Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV rays come from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells. [1] To lower your risk of getting skin cancer, you can protect your skin from UV rays from the sun and from artificial sources like tanning beds and sunlamps. Protection from UV rays is im...

In case of a pandemic, the R-number refers to the 'effective reproduction number' of the virus, and simply put, it's a way of measuring an infectious disease's ability to spread. So for Covid [4] the R number quantify the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus to. [1] An R value of 1 is a crucial threshold, because th...

​ In modern culture, muscles are linked to health, strength, resilience, and fitness. But are muscles really a synonymous of health? When Ahmad Ayyad woke up, he was delirious. He didn't realize where he was, why there was a tube down his throat, or how long it had been since he last fed his dog. And when he looked down, he couldn't recognize himse...

​ Recently Thousands of meat plant workers have been infected by COVID, in Europe and US [1] More than 4,000 workers have been infected with coronavirus in 37 outbreaks in abattoirs and meat factories in Europe, leading to at least nine factory closures, analysis has found. Staff working close to each other in low temperatures is thought to be the ...

​ A virus spread equally to all living beings, no matter the race, religion, or social status. It's up to our immune system to fight it, and save lives. Anti-viral drugs try to boost that ability. In the midst of this pandemic, I think there is a lesson we can learn: a fact is not an opinion. For example the number of casualties due to COVID is a f...

​ Fenugreek is an herb long used in alternative medicine. It's a common ingredient in Indian dishes and often taken as a supplement. This herb may have numerous health benefits. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant that stands around 2–3 feet (60–90 cm) tall. It has green leaves, small white flowers, and pods that contain small, golden-...

Vaccines contain the same germs that cause disease. (For example, measles vaccine contains measles virus, and Hib vaccine contains Hib bacteria.) But they have been either killed or weakened to the point that they don't make you sick. Some vaccines contain only a part of the disease germ. A vaccine stimulates your immune system to produce antibodie...

The mighty, unsinkable idea of dominating Nature is probably another aspect of the COVID pandemic. (coronavirus) The iceberg, heavier than the ship itself, sounds like an invitation to change, on a global scale. It took only a microscopic effort for Nature to deliver such powerful message. A small trigger, with a massive impact.  Suddenly...

Consumer genetic tests could be giving false reassurance to those at heightened risk of cancers, according to findings presented at an international conference this week. The study, by clinical genetic testing company Invitae, revealed that tests for breast and bowel cancer risk by direct-to-consumer companies such as 23andMe give negative results ...

Patients live longer if they do not take antibiotics in month before immunotherapy  [1]   Taking antibiotics in the month before starting immunotherapy dramatically reduces a cancer patient's chances of survival, according to a small but groundbreaking study. Scientists at Imperial College London believe antibiotics strip out helpful...

Snakebites kill more than 200 people a day around the world, but Thai firefighter Pinyo Pookpinyo was one of the lucky ones. When the tip of his thumb was bitten by a king cobra, he made it to a Bangkok hospital within 15 minutes. There, he was given a serum that stopped the venom, which can be fatal, from attacking his nervous system. "The doctor ...

For years, the foundations of cancer treatment were surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Over the last two decades, targeted therapies like imatinib (Gleevec®) and trastuzumab (Herceptin®)—drugs that target cancer cells by homing in on specific molecular changes seen primarily in those cells—have also cemented themselves as standard treatm...

Stereotypical western diets high in salt, fat and lacking fruit or fibre, are responsible for more deaths around the world than smoking and high blood pressure, a study has shown. Around a fifth of all the deaths in the world can be attributed to unhealthy eating, which is a major driver of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The analysis comparing...

​ Vaccinating, like all parenting decisions, is one that is made from a place of love and caring. A parent who chooses to vaccinate has their child's best interest at heart, as does a parent who chooses not to vaccinate. With the rise of social media, vaccinations have become debated online, and -- emboldened by anonymity -- people engage in name-c...

Cancer Research UK The immune system protects the body against illness and infection caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. It is a collection of reactions and responses that the body makes to damaged cells or infection. So it is sometimes called the immune response. The immune system is important to cancer patients in many ways because: ...

NHS | UK HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been ...