Cancer cells form in everyone from time to time, but they do not necessarily develop into the full blown illness. Trillions of cells make up the human body. As each one wears out, a new cell replaces it. If something goes wrong in the replication process, however, an abnormal (or defective) cell is born. Our immune system normally destroys defective cells. When for some reason a defective cell evades the immune system, the cell may begin to multiply out of control. This is cancer.

Every person can do seven easy things at home that may help discourage cancer, either by making the body a difficult place for cancer cells to grow or by strengthening the body's immune system.

Make Your Body An Unwelcome Place For Cancer. There are simple things you can do to make your body an "inhospitable host" for cancer cells.

Cancer cells grow best with low oxygen levels in the tissue. You can increase the oxygen levels in your body by learning to breathe correctly. Keep your chest still and use the stomach muscles to take deep, full breaths, expanding your lungs fully. Take an occasional double breath by breathing in as much as you can and then forcing in a little more air. Exercise regularly outdoors, doing something you love.

Cancer cells get their energy from sugar. Avoid spiking your blood sugar level by limiting soft drinks, candy, cookies, cakes, and highly processed foods (e.g. fast foods). By eating a low glycemic diet, you deprive cancer cells of their favorite food and may discourage their growth.

Cancer cells can best use sugar for food when the surrounding tissue is acidic. One of many simple things you can do to help make tissues more alkaline is to drink water daily that contains fresh lemon juice.

Cancer cells spread by breaking down the barrier between cells (called collagen) . Vitamin C helps the body to manufacture and repair collagen. Taking extra vitamin C may thus strengthen the barriers between cells and help to retard the spread of cancer cells.

Strengthen Your Immune System. When the immune system is weak, it cannot as readily destroy abnormal cells in the body. There are simple things you can do to strengthen your immune system.

Eat a healthy diet containing 7 - 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day to provide the nutrients and antioxidants needed for healthy cells to replicate properly. A good diet will help your immune system remain strong so it can "seek and destroy" defective cells, as it is meant to do.

Low speed juicing of fruits and vegetables is a good way to take in more fruits and vegetables than you might normally eat in your daily diet. Drinking beverages made from low speed juicing of fresh, organic produce will provide your body with plant chemicals, enzymes, fiber and water that help both to build your immune system and to flush out toxins.

Drink green tea regularly. Green tea has been shown to encourage natural cancer cell destruction and to help in the actual treatment of several different kinds of cancer. It also seems to block certain enzymes created by cancer cells, possibly retarding its spread.

Nutritional supplements are a must for strengthening your immune system. The best of diets cannot adequately compensate for the nutrient poor food we eat as a result of depleted soil or the damage our bodies sustain from free radicals. High quality, pharmaceutical-grade supplements can help your immune system obtain what it needs to operate effectively by taking on board enough nutritional building blocks and antioxidants to help it do its job.

Ginny Cone, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story. Whether you're looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Ginny can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind. For more information visit : Success and Health

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By: Jen Wasilewski

What does it mean to be a woman? Many women who have recently undergone a mastectomy ask themselves this in hopes of finding an answer to the physical and emotional pain they are feeling. The idea of a woman is often closely knitted to the tangible. A woman has curves, breasts, and long soft hair. While this is just a shallow dip into the vastness of what is a "woman," it can send those who have lost those things into a world of depression. A woman who loses one of both of her breast is forced to deal with what she deems inferior. Am I still a woman? Will I ever love my body again? It's extremely overwhelming and it takes some time to come to terms with what your body has gone through. One thing that many woman yearn for after their surgery is to look in the mirror and not be ashamed. To see themselves as a whole. To feel like the woman they know they still are. Lingerie designers make it their business to know woman, and for that reason, there is a large line of medical bras made specifically for woman who may have just gone through the pains of a mastectomy. While it's only a superficial fix to a tremendously deep problem, the correct lingerie can help you feel comfortable with your body and begin healing.

Why do I need a Medical Bra?

Medical bra's are made specifically for woman who have gone through a serious surgery like a mastectomy. A mastectomy bra is made with "pockets," in each breast. These pockets are used to hold prosthesis. Mastectomy bra's offer you the security you need during the times you need it the most. They help you maintain symmetry, cover and heal surgical scars, and minimize back, neck and shoulder pain.

Buying a Medical Bra

Buying a medical bra can be a stressful event. However, you are a surviver and with your own self confidence and a little helpful advice you'll look great and feel even better. Consider the following tips when you decide to purchase a medical bra.

• Get Fitted:
  
  Getting professionally fitted is the first step to finding a bra that fits you properly. Woman tend to go their entire lives wearing the wrong bra size, and now that you've undergone a mastectomy, it's even more important to find the bra that meets your needs. Many department stores, pharmacies, and even online retailers will offer a fitting. Today, woman can get fitted and then proceed home to enjoy privacy of shopping online. If this seems like something you would be more comfortable doing, get fitted by a professional and then look to reputable online retailer to make your purchase.
  
  
• Spice it Up a Bit:
  
  Unfortunately, many woman see a mastectomy as an end to their womanhood, but that doesn't have to be the case. With the modern advancements in medical bra's you will be able to look and feel comfortable in your own body. Don't limit your bra's to the everyday white standards that flood your intimates drawer. Spice things up a bit and purchase bra's in different colors, styles, and fabrics. This will not only give you an option, but it will help remind you that you are still as beautiful as you were before.



• Buy More than One:
  
  This is a point in your life when you need to take pride in the obstacles you've over come. Don't feel you need to hide your body under a layer of bulking sweaters and t-shirts. The right medical bra will offer you support while bringing back your symmetry. Be sure to have a variety of bra's so that you can wear a variety of shirts. Consider the style bras you had previous to surgery. Some were best worn with sweaters, others with scoop neck tops. Having a few bra's will help you look great in the clothes you loved before your surgery.

Bigger Bra's offers women ability to buy Medical bra's from the comfort and privacy of their own home. Bigger bra's meets the needs of all women by offering quality undergarments including plus size swimsuits

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

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By: Tl Kleban

Do you know which form of cancer is the second leading cause of deaths in the United States? Believe it or not, that would be colorectal cancer. Many of these cases are because the cancer was found too late to be cured or the symptoms of it were missed entirely. This is important because it can all be avoided since colorectal cancer, if found early enough, can usually be cured by surgery.

Doctors and specialists use various screening tests to look for this cancer in people even when they don't exhibit any symptoms. It so happens that in many cases these sometimes unneeded tests are the ones which find the colorectal cancers at an early stage and thus saving lives. Early discovery acan greatly improve the chances of successful treatment. Another reason physicians recommend screening tests is they can find and remove polyps that can become cancerous. Here are a few more ways you can schedule a screening test for colon cancer:

• Schedule an appointment to see your family doctor. They can listen to any symptoms you may be experiencing and advise a colon cancer screening test such as a digital rectal exam. From that they can make a judgment. It's is also a good idea to schedule one anyway as a part of a routine check up.



• Sit down with your doctor and go over all available options. Some of the more screening methods include tests such as a colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy, DNA-based stool test, sigmoidoscopy, fecal occult blood testing and a double, contrast barium enema. These all can be recommended for you to undergo.



• Find a gastroenterologist close to or at least a physician specializing in the gastrointestinal system. They can perform a colonoscopy for you. You are better off finding a specialist for this since this test is a little more invasive than the other screening options.



• Have a colonoscopy performed if begin to feel some of the symptoms of colon cancer. Symptoms of colon cancer usually mean that you are well past the screening stage. Your doctor should start a diagnosis process instead. If your earlier screening tests came back positive, then your doctor should schedule another colonoscopy.



• Be aware of any and all risk factors associated with colon cancer. Most doctors recommend anyone over the age of 50 to have a colonoscopy performed at least once every three to five years. There are other screening tests which can be given annually but thats because they are less invasive.



