In an earlier blog, we talked about how early detection is the number one way to fight cancer.  An annual report has been released showing evidence of  the importance of early detection.

Researchers now believe that the colorectal cancer death rate will drop over 20% in the next decade. The prediction assumes colon cancer screening and improved chemotherapy treatment will become more commonplace.  It also assumes that cancer causing habits, such as smoking, will be on the decline as well.  Researches believe that this is an optimistic outlook, but it is realistic with all the new advances in medicine.

Cancer is America’s No. 2 killer, behind heart disease, and accounts for nearly a quarter of annual deaths. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cancer killer in the United States. An estimated 50,000 people will die from it this year.

The leading cause of colorectal cancer is obesity.  Diets filled with hyrdogenated oils and animal fats increase the risk of not only colorectal cancer, but all cancers.  Of course, family history and genetics are also a leading cause. Therefore, it is extremely important to live a healthy lifestyle and to always get your yearly screenings, especially if cancer runs within your family.

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Having trouble obtaining medical equipment financing to support growth for your business? Let MTR help you! For a limited time, MTR will finance any equipment purchase either new or used. We will work diligently to put together the right financing option to meet your budgetary needs. Please call or send us an e-mail today to inquire.

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Today, Medical Technology Resource was honored as one of the top 50 fastest growing private companies in Central Ohio by Columbus Business First.  This is the 14^th year that Business First has granted this award.  The companies that made the list are privately owned companies based in Central Ohio.  These companies had to have 3 years of operating history and an average growth of $1 million in annual revenue.

 Medical Technology Resources is a service based distributor of infusion pumps and IV products.  Medical Technology Resources offers many solutions to health care facilities in the purchase/rental of infusion pumps.  Interested in learning more about some of our solutions?  Please give us a call at 888-250-5699 if you are interested in learning more about Medical Technology Resources and our programs.

 Thank you to all our customers and employees for making our business what it is today!

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Medical Technology Resources (MTR) is proudly serving our troops in a small but significant way.   MTR was recently contacted by both a US Army Medical Facility and a US Naval Medical Facility.  MTR was able to expeditiously fulfill their requests for infusion devices in order to care for our service men and women.   The Army and Naval medical facilities were able to locate MTR from an internet search for infusion devices.   A number of US military medical centers find us via our web where we offer an extensive  selection of IV infusion devices and durable medical goods on our product pages.

 We are grateful for the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform around the world to protect our freedom.  The staff of MTR salutes them and their families for their service to our country.

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Scientists have been conducting studies for years on the many beneficial uses of aspirin.  Aspirin is used to fight a multitude of aches and pains, such as headaches, muscle aches, and back pains.  It is also widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes because of its blood thinning effects.

 Another beneficial use of aspirin may be for preventing colon cancer.  Taking aspirin regularly has been linked to a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer.  Researchers studied more than 600,000 adults in 1980 about their aspirin use. After six years passed, researchers found death rates from cancers of the digestive tract, including colorectal cancer, were about 40% lower among people who took aspirin 16 or more times a month.  There have been a multitude of other studies that have reached this same conclusion.  However, the evidence is still not strong enough in order for doctors to recommend aspirin to their colorectal patients especially because it can have some pretty nasty side effects when taken long term, such as ulcers and liver damage.

 More recently, Dr. Andrew Chan of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston conducted a study and found that aspirin increases the survival rate of people with colon cancer, especially if they had high levels of the enzyme COX-2 in their tumors.  The enzyme COX-2 is an inflammation-producing enzyme and is abundant in most colorectal tumors. The studies found that people who took aspirin regularly after they were diagnosed were nearly 30 percent less likely to die from their cancer than people who did not take aspirin.  The study does not definitively prove that aspirin caused better survival rates, but the COX-2 link fits with other research showing that aspirin inhibits inflammation-producing COX-2.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. 

For more information on colon cancer, click here.  The study referenced above was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on August 12, 2009.

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Today, the World Health Organization claims that the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, more widely known as the swine flu, has killed 1,154 deaths around the world. Of all the deaths, 1,008 occurred in the Americas, 65 in Southeast Asia, 41 in Europe, 39 in the Western Pacific region and one in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Health officials from the CDC are claiming that the swine flu could affect 40% of Americans this year. If this is true, the swine flu will be a major global pandemic in 2009 and 2010. Many countries are in the process of planning major vaccination campaigns. A vaccine is being worked on and is expected to be available in the fall.

While in essence, the swine flu is just like the regular flu, it is still very important for people to watch for any symptoms. The swine flu is especially dangerous for people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions. So far, the largest number of cases have occurred in people between the ages of 5 and 24 years old. At this time, there are few cases and no deaths reported in people older than 64 years old, which is unusual when compared with the regular flu. However, people ages 65 and older still need to take caution.

The symptoms of swine flu are just like the symptoms of the regular flu, which are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. If you have these symptoms, you could possibly be sick for a week or longer. You should avoid contact with people so you don’t spread the virus. If your illness persists or your symptoms become much more severe and you have difficulty breathing, it is urgent to seek medical care.

