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"Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."

John Quincy Adams








 




 
Featured Health Articles

Founder of A Good Daughter to Present Employment Presentation at FAU Health Administration Event
The Fearless Caregiver Conference at the Broward Convention Center will be held Saturday, April 16th. The event allows family caregivers and the professional caregiving community to come together and explore ways to be a more productive member of their ...

How To Improve Your Mood And Health With Deep Breathing Exercises
It is relatively well known now that exercise releases endorphins that can help to pull you out of a bad mood and to aid in alleviating depression. However, mental fatigue and depression are hard moods to simply overcome. You may not wish to train for ...

Monitoring BMI In Children Today Could Lead To Better Health
In a new study published by the American Heart Association, it is suggested that infants who gain weight rapidly during their first week may be more likely to have weight problems later in life. This study has led to a recommendation to monitor Body Mass ...




Understanding Your Breasts: A Health Guide for All Women
 
A woman's breast is a gland that produces milk in late pregnancy and after childbirth. Each breast is made of lobes which are groups of milk glands called lobules. Lobules are arranged around thin tubes called ducts which carry the milk to the nipple. These lobules and ducts make up what is referred to as the glandular tissue.

Breasts also contain lymph vessels which carry a clear fluid called lymph. The lymph vessels lead to small, round organs called lymph nodes. Group of lymph nodes are found near the breast in the underarm, above the collarbone, in the chest behind the breastbone, and in many other parts of the body. The lymph nodes trap bacteria, cancer cells, or other harmful substances that may be in the lymphatic system. Their job is to make sure harmful substances are safely and quickly removed from the body.

As with any gland or organ with the human body, some imperfections are likely to occur. Perhaps you feel that your breasts are too small or too large. Maybe you have questions about breast feeding or breast cancer.

You might notice different kinds of breast changes at different times of your life. Breast changes occur in almost all women, and most of these changes are NOT cancer. Many of the changes are caused by your hormone levels and are a normal part of the aging process. Younger women may have more glandular (more dense, less fatty) breast tissue than older women who have stopped having their period (menopause). This kind of tissue is where breast changes usually occur.

Most women have swelling, tenderness, and pain in their breasts before and sometimes during their periods. You may also feel one or more lumps during this time because of the extra fluid that has collected in your breasts. The lumpiness and pain usually go away by the end of your period.

During pregnancy, your breasts may feel lumpy, since the glands which produce milk increase in number and get larger. While breast feeding, you may get an infection called mastitis which happens when a milk duct becomes blocked. Mastitis causes the breast to look red and feel lumpy, warm and tender. Mastitis is often treated with antibiotics, but sometimes the duct may need to be drained.

Nipple discharge is common for some women. It is fluid from the nipple in different colors or textures. Usually, this is not a sign of cancer. For example, birth control pills and other medications, such as sedatives, can cause a little discharge. However, for women who are going through or have passed menopause, nipple discharge can be a sign of cancer.

One of the most common plastic surgeries performed in the U.S. is breast implants. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), there were 255,000 breast enhancement implant surgeries in 2003, nearly twice the number done in 1998. Despite a decade of controversy over their safety, breast implants are more popular than ever among women who want to build upon what nature gave them or who want to restore what disease has taken away.

Some medical care providers say that using breast implants to rebuild the breast (reconstruction), or change its size and shape (augmentation), significantly improves the quality of life for many women. Advocates of breast implants also say that a woman's consent to the surgery should be considered valid as long as she carefully weighs the risks and benefits of the procedure.

Whether you are looking to augment your breast size, reduce the size of your breasts, or are looking for clothing that will make your breasts look more attractive, reliable and current information can be easily found by searching the Internet.

Perhaps you need useful and relevant information about breast feeding--its benefits and the best positions and techniques. Or maybe you are concerned about the possibility of breast cancer--there are hundreds of websites dealing with all issues pertaining to the human breast.

About the Author
Larry Denton is a retired history teacher having taught 33 years at Hobson High in Hobson, Montana. He is currently V.P. of Elfin Enterprises, Inc., an Internet business providing valuable information on a variety of timely topics. For a doctor's office full of advice, resources and suggestions about breasts, visit http://www.BreastAide.com



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Health News

Obama team working on overhaul of financial rescue - Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is working on an overhaul the $700 billion financial rescue program with the aim of doing more to spur the flow of credit to the struggling U.S. economy, an Obama aide said on Friday ...

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states - San Francisco Examiner
WASHINGTON ( Map , News ) - Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated. An ...

Roland Burris asked ex-Rod Blagojevich aide about Senate seat - Chicago Tribune
SPRINGFIELD — Even as he sought to allay concerns about how Gov. Rod Blagojevich picked him for the U.S. Senate, Roland Burris disclosed Thursday he relayed his interest in the job to one of the governor's lobbyist fundraising friends whose ...

Shared Health(R) Names Adnane Khalil as Chief Information Officer - Newsblaze.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Shared Health, one of the nation's largest public/private health information exchanges, announced today the appointment of Adnane Khalil as vice president, technology, and chief information officer. Khalil ...

Health care overhaul needn't break bank: study - Reuters
CHICAGO (Reuters) - An analysis of proposals to overhaul U.S. health care by President-elect Barack Obama and members of Congress suggests it is possible to insure all Americans without significantly raising total health spending. Some 46 million ...

NC Baptist Hospitals settling health plan lawsuit - Wbt.com
Employees at North Carolina Baptist Hospitals will get increased discounts on fees and lower co-payments if a lawsuit over the hospital's group health insurance plan is settled. The Winston-Salem Journal reported Friday that the hospital had reached ...

Sierra Leone: Health Ministry Reacts to Yellow Fever Outbreak in Bo - AllAfrica.com
Freetown — The ministry of health and sanitation will vaccinate more than 500,000 people for yellow fever in Bo district in an effort to stop the outbreak there from spreading to other parts of the country. Dr. Amara Jambai, the disease prevention ...

Daschle vows to improve health care system - Newsday
WASHINGTON - Tom Daschle told former Senate colleagues yesterday that as health secretary he would learn from Bill Clinton 's failed attempt to overhaul health care, an effort criticized as too long, secretive and hard to understand. "These are good ...

Women's heart health takes center stage - Nashville Tennessean
February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association has planned local events Feb. 6 and 11 to join in the fight against heart disease. For more information on American Heart Month, or any of these events, call 340-4100. >> National ...

U.S. health care overhaul needn't break bank: study - Yahoo News
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