• If you or anyone in your family has a history of cancer, polyps or irritable bowel syndrome, then it is a wise decision to be tested at an earlier age and not wait till your 50 especially if you have a lifestyle which puts you at risk. When your doctor talks about an at risk lifestyle, he is referring to a diet low in fruits and vegetables, smoking, alcohol and lack of exercise. These can all increase your risk of developing colon cancer.



• So you can see why living a healthy lifestyle is so important and why you need to exercise more as well as eat better. All of these things will significantly lower your risk of developing colon cancer right from the start. If you are one of those who fall under the unhealthy lifestyle, it still isn't too late for you to change your ways.

Visit the experts at Dual Action Cleanse at www.dualactioncleansenow.com. Dual Action Cleanse’s all-natural colon cleanser has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through gentle and effective whole body safe and effective body detox.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

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By Art Gib

Recent data from the National Cancer Institute shows amazing progress in several vital cancer-related areas. As cancer-related mortality is falling, so are actual diagnoses of the disease.

What this means is that the United States has now successfully identified some causes of cancer and we are making progress towards cancer prevention.

Additionally, the nation is making huge strides in cancer treatment, utilizing years of research and new technology to develop state of the art radiation therapies and treatments.

One relatively new form of radiation therapy, first used clinically in 2003, is called TomoTherapy, an innovative form of CT guided IMRT (or Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy).

The primary advantage to using TomoTherapy is its precise delivery of radiation to a cancerous tumor, while sparing the healthy tissue around it. The radiation sources encircle the patient and use a multi-leaf collimator, which allows the tumor to be targeted more precisely.

Because of this innovative technology, a radiation oncologist can treat areas that are difficult or impossible for other machines to reach, such as treating just the lining of the lung and not the lung itself, or taking on tumors on the edge of the spinal cord without risking damage to the spinal cord itself.

For more simple cases, such as breast cancer that has not metastasized, TomoTherapy may not be the best solution, because other methods can deliver the radiation safely while using much less time.

TomoTherapy's primary benefit is for the most complicated tumor placements where the treatment time is a reasonable trade-off for precision and preserving of healthy tissue.

TomoTherapy Planning

Before beginning any TomoTherapy treatment, the radiation oncologist will determine the precise topography of the tumor using complex, three dimensional imaging software. Using this image, he will determine the contours and intricacies of the tumor, which will help him determine the surface area, and thus allowing him to calculate the amount of radiation that is needed for each session as well as the acceptable levels for the surrounding areas.

The TomoTherapy planning station is then used to calculate the pattern, position, and intensity for the radiation to be delivered to the affected area. Precise positioning is imperative for effective radiation therapy, and because a patient's position can change slightly from session to session it is necessary to take CT images of the patient before each session.

As times continue to change, there will probably be new and updated techniques available for radiation oncologists to use, many of them, perhaps, based on the TomoTherapy solutions that have been developed and continue to be useful tools in the fight against cancer.

Doctors and scientists are confident that there will be a cure for cancer in the coming years, but until then it is a comfort to know that advances are making it a battle that is easier to fight.

Vantage Oncology http://www.vantageoncology.com offers comprehensive development, implementation and management solutions for radiation oncologists. They incorporate a radiation oncologist network as well as useful information on cancer treatment methods, such as TomoTherapy

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Gib

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By Art Gib

Each year cancer research programs continue to grow: funding increases, new technologies make year-old discoveries obsolete, and more doctors and scientists contribute their ideas and methods to understanding and eradicating cancer. As these strides are made, more treatment options become available and fewer people are forced to endure painful and invasive treatments.

Radiosurgery is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment of brain cancer that allows doctors to direct beams of radiation to precise locations in order to focus it directly over a brain tumor. This method can help treat and remove intracranial tumors that would otherwise not be accessible for open surgery.

Choosing radiosurgery as an option over more invasive routines is the method of choice for some patients, but is more likely to be a necessity for patients with certain types of tumors that are not easily accessed through open surgery -- such as skull base tumors.

Radiosurgery often uses the Leksell Gamma Knife which concentrates gamma radiation to the targeted portion of the patient's brain. The radiation is so concentrated that, while some residual radiation exists, the vast majority of it is focused onto a much smaller area, thus degenerating the affected area and leaving the rest of the brain unaffected.

The Leksell Gamma Knife form of radiotherapy has been known to work with only one treatment.

What to Expect When Entering Radiation Therapy

Although there are many different types of radiation treatments, radiosurgery focusing specifically on the treatment of head, neck, and brain cancers, the side effects of general radiotherapy and radiosurgery will be very similar.

With radiosurgery, because the radiation is focused around the head and brain area, the patient can often expect to lose hair as a result of the treatment. Other side effects may include a reddening if the skin around the treated area where the radiation beams are passed through, physical fatigue (patients may feel tired more often than normal and sleep longer hours), nausea, and decreased immune response requiring that patients avoid being in public as much as possible to minimize the possibility of catching a virus or other sickness.

When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy is often administered in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy. In operable cases, surgery may be conducted to remove as much of the cancer as possible, then treatment is followed up by radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. The same is true of treatment in conjunction with chemotherapy.

In some cases, a combination of all three treatments will be used. In cases where the threat is not as immediate, radiation therapy alone may be the only treatment necessary.

Vantage Oncology (http://www.vantageoncology.com) offers comprehensive management solutions for oncology through a national network of radiation oncologists experienced in the latest radiosurgery treatments, and are committed to continuously raising the standard for cancer care.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Gib

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By Chris Teo, Ph.D.

Sometime in early August 2007, Swee (not real name, 71 years old female from Indonesia) had coughs with blood stained phlegm. She consulted a general medical practitioner who ordered an X-ray to be done, suspecting that she might have tuberculosis. The X-ray showed a tumour in her lung. She was subsequently referred to a specialist who did a CT scan and found "a 4.8 x 3.9 cm soft tissue mass with lymphadenopathy of the right lung." It was a 3A cancer. A biopsy was recommended but Swee declined and decided to come to Penang for a second opinion.

In Penang, a bronchial biopsy was done and the result confirmed the earlier diagnosis. It was a "infiltrating, poorly differentiated carcinoma." Swee was referred to an oncologist for chemotherapy.

A day before Swee was scheduled for chemotherapy she received a phone call from a relative telling her to go for treatment in China instead. This she did without hesitation.

Swee was treated in a private hospital in China for twenty-eight days. She underwent the following treatments:

1. Chemotherapy with Navelbine.

2. Cyroablation using Argon-helium. Three cryoprobes were inserted into the lesion and the whole freezing process was monitored with the CT scan until "iceball" completely covered the target mass. After two freezing-thaw cycles the cryoprobes were pulled out.

3. Radioacative iodine seeds implantation. Under guided CT scan, 15 radioactive iodine-125 seeds were implanted into the tumour mass.

The doctors concluded that these treatments were successful. Swee was allowed to return home to Indonesia.

In November 2007, Swee returned to China for her second round of treatment. This visit lasted fifteen days. She underwent the same treatments: chemotherapy with Navelbine, cryoablation and iodine seed implantation. According to the doctors, the second procedure was successfully carried out and the patient's condition was better.

According to her son who accompanied her to China, the Chinese doctors suggested that Swee undergo a total of six treatments. Her son said: "The doctors assured us that the tumour will go away but at the same time warned that the cancer can spread to other parts of the body. There is no guarantee that it will not spread. He did say which part of the body it will spread to."

After Swee returned to her home, the members of her family were in a dilemma. They did not have the funds to proceed with further treatments in China. The cost of her first treatment was 87,000 Yuan. The second treatment cost 57,000 Yuan. Swee wanted to sell the house the family is staying in to finance her treatment. Her five children (two sons and three daughters) were unsure if this was the correct thing to do. This is because there is no certainty that Swee will be completely cured.

