Discounted for cervical cancer

Discounted Way to Screen for Cervical Cancer:

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of women cancer deaths in developing countries where health care resources are lacking and not adequate, particularly in the poor rural regions.

A cheap screening method is helping to detect for early signs of cervical cancer. It requires a swab of vinegar (with 3 to 5 percent acetic acid) on the cervix and after three to five minutes if any area turns white, it is a sign of a pre-cancerous or cancerous lesion. A lesion is known to have more DNA, and thus consists more protein compared to other tissues. Acetic acid coagulates with the protein which results in a whitish appearance. Any detection of an abnormal lesion will be frozen and destroyed using cry therapy, or cold therapy, which utilizes a metal rod cooled by a tank of carbon dioxide.

This test is also called visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), and it was developed by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine based on a well-known procedure among gynecologists in the United States, in which vinegar is used to confirm a positive Pap (Papanicolaou) smear. It has been introduced in pilot projects in more than 20 nations such as Peru, India, Philippines and Thailand.

Cervical cancer is cancer at the neck of the womb called the cervix. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a group of over 100 different types of viruses, and some are known to infect the cells in cervix, leading to cancerous growth. Cervical cancer in its early days does not cause any symptoms. In later stages symptoms are unusual pelvic pain, pain while urinating or abnormal vaginal bleeding.

Benefits of the VIA Screening

Just regular table vinegar is needed for VIA, which makes it a truly inexpensive screening procedure.

A 1999 field study in Zimbabwe comparing the vinegar test method with a Pap smear found that the acid test detected more lesions though at the same time it was also more prone to false positives. However it is still proving to be an effective and safe alternative to the more expensive Pap smear for screening early signs of cervical cancer. It can help the health care personnel make an instant decision as to whether a person needs further treatment.

Both the VIA screening and cold treatment can be performed on the same visit, unlike a Pap smear where you have to go back home and wait for lab results to come back before you visit your doctor a second time to hear the outcome. The VIA procedure can be carried out by a nurse or a medical worker after three to four days of training.

To learn more about cancer preventive strategies, head over to the health journal Tips of All Sorts and if optimal health is your goal, check out the "Total Health Breakthrough" dietary plan today!

Cervical cancer directions

 An MRI Experience: The Disturbance of Preventable, Baffling and Imperfect Directions! :

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. I needed this test to determine the extent of my uterine cancer. My recent learning experience with having an MRI reinforced the importance of giving meaningful, clear and complete instructions.

1. Unnecessary Instructions

My appointment instructions explicitly told me to wear pants without any metal attachments. Okay, that was no problem. All I had to do was wear pants with an elastic waist instead of a zipper. Unfortunately, I overlooked the second requirement until I had my snow boots, winter coat, scarf, hat and gloves on. Apparently, I was also supposed to wear pants without pockets.

This created some stress on my part. Who owns pants without pockets? I certainly don't! Actually, what is the point of pants that have no pockets?

Once we got to the hospital, there was no problem. They handed me pajama bottoms to wear. I guess I was one in a long line of patients who were not pocket less pant owners!

This begs the question- why give those pants instructions at all? A good rule of thumb for hospitals, trainers and life itself is to avoid giving unnecessary instructions!

2. Confusing Instructions

The instructions on the bottle of prescription sedatives indicated that two sedatives should be taken 30 minutes before the MRI and another two sedatives should be taken 30 minutes after the MRI.

Taking them beforehand made perfect sense. I am claustrophobic and the idea of lying completely enclosed for an hour gave me great concern, to say the least. The sedatives were intended to take the edge off and enable me to relax and stay still.

However, I couldn't imagine why I would need to take two more sedatives after the MRI. Would there be post-traumatic stress from the MRI experience? Was this a clever intervention intended to distract me and minimize my ability to think clearly and ask anxious questions after the procedure?

Who knows? I still don't know, because no one at the hospital could explain the need for post MRI sedation and I personally felt no need for it.

Let's add confusing instructions to the list of things to avoid. Instructions should contribute to clarity rather than confusion.

