Each chromosome also carries along its length tiny organs called genes. These are the heredity bearing elements. That’s why many children later have characteristics similar to those of their parents—and in some cases, those of grandparents.Actually, in recent years, by an ingenious scientific skill called ‘gene mapping’, many of the heredity characteristics can be accurately [...]

Smoking endangers heart health, as well as having a detrimental effect on our bones. If you are a twenty-cigarette-a-day smoker, you will suffer more from atherosclerosis (narrowing and plugging of arteries) than comparable non-smokers. You also have double or triple die risk of sustaining a crippling or fatal heart attack than someone of the same [...]

Luteinising hormone (LH) controls the development and release of the egg from the ovary. Women who have high levels of this hormone in the first half of their menstrual cycle seem to have a greater risk of miscarriage. In addition, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have raised levels of LH. Progesterone is the hormone [...]

Questions to ask Some of the questions that you might like to ask your doctor include: • Does the doctor have a partner who knows about you and can treat you if your own specialist is unavailable? • Can the doctor see you immediately if you have an urgent or serious problem? • Will the [...]

Many people are surprised to find that while chemotherapy is not a pleasant experience, it is actually bearable. You can go about your usual business, although you may wish to alter your work schedule slightly if that is an option for you. It is a rare supervisor or boss who would not be sympathetic to [...]

If you have had an axillary node dissection, you will experience discomfort under your arm and along the length of the arm, part of which may be numb while part may be sore. You may experience very brief but intense pain down the full length of your arm, even into your hand, for months. This [...]

Adolescent children may or may not want to discuss your cancer. They may or may not want to accompany you to the hospital. Some kids this age find the whole disease monumentally embarrassing, and since they are adolescents, what matters most to them is what their friends think. Try to maintain a whimsical tolerance of [...]

It is smart to talk with a practitioner before starting his or her treatments, just as you would when selecting any doctor or health care provider. Feel free to ask as many questions as you would of your conventional doctors. Ask especially about their previous experience in treating women with breast cancer and what they [...]

We believe that participating in a breast cancer support group can be the very best way to help yourself. No one can understand what you are going through as well as others on the same journey. Many women are resistant to the idea of joining a group because they fear that hearing others’ experiences will [...]

Apart from the 10 to 15 per cent of women who have endometriosis but have no symptoms, most people will have a history of something being not quite right. It is rare that a woman has the ‘textbook’ symptoms, and because they can be so varied, and may develop gradually, it is not always obvious [...]