Swee's son came to see us in December 2007 and wanted to know the following:

1. What should they do?

2. Whether it is possible to take our herbs and at the same time undergo the Chinese treatment, should they decide to go to China again. This is with the hope that herbs can help Swee in some ways where medical treatment cannot.

I told the son that the main point to take in serious consideration is the possibility of the cancer spreading to the brain. Nobody can stop that and the possibility of this metastasis is very high. To this the son said: "Yes. While I was in the hospital in China I have seen some patients who suffered like my mother and who underwent similar treatments. About six months after the treatment the cancer spread to the brain. The doctor also told me that the type of cancer my mother has is very aggressive and there is a 90% chance that it will spread to other parts of the body. There is no guarantee that it will not spread."

Comments

It is very hard for me to advise in this case, except to say that from my reading of medical literature, lung cancer is fatal and the chance of a cure is nil. But how can I put forward this message in a manner that is not traumatic to patients and/or their family members?

Alexander Spira and David Ettinger (Multidisciplinary management of lung cancer. New England J. of Med. 350:379-392) wrote: "Despite years of research, the prognosis for patients with lung cancer remains dismal."

According to Stephen Spiro and Joanna Porter (Lung cancer - where are we today? Amer. J. Respiratory and Critical Care Med. 166:1166-1196): "Although chemotherapy may be a logical approach, there is virtually no evidence that it can cure NSCLC. The monetary cost ... is high. The other cost of chemotherapy is its toxicity and its potential detriment to quality of life. Disappointing as it may sound, this sums up the reality of the situation."

Even if what I say (lung cancer has no cure) may be true, generally patients would not take it kindly or would not believe me. They want a cure and they expect a cure with the treatment offered to them. If we offer herbs and teach them to change their lifestyle in the hope of prolonging their lives or promoting the quality of their lives, they still insist that we tell them of the chances of cure.

This e-mail to me is one good example to illustrate my point. "The patients put total confidence in doctors to prescribe the best treatment methods i.e., put their lives in the hands of the medical doctors. Those big pharmaceutical companies ... prove to be quite convincing in their scientific explanation until today. That is why a lot of patients still prefer their drugs. On the contrary, herbal treatment offers no explanation as to how the herbs work and to what extent it can help the patients. In other words, there is no guarantee that taking herbs will make you feel better either. Similarly, if I am to ask you personally, how and to what extent your herbs can help the patient, I do not think I can expect a concrete answer. Again, you might say it is up to the person to decide and put his/her faith in whatever decision being made. It is like telling the patient to choose whatever he/she thinks is the right medicine. I don't think this is very right. If I know outright that something works - whether they be herbs or drugs, I would not be scared to commit myself and advocate the fact that it will work.

There are questions patients might ask when considering your herbs as an alternative treatment such as: can you confidently say that your herbs work much effectively than modern treatments?"

I fully understand that patients want a guarantee or a promise of cure. But our experience tells us that there is no cure for cancer, be it be an early stage or a terminal stage. To tell patients otherwise, amounts to cheating by misleading or misinforming them. To us, healing (note the use of the word healing not cure) of cancer is not about taking herbs alone. Most patients missed the point that they must first learn how to help themselves by changing their lifestyle, diet and mindset if they want to find healing. Unfortunately, this change is something very hard for patients to do. In this case, her son told us that Swee is not a person who is willing to change. She is not prepared to change her diet and believes in eating anything she likes. The argument is: "why must I not be able to eat anything I like - I am going to die anyway." It did not occur to Swee that it could be the unhealthy lifestyle and diet that led to the death of her husband (complications of hypertension, diabetes, etc.) In addition her sister died of colon cancer, brother of stomach cancer and auntie of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC).

Secondly, the herbs are not going to taste good and the son is not hopeful that Swee would even want to drink it. In short, most patients like Swee is only interested to find healing on their own terms. They seek that elusive magic bullet to make them well.

Drs. Richard Deyo and Donald Patrick, professors at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, in their book, Hope or Hype: the obsession with medial advances and the high cost of false promises, wrote:

1. We are born "with our own blind trust in a medical establishment that preys on our deepest fears, all the while purporting to ride to our rescue with "miracles cures."

2. "The combination of industry greed, media hype, political expediency and our own "techno-consumption" mindset is leading more and more often to a reliance on costly treatments that are marginally effective at best - and sometimes downright dangerous."

3. "When choices involve new treatments, the assumption is almost always that more and newer can only be better. Conveniently, this stance almost always coincides with financial self-interest."

4. "It is said that doctors are ever too willing to prescribe the latest drug without even looking into the evidence whatsoever it makes them happy, it makes the patients happy and it makes the drug rep happy."

We do not believe that there is such a thing as a magic bullet for cancer. We are not true to our cause and betray our mission if we say or act as if we have one. It is hard for many to understand that we are here trying to help. We have not desire to push our herbs. We set no sales target and do not aim to conquer new markets. Our work is driven by love and compassion, not profit. If ever there is any assurance or guarantee patients get from us, it is this: "Try the herbs for one or two weeks. If the patient doesn't getter any better, stop taking our herbs and find someone else for help."

Let me conclude with this story. Lung cancer was previously treated with Iressa. When Iressa was first launched it was hailed in the media as: The Drug of Tomorrow; The Miracle Drug; The Smart Drug; Miracle Cure - the drug that Rises from the Ashes and various other superlatives.

The message to the world was clear: "A breakthrough is at hand - there is great hope and great anticipation. Lung cancer patients need not die any more. A miracle drug is at long last here." The US-Food and Drug Administration approved its use. This makes it even more convincing. This is the kind of guarantee cancer patients the world over want before they swallow their first pill - the writer of the above e-mail included.

In an article: Iressa should have never been approved (http://npojip.org/iressa/iressa ISDB-Feb-2.html) Rokuro Hama wrote: "An estimated 23,500 people has so far been administered with Iressa in Japan, 644 of them suffered adverse reactions. Of these 183 have died. The drug was approved in July 2002 in Japan and by end of January 2003 - barely six months later, the death related to the adverse reaction to Iressa had reached 183."

In the Western countries, Iressa was withdrawn and was shown to be not effective anymore in spite of the earlier great media hype. But in the countries of the East, Iressa is still being prescribed to many cancer patients, even today. Patient needs to spend about RM 7,000 to RM 8,000 for a month's supply of Iressa. With Iressa being phased out, some oncologists turn to another drug called Tarceva, a sister drug to Iressa. One Tarceva pill cost RM 270 which calculates to RM 8,100 for a month's supply. Is Tarceva effective? The company's website said it is proven to have increased overall survival by 37% and had shown a demonstrated significant symptom benefits by prolonging the time to progression of symptoms. Doctors and patients love such assurance. The scientifically generated statistic quoted is very impressive indeed. But what does 37% mean? The truth is: if you take Tarceva, you can live 9.5 months and if you don't take Tarceva you only live 6.7 months. In real terms Tarceva only increased survival by 2.8 months.

How does this assurance sound to patients? Do patients know or informed about this? Remember, this promise of being able to live 2.8 months longer comes with a price tag of RM 8,000 per month.

For more information about complementary cancer therapy visit: http://www.cacare.com, http://www.NaturalHealingForYou.com, http://www.BookOnCancer.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Teo,_Ph.D.

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By: Wysong

At the recent meeting of the American Association of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO), some 25,000 doctors met to discuss advances in cancer therapy. Over 10,000 scientific abstracts were presented.

Surely now, after countless billions have been spent on research since President Nixon’s war on cancer was declared in 1971, there must be some dramatic cures. Something must have emerged from this meeting to reverse the growing cancer epidemic and justify the skyrocketing medical costs for cancer treatment.

Surely.

But not so.

The meeting highlighted how that cancer therapy is shifting from conventional cut-burn-poison to a more technologically sophisticated, molecularly targeted pharmaceutical approach. It’s a cash cow heyday for drug companies and a wonderful fix for the addicted Rx generation.

