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Posted by Asbestos Poot
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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Brain cancer is a tumor or tumors that form on the brain itself. Most brain tumors have spread to the brain from other affected parts of the body (such as the breast or the lung) via the blood-stream. Only a small percentage of brain cancer cases originate in the brain.
In its early stages, brain cancer often produces no symptoms, or it displays symptoms that are mistaken for everyday headaches. As a result, the condition is often quite advanced before it is detected. Brain cancer is a very serious condition that can cause extensive neurological damage or death.
The exact cause of brain cancer is unknown, but heredity is suspected to play a role in its development.
Signs and Symptoms
Brain cancer is usually asymptomatic until the tumor reaches a certain size. At that point, symptoms include:
Persistent headaches
Vomiting
General weakness, or localized weakness in the arms or legs
Loss of coordination
Dizziness
Change in personality
Loss of mental abilities, including memory
Double vision, or loss of vision
Seizures
Conventional Medical Treatment
If you suspect you have a brain tumor, see a physician immediately. A CAT scan or MRI of the head can usually confirm the presence of a tumor and pinpoint its location. If a tumor is found, the physician may take a CAT scan of the chest and abdomen to make sure the cancer has not affected other areas of the body. If the tumor is localized and is situated in an area where removal is possible (on the outer surface of the brain, for example), surgery may be performed. However, some tumors-particularly those located deep within the brain tissue-cannot be operated on. In these cases, radiation and chemotherapy will be used to destroy cancerous cells. (See "Conventional Medical Treatment" in the "Bladder Cancer" entry for more information on radiation and chemotherapy.)
Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupressure By pressing on certain acupressure points along the body's meridians, a practitioner may be able to reduce cancer-related pain and headaches.
Chinese Herbal Therapy Traditional Chinese Medicine considers any type of tumor formation the result of stagnant blood, so a practitioner may recommend formulas that energize blood flow and strengthen the immune system, such as Ginseng and Astragals Formula. In cases of brain cancer, an herbalist may prescribe the Chinese formula called Three Yellows
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Sunday, February 26, 2012
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Some intriguing, but preliminary, research on foods for fighting cancer and colon cancer. Supplements of ginger have been shown to reduce some inflammation indicators in the colon according to a new study.
This work is an initial step in finding out if the compounds that are naturally a part of ginger root might also prevent cancer of the colon. While the study is hailed as being well done, exciting even, it's still early in the game.
According to the lead study author there are many cell culture studies that have shown ginger to be an anti-inflammatory. Mouse and other rodent studies have demonstrated that ginger can stop the tumors from forming when fed to the subject animals that were exposed to a colon cancer forming chemical.
Ginger has been commonly used in food preparation in Asia for many thousands of years. Researchers admit that there's likely a reason for such long-standing popularity, though science has yet to figure out exactly what it is.
Naturally the researchers wanted to see if findings on ginger root in rodents translated to people.
To get the answer, the team assigned 30 healthy adult subjects at random to take capsules of either 2 grams (in eight 250-miligram doses) of powdered ginger root or a replacement powder each day for 28 days. The amount used in the research measures out to be about 30mg of powdered ginger.
People in the ginger study took the supplements with meals, and weren't allowed to take any other drugs, even aspirin or NSAID medications, either prior to or throughout the duration of the study as these are also known for their anti-inflammatory effects.
Both at the start and end of the research, tissue samples from each participants' colon were taken. The team tested the samples for eicosanoids, a chemical known to up inflammation in the digestive system.
They saw that ginger could bring down the number of inflammatory markers found in the tissue, in comparison to the tissue samples from those taking the placebo. And we do know that high levels of inflammation in the digestive tissue is very strongly associated with the development of precancerous lesions, even cancerous polyps.
While the amount of ginger used in the study was way over what the average American might take in as part of our daily diet, in India, China and Japan people eat that much day to day. Coincidence then that these countries also have lower incidences of colorectal cancers?
Of course the Asian diet might also be protective because it has more veggies and fiber, and a lot less red meat. Researchers are still working that out.
The side effects of ginger supplements are an upset stomach, heartburn and gas, but nothing more serious. Supplements of ginger are usually well tolerated and safe for most people.
Certainly if you are at high risk of colon cancer, you'll want to discuss this research on foods for fighting cancer with your own healthcare team. While no one is ready to have you running for supplements or putting ginger on everything you eat, it can do no harm to enjoy a little bit now and again. Certainly a preventive approach that's neither toxic nor harmful to quality of life, and is affordable to boot, is all worth further study.
