~ Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea has increasingly become a very popular drink worldwide because of its immensely powerful health benefits. It is extraordinarily amazing what green tea can do for your health and if you’re not drinking 3 to 4 cups of green tea today, you are definitely not doing your health a big favor. Health Benefits of Green Tea Here are the 25 health benefits of green tea to give you reasons why you should start drinking green tea right now.

~ Green Tea : A Top All-rounder

Antioxidants have protective qualities.

Green tea is lauded for its many health benefits – it guards against heart disease, diabetes, cancer, weight gain, even tooth decay. New research continues to stack up its merits. Its secret? This brew is naturally rich in a group of antioxidants called catechins. Recently, US researchers found evidence of this compound’s osteoprotective effect. “Green tea has a higher concentration of catechins and appears to benefit bone health more than other kinds of tea, such as black and oolong,” says Dr Leslie Shen of Texas Tech University. Early research from Hong Kong also suggests green tea’s catechins can benefit the eye, with signs that it is absorbed by the lens, retina and other eye tissues.

THE MEDICINAL BREW

What makes green tea so special? Unlike black tea, its production involves little processing and fermentation, keeping catechin concentration especially high.

Flu Fighter

A University of Florida study looked at the effect of green tea during flu season. Those participants who took a capsule with decaffeinated green tea extract twice a day for three months experienced 32 percent fewer cold and flu symptoms com- pared to the placebo group. Of those who did become ill, only 6 percent needed a doctor.

Source : http://www.rdasia.com

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~ 95,955 Pencarum KWSP Keluarkan RM690 juta Biayai Kos Rawatan Penyakit Kritikal

KUALA LUMPUR: Seramai 95,955 pencarum Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) mengeluarkan simpanan mereka yang berjumlah RM690 juta melalui skim Pengeluaran Kesihatan sejak 16 tahun lepas, persidangan Dewan Negara diberitahu semalam.

Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin berkata, skim Pengeluaran Kesihatan bertujuan membantu pencarum KWSP menanggung kos rawatan perubatan bagi penyakit kritikal yang dihidapi pencarum dan keluarganya.

Beliau berkata, mulai 15 Jun lepas, KWSP memperluas senarai penyakit kritikal yang diluluskan bagi pengeluaran ini daripada 13 jenis penyakit kepada 36 jenis penyakit, dan tiga penyakit untuk remaja bawah 16 tahun, sama seperti yang diamal syarikat insurans.

“Antara penyakit itu ialah kanser, penyakit hati kronik, kegagalan buah pinggang, serangan jantung, asma dan leukemia,” katanya ketika menjawab soalan Senator Lee Cheam Choon pada persidangan Dewan Negara di sini.

Awang Adek berkata, skim yang diperkenalkan pada 1994 itu banyak meringankan beban kewangan pencarum untuk menanggung kos rawatan perubatan kritikal dan mempercepatkan rawatan yang diterima.

“Di bawah pengeluaran ini, ahli dibenar mengeluarkan simpanan dalam Akaun 2 bagi tujuan membiayai kos rawatan penyakit kritikal yang diluluskan yang dihidapi oleh pencarum dan anggota keluarganya.

“Mereka termasuk suami atau isteri pencarum, anak-anak, ibu bapa, ibu bapa tiri, ibu bapa angkat yang sah, ibu bapa mentua, anak angkat yang sah dan adik-beradik. Kos rawatan yang dibenarkan adalah kos yang tidak dibiayai oleh majikan,” katanya. — Bernama

Source : http://www.theborneopost.com/

~ Cancer Is A Leading Cause Of Death Worldwide

Cancer is a scary subject; possibly in part due to the overwhelming fear that someone’s body is literally destroying itself. It can happen and it does happen while cancer is not confined to humans, animals and other living organisms can get cancer too. Little is known about the various types of cancer and how it is able to spread so easily and embed itself so firmly into various parts of a body.

~ Cancer

Key facts

• Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008. ¹
• Tobacco use is a major risk factor for cancer. Harmful alcohol use, poor diet and physical inactivity are other main risk factors.
• Certain infections cause up to 20% of cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries and 9% of cancer deaths in high-income countries.
• More than 30% of cancer deaths can be prevented.
• Cancer arises from a change in one single cell. The change may be started by external agents and inherited genetic factors.
• Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue to rise to over 11 million in 2030.

Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer.

~ Breast Cancer – Facts & Stats

Overview

Almost everyone knows someone or knows of someone who has been affected by breast cancer: a mother, sister, daughter, grandmother, aunt, colleague, friend, neighbour or more rarely, a father or brother.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in most parts of the world. There is a marked geographical variation in incidence rate. The incidence is highest in North Europe and North America, intermediate in the Mediterranean countries and South America and lowest in Asia and Africa. The mean age at diagnosis reported in most developing countries is around 50 years compared to 60 years in Western countries.

In 2000, there were 1,050,346 cases reported with 372,969 deaths from breast cancer world-wide. The incidence ranged from an average of 95 per 100,000 in more developed countries to 20 per 100,000 in less developed countries.

These variations have been attributed to variations in body size, diet, reproductive characteristics such as age of menarche (first period in females), parity (number of children), age at first childbirth, and age at menopause. The incidence rates also vary with race, being higher in white women compared to black, Hispanic or Asian-American in the United States of America (USA).

~ Common Case of HPV

Human papillomavirus infection is a widespread condition that affects both men and women. ANNIE FREEDA CRUEZ talks to Dr Suresh Kumarasamy, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, to find out more TALK on human papillomavirus (HPV) mostly centres on women since it increases their risk of cervical cancer.

But Dr Suresh Kumarasamy, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, says the virus can infect men, too. “All types of HPV can be transmitted between men and women.

There’s also a rare form of non-sexual transmission from mother to child during delivery,” says Dr Suresh, who is also a gynaecological oncologist at Gleneagles Medical Centre in Penang.

~ Cardiovascular Disease Remains The Number One Killer In Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in Malaysia, with hypertension topping the list. Malaysian Society of Hypertension vice-president Dr Azani Mohamed Daud said although hypertension was the most common disease in Malaysia, many were unaware they had it.

“Last year, only 35 per cent of people with hypertension were diagnosed, with the rest unaware they had it,” he told the “Are you at risk?” campaign at a hotel yesterday.

The campaign was organised by the Heart Foundation of Malaysia and pharmaceutical manufacturer Xepa-Soul Pattinson Malaysia in conjunction with World Heart Day in September.

~ Knowing Your Heart Risks

EACH year, about 17.5 million lives are claimed by the world’s largest killer – heart disease and stroke. In Malaysia, heart disease has been the number one killer for the past three decades. This statistic goes across the globe, making heart disease the most common cause of death worldwide.

This is why World Heart Day was created, to raise public awareness of risk factors for heart disease and stroke as well as to promote preventive measures to bring this alarming number down.

Today, as we celebrate World Heart Day, organised by the World Heart Federation members and partners, let us take a moment to think how we can avoid becoming part of the heart disease statistic.

~ Can We Afford To Fall Sick?

A national health insurance scheme is in the offing but, worryingly, few details have been disclosed

by Subramaniam Pillay
Aliran Monthly Vol 25 (2005): Issue 4

In the past few months, the government has been attempting to resurrect a national health financing scheme (NHFS). This idea has been in the air for the past ten years or so. Usually it gets deferred due to opposition from the general public and other groups involved in health care. This time, however, the government appears to be more serious. This article tries to answer some key questions on the health care system and the proposed NHFS.