A new fleet of drugs include tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as Gleevec and Iressa. Tarvesa is an ingenious pharmaceutical that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in neoplasms. Another category is antiangiogenic drugs, such as Avastin, that inhibit the growth of blood vessels in tumors.

There have been some qualified ‘successes’ but not without downside serious side effect risks. For example, Avastin causes serious and even fatal bleeding into the lungs (hemoptisis). In one instance 31% of patients experienced this side effect.

But, you might say, so what if there is a good chance of cure? Surprisingly, during this meeting, little discussion could be heard about meaningful results. Everyone was giddy about the science (like kids with new toys), but the take away for the cancer victim was sobering and depressing.

There was a lot of talk about mechanisms of action and theory. There was also many numbers and charts about the effectiveness of the new drugs used alone or in various combinations with others, including conventional chemotherapy. The package presented to attendees was impressively wrapped in science, but what about the results.

In one instance it was found that the new therapies increased survival from 10.8 months to 12.9 months. Progression-free-survival (PFS) was changed in another comparison from 7.2 months to 7.6 months. In another comparison overall survival was changed from 10.2 to 12.5 months and PFS changed from 4.5 to 6.4 months. In yet another comparison the overall survival changed from 5.91 to 6.37 months-- about two weeks. One week was added to remission-free survival.

These pathetic results did not dampen the enthusiasm of pharmaceutical purveyors out in force at the meeting with product booth displays rivaling those at the super bowl half time. One company called their drug a “breakthrough… providing new hope for patients with advanced… cancer." Doctors, looking at only the statistical numbers, concluded that the results were “important" and “exciting" because they were “not due to chance". Of course the mainstream media jumps right on with wild claims about how the cure is now just around the corner.

Please. One week!

What’s the cost benefit of this “exciting" new progress? In just two years, spending on cancer drugs will increase from 22 billion dollars to 32 billion. Just adding one of the new drugs, Avastin, to a treatment regimen will increase costs to the patient of $8,000 per month. While these miracle life extensions of a couple months or a week are going on, costs are escalating 500 fold. If you submit to this leading edge cancer treatment miracle, expect to pay about $250,000.

Recently I was talking to a pharmaceutical salesman who was excitedly detailing the benefits of the drugs he represented. He had impressive numbers of how his drug produced results better than competitor’s drugs. I asked him how his results compared to no treatment at all. Stunned by the question, he had to admit he had no idea.

That’s the first and most obvious question that should be asked before submitting to any potentially toxic or invasive therapy. Those were not the sorts of answers that came out of the ASCO meeting however.

You see, the medical and patient imperative is to ‘do something,’ meaning medical intervention. Never mind that the disease may be self-limiting or reversible by simple life style, dietary or natural treatment options. Why, it would be unethical to do a study where a comparison group was not treated!

Do you see the failed logic here? Can you see that the bias that cancer is a disease that ‘strikes’ us ignores real causes—lifestyle and dietary changes that put us out of sync with our genetically adapted to environmental roots?

If you are struck with any disease, before submitting, ask the question and demand the evidence: “What is the proof, my good doctor, that the treatment you are recommending is superior to no treatment at all or to safe and natural lifestyle and dietary changes"?

Modern allopathic medicine is just too risky, dangerous and expensive to just roll over and expose your soft underbelly to them.

One also has to make the decision that if fatality is inevitable, whether extending life in a hospital bed, being a pin cushion, living your last moments in misery from drugs and expending your family’s entire savings is worth a couple of months or weeks of life… if even that is true.

The cure for cancer is to prevent it. Learn how to live life healthily and get at it. If it strikes, don’t panic and fall victim to the ‘something must be done’ mania. ‘Fighting’ cancer is also not surrender to the medical establishment.

True health care means patients must be active partners, not mere passive recipients. The paradigm must be changed such that primacy is given to self-responsibility for prevention, and respecting and encouraging the innate capacity for self-regulation and healing. By engaging, patients gain a feeling of control and emotional strength. The psychological stress of the disease combined with essentially no coping strategies is a primary reason for recurrence.

Modern tumor-based cancer care, on the other hand, is about a love affair with biomedicine and its fragmentation and overspecialization. More attention is paid to lymphocyte counts than to the patient. The result is dehumanization, dependency and disempowerment for patients, and more machines, pharmaceutical reps and money for medicine.

This is not to say there have not been therapeutic successes. Surgically debulking tumors (although surgery can also incite benign to malignant), chemotherapy for some forms of leukemia and skin cancer, are such examples. But that is an embarrassing result in terms of the overall scale of the disease. For the 10 major killing cancers, survival has not improved over the past 50 years.

Your best hope, as always, begins with thinking. Learn think about what there is about your life that caused the disease. Change your life and investigate alternative approaches (See Wysong Resource Directory).

There is hope, but as with anything else in life it resides in what you do to yourself, not what others do to or for you.

Refs.
Cancer – The Missing Point http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_956.shtml
Is Common Sense or Research Needed to Cure Cancer
http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_937.shtml
Research on Pancreatice Cancer…. http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_898.shtml
Wysong e-Health Letter Archives http://www.wysong.net/archivesehl.shtml
Wysong Resource Directory “Cancer"
http://www.wysong.net/page/WOTTPWS/PROD/EDUAIDS/MM028
http://lungdiseases.about.com/mbiopagel.htm
R. Moss, PhD., Townsend Letter for Doctors, Aug, 05, p. 44
“New Cancer Drugs Are Driving Up Cost of Care," LA Times, May 14, 2005
Ramirez, A., et al, “Stress and relapse of breast cancer," British Medical Journal, 1989: 298: 291-293
Spiegal D., et al, “Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer," Lancet 989: 888-889

For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net. For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit www.cerealwysong.com.

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By: Patrick OBrien

It was Charles Darwin who noted that animals reproduce at a rate corresponding to the decimation of their young: More threats, more young. In other words, stress stimulates the reproductive process. It seems simple enough, and it is. What makes it even simpler is there is a chemical in every organism that initiates this reaction. It is called cortisol. It is also called a stress hormone; it is the stress hormone.

What Darwin noticed in animals is easily applicable to the cells that form animals, and form cancers. If Darwin’s observation was correct, then primary reproductive cells subjected to sufficient levels of cortisol, will be stimulated into reproducing at a faster rate to guarantee survival. Every animal has such cells in every tissue of the body. They are called stem cells, and they are the mothers to every other cell in the body.

Cortisol, stress hormone, passes directly through the cellular membrane, right through the nuclear membrane and causes an immediate reversal of cellular metabolism. The cell begins to manufacture sugar, even if it has an ample supply of it on hand. That sugar is quickly transformed into glycogen, broken down into lactic acid, and or channeled into purine production. (Purines are simply a type of nucleic acid, or DNA). Their production represents a start to the reproductive cycle. Not coincidentally, the enzymes that regulate this metabolic process are the targets of a large number of so-called chemotherapeutic drugs.

It is also interesting to note that this reverse cycle, gluconeogenesis, forms the framework for this particular metabolic process, and is the primary metabolic cycle of all malignant cancer cells.

This particular process is not of itself unhealthy, necessarily. If Darwin’s observation was correct, it is the necessary element in animal survival. Under conditions of unrelieved stress, defined as chronic exposure to high levels of cortisol, it would be sufficient stimulus to cause reproduction at a very high rate, a rate so rapid as to make maturation and development impossible prior to the conclusion of the reproductive cycle.

Such cells would have high demands, as this metabolic process, called the pentose-phosphate pathway, demands an enormous quantity of energy, while generating nearly none. The only sources for this energy, if the cell is going to survive, is the common pool of resources found in the circulatory system, or other nearby cells. Even distant cells could find their resources drained by the constant depletion of common body fluids that are constantly being circulated at a rapid rate. The presence of stress hormone guarantees a rapid relative metabolic rate in the heart, which of course beats faster under stress and thus fuels the process.