It is important to be cautious to protect yourself, your family, and your community. And most importantly, stay informed so you can be aware of what is going on.

The CDC has great information on their website about the swine flu.

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You’ve probably heard someone warn you to not put your cell phone to your head because it causes brain cancer. This is a common fear of many people who use cell phones, especially business men and women who can sometimes have the phone to their head on an average of 6 hours a day. Many people use devices, such as speaker phones and headsets, in order to relieve their fears of contracting cancer.

However, there is not much scientific evidence out there that proves this theory. There was a study released by the University of Utah in 2008 that studied thousands of brain tumor patients and found no increased risk of brain tumors amongst cell phone users. There have been studies in different countries, such as Norway and France, that have come to the same conclusion.

Cell phones do emit microwaves, but they use a very low level of radio frequency that shouldn’t cause damage. Since no study has found a correlation between cell phone usage and brain tumors, this is possible.

However, cell phones are relatively new and time may prove these studies wrong. In fact, the director of the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute warned his staff to limit cell phone usage because he believes time will prove the correlation. He believes by the time this data is discovered, it will be too late for many people, especially young children. The major concern is for people with more than a decade of cell phone usage – enough time has not passed in order to prove the theory.

So the answer to the question of whether cell phones cause brain cancer is still undetermined in the science field. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to begin taking precautions.

For more information, see the FDA’s website.

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A lot of cancers can be preventable by making certain lifestyle choices, such as not smoking to avoid lung cancer and wearing sunscreen to avoid skin cancer. However, despite your lifestyle choices, cancer may still strike simply because of your genetic makeup.

For example, having one first-degree relative, such as a mother or sister, with breast cancer doubles a woman’s risk. Having 2 first-degree relatives increases her risk about 5-fold. Also, 1 in 5 people who develop colorectal cancer have other family members who have been affected by this disease. Your risk of getting colorectal cancer is doubled with a history of colorectal cancer in one or more first-degree relatives.

With all this being said, if you can’t prevent cancer, the best way to protect your health is to detect it early.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Every woman over 40 is recommended to have a mammogram once a year. If you have an increased risk of breast cancer, you are recommended to have a yearly mammogram and MRI starting at age 30. Women in their 20’s and 30’s should also have a clinical breast exam every 3 years, while women in their 40’s should have one every year. Also, starting at age 20, women should be performing their own monthly self-exams. However, self-exams should never replace mammograms and clinical breast exams.

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. Everybody should start having regular screening at age 50. Those who have a family history or other risk factors should talk to their doctor about starting screening at a younger age. From the time the first abnormal cells start to grow into polyps, it usually takes about 10 to 15 years for them to develop into colorectal cancer. Regular screening can, in many cases, prevent colorectal cancer altogether.

It is extremely important to talk to your doctor today regarding your health if you have a history of cancer in your family. For more information, please visit the American Cancer Society. There is a wealth of information on taking steps for early detection of cancer.

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Summer is approaching us, which means many days spent outdoors camping, hiking, swimming, etc. However, summer also means an increase in lyme disease! Lyme disease affects people all over the United States.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that ticks spread, specifically deer ticks. These ticks can be found in any grassy or wooded area. The first symptom is typically a rash that looks like a bump, then turns into a bullseye. See picture below. Flu-like symptoms also occur.

If you have these symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately because lyme disease is easily treated in the early stages. However, if lyme disease goes untreated, it can cause severe joint pain, meningitis, Bells palsy, irregular heartbeats, and many other problems.

Lyme disease is treated by antibiotics with IV infusion therapy. IV therapy is very effective in killing the bacteria.

So be safe this summer and be aware of lyme disease!

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The majority of the population is made aware of breast, colon, and lung cancer - many people get yearly tests to make sure they do not have these types of cancer. But have you heard of oral, leukemia, or endometrial cancers? These are 3 very common cancers, but the symptoms are typically overlooked because these cancers are not as well known.

The risk of oral cancer is 1 in 98. People between the ages of 55 and 65 are especially vulnerable. 75% of oral cancers are caused by smoking and drinking alcohol. Be aware of any sores, tenderness, pain, etc in your mouth or on your lips. Unfortunately, most people ignore these symptoms as common pains and the cancer goes undetected, making oral cancer much more fatal than it should be.

Leukemia is known as affecting children more than adults, but people between the ages of 55 and 74 are also vulnerable. It is crucial to be aware of the symptoms of leukemia – bleeding gums, bruising easily, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and joint pain. If any of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, you should consult your doctor.

The risk of endometrial cancer, also known as uterine cancer, is 1 in 40. This is the fourth most common type of cancer in women – 90% of the cases happen in women over the age of 50. Women who are obese and who have a family history of uterine cancer are extremely susceptible. Luckily, the most common symptom of uterine cancer is unusual bleeding. Most women immediately go to their doctor and the cancer is usually caught in its earliest stages.

It is extremely important to be aware of all types of cancers, especially the ones that are caused by certain behavioral and biological traits. MTR strives to post important oncology information for everyone on this blog, so please keep watching!

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