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Heres a look at the current prevention, detection and treatment options for the four most common types of cancerand what might be available in the next five years.

Breast Cancer Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and results in some 178,000 new cases and 40,000 deaths annually.

Prevention Maintaining a healthy weight through menopause, exercising, and limiting alcohol consumption may reduce a womans risk. As for hormone replacement therapy, there are differing opinions; talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits.

Detection If theres a family history of breast cancer, get tested to see whether you carry the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes. Perform breast self-exams and have regular mammograms. These can catch precancerous cells and small tumors before they spread.

Treatment The options include surgery and radiation; chemotherapy; anti-estrogen medications such as tamoxifen; aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole; and targeted drugs such as trastuzumab.

Coming next Breast MRIs and ultrasound may become the standard for early detection. Treatment may be more focused, with less-invasive surgical techniques and better, more targeted radiation treatments. Prostate Cancer Some 219,000 cases of prostate cancerthe most common type of cancer in men and the second-leading cause of all cancer deathsare diagnosed every year.

Prevention Restricting fat intake may help prevent the disease. The ACS says a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in red meat may cut the risk.

Detection The American Cancer Society recommends regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests and digital rectal exams starting at age 50age 45 for African-American men and those with a first-degree relative diagnosed with the disease before age 65. But its not a perfect test.

Treatment Hormonal therapy that reduces the production of testosterone slows tumor growth and may prolong survival. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are also used.

Coming next New drugs currently in trials could reach the market within five years.

Lung Cancer Lung cancer is responsible for nearly 30 percent of all cancer deaths. In 2007, new cases may exceed 213,000, while deaths may top 160,000.

Prevention The biggest risk factor is smoking, which accounts for about 87 percent of new cases. Next on the list: exposure to secondhand smoke, asbestos and radon gas.

Detection A spiral computer tomography (CT) scan is being tested to see if it can pick up tumors at an earlier, more treatable stage. Scientists are also studying whether early detection prolongs survival.

Treatment Surgery, radiation and conventional chemotherapy are used. Two targeted drug therapies, erlotinib and bevacizumab, attack cancer cells only, leaving most healthy ones alone.

Coming next In about five years they may have a genetic test (lung metagene model) to predict a persons prognosis.

Colorectal Cancer In the U.S., more than 52,000 deaths related to cancer of the colon or rectum occur each year; almost 154,000 new cases are diagnosed.

Prevention Most colon cancer arises from polyps. But it takes 8 to 12 years for a polyp to turn into cancer, so the earlier polyps can be removed, the more colon cancer risk is reduced.

Detection Colorectal screenings should begin at 50, along with an annual fecal occult blood test and a flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or a colonoscopy every 10 years. African-Americans should begin colorectal screening at 45.

Treatment Surgeryalone or in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiationis the common treatment. Newer targeted drugs, such as bevacizumab and cetuximab, keep cancer cells from growing and improve overall survival rates.

Coming next Fecal DNA analysis, in which stool is tested to identify genetic mutations, may help in prevention and diagnosis. The test is expected to be available in two to four years. Researchers continue to make progress in preventing, managing and treating cancer-- and thats welcome news for all of us.

Writer: Jo Cavallo REMEDY, Summer 2007

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Jo Cavallo is a writer for MediZine, LLC. Robert A. Barnett is Content Director of HealthyUpdates.com, a health education website produced by MediZine, LLC.

Just discover the magic of photography? Surely you want to start taking fabulous photos right away. Although this is not possible you can learn some easy things that will help you start taking nice photos in a couple of days.

First of all you should become familiar with your camera. Read the manual as many times as needed to get accustomed to it. Moreover the usually contains a lot of useful tips.

Than get accustomed to the digital photography terms. The most important ones are: barrel distortion (causes the edges of an image to look curved, when the position of the camera lens is at its widest angle), shake (caused by movement when taking a photo resulting into a blurred image), digital zoom (simulated zoom), exposure values (also called EV, numbers that refer to various combinations of lens aperture and shutter speed).

The next thing to take into account is light. Light is the most important factor when it comes to photography. You can takes photos in natural or artificial light and the different light can make the same photo look different. There is a lot to learn about light so the easiest way to start is to experiment taking photos of various objects in various light conditions.

Despite the sophisticated digital photography tips, there are some simple but often neglected things you should learn and master.

Avoid noise in your photos by being careful with the ISO settings. The higher the ISO the less light is needed for the exposure. Noise will reduce the quality of your photos by making them less clear and sharp.

Do not shake camera while taking a photo. Well, sometimes it is hard to say that you are moving the camera and still your photos are a bit blurry. This is caused by the hand movement that you cannot even recognize. You can take a tripod or use another camera support. Be very careful when taking night photos or any photos under low light as the movement of the camera can do more damage in these situations.

Use to use the shutter button correctly. It is amazing how the simplest thing can go so wrong simply because you cannot use the shutter button the way you should. Most of the digital cameras have two level shutter button. You should press it to the middle to focus and than press again to take the photo. Master this by practice and you will quickly see the difference.

Keith Londrie II is the Webmaster of http://digitalphotography.coffee-info.info A website that specializes in providing information on Digital photography that you can research on the internet. Please Visit http://digitalphotography.coffee-info.info now!

Did you know that most of us are naturally predisposed to hear, remember, and tell stories?

And our stories have themes: family history, births, deaths, education, food and recipes, grandparents, journeys, romance, military (war) stories and many more.

So where does one begin to tell ones stories or start writing them down?

How does one start to review a long and often multi-faceted life? What things are important to include? What events and experiences can be omitted?

The first step

is to identify your goal. Dont be limited by the themes I just mentioned. Storytelling is fun, creative, healing, transforming, connecting, and anything else it becomes for you, the storyteller!

