The last big holiday celebration of the summer season doesn’t need to end with high calorie overindulging, end of summer sun burn or food spoilage, for that matter.
Keep raw meat away from fruits, vegetables, or any other dishes that may be served cold to prevent cross contamination with microbes that can grow in raw meats.
Keep a meat thermometer handy to ensure all proteins are cooked thoroughly (aim for 145-160 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the type of protein and how well done you prefer it).
Perishable foods should not be left out for more than 2 hours. If it is above 90 degrees outside, no more than 1 hour.
A twenty year study has shown an inverse relationship between coffee drinkers and those who develop BCC.
“These results really suggest that it is the caffeine in coffee that is responsible for the decreased risk of basal cell carcinoma associated with increasing coffee consumption,” Jiali Han, associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston as well as the study’s lead author, said in a press release. “This would be consistent with published mouse data, which indicate caffeine can block skin tumor formation. However, more studies in different population cohorts and additional mechanistic studies will be needed before we can say this definitively.”
Along with sunscreen, limiting sun exposure and regular check-ups, caffeine could be an enjoyable way to help prevent skin cancer.
Study researcher, Sigrún Alba Jóhannesdóttir of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark has found that aspirin and other similar anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen can lessen the risk of three major types of skin cancer
People who took NSAIDs did not seem to benefit from a reduced risk of developing basal cell carcinoma in general, although they did have a 15 percent and 21 percent reduced risk of developing this type of cancer on less-exposed sites (body areas other than the head and neck) when they took them long term or at high intensity, respectively.
Low incidence of side affects, affordability and availability make aspirin a promising tool in fighting one of the leading cancers.
Sunscreen, reduced time to sun exposure and a diet rich in vitamin A have also been shown to reduce skin cancers.
The news has been confusing in the past but the FDA is offering new rules to ensure that we get the protection we need and the protection level we pay for.
The FDA announced that it is giving sunscreen manufactures six months to comply with regulations meaning that the changes won’t be in stores this summer.
Key fixes: Sunscreens will be labeled “water resistant” (as opposed to waterproof or sweatproof); they can no longer be called “sunblocks” (as it overstates their effectiveness); and they can no longer claim to provide instant sun protection or to last more than two hours without reapplication. On top of that, sunscreens can be labeled “broad spectrum” only if they protect equally against UVB (the main culprit of skin cancer) and UVA rays, which cause aging.
Be careful before taking out huge loans to get a degree from a for-profit college. Make sure you're not getting suckered into for-profit college scams that leave you with no job and huge debt.
This blog is for consumers of health care and medical services. Basically, it’s for everyone. For health issues you should always see a doctor or qualified medical professional - we are not dispensing medical advice. You should, however, be an educated consumer, so we offer information to help you start the process to become educated and to ask important questions. There are many excellent resources on the web, along with all sorts of conflicting opinions and advice. The key is to use a wide variety of resources to learn and access information, so you can ask the important questions when you are with your doctor or health professional.