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Friday, February 24, 2012
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Chemotherapy is the use of very strong anticancer drugs to kill colon cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment and will address cancer that is in the entire
body which is why it is often used to prevent spread or to treat cancer that has
already spread. This is not the only reason why chemotherapy is used so if you
doctor suggests treatment with chemotherapy drugs do not assume that your
cancer has spread and metastesized.
Chemotherapy plays a few roles in the treatment of colon cancer.
used to kill colon cancer cells that might have not been removed during surgical
removal of the colon cancer.
reduces the size of the tumor before surgery is performed
used to treat colon cancer by controlling the growth of the tumor.
used to relieve some of the symptoms of the colon cancer.
reduce the likelihood of recurrence
Chemotherapy is often used after surgery is performed to eliminate cancer cells that
may have been left behind and not removed by surgery. The chemotherapy can be
administered through an IV (intravenously) or in pill form. Once the chemotherapy
drugs enter the bloodstream they can reach cancer cells in all parts of the body.
Some studies have shown that using a regimen of chemotherapy after surgery for
colon cancer can increase the surivival rates for some stages of colon and rectal
cancers.
In patients with advanced colorectal cancer chemotherapy is often useful in relieving
the symptoms of the cancer.
Who is given Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer?
The general opinion in the medical community differs on whether chemotherapy for
Stage II colon cancer will be beneficial to the patient after surgery. It is usually only
advisable in very high risk patients.
Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery is the standard of care for patients with Stage
III colorectal cancer. Also patients with Stage IV cancers of the colon or rectum can
benefit from the use of chemotherapy as it often will help to shrink the tumor,
increase life expectancy and improve the quality of life.
How is Chemotherapy Administered for Colorectal Cancer?
The use of adjuvant chemotherapy typically involves monthly administration of the
chemotherapy drugs for usually 6 to 8 months. Usually on or a combination of the
following drugs are administered:
5-FU (5-fluorouracil)
leucovorin
irinotecan
oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)
The standard adjuvant chemotherapy combination for colon cancer consists of 5-FU
and leucovorin.
Side Effects of Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy can produce some side effects. The type of side effects experiences
depends upon the type of chemotherapy drugs used, how much of the drugs are
given and the period of time they are administered. The side effects also depend on
the individual.
The most common side effects for 5FU :
the feeling of being sick
diarrhea
sore mouth or mouth ulcers
drop in blood cell count
overall feeling of tiredness
The most common side effects of irinotecan :
increased perspiration
increase in the production of saliva
watery eyes
pain or cramps in the abdomen
diarrhea
overall feeling of being sick
drop in blood cell count
overall feeling of tiredness
hair thinning or loss
The most common side effects of oxaliplatin:
feeling of being sick
numbness or tingling of the extremeties
numbness in the lips
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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Colon cancer is more commonly known as bowel cancer, this is where there is a malignant growth in the colon.
Early symptoms of colon cancer can include a change in bowel movements either constipation or diahoerria , pain in the lower abdomen, blood mixed in with the faeces. These symptoms are fairly mundane, so often go un-noticed causing the tumor to grow undetected, inperticulally as people still find it hard to discuss there bowel movements with anybody especially there
Doctor. Occasionally there are no symptoms until the tumor has got so large that it causes a blockage in the intestine or
Could possibly even perforate the intestine.
Some forms of colon cancer can be genetic/hereditary however in some cases of colon cancer the precise reason people
Contract the disease is unknown. Diet may be cause of colon cancer, eating a lot of meat, too much fatty foods and not enough fiber, fruit and vegetables all add up to a un-healthy diet so increasing the risk of colon cancer.
The tests carried out to diagnose colon cancer include a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy. A sigmoidoscopy is when a camera is inserted into the anus to examine the rectum and the sigmoid colon. A colonoscopy is when a flexible fibre-optic camera
Called a colonscope is put into the body via the anus and fed along the colon. Instruments may be fed down the colonscope
So this is how a biopsy would be performed.
Colon cancer can often occur with other diseases of the colon, for example ulcerative colitis.
