Breast cancer is a disease that unfortunately affects many women every year, and occasionally a few men. Breast cancer refers to the uncontrollable multiplication of cells within the breasts. It often affects the milk ducts but can also affect other tissue in the breast.

What are the signs and symptoms of breast cancer?

• A lump in the breast, especially if it is painful (not all lumps are cancer).
• Changes in color, texture, temperature of the skin for example darkening or dimpling.
• An area of the breast that is very different from the rest of the breast.
• Nipple changes, such as an inverted nipple, some itching or burning, presence of pus or blood oozing out.
• Swelling or pain in the armpit area.
• In advanced cases there can be fatigue, nausea, fever, weight loss, etc.

Who is at risk for breast cancer?

• Family history: If your mother, sisters, aunts or any close relative has or had breast cancer you are at increased risk. Having a family member with breast cancer does not necessarily mean you are going to have breast cancer.
• Genetic conditions: There have been a couple of genes that have been related to breast cancer and its likelyhood to develop.
• Age: as you get older, the risk increases.
• Previous breast surgery.
• Hormone replacement therapy: This increases the likelyhood of cancer in susceptible individuals.
• Other types of cancer in the family.
• Being overweight.
• Smoking.
• Early menstruation.
• Having your first child after the age of 35, or not having any kids.

What can I do to make sure that I don´t have breast cancer?
To prevent late stage cancer as well as progression it is recommended that you self examine at least once a month for abnormalities in the breast. This should take place at least a week after or before menstruation. While menstruating or near menstruation, there can be lumps or irregularities found secondary to hormonal action on the breasts.
Also, all women over 40 should have an annual mammogram. Women of all ages should go to their doctor as soon as an abnormality is found.

Are there any treatments for cancer?
Yes, there are several treatments for breast cancer especially if it is found during the early stages, they can vary from radiation, chemotherapy or surgery. Before a diagnosis of breast cancer a biopsy will be needed.

Am I going to die if I have breast cancer?
Every day /less and less women die from breast cancer especially if diagnosed in the early stages. There are several types of breast cancers, and some of them have a very good prognosis if found early.

Are there support groups for breast cancer patients?
There are usually support groups within the community or in the hospital where treatments take place. Support groups help patients cope with the diagnosis and stress, as well as teach relaxation techniques.

At this moment in time, there are millions of people who have diabetes (high blood sugar) and do not know it, therefore they are without treatment. We can classify diabetes in type I and type II. The main difference between these two types is that type I requires insulin to be able to control blood sugar because there is no production of insulin by the pancreas. In type II, there is some production of insulin therefore medications can be used to treat this type of diabetes.

How often should I check my blood sugar and why is this important?
You should check your blood sugar fasting at least once a year. It is important because sometimes diabetes has no major symptoms, and the first symptom sometimes can be a complication like sudden blindness or lack of blood flow to the legs which requires hospitalization.

Does everyone need to get their blood sugar checked?
Yes everyone should get their blood sugar checked with special emphasis on people who have close family members with diabetes (mother, father, brothers and sisters, grandparents), people who are obese or overweight, people with other diseases like high blood pressure or cholesterol.

If I get any symptoms because I have diabetes, which ones will those be?
Sometimes there are no major symptoms until there is a lot of damage to the body, but some symptoms usually show and are frequent such as excessive thirst, excessive hunger, excessive urination, weakness, blurry vision, dizziness and weight loss without an apparent cause. If diabetes is not treated major complications can arise like a diabetic coma, blindness, and kidney failure among others.

What should I do if I think I have diabetes?
Go to your doctor for a physical exam and request to get your blood sugar checked. If you are diabetic, there are plenty of treatment options that can be explored along with a healthy diet and exercise.

REMEMBER, a healthy diet and exercise are the best complement to diabetes treatment.

There are millions of people who have a chronic degenerative disease being one of the most frequent hypertension or high blood pressure. This disease is a very treatable illness that is often overlooked by many patients. It is of very important to treat this condition, given the fact that it can arise in multiple health problems. The symptoms for high blood pressure often arise after blood pressure is really high; they can be presented as a severe headache, blurry vision, dizziness, palpitations, pounding in the neck, chest pain and fainting.

What is the normal blood pressure in adults?
Normal blood pressure is 120/80 and below(not to go below 90/60).