As the tumor grows, all the tissue around it, and eventually, every system in the body, would be depleted, and over time, begin to waste. Since many of these cells would be underdeveloped, many would also be incapable of performing the most routine of functions, such as processing waste, which would then simply be dumped into the local space, putting another burden on mature cells that already are being stripped of their resources. This would be sufficient to produce cachexia, a fancy name for wasting, which is a universal symptom in patients with malignant cancers.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that reversing such excessive and life-threatening reproduction, should be as simple as reducing the level of stress hormone in the body. Taking drugs which block the production of cortisol, would certainly work in the short-term, but are doomed to fail in the long-term as cells adapt to the drugs, meaning learn how to effectively get rid of them. Much of this work, ironically, would be done by healthy cells, which are thus given a third job while trying to handle the first two. In addition, given the universal capacity of rapidly reproducing cells to adapt to anything, this is a certain reason for rejecting such approaches in all but the most desperate cases, and perhaps even then.

The solution is a program of systematically reducing stress hormone levels throughout the organism, by identifying all sources of stress, in particular, on the most profoundly affected, and or vulnerable systems. These may include diet, lifestyle change, any of a constellation of individual approaches that recognize that one man’s stress is another’s bliss. For example: While some people are stressed by their work environment, others are stressed by not working.

A personal interview, by the subject himself when possible, that involves an honest detailing of all primary and secondary sources of stress, a subjective and therefore individualized listing, is an essential first step in this process. This is recommended to avoid allowing the concerns of others close to the patient from influencing the accurate reflections of the affected party. Once the list is vetted, again, by the patient when possible, the next step is to form a plan of action for removing all sources of stress from the proximity of the affected in the least stressful way.

It is at this point the patient will need to call on all their positive sources of personal support, to help them enact the plan as quickly as possible. Nutritionists can be recruited to their aid as well, with the understanding being the diet has two purposes. Restoration of the primary metabolic cycles, called the glycolytic and citric acid cycle, respectively, and reduction and elimination of cortisol from the body, including eliminating food high in such chemicals.

Through the systematic reduction of stress and stress hormone from affected tissues and organisms, the normal cycles of development and maturity should begin anew, reproduction should drop to normal levels, and the mortal crises should alleviate. Darwin’s trigger, may be the only shot that can be unfired.

Copyright 2007 by Patrick J. O’Brien

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You may have heard some alarming health news recently, about how working the 'graveyard shift' may increase your odds for developing breast or prostate cancer. This story is based on recent research, over the last 20 years, that does, indeed, find an increased rate of breast cancer among women who work at night. But, please keep in mind that high cancer rates, that have been newly discovered in night workers, does not prove that nighttime work, alone, causes one to get cancer.

It is estimated that about 20 percent of the work force in technologically developed countries work the night shift. One of the first people to spot the night shift-cancer connection was Richard Stevens, a cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. In 1987 he published a paper suggesting that there may be a a direct correlation to light at night and breast cancer.

Stevens says, "suspiciously, the incidence of breast cancer rates shot up, starting in the 1930's, where industrialized cultures considered it advantageous to progressively increase one's income".

At the time of Steven's first observations, most medical research scientists considered the link, between light at night to increased breast cancer rates, to be pretty weird and wacky. However, over the last 20 years, ongoing research on this disturbing news has continued. There is some compelling evidence that indicates that men working the night shift may also have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

It is also interesting to note, that in laboratory research studies with test animals, evidence of the light at night theory, supported Steven's original idea. When light/dark schedules were purposely disrupted, the animals developed more cancerous tumors and died prematurely.

Since the 1980's, the cancer connection to artificial light at night has received quite a bit of attention. There seems to be enough evidence to support the notion that there is a questionable pattern of increased cancer rates in night, and rotational, shift workers.

If you are a night worker do not panic, and determine that you simply must abandon your current job for personal health safety reasons. Also, consider that these ongoing studies are only one small piece of evidence to a very large puzzle. There are many other risk factors involved in developing cancer. In all fairness, other known cancer risks should also be evaluated into this equation as well, like:

1. Lifestyle choices such as exercise habits, substance abuse problems, or drug addictions
2. Daily dietary food and beverage intakes.
3. Sleep deprivation problems such as insomnia and depression.
4. Amount of exposure time that bare skin has a chance to connect with UV sunlight rays, and vitamin D levels.
5. Amount of emotional stress levels in relation to unresolved personal issues.

All of those key factor risks, and many others, as well as a wider variety of test subjects need to be extensively studied. Most of the current, light at night research studies, so far, have only been performed on the nursing profession and airline crews.

What researchers are suggesting, though, is that there seems to be a rather complicated system, of some sort, to lower levels of melatonin and serotonin in correlation to rotational, and night, shift workers. Melatonin is a endocrine system hormone produced by the pineal gland that helps induce sleep, and is gradually released after dark. The pineal gland is located deep in the center of the brain behind the center point in the forehead between the eyes, and is known to have a reaction to sunlight exposure. It is believed that sunlight exposure coming in through the eyes for approximately 20 minutes a day, without contacts, eyeglasses, or sunglasses appears to play an important role in the releasing of melatonin.

Clearly, when normal sleep/wake (also called circadian rhythm) cycles are interrupted with artificial lighting at night there may be a steep health price to pay, for the sake of earning a living. Long-term supplementation with melatonin is not advisable, either, as it may eventually interfere with your body's ability to produce it on its own. Use, instead, one of melatonin's safer precursors like L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Be advised , that L-tryptophan is only obtainable by prescription, however, do not let that intimidate you as it is only a simple amino acid.

As an employer you may consider it financially necessary to use night shifts to voluntarily maximize your company's profits. But, you may also want to consider employee medical health insurance liabilities, and productivity, too. There might just possibly be lower health insurance rate incentives offered for installing healthier, natural spectrum lighting systems in work station areas, This may help you save even more money, by lowering your energy costs as well.

If you are a rotational, or night, shift worker, sleeping in a darkened room is a must. Do whatever it takes to eliminate, or reduce, light from entering your sleeping environment. You can also improve the quality of your sleep by learning how to practice better sleep hygiene habits. Visit the mercola natural health website and type in the search box, '33 secrets to a good nights sleep'.

Above all, listen to your body, if working after dark is causing you various health problems, pay close attention! Treat your symptoms with care, put in for a shift change, or find another job.

Brenda Skidmore has spent over the last five years actively researching natural health care alternatives. She can attest to the many positive results natural practical cures and preventive strategies bring to human health. Along with the many medical professionals whose published works she has studied, it is her sincere desire to empower others by sharing this important information. To improve your life visit: http://www.mywater4life.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Skidmore

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By Jonathan G. Michel

A few years ago my wife passed away of breast cancer at the young age of 44. I didn't understand then the human cells, and certainly didn't realize that most cancers are self-inflicted through the way we treat our bodies. I was inclined to believe a statement I had heard many years prior... 'that we were all born with cancer', and now know what a lot of crap that was.

Hence began my search for more understanding and knowledge, not only in the the matter of cancer, but all disease that affect human kind. 100s of books and material later, I've come to realize one very important thing about cancer and disease. We are not born with it. Other than birth defects, the human body (at birth) is a perfect working machine designed to work in unison with everything else on this planet we call earth.

We breath oxygen fabricated by our greens, and in return exhale carbon monoxide, so that they too may live. This world was designed to support human life and everything it needed to maintain health and well being. So what went wrong? Why so many sick, diseased, and cancer ridden.

And then it dawned on me that just maybe if my wife had been raised strictly on vegetables from the ground, fruits from the ground, and non-toxic water, she'd still be living today. Human cells are a delicate thing and more and more, we are beginning to understand cellular health as the way to avoiding cancer and disease. The human body can only take so much abuse.