The chance of a cure for colon cancer depends on whether you get a early enough diagnosis. Surgery is the best chance of
Survival and sometimes radiotherapy and chemotherapy may also be offered, but there would be no guarenties of a very long term future. The surgical procedure involves a general anesthetic and the diseased part of the colon is removed plus a bit extra on both sides to make sure they have it all. The amount of colon that has to be removed varies from person to person but the
Majority of people will end up with a colostomy. This is where a small inscision is made in the stomach and the healthy colon
Is pulled through it and secured this is called a stoma. The stoma makes it possible for the person to still have there bowels opened by means of a colostomy bag which is attached to the stoma usually by a adhesive. These bags are disposable and
Keep all smells etc in [until you change them when the bowel has worked]. The colostomy is sometimes only temporary depending on how much bowel was removed. If it is to be only temporary it could be there for up to six months just to allow the colon to heal without faeces being past through it. If the colostomy is to be permanent than the anus may be sewn up whilst the person is in theatre having there diseased colon removed and the stoma made.
Colon cancer is still a large killer but mostly because people do not get it diagnosed early enough. The survival rate is much better when diagnoses are made early as treatment can begin and may not end up being so evasive. It is a shame to die from embarrassment is it not.
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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There are many cases of colon cancer today, with significantly more people being diagnosed with this potentially deadly disease below age 50 than previously. Colon cancer used to be considered a disease of the elderly, but nowadays many younger people are diagnosed with this kind of disease. This is more because of unhealthy lifestyles such as eating habits, lack of exercises and many other factors.
People tend to consume junk food and any other foods that are over-processed and contain high fat and sugar. This allows the chemically-laced food to sit in colon for longer time and lead to the cancer disease.
Several ways to keep your colon healthy:
1. Balancing your diet
A balance diet will supply your body with sufficient nutrition: balance in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. It will be better to get all these nutritions naturally by consuming healthy foods such as: fresh vegetables and beans, fish, fruits, seafood and milk. Taking daily supplements also will help.
2. Reduce over-processed foods
Reduce intake of over-processed foods, especially fried foods because these foods contain of high fat that is dangerous to health. You can also choose organic foods that are higher in nutrition. Avoid sausage, hot dogs, ham, and many of which contain salt, sodium nitrites and sodium nitrates, which play big role in leading to colon cancer.
3. Exercise regularly
Do exercise at least 3 times a week is adequate to maintain your stamina and health. If you have any disease, it would be wise to consult with your doctor what exercise suits your current condition.
4. Drink eight glasses of water daily
Adequate water is essential to your body and will help to clean your system by gently washing out offensive bacteria and germs that can harbor in the colon and lead to illness or problems.
5. Colon cleansing
Colon cleansing method has been so popular as an option to keep your colon healthy. Consult with your doctor if you wish to take this method.
6. Visit your doctor and have an annual medical check-up to prevent diseases.
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Friday, February 17, 2012
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My father recently was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he exhibited some of normal Brain Tumor Symptoms. However he did not have all the typical symptoms of a brain tumor, this is quite common for someone to only exhibit a selection of the normal brain tumor symptoms.
So what are the brain tumor symptoms you should look out for?
Brain Tumor Symptoms are very much related to where in the brain the tumor is located. This is a short summary of what symptoms are related to which part of the brain.
Frontal lobe - Tumors in the Frontal lobe can cause the following: changes in personality or intellect, unco-ordination especially in walking, some weakness usually in one side of the body, some speech difficulties.
Parietal lobe - Tumors in the Parietal lobe can cause the following: difficulty in understanding words reading and writing, problems with movements especially co-ordination of movements, disorientation
numbers and calculations, weakness on one side of the body.
Occipital lobe - Tumors in the Occipital lobe can cause the following: vision impairment especially on one side.
Temporal lobe - Tumors in the Temporal lobe can cause the following: Fits, strange feelings like fear or familiarity like dé jà vu, unusual smells, blackouts, difficulties with speech, memory problems.
Cerebellum - Tumors in the Cerebellum can cause the following: Co-ordination affecting walking and speech, unsteadiness, involuntary movement of the eyes - flickering, vomiting and nausea, neck stiffness.
Brain stem - Tumors in the Brain Stem can cause the following: Unsteadiness usually un-coordinated walking, Facial weakness can be one-sided smile or eyelid that droops, vision issues usually double vision, speaking and swallowing difficulties.
As you can see the different tumors exhibit different symptoms.
You need to look out for any brain tumor symptoms and if there appears to be a problem get it check by a qualified medical person immediately.
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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There is no known cause of brain cancer. Extensive research has been conducted to pinpoint a cause to help prevent the cancer from occurring. Although there has not been very much conclusive evidence leading to a cause of brain cancer, the one thing that doctors do know is that brain cancer is not contagious and it does not occur due to head injury. There are known instances where cancer has spread to the brain from other parts of the body.(Lung cancer,Breast cancer,Liver cancer and so on.)