What is prehypertension?
It is a blood pressure that is between 121/81 to 139/89, it can eventually lead to hypertension.

Why is it important to have a blood pressure within normal limits?
If there is an elevated blood pressure, your arteries which carry your blood will be under pressure therefore they could rupture causing heart attacks, strokes, damage to kidneys, eyes and many other organs.

What can I do to prevent my blood pressure to go up?
Sometimes hypertension is hereditary, but there are some measures that can prevent or delay the appearance of this disease such as regular exercise, healthy diet( fruits, vegetables, low salt and low fat), quitting smoking and drinking alcohol with moderation, managing stress levels, and keeping good cholesterol levels in your blood.

How is hypertension treated?
There are many medicines that can be used to treat hypertension along with a healthy diet and exercise.

High cholesterol and high triglycerides are very common among the general population. Most of the time having high levels of lipids is due to a diet high in fatty foods, lack of exercise, excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, being overweight and hereditary components.

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of lipid (fat) that runs in the bloodstream. We need a certain amount of cholesterol for certain body functions, but having a high level of cholesterol increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, renal failure, and other complications since cholesterol can clog your arteries from any site in your body. Normal cholesterol levels should be less than 200 mg/dl.

Is it true that there is good and bad cholesterol?
Yes, HDL or high density lipids are called “good cholesterol” and should be over 40mg/dl. Also there are LDL and VLDL cholesterol which are low density and very low density lipids respectively and these are called “bad cholesterol”. LDL should be less than 100mg/dl, and VLDL less than 30 mg/dl. Having a low HDL and high LDL level increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

What are triglycerides?
Triglycerides are another type of fat created in your body, and levels should be below 150mg/dl. An excess of this type of fat puts you at an increased risk of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) which is usually a medical emergency and requires hospitalization. Triglycerides can be increased by a diet very high in carbohydrates (sugars), excessive alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and having other diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.

How can I lower cholesterol and triglycerides?
Cholesterol and triglycerides can be lowered through a healthy diet, exercise and for higher levels medicine may be necessary.

Exercise and a healthy diet can prevent or delay the appearance of high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Obesity is a major public health problem, not only here in the United States but is a worldwide problem affecting the population of all ages. Obesity can be measured in several ways, one of them being comparing the weight against your height to get the body mass index, measuring the circumference of the person’s waist, among others.

What are the causes of obesity?
Obesity can be caused by different factors, most often these being overeating and not doing exercise. Other causes can be thyroid disease, genetic predisposition, some medicines (chronic corticosteroid use can cause you to gain weight), lifestyle conditions, and some other diseases.

How can I know if I am just overweight or I am in the obesity range?
Calculating a body mass index is very easy and can be done by your primary doctor.

What should I do if I am obese?
As mentioned before, most cases of obesity are caused by excess or disorganized eating and lack or too little exercise, therefore a healthy diet and a comprehensive exercise plan can help you lose the extra weight. In some occasions medicine or other measures need to be taken in case there is disease causing the weight gain. Make sure you go to your doctor before starting any medicine or diet plan.

What should my body mass index be?

BMI
Less than 18.5	Underweight
18.5-24.9	Normal
25-29.9	Overweight
30-34.9	Obesity grade I
35-39.9	Obesity grade II
More than 40	Obesity grade III (Morbid Obesity)

Eating healthy, doing regular exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will increase the quality of your life and you will have a better health overall.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which your bones become weak. More often than not, osteoporosis is diagnosed at a time when there is a fracture. Sometimes when osteoporosis is really severe, normal things like hugging a family member or sitting down can cause a fracture. It usually affects women 50 and older, but can affect women of all ages and occasionally men.

Who is at risk for osteoporosis?

• Women have osteoporosis much more often than men. Men can also have osteoporosis though.
• There is a hereditary factor to osteoporosis therefore if your mom, grandmother or aunts had osteoporosis your risk is greater than that of the general population.
• The risk of osteoporosis increases with age especially in women over the age of 50 after menopause), also petite women have a higher incidence of osteoporosis.
• Smoking increases the risk of osteoporosis because bone density is lower than those who do not smoke.

Why do women over 50 have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis?
Usually after 50, menopause develops causing a drop in estrogen levels which are protective against bone loss, therefore there is an acceleration of bone loss during this period of time.

