Dry mouth (xerostomia), is most commonly caused by radiation therapy directed at the head and neck region of the body. Radiation may irreversibly affect the production and quality of saliva in the salivary glands. A number of medications can also induce xerostomia. Dry mouth may affect the patients speech, taste sensation and ability to swallow.

Many patients complain of a sore or burning sensation, cracked lips, and fissures in the corners of the mouth. There is also an increased risk of cavities and mouth disease due to less saliva to cleanse the teeth and gums.

There are now some means of preventing xerostomia that were not available a few years ago. Amifostine, a radiation protector of normal tissues, has been shown to protect the salivary glands when given daily with radiation therapy. Also, a treatment known as Proton therapy may allow the radiation oncologist to spare the salivary glands from getting significant radiation doses. This may prevent dry mouth in the future. If you are getting radiation therapy to the head and neck region, you should discuss these options with your radiation oncologist. If you have developed xerostomia, there are management strategies that can effectively deal with your dry mouth and prevent cavities and periodontal disease.

Try to follow these simple guidelines:

• Perform oral hygiene at least four times a day. (After each meal and before bedtime)
• The oral cavity should be rinsed and wiped immediately after meals
• Dentures need to be brushed and rinsed after meals
• Only use toothpaste with fluoride when brushing
• Keep water handy to keep the mouth moist at all times
• Apply prescription strength fluoride gel at bedtime
• Rinse with salt and baking soda solution 4-6 times a day
• Avoid liquids and foods with high sugar content
• Avoid rinses containing alcohol
• Use moisturizer regularly on lips
• Oral pilocarpine (Salagen) is the only drug approved by the FDA to stimulate saliva secretion from the remaining salivary glands.

Recent research indicates that obesity makes ovarian cancer deadlier and more likely to recur. According to physician and senior author of the study, Dr. Andrew J. Li of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, maintaining ideal body weight is important for many reasons. This is just one more reason to reduce obesity -- because obese women suffering from advanced ovarian cancer are more likely to die than women at healthy weights. They also suffer recurrences more quickly. On average, women in the study considered overweight or obese saw an average of 16 months before recurrence while those considered underweight or at a healthy weight saw 25 months.

Perhaps it's the secretion of adipose tissue that makes tumors less sensitive to chemotherapy. Li said there are ideas on the table -- and his team are looking into them. One fact they feel certain about is that obesity does not increase the chances of contracting ovarian cancer. It just shows the odds of survival are diminished once the disease has been contracted.

Is overcoming the fear of the boogie man by using a night light, putting us at a higher risk to get cancer? A good night's sleep in total darkness might aid in reducing cancer risks. The hormone melatonin, which is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and plays an important role in the body's sleep cycle, is thought to influence the secretion of estrogen, which in turn influences breast cancer risk.

Melatonin is produced after the body is subjected to sunlight during the day and then while you are asleep in total darkness with no lights interfering with the brain waves, it is produced. It is only produced when your body is in complete darkness. Research found that totally blind women had a 36 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared with sighted women.

According to additional research, women who work regular night shifts have a higher risk of colon cancer. "While this finding needs to be replicated in future studies, the data is beginning to show that it may be melatonin, not estrogen, that is influencing cancer risk," researcher Dr Eva Schernhammer said. "If melatonin's anti-cancer properties are the source of our observed effects, this research opens a whole new arena of potential associations between exposure to light and a variety of cancers."

Studies show that sleeping with a night light, television on, or light from street lights peering through bedroom windows, reduces melatonin levels in the body. Experts are also evaluating the possible link between childhood leukemia and too much light at night. Several studies have concluded that people who work at night are more likely to develop breast cancer.

It is suggested that no night lights be used, televisions be turned off, and that shades and dark curtains be used to block outside street or security lighting from entering the room you sleep in so that your brain waves will not be affected and your body will produce melatonin naturally.