the context of all the other available data on vitamin D — data that seem to support the hypothesis that vitamin D is somehow involved in breast cancer.

“Our data lends weight to the hypothesis that vitamin D has a role in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer,” he said.

One next step for researchers, Palmieri said, would be to see if maintaining normal levels of vitamin D — by taking supplements — in women diagnosed with early or advanced breast cancer improved their outcomes, when used in conjunction with the latest therapies.

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Tips for Practicing Prayer and Meditation

By Darcy De Leon

When people are diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, they often turn to prayer and meditation for comfort and assurance.

Prayer comes in many forms

“If you talk to a dozen people, you’ll get a dozen descriptions of prayer,” says Paul Riddle, D.Min., director of spiritual care with Lifeline Ministries, which supports M. D. Anderson’s pastoral care ministry. “Prayer is highly personal. One analogy that I find useful in describing prayer is the image of a child coming to a good parent, father or mother.”

Tips for prayer:

Don’t worry about “the right way” to pray – Just pour out your heart.

Be honest – Share all feelings. “That means communicating concerns, joys, or whatever happens to be in a person’s heart, including pain and anger,” Riddle says.

Know prayer may feel awkward and undesired – If overwhelming feelings of anger, guilt or confusion about cancer are an obstacle to prayer, ask others to pray on your behalf, says Richard Maddox, a chaplain serving patients and family in the Children’s Cancer Hospital at M. D. Anderson.

Consider nonverbal prayer – One form of prayer does not involve words. It can mean holding something (a medicine bottle, family photo, wedding ring, etc.). It might also mean listening to music or looking at art.

Meditation techniques vary

The general goal of meditation is to find a means of being open to spiritual inspiration or guidance.

Suggestions for meditation:

Use a phrase or word to get centered – Pick a word or phrase to repeat while exhaling. “I tell people their thoughts will bounce around,” says Carol Dimmett, a chaplain in M. D. Anderson’s Palliative Care unit. “The mind is like a river, and the debris on top is made up of thoughts. The bottom of the river is very still, and a phrase or word helps get to the stillness.”