How can I prevent osteoporosis?
Make exercise a part of your daily routine, walking and jogging are excellent exercises as well as lifting light weights will make your bones stronger. Also, it is recommended that you eat foods that are rich in calcium such as dairy products (milk, cheeses, and yoghurt), green vegetables and food fortified with calcium like cereals and bread, and quitting smoking completely.

How is osteoporosis treated?
Dietary changes and exercise are always the first line of treatment along with exercise and sun exposure for about 20 minutes per day. Calcium and vitamin D can be used, and in some cases some medicine will be needed to treat osteoporosis.

Thyroid Disease is fairly common among the general population. Thyroid function can either be low or high (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism) and is often misdiagnosed or not tested for because the symptoms can be very mild or they can be confused with some other conditions. The thyroid gland is located in the neck and it surrounds the frontal part of the wind pipe. It plays a very important part in the organism as it controls vital bodily functions having an effect in most tissues and basically running the body´s metabolism.

What are the symptoms of thyroid disease and how will it affect my body?
Thyroid disease can give many symptoms depending on if you have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

What is hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which there is low thyroid function. There are two main causes of this condition:

1. Autoimmune disease: There can be a destruction of thyroid cells after a viral disease leading to your own body attacking your own thyroid cells, leading to destruction and loss in function or diminished function of the thyroid gland.
2. Medical treatments: The other common cause will be surgery such as in thyroid cancer, resection of a nodule or treatment with radioactive iodine.

Symptoms for hypothyroidism can include but will not be limited to fatigue, weakness, low heart beat, dry skin and hair, difficulty losing weight, depression, constipation, memory loss, decrease sexual drive, among others. Signs and symptoms can be variable depending on the remaining function of the thyroid gland.
Treatment consists of supplementation with thyroid hormone which is individualized for each patient and periodic evaluation.

What is hyperthyroidism?
It is a condition in which there is high thyroid function. It has several causes. One cause can be diffuse enlargement of the gland, a solitary nodule, inflammation of the thyroid gland, and occasionally cancer.
Signs and symptoms for hyperthyroidism are fatigue, a fast heart rate, diarrhea, heat intolerance, nervousness, trembling hands, insomnia, warm and moist sometimes thick skin, weight loss despite eating more or sometimes weight gain because of increased eating, and protruding eyes, among others.
Treatments are available for this condition and can include medicine, radioactive iodine and/or surgery.

What are the risk factors for thyroid disease?
The risk factors are several and listed below:

• Family history of thyroid disease.
• Being a woman: Women get affected with thyroid disease more than men.
• Being over 50: It is more common to affect people over 50 years old, but can affect people of any age.
• Thyroid surgery.
• Treatment with radioactive iodine.
• Radiation treatments.
• Smoking
• Pregnancy: There is a change in hormonal levels in pregnant women, sometimes altering the thyroid hormone levels, though most of the time is temporary.
• What should I do if I think I have thyroid disease?
  The first step is to go to your doctor. He/she can make a diagnosis based on your clinical history, laboratory and sometimes imaging tests. Once this is done treatment can be started immediately if there is thyroid disease.

Sexually transmitted diseases or STD´s are infections that can be transmitted through sexual  contact via semen, blood and vaginal fluids. You have to have a sexual relationship with someone previously infected to be able to get infected.

How many STD´s are there? There are many, but the more common ones are:

• Gonorrhea
• Syphilis
• Chlamydia
• HIV
• Herpes
• HPV (human papillomavirus)
• Trichomona vaginalis
• Gardnerella vaginalis
• Hepatitis B

What are the risk factors for an STD?
There are several risk factors that can contribute to the suspicion of an STD such as unprotected sex (vaginal, anal and oral), using recreational drugs or abusing alcohol, starting sexual activity at a young age, having multiple sexual partners, having another STD, and meeting unknown persons for casual sex in any of its forms, just to name a few.

What are the symptoms of an STD?
Symptoms can be variable from very mild ones to some really frank symptoms. These include painful urination, abnormal penile or vaginal secretion, vaginal bleeding, sores in the genital area, fever, fatigue, painful sexual intercourse, pelvic pain, testicular swelling and pain, among others. Sometimes at the beginning there can be no symptoms.

