eFitnessNow

Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner announced Monday that he has been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer.

“In late July, during a routine checkup, my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels were found to be high, which can be an indicator of prostate cancer,” Sensenbrenner said. “After some additional testing was conducted, the doctor confirmed that I have an early stage of prostate cancer.

Sensenbrenner’s treatments will begin radiation therapy, he said. According to his doctor, the cure rate for Sensenbrenner’s cancer is 85 to 95 percent.

Are prostate cancer screenings really helping?

Routine screening for prostate cancer has led to more than 1,000,000 US men being diagnosed as having a tumor who might instead have suffered no sick effects from them, US analysts said on Monday. The report, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, supplies the first numerical anwser about how the prostate-specific antigen test has led straight to a massive over-diagnosis of safe cancers that wouldn’t have spread outside of the prostate.

The team looked to find out how many men have been diagnosed as having prostate cancer since the introduction in 1986 of a generally used blood test for prostate cancers that looked for a prostate-cancer precise antigen, or PSA.

The average age at diagnosis reduced from about 72 years in 1988-1989 to about 67 years in 2004-2005 and the rate of late-stage cases slid from about 53 to eight per 100,000 among whites and from 91 to thirteen per 100,000 among blacks.

Physicians and patients have been waiting for over 20 years for a substitute for the drug warfarin, which is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and also available in generic versions.

Approximately 3 million Americans suffer the affects of atrial fibrillation. This ailment is common in people over the age of 70, affecting as many as 1 in 10. Blood thinners such as warfarin, reduce the risk of blood clots and strokes in people who have atrial fibrillation.

Warfarin is a safe and effective drug; although it has to be monitored frequently, the patient needs to visit his doctor at least once monthly. Moreover, it reacts with many other drugs, green vegetables, and other foods.

For the first time, a large-scale study shows the benefits of a blood thinner drug match that of warfarin. In the past ximelagatran was a contender for this spot, but results showed it could be toxic to the liver. Warfarin has been on the market for over 50 years and until now there has not been a drug that matched its record of effectiveness and safety until now.

Dabigatran, currently marketed in Europe, is just one of the new compounds on the market that will give warfarin a run for its money. Xarelto, betrixaban, and apixaban are also nearing the last stages of development. The future looks brighter for those people who need to take blood thinners. Pending approval one of the new drugs may be available as early as next year.

For many MMA fans UFC 102 appeared to be a weak card. However the night proved to be the opposite some great fights. In an exciting three round battle, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira defeated Randy “The Natural” Couture before 16,088 fans at Portland’s Rose Garden Arena.

Couture landed some good combinations in the first round yet Nogueira did not look to be hurt and nearly finished the fight with a choke.

In his corner after the first round Couture was told to work off the jab however he was hit by a left hook in the second round, and from there on Nogueira eased into a lead, nearly stopping Couture with an arm triangle, yet somehow, “Captain America” escaped once more. Back on the feet, Couture was answering, landing with two left hooks. Nogueira was once again not fazed and landed a good knee and leg kick.

The third round saw Couture come out fast again landing some skilful shots, however Nogueira was quick to get some in of his own. The official scorecards at the end were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, which was all in favor of the winner Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

“I never worked in my life for a fight like I did for this one,” Nogueira said. “I have a lot of respect for Randy. He’s been around for 12 years and fighting everyone and that’s why I trained a lot, so I could make a good show.”

After his shock technical knockout loss to Frank Mir last December, some critics claimed the Brazilian’s top-level fight career was over, though Nogueira said his fight against Randy Couture would put him back on track. Nogueira said that this fight was ‘9 years in the making’ and that he was delighted he managed to score the victory on a ‘legend’ who he had been waiting 9 years to fight.

“I don’t know. You guys always want me to match-make right after the fight,” said White. “I don’t think either guy got hurt in the fight, meaning credibility or where they’re at age-wise if you want to look at that anyway. It was great fight, what everybody expected. It keeps the heavyweight division interesting, and maybe the light heavyweight division, depending on what (Couture) wants to do.”

Couture and UFC president Dana White announced following Saturday’s “UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira” event that the 46-year-old signed a new six-fight, 28-month contract prior to his main-event loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Portland, Ore.

Middleweight Nate Marquardt and light-heavyweight Thiago Silva also scored quick-fire victories over Demian Maia and Keith Jardine respectively.
UFC newcomer Todd Duffee needed just seven seconds to knock out Sherwood Park heavyweight Tim (The Thrashing Machine) Hague.
Middleweight Jake Rosholt, a former NCAA wrestling champion, choked out Chris Leben with an arm-triangle submission in the third round.
Brandon Vera defeated Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision

Middleweight: Aaron Simpson got the victory over Ed Herman in a 2nd-round technical knockout (Herman injured)

Heavyweight: Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Chris Tuchscherer in the 1st-round with TKO.

Heavyweight: Mike Russow defeated Justin McCully in a unanimous decision

Light-heavyweight: Mark Munoz beat. Nick Catone in a split decision

Lightweight: Nick Catone defeated Marcus Aurelio in a split decision

Adam Goldstein aka DJ AM, former member of Crazy Town, reportedly died of an overdose.

The much sought after Disc Jockey “Was found in his bedroom, in bed, face down.” according to a police source.

A source close to Nicole Richie, Goldstein’s ex fiance, stated that Richie is “devastated” and “shocked” by what happened.