Storytelling is the way you can make sense out of events, experiences and relationships, observe how people interacted, or didnt, and deepen your understanding of who you are and perhaps why you think, or believe or react the way you do.

Storytelling can be a way to provide a presence and guidance to children when a parent is terminally ill and wont live to see his or her children through the milestones of life. It is a fun and engaging way to bring back to life, if you will, relatives that have long since died and weave a tapestry of family history that connects children to their heritage.

The second step

is to decide if you are going to use a tape recorder or write your stories. If you are writing, I suggest you use a journal-like booklet or a 3-ring binder if you are using a computer.

The third step

is to choose a format or structure to begin the process. You can change this format anytime. It is only a place to start.

You can begin by asking and answering questions that will evoke feelings. Or, you can begin by describing people and events in your life. You can follow your life chronologically or frame your story event by event. Dont focus on order, grammar, or spelling. This is not a writing project!

Before you do any writing or taping, start by drawing a timeline (in the center of a piece of paper, draw a straight line from one end of a piece of paper to the other) with your birth date at the left margin and the present date at the right margin.

Vertically along the line write a word or a phrase describing important events or experiences and include an approximate date if you can.

The fourth step

is to start asking and answering a few simple questions:

Happiness is...

Who am I mad at...

I used to be scared of...

I am sad because...

Loneliness feels like...

I need...

I wish...

If feeling questions arent for you, consider these as a place to start:

Who was my best friend in childhood?

Now?

Who was my hero (heroine) and why?

Who was an important or special adult in my life (this can be a teacher, clergy, the parent of a friend)?

Describe your family as if you were creating a family tree.

If you could be anyone in the world who would it be?

How did my family handle money?

The possibilities are infinite. Dont get bogged down in the format or structure. Any and all questions will lead you to where you are going. Trust the process and take good care along the way.

Remember, only YOU can make it happen!

Copyright Dr. Jackie Black 1999-2005

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Dr. Jackie is an internationally recognized relationship expert, educator and coach. Advice and coaching about personal relationships is Dr. Jackie's passion. Her goal is to inspire and support single men, single women and couples through the challenges and pitfalls of dating, loving and building lasting, committed relationships in today's fast-paced world. Dr. Jackie's Relationship Coaching Programs and Groups, her Blog, downloadable PodCasts and her Internet streaming radio show are jam-packed with valuable dating tips and strategies.

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One of the most painful things that can happen to a man is for them to have kidney stones. If you have ever experienced that pain that these can cause you certainly would understand and have a respect for anyone else that has gone through these problems before you. If you have not had a kidney stone in the past and are experiencing these symptoms then make sure that you have it checked out by a professional. Not knowing what is going on when you are experiencing this level of pain can be quite disconcerting. Here are some of the kidney stone symptoms in men and what you can do about them.

Sometimes the symptoms of a kidney stone are not all that pronounced. I know that I have had them in the past and have not experienced any pain, they are known as silent stones. They do cause some noticeable symptoms though because of the bleeding that typically discolors the urine and causes it to smell strongly. More often than that, however, a person will have a kidney stone and will have all of the typical symptoms. The symptoms include pain in the lower back on one side or the other where the kidneys are vomiting, burning while urinating, fevers and chills. Many times the person suffering from stones will pace the floor. The stones may or may not hurt as the pass through the urethra, but as you know that you have a kidney stone you might want to begin urinating through a sieve, so that you will know when the stone comes out. I kept mine, just for kicks, they really don't do any good once they are outside the body, they are just calcium deposits.

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When it comes to the various options that you can get for buying your house, a two-step mortgage may be just the thing you need. Being that it is kind of a cross between both a fixed rate mortgage and an adjustable rate, it may provide just the option you want in a time of financial uncertainty. Here are some things you need to know about second step mortgages.

A two-step mortgage, like its name implies has two different parts to it. Often called a hybrid loan, it combines some of the features of both types into a typical 30-year mortgage. The first part of the mortgage, which is usually either 5 or 7 years, has a fixed rate so that the interest and payment stay the same. This part of the loan is typically lower than the market value giving the buyer some savings during this time.

At the end of the first period, an adjustment will take place, which will determine what the payments will be for the remainder of the 30 years. Since a two-step mortgage is typically more of an adjustable rate mortgage, at least at this time, the adjustable rates will now kick in. Generally, and this is something you want to make sure is in the terms, there is a limit placed on how much of a percentage the interest can be raised - if the market calls for a raise. After this initial raise, the interest rate is adjusted yearly - according to the market.

This type of mortgage is good for someone who may be thinking of moving prior to the time that the mortgage rates are changed. If they are not certain that they will stay at that location then this would be a good way to go. Another possibility is that a two-step mortgage would allow someone with a lower income to get a larger house. This could work quite well especially if they are quite sure that their income will be improved over the next few years.

The main advantage of this type of mortgage, as with any adjustable rate mortgage, is the possibility of a large amount of savings if the market stays relatively good. Of course, this is really unpredictable, but it could serve as a good way to go. On the other hand, you may be forced to sell if the market does turn bad.

When you look for a mortgage, whether it be a two-step mortgage or any other kind, be sure to compare it with several offers. This way, you can see what others are offering and have something to compare your offer with. Be sure to separate the interest and principal from the various fees that will be applied. You want to compare the fees with the fees on other offers especially, because this is where any extras that there are will be added. It is a good idea to know the terms that apply to the various fees - some are really unnecessary, but you need to be able to tell the difference.

Joe Kenny writes for the UK Loans Store, offering mortgage applications for UK residents, also visit them for competitive bad credit remortgages and start clearing credit card debt today.