Brain cancer can occur at any age. Studies have shown that two major age groups are affected. From ages 3 to 12 and 40 to 70 are the age groups when brain cancer is formed. Since researchers have been able to gather this data, it has led to the discovery of some risk factors. Workers in certain industries are at a higher risk for brain cancer than workers in other industries. These include, rubber manufacturing, drug manufacturing, and oil refining. Since brain cancer often occurs with members of the same family, heredity is believed to be another cause of brain cancer.
There are many different kinds of cells in the brain, each with a different function. Sometimes the cells inside the brain begin to grow uncontrollably leading to a tumor. A tumor in the brain may or may not be malignant.If benign a tumor stays where it starts, although it can grow very large and put pressure on crucial areas. In the case of a malignant brain tumor however this has the ability to spread and brain cancer occurs. Brain cancer is dangerous and life-threatening as the cancerous cells can interrupt vital brain functions. When brain cancer occurs, the cells continue to grow at a rapid pace. The cells and tissue around these cancerous cells become crowded out and invaded.
Symptoms of brain cancer include headaches that are worse in the morning, changes in personality, abnormal eye movements, and weakness in the arms and legs. Seizures, nausea, and drowsiness are other symptoms of brain cancer.
Surgery is the treatment of choice for primary brain tumors radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are the treatments that are used when cancer has spread to the brain. The doctor will use one or a combination of these treatments depending on the needs of the patient.
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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We all know the function of brain. It is the main control center of our body that monitors/instructs everything thing in our body. Any disease that affects this central control system is really a big problem. And the worst thing to happen is brain cancer. Brain cancer is the development of brain tumors i.e. tumors in the brain. These could either be benign or malignant; the latter being the really harmful one.
Types of brain cancer
As most other types of cancer, brain cancer is also classified as primary brain cancer and secondary brain cancer. Primary brain cancer is the one that originates from the brain itself i.e. that originates in the brain cells. Secondary brain cancers is the one that doesn't originate from the brain cells but is instead passed on from another organ/ part of the body
Causes of brain cancer
As is the case with many other types of cancer, the causes of brain cancer is a big topic for researchers. However, certain genetic conditions and exposure of head to radiation (as received during radiotherapy as part of treatment of other conditions) are known to be causes of cancer. There are a number of other theories that keep coming up time and again, each suggesting different possible causes of brain tumor (one famous one is about mobile phones causing brain cancer). However, there really isn't a very convincing theory about what causes brain cancer.
Symptoms of brain cancer
Some very common symptoms of brain cancer are headaches and nausea; but these can really be caused by something else. So, headache and nausea shouldn't really be taken as brain cancer. Some other symptoms of brain cancer are related to incorrect working of some of the basic senses (that are mainly governed by brain) e.g. speech, vision and smell etc. Again, there is no point in getting worried all by yourself; you should, in any case, consult a qualified doctor and let them know clearly about the various symptoms that you have observed. The doctor can then diagnose whether it is brain cancer. You might be referred to a neurologist for further examination (if brain cancer is suspected).
Diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer
The diagnosis of brain cancer will include tests that are based on the working of the nervous system. So, testing of basic human senses like vision, speech, hearing, mental capability, reflexes is taken up for diagnosis of brain cancer. The treatment of brain cancer is done through surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy (and the combination of these).
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Sunday, February 12, 2012
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One antidote to cancer is information.
In general our responses to cancer are converging, but very slowly. Presently all cancer authorities are agreed on only one thing:
Cancer cannot take hold in a healthy immune system
The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) is promoting prevention as a better option than treatment and particularly targeting smoking as the highest recogniseable risk area. The Cancer Research Institute (C.R.I.) is seeking vaccines that support the body's own ability to heal. Alternative and holistic approaches seek to do the same with diet, nutrition, lifestyle and other choices.
Different philosophies of medicine achieve 'immune support' in various ways not considered by orthodox Western medicine, which concentrates mainly on 'drugs and surgery' as an afterthought to disease, often just adding more toxins and stress to an overloaded system. Alternative treatments take many forms to support the body in its own healing process.
Although we have constant new biological treatments promised, they usually only apply to a small percentage of cancer types. Change in this field is agonisingly slow and in some cases utterly stuck. Medical science is failing to adapt to the new 'quantum theory' sciences that see the human body from an energy or 'vibrational' perspective. Western 'allopathic' medicine continues to refuse integration with other, older medical philosophies such as Chinese, Ayurvedic, Tibetan, Homeopathy, Herbalism or vibrational treatment.
