Liver Cancer Cases Are On The Rise. Here's How To Avoid Getting It
Liver cancer is not just your typical run of the mill cancer. It currently ranks as the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and the third deadliest. Survival rates are also brim, with 5-year-survival rates ranging from 5-30%, according to HealthDay.
Although these alarming trends could represent an emerging global health crisis with profound implications for public health, there is a tremendous amount of hope. According to the aforementioned study, about 60% of liver cancer cases could be prevented by addressing a handful of risk factors. Since the cancer is responsible for killing 700,000 people globally every year, addressing these specific risk factors should be the focus of future public health interventions.
The major preventable drivers for liver cancer include Hepatitis B and C, alcohol and liver diseases associated with obesity and metabolic dysfunction. The good news is vaccinations and anti-viral therapies can nearly eliminate one's risk of getting cancer or even acquiring the viral infections of Hepatitis B and C. The Hepatitis B vaccine, for example, which is given usually as three doses during the first two years of life, provides protection against the virus for at least 95% of healthy adults and children, according to the World Health Organization. Similarly, taking an oral pill for 2-3 months can cure nearly 98% of those with Hepatitis C.
There could be significant barriers in decreasing liver cancer rates by 2050, particularly because of the high level of vaccine hesitancy that continues to exist globally that has deterred parents from vaccinating their children. Although vaccines remain a safe and effective measure to decrease the risk of disease and death, vaccination rates for many diseases are declining throughout the world. As an example, global coverage for the Hepatitis B vaccine is just 17% in the WHO African region according to the WHO, which is due to not just to access issues but also misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.
Another important preventable risk factor for liver cancer is alcohol. This drug is known to result in scarring of the liver, a condition known as cirrhosis which can then lead to liver cancer. Nearly 400 million individuals, or 7% of the world's population aged 15 years and older, live with alcohol use disorder. Even drinking one glass of alcohol per day can increase one's risk of developing liver cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Causes Control. Policy interventions such as taxes on alcoholic beverages, warning labels and bolstering education could significantly decrease alcohol intake and thus prevent liver cancers associated with alcohol intake.
Finally, liver diseases associated with obesity are becoming more prevalent in America and globally. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects 40% of individuals globally and is largely associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. This disease, and thus cancer that could occur from it, is largely preventable with a balanced diet, regular physical activity and weight control. Given how many people are overweight and obese globally, curbing obesity could significantly decrease the projected number of cancers that may occur by the year 2050.
Liver cancer is among one of the hardest cancers to treat once advanced, which is reflected in the low 5-year-survival rates. Treatment for it can also be costly and long-term, burdening healthcare systems worldwide. Without acting to increase vaccinations, enforcing alcohol regulations and promoting healthy food environments, the world risks watching a largely preventable disease inflict devastating social and economic consequences worldwide. Prevention isn't just possible- it's essential.
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Make sure to avoid picking up your phone until you are done with the task. Find a rhythm. Rigidly adhering to routines without flexibility can be detrimental, but establishing supportive and rhythmic routines can be beneficial. 'Predictable routines like a morning walk, warm tea before bed, or daily journaling help reintroduce safety and structure,' Tovar says. Nourish your health. Tovar says it's important to incorporate 'grounding foods' in your daily diet. 'Include warm meals with complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich vegetables, and protein to stabilize blood sugar and support mood regulation,' she says. Engage your senses. Seek out calming sounds, textured fabrics, warm baths, or essential oils to gently stimulate sensory awareness. Nadeau says you can also make this a bonding activity with your child. 'Hold a warm mug together, play with kinetic sand or water beads, or light a scented candle while cooking,' she says. Rediscover joy. Break the cycle of being mindlessly task-focused by scheduling small pockets of play, creativity, or rest. Remind yourself that it's not possible to always be productive. Prioritize fresh air. Make sure to get yourself outside every day. 'Natural light and fresh air regulate circadian rhythms and support emotional clarity,' Tovar says. Understand the freeze. Journaling when you feel frozen or disconnected can help identify patterns and areas where support is needed. Use small moments to connect with your kids. Try sitting with your kids for five minutes with no agenda. You can put your hand gently on their back while they talk, or whisper something silly to shift the tone and increase the warmth between you. Make time for supportive relationships. 