At one point the mind (the way you think and eat) must join forces and unite with all those cells, especially the T-killer cells, to help your body ward off disease and cancer. You can reverse the process if you're cancer stricken, and you can make sure you never get cancer again. It's been done many times before. All you need to do is reverse your thinking somewhat and remember the years of your youth.

Some will say "but what about all the children struck with cancer?" Remember that even treated water contains chemicals and chemicals (even chlorine) is toxic to the body. It's time people learn about biotechnology. Simply put... anything biological is parasite and toxin free. Our drinking water is supposed to be full of oxygen and energy, but yet it isn't. It's even believed that the water we drink in combination with the foods we eat is the source and cause of most of our health problems.

It's not and never too late to reverse the process. To nourish your body back to health. To avoid all disease and cure any ailments that you may have, including cancer.

JG Michel is a successful author, publisher, and webmaster. For a greater understanding of biotechnology and alternative cures to cancer, visit http://www.cancer-help-treatment.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_G._Michel

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By: Joe Devine-16986

We've all, by now, heard the risks of inhaling asbestos fibers in factories, in houses, in schools, etc. What many people don't realize is that there is an equally large risk of second-hand exposure. Just like second-hand smoke hurts people, second-hand exposure to asbestos also hurts people.

When people say "second-hand exposure" they mean that the person that has been exposed to asbestos is not coming in direct contact with it at its source. The family of a miner that works in a taconite or asbestos mine would experience second-hand exposure if they came in contact with asbestos in their home rather than in the place where the material that contains asbestos is. It is similar to second-hand smoke in that there does not need to be direct contact with the cigarette (or insulation in this case) to experience some harmful affects of the item.

It is important to keep in mind, when dealing with asbestos, that the deadly fibers are inhaled into the lungs via other dust floating in the air. Just like when dusting, clothes can take in asbestos dust just like normal dust. This tendency of fibers to be trapped in the clothes of people means that whoever does the laundry is taking a serious risk. It gives a new adage to "Would it kill you to do the laundry?"

If the clothes to be laundered contain dust that has been exposed to asbestos, yes, it can actually kill you to do the laundry. The act of doing laundry involves picking up clothes from a laundry basket or hamper or something. When the clothes are picked up, there is air movement. This air movement stirs the dust particles to life and sends them floating through the air. When they are airborne, it is quite easy for someone to inhale that dust, just like any other dust. When one does the laundry for a husband or father's entire career in an asbestos mine, the asbestos fibers add up and accumulate in the lungs.

There does not need to be a lot of accumulation of fibers for Mesothelioma, the deadly lung cancer most commonly associated with asbestos, to develop. Lately, there have been numerous stories in the papers and across the internet about a dutiful wife doing her husband's laundry weekly and contracting Mesothelioma because of that. There have also been stories of children in large families contracting the disease after having been stuck with the chore of laundry while growing up. One of these instances resulted in the foundation of Kati's Hope Foundation for Mesothelioma.

Now, companies are requiring that their workers change out of their street clothes before starting work for the day. This requirement is designed to cut down on the amount of asbestos being taken home from the work place. Despite this new requirement, millions of people have still done a lot of laundry and given a lot of hugs over the years.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma following asbestos exposure, contact the Mesothelioma Lawyers of Williams Kherkher.

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The Five B's of Living

I discovered the five B's of living as I traveled an amazing transformational journey healing from terminal cancer.

Be Present Now

Our attachment to the past and future is the GREATEST cause of stress in our lives. This moment is the only thing that is real. Choose to celebrate what is happening NOW. The past is gone, the future is yet to be, so all we have is NOW, which is the present. That is why it is a true gift. Every emotion, action, relationship, role, and every experience we ever had is in the files of our human self. Each moment we can choose to pull from our files or create something new in the present. It is our choice!

We can really only create and experience life right now in this moment.

Be the Creator

You and only you are the creator of your reality. Somewhere along our journey, we come to believe something outside of ourselves is creating all these things in our lives. What happens in your life, inside and out, comes from you, either consciously or unconsciously. We spend too much time, emotion and energy focused on what we don't want or don't like, and then we wonder why it keeps showing up in our life.

What is it you really want in your life? Dream big!

Be the Observer

Becoming the observer will help you stay present and create in the moment. The OBSERVER is a part of you that is always watching what is happening. It stands aside and just watches. It has no agenda for what "should" happen. It just watches. Become more aware. Observe yourself, what's around you, and how you react, think and feel.

Be Love

The more you love and accept yourself exactly as you are, the more love you get from others, and the more loving, empowering, and abundant experiences you will have. Loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve, you improve your world.

"I accept, approve, appreciate and love, myself exactly as I am."

Be Grateful

The easier and fastest way to feel better and create goodness in your life is to be grateful. When you live in a world of gratitude, you naturally feel the divine love and abundance that is always present inside you and all around you. Embracing gratitude is like opening the door to a brilliant new world, where the sun is always shining and you feel totally and amazingly alive all the time! The heart is always thankful.

Open your heart, breathe deeply, and tell yourself the many things you are grateful for.

Pass on the love and gratitude to all at this special time of year.

Sheila Ulrich www.sheilaulrich.com info@sheilaulrich.com I share this message of hope and possibility for all. PASS IT ON! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheila_Ulrich

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When you receive the Seal you begin to notice what you eat and how it affects your health. A new study shows that red meat increases your risk of getting various kinds of cancer.

This was a large study--500,000 people were followed for up to 8 years, both men and women. It classed people into groups based on how much red meat they ate in a week.

Those people who ate the most red meat were found to have a greater risk of getting cancer. And not just colon cancer. But they were also more at risk for lung cancer, liver cancer, and esophageal cancer.

It is not completely understood why red meat and also processed meat are linked to cancer, or how they increase the risk. There are a few theories about what it could be.

One theory is that people who eat a lot of red meat may also have some other risky habits or lack of habits, like smoking and lack of exercise. This could explain why red meat seems to be causing cancer when it is not really understood why.

This study confirms another large study--a European study of 500,000 people. And plenty of studies show you should go easy on the red meat, replacing it with fruits and vegetables, healthy fats (like those found in fish) and enough fiber.

There are certain conditions which affect how much red meat is not good for you. What is the tipping point? It depends. For example, how you cook the meat determines how healthy or harmful it is for you.

If you grill meat over an open flame or charcoal, it is the most harmful for you. That produces the most cancer-causing elements of any kind of cooking. Pan-frying a regular hamburger (without burning it) is not nearly as bad for you.

Health professionals do not recommend you cut out red meat entirely but that you limit your consumption of it. Any more than 3 hamburgers a week are not good for you anymore, but if you are eating fast food, even 3 times a week is too much.

It is not known whether organic red meat is any less likely to cause cancer. Studies have not been done on it. And not all "organic" meat is up to code as far as quality and conditions of farming.

But organic red meat is a better bet for some of the reasons mentioned. For instance, healthy fats can be found in organic, or grass-fed beef, which contains a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid or CLA.

Another example is the amount of fat in grass-fed beef. It is much lower than regular grain-fed beef, as much as 50 percent lower. Eating grass-fed beef can actually lower your LDL cholesterol since it is so low in fat.

Lower amounts of the unhealthy fats are better for you . And grass-fed beef is high in Vitamin E which fights cancer. However, if you grill the organic meat over an open flame it is still not good for you.

When you are sealed you will begin to notice what you eat and how it affects you. When you become more healthy you will also feel better, and you will start to notice how what you eat changes the way you feel.

Becoming sealed is belonging to God. When God claims you He will give you good health in many areas, but He expects you to help Him by doing your part and watching your diet when you receive the Seal.

And now Jason invites you to get your FREE report Are You Making These Mistakes as a Christian?
And donate to get the ebook Seal of the Soul Jason Witt

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Witt

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By: Candace Right

Cancer in and of itself is tragic. But it's even worse when people who learn that they have cancer become so frightened that they go to chemotherapy without delay. For the most part, people don't give themselves enough time to learn the truth about all their treatment options. Cancer scares them too badly.

