Most US women face stroke risk

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of disease-fighting chemicals in plants. Here are some of the best food you can eat to stay healthy. Remember, not all have been medically proven to fight disease X,Y or Z. But healthy veggies never do any harm... 1) Soya beans helps prevent cancer of the breast, endometrium and ovary. 2) Onions and leeks may slow the development of tumour cells. 3) Carrots are a good source of the antioxidant beta carotene. 4) Broccoli helps stop carcinogens (cancer causing agents) damaging our DNA. 5) Carrots, celery and parsley all help slow down cancerous mutations. 6) Oranges are rich in the antioxidant vitamin C and help protect against stomach cancer. 7) Nuts and seeds are good sources of dietary fibre which speeds food through the gut, allowing carcinogens less time to interact with the lining. 8) Peas are a good source of folic acid, which helps in the formation of red blood cells.

Rich in epigallocatechin gallate,a powerful antioxidant,green tea kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissues. Studies confirm that green tea catechins are effective against cancers of the breast,skin,oesophagus,stomach,colon,pancreas,lung,bladder and prostate. Green tea prevents tooth decay by killin bacteria that cause dental plaque. Green tea helps reduce high blood pressure. The polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea are effective in lowering blood sugar. Green tea boosts immunity because of its high concentrations of polyphenols and falvenoids. Green tea helps counter rehumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. Green tea burns fat naturally and increases metabolism. It inhibits abnormal blood clotting,thus reduces the chances of heart attacks.

Men can also experience hot flashes like menopausal women-if they undergo chemical castration.New findings have verified a way to detect hot flashes.This could help develop treatments against these uncomfortable events in patients who endure chemical castration for medical reasons.Chemical castration involves hormonal drugs that suppress testosterone and therefore the male sex drive.The procedure is employed as a punishment for male sex offenders in some American states and also performed on prostate cancer patients to help deplete testosterone and thus slow the disease.

The bark of certain yew trees can yield a medicine that fights cancer.Now scientists find the dirt that yew trees grow in can supply the drug as well, suggesting a new way to commercially harvest the medicine.Scientists originally isolated the drug paclitaxel-now commonly known as Taxol-in 1967 from the bark of Pacific yew trees (Texus brevifolia) in a forest near the Mount St.Helens in Washington.This yew also yields related compounds known as taxanes that can be converted to paclitaxel.Research since then has revealed other yew species generate paclitaxel and taxanes as well,as do some fungi and certain hazelnut varieties.

A researcher from the University of Newcastle has been working on a new treatment that only affects cancer cells and not the normal body cells. Kathryn Skelding's work may be an improvement on conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which leave their impact on normal body cells too. "In theory, the viurs is able to selectively target and destroy many different types of cancer cells, including breast cancers, whilst leaving normal cells unaffected,"she said. Debilitating symptoms associated with conventional treatments-nuasea,vomiting and hair loss-could also be avoided by using the Coxsackie virus. "If this research is successful we could have something that produces side effects as harmless as a mild, common cold-like infection yet it could successfully treat breast cancer,"she said.