Daily Health News Blog

Every year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer. Most people think it’s caused by sun damage, whether from the real deal or tanning beds. While that’s true in many cases, there are other risk factors for all three forms of skin cancer. Even if you’re not fair skinned or a beach bunny, you might be at risk. What’s Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)? BCC is the most common skin cancer and it originates in the basal cells, found at the bottom of the epidermis (the skin’s top layer). What’s Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)? The second most common type of skin cancer is SCC. It can be found in the squamous cells (just above the basal cells). It’s similar to BCC because it occurs mostly in areas exposed to UV light like your face, scalp, neck, hands, arms and legs. What’s Melanoma? Melanoma is the least common but the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Melanoma originates in the melanocytes (found in the lower epidermis with basal cells). Who’s at risk for skin canc

Invisible to the naked eye, dust mites inhabit more than 80 percent of all U.S. households, no matter how clean and neat. That can be a problem if you’re allergic to them.  Dust mites are actually on the clean-up committee: they eat our discarded skin cells, as well as animal dander, pollen, fungi, bacteria, and other microscopic organic material in the domestic environment. They thrive in mattresses, pillows, carpets, and clothing. Thousands of mites can live in just one gram of dust. Fortunately, dust mites don’t carry disease and don’t bite, but they can trigger asthma, hay fever, and skin reactions in some people. In fact, dust mites are probably the most common indoor allergen, especially in warm, humid climates and for people with asthma. They are virtually nonexistent in very dry climates. There’s a surprising amount of debate about how to reduce dust mites and the symptoms they cause. In recent years, much of the conventional wisdom has been called into question, mostly