Chemotherapy kills cancer cells because it is poison. Think about that. If it kills cancerous cells, what does it do to your healthy cells?

The logic behind chemotherapy is this. Doctors will give you chemo in an attempt to kill off all of the cancer cells before the chemo damages your body enough to kill you.

When chemo turns out to be unsuccessful, it's because your body is dying more rapidly from the poison than the cancerous cells are. This is why people lose their hair, get violently ill, vomit, and feel as though they are dying; because they are.

But natural treatments, on the other hand, can be be extremely effective about fighting cancer without jeopardizing your body. Specialists of natural medicine won't ever give you treatments that will damage your vital organs and make you sick the way chemotherapy will. It damages your kidneys, heart, and liver.

The fact is, chemotherapy isn't necessary for all cases. You owe it to yourself to learn about all your treatment choices first. Learn the truth about chemo vs. natural treatments.

Talk to someone who has undergone chemotherapy for their cancer. Talk to somebody who has successfully used natural cancer treatments. Most of all, don't limit yourself just because your doctor tells you that you need chemotherapy. Get a second opinion. Get a third, fourth, or twelfth opinion for that matter.

About the Author:
Want to discover more about natural Alternatives to Chemotherapy? Visit Chemotherapy Kills.com and uncover the TRUTH about Chemotherapy.

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Even though the prostate is notoriously difficult to remove, there are some things you can do beforehand to speed up recovery after prostate cancer surgery. Over the years, doctors have come to recommend these preparations more and more. If your doctor does not discuss these things with you, it is still important to ask about them.

For many years, meditation has been considered the arena of quacks and charlatans. Nevertheless, new studies reveal that the ability to relax plays a crucial role in speeding up recovery after prostate cancer surgery. In addition, patients that learn to focus also develop the ability to manage their pain more effectively. This is especially important in assisting with recovery after prostate cancer, as well as from the procedure itself.

Along with fears of the blood banks harboring contaminated blood, there is also an overall growing shortage of blood available for transfusion. As small and unimportant as the prostate is in the overall scheme of things, a great deal of blood may be lost during the surgery. If you have two pints of blood drawn prior to the procedure, you will effectively be donating to yourself. This will make it much easier for your body to adapt to the new blood, and thus speed up recovery after prostate cancer surgery.

As may be expected, your health condition prior to undergoing surgery will either help or hinder your recovery after prostate cancer surgery. While you may not have enough time to take up weight lifting and high impact aerobics; Pilates exercises, Tai Chi, and walking can all boost your sense of well being, as well as speed up your recovery after prostate cancer surgery. In addition, before surgery, it is also important to eat foods that will supply your body with the proteins and other nutrients that will help you heal faster. You may want to check with your doctor to learn about which foods will work best.

It may also be helpful to you to understand what side effects you will have to contend with during your recovery after prostate cancer surgery. As an example, the last thing you want to do is wind up with constipation, and not have stool softeners available. Since urinary incontinence is often a part of recovery after prostate cancer surgery, you will also want to get some undergarments and pads designed to manage this effectively. By having an open and frank discussion with your doctor about this, and other concerns, you will be able to purchase whatever supplied and medications you need before the surgery. This will help you have peace of mind, as well as reduce stress after you get home from the hospital.

Today, doctors are becoming more aware that their treatments occur at a specific point in time. This time point is not at all divorced from all that goes on beforehand. Thus, pre-surgical preparations are becoming a vital aspect of determining speed and completeness of recovery after prostate cancer surgery. If your doctor does not initiate a discussion about these things, you may want bring them up on your own.

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.life-after-prostate-cancer.com After Prostate Cancer

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How much do we really know about cancer? It is a common knowledge that this kind of disease do not pick any particular person, may you be a commoner, a rich dude, a beggar, or simply just someone. Cancer is a bunch of diseases in which the cells are aggressive, invasive or metastatic. Awareness of these kinds of diseases won't kill us. Here are some tips on how to deal with cancer that may occur in women.

Let us identify the different kinds of cancer that occurs in women.

• breast cancer
• cervical cancer
• endometrial cancer
• gestational trophoblastic tumor
• ovarian cancer
• uterine sarcoma
• vaginal cancer
• vulvar cancer
• all the other types of cancer

I know right now you're thinking, what am I talking about, it is all a blur. You may tell yourself, wow that's a lot of cancer to deal with, and even ask how do we get it? Can we even prevent from having it? I will be giving brief discussions on how to deal with this diseases and how we get it.

Breast Cancer

This is the most common cancer that we usually hear that occur in women today. This cancer forms in the tissues of the breast, most commonly the ducts and the lobules. And this just does not occur in women alone; guys could also have this in rare occasions. Some factors that may increase the risk of getting breast cancer:

• hormone replacement therapy
• ionizing radiation
• obesity
• alcohol
• major inheritance susceptibility

Tips to prevent or decrease the risk of having breast cancer:

• exercise strenuously
• early pregnancy
• breast-feeding
• some interventions
  • selective estrogen receptor modulators
  • aromatase inhibitors
  • prophylactic mastectomy
  • fenretinide
• do screenings
  • mammography
  • clinical breast examination
  • Self-breast examination which is recommended to be done every month two weeks before a woman's period.

Cervical Cancer

This occurs in the tissues of the cervix. Usually this is slow-growing kind of cancer and is often asymptomatic that is why we can never know that we already have it unless we get our pap's smear done. Ladies, let's be aware of the use of pap's smear, this can help us prevent or have an early diagnosis of a starting cancer. Once you are sexually active, a woman should at least get a pap's smear done once a year. Sexually active woman are more prone to get cervical cancer because of the human papillomavirus that we could get during intercourse.

There are some ways to prevent this such as:

• abstaining from sexual activities
• sing barrier protection or spermicidal gel during intercourse
• Refrain from cigarette smoking because it is also one of the trigger that increases the risk of cervical cancer, may you be a passive or an active smoker
• Reproductive behavior such as having more children or high parity also increases the risk
• the use of oral contraceptives for a long period of time may contribute to the increase susceptibility to cervical cancer.

Endometrial Cancer

This occurs in the linings of the uterus. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of endometrial cancer. Unlike in breast cancer, hormonal therapy helps in decreasing the risk of having endometrial cancer mostly in women under postmenopausal stage. Oral contraceptives decrease the risk of this cancer as well, weight reduction would also help, and quitting from smoking might help too.

The bottom line of all these is being aware of ones health. Read on it and learn more.

Kathy Summers is a nurse in Washington. She loves to read books of almost about anything, but she enjoys reading more on health or medical stuff. For her, gaining more knowledge about our health is a good way to go. You can visit her site at http://ktsummers563.vox.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Summers

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By Matt Murren

One fact about pancreas cancer that is not widely known, but should be known is the sheer amount of people who face this condition every year. In the United States alone, its been estimated that over 30,000 people are diagnosed with pancreas cancer every year. What is surprising is that many people not only do not know this fact, but aren’t even sure of what pancreas cancer is. That figure itself has been debated a little, with some arguing that the number is closer to 25-27,000 cases each year. Another little known fact about pancreas cancer is that over 60,000 cases are diagnosed in Europe every year.

The fact is that pancreas cancer is found most often in highly industrialized countries. Europe and the United States alone have far more cases diagnosed than any other area of the world. This could relate to another fact regarding pancreas cancer, which is what causes this type of cancer. One belief is that the disease is caused by those who work around carcinogens and other chemicals, for extended periods of time.

When it comes to pancreas cancer, facts about its causes are not well known because experts are unsure of what causes it. Instead they have identified certain risk factors that contribute to the cancer, but there is no one cause that leads some to develop it and others not to. One of those factors is cigarette smokers. One sad fact relating to pancreas cancer is that over 50% of people who die from complications relating to their disease, are cigarette smokers. Experts have recorded this astounding pancreas cancer fact while pointing out that those patients who stop smoking for five years or more, are much more likely to not develop the cancer.