In truth we don't even have a research methodology that will cope with assessing different treatment forms and levels tuned to an individual patient. So far it is much easier for the orthodox to just deny the effectiveness of alternative ways of healing because they do not make rational scientific sense, than it is to extend their model to include other healing models. The fiscal interest of pharmaceutical companies is also a factor in our lack of access to holistic treatments
The complex cancer situation effects us all directly. One in three people in the 'West' now gets cancer at some point. Many factors are combining to aggravate acute degenerative disorders such as cancer or heart disease, the two top killers in the Western World. These expose the unwary to dangers and this includes the toxic side-effects of allopathic treatments - it is emerging that the third biggest killer may be 'allopathic medicine' itself !
The Cancer Research Industry
Research shows that in UK every year somewhere between £450 to £500 million is spent on cancer research by the pharmaceutical industries, charitable organisations and government. In US an estimated $14 billion dollars (£7.72 billion) are spent. A hard-hitting report published in March 2004 by Fortune, an American business magazine and written by Cliff Leaf, himself a cancer survivor, suggests that for several reasons much of this funding and research is misdirected. He claims that despite a total of $200 billion spent on cancer research since 1971 that mortality rates are basically unchanged. The report was all but ignored by mainstream media.
What if he's right? What is much of this money is wasted? What if the research is misdirected? What if much of the work serves no real purpose beyond the generation of profit? That would mean that the cancer research industry is one of the biggest bandwagons ever. Despite many more billions spent world-wide on cancer research there seems very little to show for it. After seeing friends and family cut down in their prime by cancer, and its allopathic treatments, this researcher believes that there is something seriously wrong with accepted wisdom on cancer treatment. The author's local health authority has a twelve million pound overspend this year - the major expenditure? The cost of cancer drugs. Several situations are combining to make cancer a big risk for us all at this time, despite the hard work of many dedicated health service professionals.
Cancer and Orthodox Medical Science
Although medical science has created miracles in dealing with infectious diseases, solving many of the medical problems of the 1940's and 50's, the new weapons against acute degenerative disorders are not yet ready. Genetic testing and counselling, gene therapy, nutrigenomics, advanced (subtle and tuned) radiotherapies, cell therapies, therapuetic cloning, cancer vaccines and even anti-aging therapies are a seemingly constant 10 - 15 years away. This is the 21st century and we are still getting 20th century treatments. This leaves us at the moment in a time of high cancer risk with treatments that are often the medical equivalent of cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. The orthodox treatment of cancer is too often as dangerous as the disease itself.
Alternative treatments for cancer are not given a fair hearing. Information is still actively repressed or marginalised from many sources. The subject of Cancer and alternative treatment must be the original can of worms! Its never a good time to get cancer but there are more options than you might think or even be advised from orthodox treatment centres. For example there are many things one can do to supplement (and ease) orthodox treatments with complementary ones. It is unlikely you will be given information on this unless you seek it out yourself.
Although much research on alternatives is often suppressed there are people who can guide you through the minefield of misinformation, disinformation, ignorance, applied self-interest, politics and other complexities in the field of cancer, whatever choices you make. Support is a central issue in any disease and there are increasing options here with many groups 'online' helping each other with a variety of treatment forms.
An Integrated Approach to Cancer
The cancer discussion needs opening towards a more integrated medicine that is centred on the patient, but even this discussion is presently marginalised. People are finding each other online and comparing notes, even the drug manufacturing industries are predicting that 'patient advocacy' forms a strong part of future medicine. But for true patient advocacy to happen, medical consumers presently need to be at least as, if not better informed than their medical doctors.
There are many options in cancer treatment that are not generally discussed through orthodox medicine. For example group therapy is not widely prescribed or accessible for cancer patients despite the fact that studies show it can actually double survival time. There is mounting evidence of the validity of herbal and nutritional regimes that support the immune system and may complement the sledgehammers of traditional, orthodox treatment, chemo and radiotherapy.
Sometimes complementary therapies are allowed with orthodox treatment but are still limited to only accepted medical philosophies - or that which can be measured through double-blind testing methodologies that basically view every person as the same. The different philosophies of 'medicalism' and 'holism' - which puts people central to their treatment - are still far apart. This is not a situation that is in any way advantageous for those of us who become patients.
Alternative approaches are viewed at best as unproven and are unresearchable using 'quantitative research methodologies'. There are many people wanting a more integrated approach to health care than the drugs and surgery promoted by orthodox allopathic medicine. This is shown by the huge number of people who seek complementary and alternative medicines without the knowledge of their doctors. The main research into treatments that address every aspect of disease and patient still takes place in secret because practices that fall outside of standard medical practice and physicians who offer unconventional cancer treatments may be vulnerable to the civil charge of malpractice. Given the modern quantum sciences and other feasible medical models such as those mentioned there are many more realistic options for treatment than we are presently being offered.
