But it is not just the heart that is affected - blood flow can be blocked to the legs too, leading to pain when walking, immobility and even in extreme cases, amputation.

Approximately 20% of us will suffer from this peripheral artery disease (PAD) once we are 65 or over, and with risk factors including smoking, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure it is on the rise. Surgical intervention can sometimes help, but the prognosis is not good.

Encouragingly, new research by Ronald Terjung et al1. published in The Journal of Physiology shows that regular, moderate exercise can go a long way to relieving the symptoms of PAD, and by some unexpected mechanisms.

When a major artery in the leg becomes blocked, the body naturally seeks another route for the blood to pass through by expanding and multiplying the surrounding smaller blood vessels in the area, called collateral blood flow.

The researchers studied rats with a blocked femoral artery and found that collateral blood flow was much more effective in restoring normal muscle function in rats that were put on regular exercise training.

The collateral vessels themselves were larger and less prone to constriction “ a problem exacerbated with PAD “ than in sedentary animals. Surprisingly, the function of blood vessels 'downstream' of the blockage also changed, making them more efficient.

The authors predict that a suitable exercise programme would delay the onset of pain and increase mobility for people suffering with PAD.

"Our findings raise the potential that new collateral vessels, that can develop in patients with PAD who are physically active, will function effectively to help minimize the consequences of the original vascular obstruction." commented Dr Terjung.

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"Now, eight years later, I feel like it's just my normal tongue. I'm used to it. Within a couple weeks, really, I was back to what I considered as normal as I was going to be," she says. "I try very hard not to take anything for granted, because having it almost taken away makes you realize just how special every minute is."

Tongue cancer statistics: 10,140 Americans will be diagnosed with tongue cancer this year and 1,880 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Early detection:

The most common causes of oral cancer are smoking and alcohol consumption, and the risk increases for people who do both. As with most cancers, the earlier a tongue cancer lesion is found, the easier it is to treat. Here are some early signs that could signal tongue cancer:

Small lump or thick white patch Ulcer with firm, raised rim and delicate center that bleeds easily Lesion that doesn't heal

"Most mouth lesions will heal within a two-week period. You wouldn't want to be alarmed with a minor canker sore. We're talking about a lesion that's in your mouth, that's been there a couple weeks. It has some firmness to it when you feel it. You can tell there's some thickness to it and it's not healing," Chepeha says.

Resources:

U-M Cancer AnswerLine, 800-865-1125 U-M Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Clinic National Cancer Institute: Oral Cancer Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer

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