3. Incomplete Instructions

While some instructions are meaningless or simply confusing, some don't go far enough.

If a patient takes a sedative, the hospital insists on having someone else drive a patient to and from the MRI. However, they say nothing about the length of time it will take before the patient can safely resume driving.

Because I asked the question, I learned that the sedatives I had taken would impair my mental capacity and motor coordination for 6-10 hours! Unfortunately, this information was not printed anywhere or volunteered by any medical personnel. If I hadn't asked the question, I would never have known the answer.

I had errands to run that afternoon. I could easily have been a danger to myself or to others on the road if I had hopped into my car once I got back from the hospital. Luckily, since I knew that I was incapacitated, my driver kindly took me on those errands.

This seems like a significant oversight in the instructions department, don't you think? If anything deserves to be crystal clear, it should be medical instructions.

However, in the hospital staff's defense, it is probably so obvious to them that sedation takes a long time to wear off; they assume that anyone would know this. As a general rule, it is best to avoid making assumptions.

Life daily provides new lessons to learn. Lessons relating to health and safety can be anxiety-ridden and difficult enough without the added stress and frustration of poor instructions. First do no harm!

Even if you are not a health professional, regardless of the situation, when you give instructions, please make sure that they are necessary, clear and complete.

Six Commands for cervical cancer

Six Commands for a More Easy MRI Practice:

The purpose of my MRI was to determine the extent of my uterine cancer prior to surgery. Regardless of the reason why you need an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test, following these six tips will definitely make your experience more comfortable. I wish that I had known them before my own MRI.
Cervical Cancer Six Commands are follows:

1. Bring Your Own Music.

The MRI is incredibly loud and noisy! At various times, it sounds like a jackhammer is drilling right next to your head, a truck is backing up (next to your head), a car is having major difficulty starting, or you are going through a car wash without the benefit of a car!

Because of the noise, you are given earphones and offered a choice of music. I requested calm, lyrical classical music. The music I got was better suited to a parade than a nap. It wasn't exactly Beethoven's 9th Symphony, but it was just as energetic. This must was definitely not conducive to relaxation. When I complained, they gave me classical piano music, which was also much too vigorous.

My final choice was to have no music. However, in the future, should I ever need another MRI; I plan to bring my own CD!

2. Take a Sedative.

Regardless of the body part being scanned, your entire body will have to go into the tubular MRI. A sedative is a good idea, even if you're not claustrophobic. It is probably quite difficult to lie perfectly still for 40-60 minutes without a sedative!

3. Cover Your Eyes.

I had planned to keep my eyes closed the entire time (which I did). As an added precaution, they gave me a dry washcloth to put over my eyes- just in case I might inadvertently open my eyes. My advice- keeps your eyes closed and takes the washcloth as an added protection!

4. Bring Warm Socks.

The room was very cold, so I asked for two blankets. Even wearing my own socks and covered by the blankets, my feet were icy cold. So another good idea is to bring or wear some very warm socks!

5. Schedule for the Beginning of the Week.

My MRI was on a Friday before a three-day weekend, so I had to wait even longer for the radiologist to review and post the results of my test. If you have a choice, schedule your MRI for the beginning of the week. That way, you greatly increase the probability that you will get the results before the end of the week.

6. Borrow Patience!

It occurs to me is that we are called "patients" because we have to have a lot of "patience," no matter how stress inducing the wait for results may be.

The stress of having to wait probably explained my continual post-MRI craving for chocolate and carbohydrates! You may give in to the same cravings, but you'll learn what I discovered- that nothing you eat will really satisfy and fill that empty anxious place.

If you're lucky, your MRI staff will be competent, courteous and caring. My MRI staff certainly was. And if you take some of these suggestions to heart, your MRI experience should be as comfortable as possible.

Deborah Spring Laurel has been a trainer and a consultant in the areas of workplace learning and performance improvement for over thirty years. She has twenty-five years of experience as the President of Laurel and Associates, Ltd, international human resource development training and consulting firm that specializes in enhancing interpersonal dynamics within organizations. This journey with uterine cancer is a new learning experience for her.