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Saturday, February 11, 2012
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Among the most spread cancers, colon cancer usually occurs in men and women over the age of 50. The main causes of colon cancer are related to the patient's diet: very low in fiber and high in fat and calories. By keeping a healthy life style and good eating habits, you can prevent developing cancer of the colon even before this becomes a problem. You might also want to try and check your family history for cases of colon cancer and adopt a healthier diet in order to make sure you will avoid this problem in the future.
Colon cancer treatments are varied and you can choose from a series of traditional and alternative methods of dealing with this condition. Surgery is often the number one choice - the surgeon removes the tumors on the colon, even if the cancer cells are spread beyond the colon itself. This ensures less problems in the future of the patient's life, reducing chances of bowel problems or internal bleeding. Colon cancer surgery is usually categorized in four main areas: rectum resection, radio frequency ablation, colostomy and colon resection. The surgeon will determine which method is best suited for each individual patient.
Detecting cancer at a very early stage is important, as the problem can be corrected in a decisive and final manner. By using a polypectomy, the surgeon will remove suspicious polyps in order to minimize chances of the disease. Local excision may also be used in early stages, in order to remove the cancer cells. After surgery, your hospital should provide you with ongoing support in order to ensure a fast and efficient recovery.
Intra arterial chemotherapy is another treatment worth consideration. This treatment targets tumors by delivering a powerful dose of chemotherapy. Primary systemic chemotherapy is often used before a surgical procedure in order to destroy a large majority of cancer cells. Systemic therapy is usually used with metastatic cancer, while the third method, adjuvant chemotherapy, targets any cancer cells that might have been left over after surgery. All three chemotherapy procedures are delivered through the hepatic artery and are an option if the cancer has spread to the liver.
Another choice comes from chemoembolization treatment. In addition to being delivered intra arterially, this type of treatment blocks the blood flow to the areas affected by cancer. It traps the chemotherapy drugs in the area of the tumor, thus ensuring that they work efficiently and on target.
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Friday, February 10, 2012
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1000 years ago in Europe pre-Christian tribes originally had a Goddess culture - a matriarchy where the earth and nature and their cycles and secrets were revered. In pre-industrial societies illness was not seen as a 'random assault from outside' but as a deeply significant life event integral to the sufferer's whole being - spiritual, moral, physical and life course - past, present and future. Dis-ease was interpreted as packed with moral, spiritual and religious messages as one of the many ways through which 'God revealed his will to mankind'. Other philosophies of medicine such as Ayurvedic or Tibetan think similarly, in these, dis-ease has a karmic aspect.
Around the tenth century in Europe - after the so called 'Dark Ages' - women, the original stewards of the land (men did 'animal husbandry'), were dispossessed of it by the new patriarchies of the Church and State. This male hierarchy hid the things they were most afraid of, namely the fact that it is women who hold the key to the processes and powers of life. They took them as their own, decreeing laws about how we should behave to impose control and inventing 'original sin'. Allied to this there came a prolonged persecution of women, especially any of those involved in healing. Some sources estimate about 5 - 9 million women were destroyed across Europe during this persecution. Essentially the role of women as healers and midwives was discouraged and 'home-making' and its many associated skills is still regarded as a 'worthless' career according to our primarily fiscal values based on GDP.
When a patriarchy takes over a matriarchy as a fundamental paradigm shift, one of the main things that happens is that 'healing' and 'spirituality' are separated out as an instrument of control. The world of spirit and physic were separated and became even more so during the great male 'Age of Reason' that began with Descartes and continued with Newton, the tail-end of which many are presently clinging to in desperation and a degree of applied self-interest.
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a central influence on the 17th century revolution that began modern science and philosophy. His 'Method of Doubt' was published in 1637:
"I resolved to reject as false everything in which I could imagine the least doubt, in order to see if there afterwards remained anything that was entirely indubitable".
The philosophy of 'Cartesian dualism' became part of our science, where the mind and the body are seen as essentially separate. The 'self', the conscious being that is 'me' was seen as essentially non-physical. Misguidedly (it was not Descartes intention) this philosophy contributed to the mechanistic and rational philosophy of the universe adopted by our culture. Descartes was one of the first people to suggest that phenomena could be understood by breaking them down into constituent parts and examining each minutely. His view of the human body as a machine functioning within a mechanistic universe took prevalence within the 'Age of Reason'.
