Pancreatic Awareness Month

Pancreatic Awareness Month

This November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.  You probably knew that Patrick Swayze died after he developed pancreatic cancer in 2009 and currently, in a very touching story line, Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper is living with a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer.  This disease is often a silent killer that is why more people need to know the signs and dangers.

For one thing how many people would know that pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK?  But despite that, only 1% of research funding it spent on pancreatic cancer research specifically?  Pretty shocking, I am sure you will agree.  

So what are the warning signs?   Well over half of patients with pancreatic cancer already have jaundice when they first visit their doctor - which means yellow skin and yellowness also affecting the white parts of the eyes.  There might also be a lot of itching or a fever, or you might feel pain in your stomach and have noticed a sudden unexplained weight loss that might also be present.

So how can we help?   Maybe you know someone who has been affected by pancreatic cancer or perhaps you have the disease yourself. Maybe you just want to make a difference and to offer those with the condition some hope.  Well, for more information visit the Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month website. 

Why not organise your own Pancreatic Cancer Awareness event? It might be sports-related or be about something different altogether!  It's up to you and what you want to do.   Maybe you could get some people together and come up with ideas until you find a great option. You can even do some fundraising on line.  

For more information please follow the link on this article.

 Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and are only intended as additional information to your general knowledge.  It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

National Blog Posting Month

National Blog Posting Month

This month is National Blog Posting month and that is something we do a lot of here at UK Health Radio.  There are blogs everywhere these days; it almost seems sometimes that unless you have one - you are nobody!  If you were to pick any subject I bet there would be a blog being written about it somewhere.  Here on UK Health Radio we hope that the blogs that we publish will be of help to our audience and that they will give them inspiration and advice.  But there may be things that we are not covering that you wish we would.  A quick look at the past blogs on the site shows that a lot of you were very interested in the blog we did about exercise and what kind of exercise we need and how much of it is ideal for us.  Maybe you would like to hear more on that subject?  Or maybe you have a health related issue that you would like to raise and have us find out a bit more about.

If there is anything that you wish you could hear more about, just let us know.  We have been covering world awareness days and the blog-posting month must surely be one of the newest highlights on the awareness calendar, being as it is, very twenty first century. But there may be other issues that we have not shon a light on that you think need to be highlighted to fellow listeners and blog readers, so please do let us know what you are up to as you raise money for your particular charity or awareness campaign.  It is by sharing knowledge and experience that we all get a greater understanding of the world and the times that we live in.

This week I lost a neighbour. She died from cancer.   She died peacefully at home with her daughters on each side of her bed, scented candles burning, the room softly lit and smelling wonderful.  Her passing was peaceful and elegant, just as she had been in life, and although I was very sad to lose her I had to think about the wonderful life she had had and just as important, the wonderful and peaceful death that she had.   Death is a subject that we do not often like to talk about, but seeing her lying still and quiet in that lovely warm and candle lit room made me realise that death is nothing to fear and for that I will always be grateful to her.

So I have made use of this blog today to share some of my thoughts with you.  Now it’s your turn.  We would love to hear what you would love to hear!

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

World Diabetes Day 14 NOVEMBER 2013

World Diabetes Day

14 NOVEMBER 2013

We are all aware that diabetes is a menace that is spreading in our unfit and overeating society.  Well the 14^th of November is World Diabetes Day and perhaps a good time for us all to stop and think about the disease that is becoming an epidemic in the developed countries of the world.   The International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation, in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses, created world Diabetes Day in 1991. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight.

World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea that led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.

We all know that the answer to the problem is more activity and to lose weight so on this day of the year maybe it is time that we all, whether we have the disease or not, take stock of our lives and see how we can either prevent ourselves becoming one of the statistics or it we have already been diagnosed do everything we can to stop the condition developing further and giving rise to awful side effects like losing vision or even amputation.

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge and does not substitute professional medical advice or treatment. So please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on the UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.  Lung cancer is, believe it or not, the most common cancer worldwide.  The disease claims more than 33,500 lives in the UK alone each year and with a shockingly short six months average time between diagnosis and death it is crucial that awareness of this cancer is raised.

Organisations such as The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation are working to raise awareness of this disease.  Awareness leads to a greater chance of early diagnosis.  The earlier the diagnosis, the better the chance there is of swift lung cancer treatment and the ability to beat the cancer.

So we all need to get clued up this Lung Cancer Awareness Month and on the lung cancer facts so that potentially we can help save the life of someone we know and love.  If you have known the devastation of lung cancer I know that if you could personally eliminate it you would. However, this requires cancer research and that needs fundraising to raise awareness for the cause.  So help your family and friends realise that smoking, passive smoking and exposure to certain chemicals are risk factors that need to be eliminated or reduced.

How can we do this?  Staying active is the main way!  Going to the gym, dancing, or doing a sport you enjoy will help strengthen your muscles. This will expand your lungs and allow them to pump blood around your body more efficiently!

You should also stay away from smoking, keep your rooms well ventilated and get any persistent coughs that might arise checked with your doctor.

When fundraising, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation try to keep the 'fun' in it.   So, organise a cake sale or a charity race night that people can enjoy.   You can also choose to dedicate a light  to someone you will miss either on a special date, at Christmas or any time and make a donation to the cause in the process.

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and are only intended as additional information to your general knowledge and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK HEALTH RADIO

dedicate a light

Lung Cancer Awareness Month. 

Mouth Cancer Action Month

Mouth Cancer Action Month

Good news from the British Dental Association for the Mouth Cancer Action Month which although this cancer is a particularly bleak and very serious subject, the Association say that spotting the disease early can increase chances of survival to more than 90%!

So you might wonder what mouth cancer looks like?  While it is sometimes difficult to spot because there aren't any signs for some of the cancers, others show early signs like bleeding in the mouth, red or white patches, and constant soreness might also be an indication.

What causes this cancer? Well the causes of mouth cancer aren't always fully understood by doctors, but they do know that factors like smoking and drinking increase the risk of developing it.   If you are drinking and smoking at the same time, the liquid from the alcohol will allow the tobacco to be absorbed faster into your system and this dual consumption means you may be thirty times more likely to develop mouth cancer.

Aside from avoiding drink and smoking, a healthy diet will also help decrease your chances of mouth cancer.  Specifically, trying to eat your five a day … and even six a day if you can! Having fish and eggs in your diet is also said to be beneficial.

And then there is lip cancer.  SPF lip balms are a great idea because they’ll help protect you from the danger of the sun’s rays. For more information about mouth cancer risk factors there will be a link on the blog. 

So in the great tradition of UK Health Radio listeners, how are we going to support Mouth Cancer Action Month in November?  Well you could get involved in the Blue Ribbon Badge Appeal.   Every ribbon will be a £1 donation, and the more people buy them, the bigger and better the impact.

Dentists and healthcare professionals should also be ready to teach people about the disease and the press should report the facts so people are more aware of them.  The British Dental Association recognise that they may be the first professionals to realise that there is a problem with a patient’s mouth, and they are ready to take up the challenge.

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog is provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and are only intended as additional information to your general knowledge and not as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. So please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

Mouth Cancer Action Month