'Even brief, present-time interactions with a trusted friend or partner can help re-engage the social nervous system,' says Tovar. When To Seek Professional Help If these techniques aren't helping, or freeze states have lasted weeks or months, it may be time to reach out to a therapist. Signs you might benefit from therapy: You feel a desire to connect with your children but no longer know how to do so You've lost your sense of identity or purpose You're using food, screens, alcohol, or other behaviors to numb out daily You no longer experience joy or connection These can all be signs of a deeper issue, such as depression. Experts say the concept of functional freeze often captures a common form of depression that many parents experience without recognizing it. Depression can show up in different ways, and everyone has their own triggers—so if you feel stuck in a functional freeze, it's worth checking in with a profession to explore whether clinical depression might be at play. In these cases, Trovar explains that therapy can provide a safe space to explore what's going on beneath the surface, gently rewire the nervous system, and reconnect you with your internal world. She also says that cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-informed care, and nervous system education can be especially effective. There are plenty of unrealistic expectations placed on parents' shoulders, but living in a constant state of numbness and disconnection shouldn't be one of them. Parents deserve to feel joy, connection, and satisfaction, and can take heart knowing that functional freeze is something they can break free from. Read the original article on Parents Solve the daily Crossword
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"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." EVEN IF YOU'RE not a bodybuilder with 20-plus-inch arms, we're willing to bet that biceps curls are somewhere in your weekly workout routine. After all, who doesn't want arms that stand out even when they're covered up? But there's a downside to such a dedicated focus on your pump. Countless curls performed every day in every gym across the globe are near-useless due to bad form. Technique can fall apart fast, which is likely why curls are among the most 'cheated' moves in strength training. You know what we're talking about: those sloppy sets that are more to stoke your ego than build up your body. Yes, there is a time and place for 'cheat reps,'—mostly, for advanced lifters—but if you can't complete all of your normal reps without throwing in some body English (e.g., arching your back, twisting your torso) or enlisting supporting muscles to generate momentum (rocking your hips to swing the weight), you're doing it wrong. And bad form isn't always that obvious or dramatic; perhaps you simply let your elbows travel forward as you fatigue during your final reps, or you let the tension out of your core. Whatever the movement dysfunction is, the results are the same: less effective sets and slower overall gains. That ends today. By paying more attention to each rep and really feeling what each muscle and joint is doing, you can firm up your form and fast-track your gains to build the big arms you want. Here's how. The Simple Secret Behind a Perfect Curl One of the things every great trainer understands is that in practice, there is no such thing as an 'isolation exercise.' The term is used to describe a move that involves a single joint, such as the biceps curl, which flexes the elbow. But even if it were true that a single muscle was involved in bending the elbow (it's not; your biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis all chip in), that muscle still wouldn't truly be acting in isolation. Indeed, a whole armada of supporting muscles in your torso and core kick into gear to provide the necessary stability for the movement to happen. That's where the secret to performing the biceps curl perfectly begins: in the supporting musculature. You'll need to keep your abs, glutes, and mid-back muscles contracted (or 'braced') and your shoulder blades pulled back and down during each rep. That's what will keep you from losing your balance and needing to shift your footing to regain it, as MH senior editor Brett Williams, NASM does in the video above. Another key to proper form in the biceps curl is to keep your elbows locked to your sides. Don't let them travel forward. Many guys make that minute shift to bring the weight up to shoulder level—but that's counterproductive to what your focus is for the movement. Your goal is full contraction of the biceps muscle, not lifting the weight to a specific height. Use Partner Eccentrics to Get More From Each Rep If you're fortunate enough to have a training partner for your workout, you can crank up the muscle-building potential of every set by having them add manual resistance to the eccentric (lowering) phase of the first several reps. As demonstrated in the video above, MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. presses down slightly on the bar as Williams lowers it, forcing him to fight the added resistance to control the bar—and to keep his posture on point. Emphasizing the eccentric phase can optimize your muscle-building potential, especially if you're someone who typically concentrates exclusively on the concentric (lifting) phase of each rep. Regardless, having your partner add some eccentric resistance can also help expose weaknesses in your form, allowing you to shore it up for your standard reps, too. You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