"Consider the human body as a machine. My thought compares a sick man and an ill-made clock with my idea of a healthy man and a well made clock".
This attention to analytical detail is still at the heart of our scientific research methodologies. As a result Western medicine has produced 'World saving' vaccines and antibiotics. It has created drugs and surgical techniques that do utterly amazing things. It has virtually eliminated all the serious communicable diseases (in the First World) such as leprosy, plague, tuberculosis, tetanus, syphilis, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, meningitis, polio, septicaemia. There are very few women dying in childbirth compared to the past. Western medicine has been, and is, a triumph in the face of these problems which worried us back then the way cancer and heart disease worry us today. Even the big medical problems of the of 1930's and 40's have literally vanished.
The age of infectious disease has given way to the age of chronic disorders. The major killers today are heart and vascular disease, chronic degenerative diseases and cancer, largely incurable and increasing in incidence. The strategies that worked so well for all but eliminating acute infectious diseases just don't seem to work for chronic and degenerative conditions.
"The prevalence of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency syndrome, HIV and a host of other debilitating conditions is increasing. Conventional biomedicine - so strikingly successful in the treatment of overwhelming infections, surgical and medical emergencies and congenital defects, has been unable to stem the tide of these conditions".
James Gordon M.D., Washington, D.C.
Even during the time of Sir Isaac Newton the human body was viewed as an intricate biological machine. The Universe was an orderly, predictable but divine mechanism, a 'grand clockwork'. Although hundreds of years have passed, Western scientific medicine still holds the same basic philosophy, but are more sophisticated in studying biological mechanisms at a molecular level.
The first Newtonian approaches were essentially surgical. The body was seen as if it were a complex plumbing system. If it went wrong the offending piece was removed or bypassed. These days instead of using knives, drugs are often used to do more or less the same things.
Humans though are far more than walking sacks of chemicals. The animating life-force central to other medical systems is an energy that is not addressed by modern scientific methodology and there are no Western medical models that explain what it is and what it does. It is misguided by the concept that all illnesses are cured by physically repairing or eliminating abnormal cells. This is partly due to a conflict between 'Western' and 'Eastern' philosophies and has its roots in the division of science and religion along with the destruction of folk medicine in both U.S. and Europe.
Cancer cannot be treated effectively under a philosophy of reductionism. Scientific cancer research has failed to find a cure because it is looking in the wrong places with the wrong tools. Cancer needs to be understood as a 'whole' disease in relation to each individual's experience and the culture of which they are part. It has multiple causes that vary with each patient. The strategies that worked so well for tackling acute infectious diseases are inappropriate for dealing with chronic and degenerative conditions. Cancer patients can be at best increasingly 'patched up' by orthodox treatments but at spiralling health care costs
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Thursday, February 9, 2012
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Some evidence from observation and studies seem to indicate that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Does this mean you should take an aspirin every day to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer or prevent it? Well it could be said that it would help and research seems to point to that fact. Of course it would not have to be aspirin, it could be Motrin, Advil or a host of other such over the counter type drugs.
Are researchers and doctors recommending this? No they will not go so far as to recommend you take them, unless you are perhaps in an extremely high-risk category. However the studies look to be pretty conclusive in fact go so far as to say they you reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by a little over 50%, which is a huge amount if you start to think about something so simple reducing the risks by that wide of a margin. A weekly usage and the number of years taken seemed to be the key. Too much usage can cause intestinal bleeding and that is a horrible side effect; so do not try this. But the study is interesting indeed.
Much research is continuing in the study of colorectal cancer as it kills about 56,000 Americans per year and about 145,000 are diagnosed now every year. The 20-year study was done on over 83,000 women between the ages of 30 and 55. These women who used aspirin only had a 23 percent less likelihood of colorectal cancer as opposed to those who were non-aspirin users.
While the evidence suggests a reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer from such drugs, it is probably not a good strategy to prevent colorectal cancer. You will need to do your own research and ask your doctor about such things, however this is a very interesting finding and something think about.
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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You may have recently read that due to advances in the treatment of heart disease, cancer has become the number one killer in North America. This is interesting news.
You might want to know how you can possibly prevent and fight cancer, but if you do have or even think you have cancer or any other health condition, be sure to consult your primary care physician for proper diagnoses and treatment. This article is for information purposes only.
Some steps that may help you to fight or prevent cancer.
1.Juicing is a powerful way to find health, partly because fresh juice has powerful antioxidants but also because juices contain loads of phytochemicals.