Are STD´s curable?
Some of them are, and some others are not. The curable ones include Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Trichomona and Gardnerella. HIV, herpes, and HPV are treatable but there is no cure for them yet. Hepatitis B can occasionally resolve on its own but most often it can lead to liver cancer or chronic hepatitis. Although hepatitis C is not an STD, there is a relative risk of infection through sexual contact.

Can there be long term damage if an STD is not treated?
Yes, if left untreated an STD can lead to infertility in both sexes, chronic pain, cancer, brain, heart and eye problems. Some STD´s have very serious complications that can lead to death; such is the case with HIV and progression to AIDS.

What can I do to avoid getting infected?
Remember that people with STD´s many times appear to be completely healthy, therefore always have protected sex, avoid getting yourself into risky situations that can compromise your health (excessive drinking or drug use), avoid having multiple sexual partners, stay with one partner who you know is not infected and be exclusive to each other, get tested before starting a sexual relationship with someone, and avoid casual sex.

What should I do if I have any of these symptoms or suspect that I have an STD?
Go to your doctor immediately, and get tested. If you are positive for an STD you can be cured or treated depending on the STD.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, it is a disease that is transmitted through secretions like blood or semen, therefore the most usual forms of transmission is through unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing needles, and blood transfusions during the 80´s

What are the symptoms of an HIV infection?
A person can be infected with HIV and not show any symptoms of disease for as long as 10 years or even more. When first infected, a person can have flu like symptoms like a mild fever, body aches, and throat pain. After that a person develops symptoms after the immune system is very compromised. That is the reason why people with HIV get diseases that people without HIV wouldn´t get like aggressive cancers and infections that can cause death.

What are the risk factors for HIV?
There are several risk factors, the more important ones are unprotected sex, men who have sex with men, IV drug users and sharing needles. Also, newborns who are born to mothers with HIV can get infected. Now it is much less frequent but people who have received blood transfusions from HIV infected patients are at risk (most countries now screen for HIV before transfusion). Medical personnel are also at an increased risk since there is exposure to needles and bodily fluids.

How can I prevent getting infected?
Prevention is relatively simple, it involves avoiding activities that will put you at risk such as unprotected sex, sharing needles, IV drugs. Also drugs use in general and excessive alcohol consumption are risky activities since you may be exposed to the previous risks more often under intoxication. As of right now, avoiding risk factors is the only way of prevention, there is no vaccine available yet.

Is it important to get tested for HIV?
It is very important to get tested especially if you are sexually active and have some of the risk factors mentioned before. The test is done checking for antibodies in your blood, if positive some other tests may be needed.

Can HIV be cured?
HIV cannot be cured,it can only be treated, therefore prevention is very important.

Gastritis a refers to an irritation of the stomach, that can be acute or chronic. Symptoms are variable and can be a mild, moderate or severe pain in the upper part of the abdomen, bloating, nausea, vomiting, burning of the stomach after eating or after fasting a long period of time. In more severe cases there can be black or bloody vomiting.

What causes gastritis?
There are many causes to gastritis such as alcohol use and abuse, smoking, use of certain medicines such as aspirin and other medicine for pain(naproxen, indomethacin, etc), as well as antibiotics, and bile reflux. A very important cause of gastritis symptoms is bacterial infection, especially Helicobacter pylori.

What should I avoid eating if I have gastritis?
You should avoid foods that are too spicy, fatty, fried or acid since this will make your symptoms more severe. It is also recommended that you eat often and in small quantities (4-6 times per day), as well as restrict the amount of alcoholic beverages and avoid smoking completely.

What is Helicobacter Pylori?
It is a bacterial infection that is highly related to symptoms of gastritis. This is an infection that is exclusive to the stomach and occasionally to the first portion of the small intestine. This bacteria causes inflammation of the stomach, therefore many of the symptoms of gastritis. If left untreated over a long period of time this bacteria can lead to ulcers which can sometimes progress to gastric cancer.

Does this mean that if I have the bacteria I am going to have cancer?
Not necessarily, the progression to cancer is generally in patients who have had the infection for many years (usually 20 or more).

How do I know if I have the infection?
Several tests are available to diagnose the infection.

How is this infection treated?
There are several medicines that need to be taken for a period of 14 days and sometimes longer. Treatments today are very effective and can eliminate the infection if taken as directed.

What if I have these symptoms and no infection with the bacteria?
There are many medicines that can be prescribed to you by your doctor that can help eliminate your symptoms, along a special diet.