His death occurs almost one year after he and Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker survived a learjet plane crash in South Carolina. Four passengers on the plane did not survive. Barker and Goldstein were in the process of planning a New Year’s Eve performance to be played in LA. It would have been their first performance since the crash last September.

It has become more clear that Goldstein had a difficult time dealing with the aftermath of the incident. A friend of DJ AM stated to FOXNews.com that Goldstein’s life had been “spiraling out of control..” The crash took and emotional toll on the DJ. The friend also commented that Goldstein was taking prescription painkillers for his injuries.

The celebrity community has responded with compassion in the wake of Goldstein’s untimely passing. Countless celebrities have been sending their condolences in tweets since the tragic news broke.

The H1N1 virus, what we know as the swine flu, has continued throughout the summer and has spread through summer camps and other places where younger people tend to gather. This virus has caused 8,000 hospitalizations and 522 deaths worldwide this year. With the possibility of a huge breakout with students returning to universities and colleges, schools are looking for ways to stay strong during this possible pandemic. The CDC has advised schools to balance the possible risk of a more severe type of this flu.

Public schools are perfect breeding grounds for the H1N1 virus. Not only are children more susceptible than adults to the virus, but the crowded, and often unhygienic conditions gives the virus a perfect opportunity to spread.

Universities throughout the country have seen cases of the flu all summer and they are expecting the same in the fall. Schools are finding out that shutting down a school does not stop the virus from spreading. The swine flu has shown us its ability to spread more easily than regular flu strains and experts are warning that a second wave is possible and would be much more dangerous than the first one.

School officials are keeping students informed and educated by handing out information about the flu and hand sanitizers are being placed throughout campuses. Schools are also putting money aside for any supplies, medicine and expenses needed to protect against the virus

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced on Friday, August 28, 2009 that the District is launching a marketing campaign to promote HIV/AIDS testing through advertising on television, radio, billboards and Metro trains and buses. Fenty, who has called HIV/AIDS the city’s “greatest public health challenge,” said the city needs to “speak with a louder voice” about the epidemic, and that “everybody is at risk.”

The ads featuring D.C. residents holding signs that read, “Ask for the Test” are already being aired on local television. The campaign, “D.C. Takes on HIV,” which also includes a Website, http://www.dctakesonhiv.com, is the $225,000 first phase of a five year effort.

According to a report released by D.C. health officials earlier this year, the District has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of any major city in the United States. At least 3% of the city’s residents are living with HIV and AIDS. The rate of transmission is increasing on every level. All residents are being encouraged to ask for an HIV test when they see a doctor. “Hopefully within a short period of time, people are going to understand that they’re not going to go to the doctor without asking for an HIV test,” said Mayor Fenty.

Four young monkeys named Spindly, Spindler, Tracker and Mito may hold the key to the elimination of an entire class of incurable genetic diseases. The primates were born through in vitro fertilization utilizing a newly discovered technique, which may one day make it possible to prevent women who are carriers of harmful genetic disorders of the mDNA from passing them on to their children.

Scientists from the Oregon National Primate Research Center swapped the mitochondrial DNA from the monkey mother’s egg with the mDNA of a healthy donor egg. The reconstructed eggs were fertilized with the father’s sperm and healthy offspring were born. This opens the door for the use of the technique in humans, and the eradication of common genetic human diseases. Beyond eliminating certain diseases, some are concerned that designer babies will be next.

Babies born using this revolutionary method would inherit nearly all of their genetic material from their father and mother. But a small amount, less than 1% of the DNA in a human, would come from the donor of the mDNA. This healthy genetic material would be passed on to future generations. This amazing discovery offers hope that the cure for age-related infertility is next.

Frequent smokers can develop problems in their health which can manifest itself in many ways. Many smokers develop a condition which is called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This condition is characterized by blockage in the lungs which make it difficult for a person to breathe.

For a person with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, there are alternatives to suffering through it. There is a product on the market from Nycomed which can help to alleviate the breathing problems caused by cigarette smoking an COPD. For this condition, Nycomed has come out with an anti-inflammatory pill called Daxas. Daxas does not require many doses of medicine to clear up the problem, in fact, Daxas is a pill which is taken only once daily. In a short period of time, Daxas helps to improve the breathing condition in those will chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

More than 2 million people are currently living with this condition world wide. People with COPD would greatly benefit from taking a daily dose of Daxis for the cleaning up of the lungs. This easy breathing will allow formerly athletic people to get involved again in sport and fun which they used to enjoy.

According to a new study, millions of Americans each year are subjected to various forms of medical imaging test, thus exposing them to high enough doses of radiation to increase their risk of cancer.

As many as 400,000 of these patients who receive these tests are subjected to extremely high doses of radiation – doses that are higher than the yearly exposure allowed for employees of nuclear power plants.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are the most commonly used tests, followed by nuclear stress tests done to check for heart disease. The nuclear imaging test is the procedure that is attributed to the largest single exposure to radiation.

The concern with the number of these types of imaging test being performed is that there really isn’t enough proof that these tests are even necessary or do anything to improve a patient’s health. One study estimates that one-third of CT scans many not be needed, exposing the people who receive them to potentially cancer-causing levels of radiation.

These new studies have not forecasted a definite number of cancer cases that exposure to radiation like this could cause, but some experts suggest it could result in tens of thousands more cancer cases in the next few decades.

With this in mind, doctors should always discuss the risks of theses tests with their patients. The patient and the doctor together should decide if the test will actually help the doctor make better decisions in treating the patient.