Nov 25, 2022 07:13 PM
The misbelief of prostrate cancer symptoms
https://undark.org/2022/11/24/what-publi...te-cancer/
INTRO: Most American patients who have prostate cancer are diagnosed before they experience a single symptom. That might come as a surprise if you’ve ever googled “prostate cancer” though.
Many sites, including some from high-profile medical groups, state prostate cancer is associated with lower-urinary tract symptoms, or LUTS, which include signs such as a frequent need to urinate. In reality, these symptoms only occur in a small percentage of prostate cancer patients, usually those with advanced disease.
By emphasizing the need to watch out for symptoms, public health messaging risks patients skipping regular screenings in the absence of clear signs.
One in eight men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Most patients will be able to live with the condition, and won’t die from it, but prostate cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death among American men. Regular screenings, which involve testing for levels of a prostate-specific antigen and followed, if needed, by an MRI and biopsy to confirm diagnosis, is critical for early detection and careful monitoring.
Before I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010, I was unaware of its “silent killer” reputation. I never experienced LUTS. I dodged a bullet when screening revealed I have a low-risk case and needed to start on close monitoring, known as active surveillance. But if I had waited to watch out for symptoms before getting screened, I wouldn’t have known to keep an eye on my condition and — had I had a more serious case — might have ended up in big trouble.
Indeed, a recent article published in BMC Medicine points out that national guidelines and public health campaigns continue to promote the misperception that urinary symptoms are a major indicator of prostate cancer — despite the lack of consistent evidence to confirm this. The authors, including Vincent J. Gnanapragasam, a professor of urology at the University of Cambridge, argue that not only is this unhelpful, but it may even deter men from coming forward for early testing and detection of a potentially treatable cancer.
So why does the LUTS myth persist? (MORE - details)
A cold house can be harmful to your health
https://sciencenorway.no/elder-care-elde...th/2113510
EXCERPT: . . . The two researchers do not want to scare anyone. “Most younger, healthy people will tolerate low indoor temperatures just fine,” Øvrevik says.
When it comes to the elderly, the matter is different. It is important to be aware that too low an indoor temperature can be problematic, especially if it falls below 18 degrees. Older people and people with cardiovascular diseases therefore need to make sure that their indoor climate is not too cold.
“One can imagine that several pensioners are considering keeping it cold to save electricity. This is quite worrying,” he says.
Mercer generally thinks it's a good idea to save some energy use by lowering the temperatures a little in Norwegian homes. But not too much.
He fears that too much ‘electricity saving’ could make Norway more like Ireland and the other countries with greater differences in mortality between summer and winter. This is not desirable.
Advice for the elderly – and one for younger people about to go out into the cold
Mercer recently presented some clear advice to the elderly in a brochure in collaboration with the organisation Lions Club in Varanger:
https://undark.org/2022/11/24/what-publi...te-cancer/
INTRO: Most American patients who have prostate cancer are diagnosed before they experience a single symptom. That might come as a surprise if you’ve ever googled “prostate cancer” though.
Many sites, including some from high-profile medical groups, state prostate cancer is associated with lower-urinary tract symptoms, or LUTS, which include signs such as a frequent need to urinate. In reality, these symptoms only occur in a small percentage of prostate cancer patients, usually those with advanced disease.
By emphasizing the need to watch out for symptoms, public health messaging risks patients skipping regular screenings in the absence of clear signs.
One in eight men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Most patients will be able to live with the condition, and won’t die from it, but prostate cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death among American men. Regular screenings, which involve testing for levels of a prostate-specific antigen and followed, if needed, by an MRI and biopsy to confirm diagnosis, is critical for early detection and careful monitoring.
Before I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010, I was unaware of its “silent killer” reputation. I never experienced LUTS. I dodged a bullet when screening revealed I have a low-risk case and needed to start on close monitoring, known as active surveillance. But if I had waited to watch out for symptoms before getting screened, I wouldn’t have known to keep an eye on my condition and — had I had a more serious case — might have ended up in big trouble.
Indeed, a recent article published in BMC Medicine points out that national guidelines and public health campaigns continue to promote the misperception that urinary symptoms are a major indicator of prostate cancer — despite the lack of consistent evidence to confirm this. The authors, including Vincent J. Gnanapragasam, a professor of urology at the University of Cambridge, argue that not only is this unhelpful, but it may even deter men from coming forward for early testing and detection of a potentially treatable cancer.
So why does the LUTS myth persist? (MORE - details)
A cold house can be harmful to your health
https://sciencenorway.no/elder-care-elde...th/2113510
EXCERPT: . . . The two researchers do not want to scare anyone. “Most younger, healthy people will tolerate low indoor temperatures just fine,” Øvrevik says.
When it comes to the elderly, the matter is different. It is important to be aware that too low an indoor temperature can be problematic, especially if it falls below 18 degrees. Older people and people with cardiovascular diseases therefore need to make sure that their indoor climate is not too cold.
“One can imagine that several pensioners are considering keeping it cold to save electricity. This is quite worrying,” he says.
Mercer generally thinks it's a good idea to save some energy use by lowering the temperatures a little in Norwegian homes. But not too much.
He fears that too much ‘electricity saving’ could make Norway more like Ireland and the other countries with greater differences in mortality between summer and winter. This is not desirable.
Advice for the elderly – and one for younger people about to go out into the cold
Mercer recently presented some clear advice to the elderly in a brochure in collaboration with the organisation Lions Club in Varanger:
- Keep an indoor thermometer.
- If you feel cold, it's cold, no matter what the thermometer shows. Get dressed and turn up the heat.
- Keep at least one room in the house – for example the living room – really warm. Preferably 24 degrees or more.
- Keep the temperature high in the bathroom, where you are often lightly dressed.
- Feel free to keep it cool in the bedroom, but make sure you have appropriate, warm bed linen.
- Keep moving, it increases your body temperature and maintains muscle mass.
- Dress well. Several thin layers of clothing are better than one thick layer.
- Eat hot food and drink hot drinks.
- Avoid alcohol. A toddy can be experienced as warming, but in reality causes the blood vessels to open so you lose heat.
Finally, Mercer offers a bit of advice for young people as well.
“Avoid using snuff and tobacco if you are going to be out in the cold. Nicotine has the ability to expand the blood vessels, so that you lose heat, for example from your hands and feet,” he says... (MORE - missing details)