Another one of the facts relating to pancreas cancer is that many people who suffer from the disease are not diagnosed until the disease has significantly progressed. Some of the symptoms relating to this disease are ones that are also found with other diseases. Symptoms range from depression and a loss of appetite, to a sharp pain in the stomach and the beginnings of jaundice. There have even been cases of patients going through an appendectomy only to later learn they suffered from pancreatic cancer.

Pancreas cancer facts are not well known in our society. Many people feel the disease is something that only happens to older people, and is something that they do not have to worry about. The sad truth is that anyone can find themselves developing pancreas cancer, regardless of their age, lifestyle, previous health, or sex. The only thing that can be done is to share some of the facts and statistics, and hope that more people become aware of the disease.

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.pancreas-cancer-advisor.com - Pancreas Cancer Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Murren

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By Elaine Mashburn

Positron Emission Tomography, or PET, is a popular procedure performed in the Nuclear Medicine Department. Radiation for this exam comes from the injection of a radioactive isotope. This isotope is tagged with an agent that is different for each exam, as each organ in the body will enhance differently. The imaging method measures and records the amount of radio isotope within the living tissue. Basically, PET scans supply information regarding the function of organs and tissues.

PET technology is a vital tool in the staging and monitoring of cancer patients. It gives Oncologists and Radiologists very important information on the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Today, to provide patients with the most precise diagnostic information the physician may order a PET/CT scan. The CT scan provides excellent detail of all anatomy in a 3-D representation without any superimposition. The PET scan is not as good with anatomy, however it can show organ function in great detail.

Until the past few years PET scanners were only available in huge medical centers or large teaching facilities because they were so expensive. Also, at that time PET was still considered experimental so insurance companies and Medicare did not compensate for the exam. Today PET scanners are pretty readily available and most exams are compensated for.

Currently PET Scanning is used for:

1) Finding and evaluating stages of Cancer

2) Determining progress of Oncology Treatments

3) Checking blood flow to Myocardial Tissues

4) Evaluate signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease

5) Evaluate the Central Nervous System

Since it's introduction in 1974, PET scanning has improved dramatically. Today one of the most valuable tools in the diagnosis and treatment of patients is the PET Scan.

Elaine Mashburn is a Registered X-Ray Technologist and has worked in the field for 32 years. She is also a freelance photographer and amateur fly fisher. You can see more medical information on her medical information blog: http://xrayinformation.blogspot.com

http://professionalpetphotography.blogspot.com

And some great information on fly fishing ,esp. Western NC @ http://tieandhook.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Mashburn

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Everyone has heard about the health benefits inherent to drinking red wine. While red wine may offer some benefits to the heart, little research exists involving alcohol's risk to breast cancer.

Although there is no direct evidence linking the two, current knowledge regarding the effects of alcohol implies the possibility of increasing breast cancer risk. By nature, alcohol reduces the blood levels of folic acid. Folic acid is a B vitamin that fights against it. The folic acid reduction is a real worry for women who drink heavily as it could dramatically increase their risk.

There are a variety of ways in which folic acid can be replenished to combat the effects of alcohol. One obvious solution is to take a multivitamin or folic acid tablet. Additionally, there are many foods which contain folic acid. Many great vegetables, such as spinach, asparagus, broccoli, and split peas are rich in folic acid. Beans are also a good source of folic acid.

Beyond folic acid depletion, preliminary research suggests another possible detrimental link between breast cancer and alcohol. The healthful plant chemicals found in wine, called phenols, could attach to estrogen receptors on breast cells. This cell attachment could potentially fuel the growth of the cancer.

While alcohol, such as red wine, may offer some health benefits, research still needs to be conducted to understand any possible cancer risks. In order to reduce any possible alcohol induced breast cancer risk, it is important to drink only in moderation. For more information about this and other breast cancer information please visit Free Victoria's Secret Breast Cancer Apparel at Help4BreastCancer.com

This Article is written by Mike Vellucci. For more information about breast cancer please visit http://help4breastcancer.com

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Skin cancer is the most common form of skin cancer in humans. Skin cancer is also known as being the common form of cancer in America and generally develops in the epidermis which is the outermost layer of skin. This is when you will likely see a visible tumor.

There are actually three main types of skin cancer which include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, as well as melanoma. Basal cell carcinomas and most types of squamous cell carcinomas are both slow growing and highly treatable, even more so if detected in the early stages.

On the other hand melanoma is one of the most serious forms of skin cancer mainly because it affects the deeper layers of skin and has a greater potential of spreading out to other tissues in your body. Squamous cell carcinoma also has the chances of spreading internally. There are more than one million estimated new cases of cancer each year with the annual rates constantly on the rise. This obviously has raised a large degree of concern for people all over the country.

There are different types of skin cancer treatments available right now, but prevention is the best thing you can do. One of the most common ways to get rid of skin cancer is excision skin surgery. You can also opt for another common treatment called mohs micrographic surgery where the area of the growth is numbed prior to the procedure.

Some have even estimated that nearly fifty percent of all Americans who live to be sixty five years old will develop skin cancer at least once. Skin cancer tends to show up on the head, face, neck, hands, and arms. The most dangerous type of skin cancer is melanoma, and luckily it is far less common. For localized melanoma the surviving rate for suffers is around ninety nine percent, while the survival rates for regional and distant stage diseases are at sixty five and fifteen.

Jeff Klemin is an SEO and web marketing consultant. Find the latest information on mohs here. Contact Jeff here for Utah search engine optimization.

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Oncology is a branch of medicine that studies cancerous tumors and develops methods and techniques for treatment. Those who practice oncology are known as oncologists.

There are two main branches of oncology:

1. Medical oncology
2. Radiation oncology

Medical oncology has contributed chemotherapy, while radiation oncology has and continues to contribute many new technologies, mainly in the form of new radiation-delivery methods.

Although it may seem that radiation oncology is limited in its ability to expand, grow, and develop increasingly improving treatments, the rapid advancements in computer and other technologies outside the medical field are assisting in the advancement of radiation oncology, making it a continuously changing field.

Despite tough training and education requirements, it is the exciting changes in oncology that attract many doctors to this field. As amazing as it may seem, the advances in oncology from just the last two decades has resulted in far lower mortality rates and survival rates astronomically higher than they were just 20 years ago.

Advances in cancer detection and public education about cancer have also contributed to increased survival rates. For most kinds of cancer, oncologists are now able to successfully treat the patients thanks to early detection, allowing treatment to begin before the cancer has a chance to grow out of control.

One of the more recent advances in radiation oncology is TomoTherapy, a commercialized type of IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) that provides new and more effective radiation-delivery. TomoTherapy is a perfect example of the work being done in radiation oncology.

TomoTherapy does not actually provide any new technologies, but rather integrates several older technologies into one detection and delivery system. It also improves on the delivery of radiation to a tumor site by rotating around the patient, allowing it to deliver a higher dose of overall radiation from several angles rather than many fixed beams of weaker radiation.

Delivering high amounts of radiation is one of the best ways to treat cancer. However, since tumors are inside the body and surrounded by healthy tissue that you don’t want to damage, delivering such high amounts of radiation to effectively treat a tumor is enough to kill the patient. But thanks to modern delivery methods, radiation oncologists have been able to more precisely target the cancer while sparing healthy tissue, thereby allowing for higher doses of radiation, without extra harm or danger to the patient, which equates to faster recovery times and higher survival rates.

Every advancement in radiation oncology, and oncology in general, leads to a day when cancer of all types will be as easily treatable as a broken arm.

About the Author:

Author Bio:- Vantage Oncology is dedicated to the idea of improving care for patients and their families who are affected by cancer. Our commitment to Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), radiation oncology, radiosurgery and TomoTherapy continues as we search for newer and better ways to treat cancer and improve the lives of cancer survivors.

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