All of the plant chemicals have NOT been isolated but just remember that most of today's drugs are synthetic imitations of naturally occurring plant chemicals. There is speculation that these phytochemicals work better in the combinations that nature has produced them in.
Fresh fruit juice provides those phytochemicals to the body. In order to make fresh juice, consider getting a juicer or a A Vitamix blender.
It is a lot easier to get the health benefits of drinking a pound of carrots rather than trying to eat a pound. A pound of carrots basically makes less than a full cup of juice.
Just think about how many powerful phytochemicals you can get into your body this way.
And cabbage juice has been rumoured to lower the risk of cancer. It doesn't taste great, but so what? This may be due to a chemical that rapidly disappears after the cabbage becomes juice, so you must drink it quickly.
Vitamin U which comes from cabbage juice has been very useful to people with ulcers.
2. Antioxidants can reduce the amount of free radicals in the body. Many scientists consider that the actions of free radicals in your body may lead to cancer. Some excellent antioxidants include vitamins A,C and E, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Coenzyme Q-10 (available at health food stores or online)
3. Your mental state is important, grab a copy of Bernie Siegel's book, 'Love, Medicine and Miracles'. This book talks about patients who went into remission. Bernie believes their remissions were due to changes in their mental states. basically, by becoming more loving towards others they may have affected a change in their bodies.
4. Use Essiac Tea - which is a special blend of herbs that was used by Indians in Canada. A Canadian nurse used it to treat many cancer patients. This combination of herbs includes Turkish Rhubarb, Sheep Sorrel, Burdock Root and Slippery Elm Bark.
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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Gen Cells Cures will find the cure even if it means taking on President George Bush and the Vatican. The cure is definitely going to be found in stem cell research. When the first cure comes in from stem stem research it will have a domino effect as incurable diseases will soon vanish fom the world. Needlesss to say it is very unlikely that any stem cell cure will come from the good old USA. President Bush has frozen science in time dated back to four years ago. We simply are not going to wait for four more years to get started. I also just don't like Big Brother breathing down my neck. He has nothing to offer except red tape, detours and roadblocks. Thank God there is a world outside the United States. We have packed our bags and michroscopes and gone offshore. To find the cure we have had to adopt the motto "Have Michroscope Will Travel." Science doesn't have time for politics and religion to catch up. Nor does Gen Cells Cures have time for bureaucratic smoke and mirrors.
The money to find the cure. Where are we going to find it? President Bush has the federal piggy bank all locked up for stem cell research. Maybe George Bush is the best man for the presidency. That's what the American people believe. Ok maybe he does a good job, but for our future health he has got to get the Big F. As the 48 nobel-prize winning scientists have clearly stated to the president in a letter, he has compromised our future. Let me spell it out for you, he has shaved 8 years off our lives. Hasn't he given any thought to George and Barbara's future. I know that I worry about the advancing years of my Mom and Dad. What are we going to do? Just put our senior citizens out to pasture. Seniors have just as much right to the cure as the next guy. I hear people talk about the fact that there is no reason to extend life because there is no room for our seniors because of future over poulation. Will I disagree. How greedy can you be? I live in a third world country where I see 15 people squeezed into one room. I don't see a problem with over population. I would be happy to squeeze Mom and Dad into a little room with me if it meant they didn't have to leave this world so soon . And what about us, the baby boomers and that includes President George Bush himself. "What If" we get cancer or another deadly incurable disease. Unfortunately for many of us that "what if" has already become a nightmare of reality. Where does that leave us then? And what about the money needed to do the job?
Private research, If you want to go on living the American Dream forget the extra yaht and the private plane. I would rather take a public cruise and fly with Richard Branson's airline than die prematurely from a deadly incurable disease.Yes I am talking about investing in your own private stem cell research. Private Stem cell research for the wealthy has finally arrived. Gen Cells Cures is the only biotech in the world specializing in stem cell research for wealthy individuals. However, if you are poor and need the cure contact us anyway. One can't do much in this world without money but we'll try. Every penny invested at Gen Cell Cures goes into pure research. We don't want a beautiful new biomedical research center like the Stowers Institute from Kansas City. All we want is the cure. We will work anywhere we have to to find the cure. A rented tin shack will do just fine, but we do need the best people and the best equipment. So if you know a billionaire without a cause, please have this billionaire take a look at what we have to offer with stem cell research. You can always make another Billion but you can't buy another life. At Gen Cells Cures we will run for the cure, we will jump for the cure, we will sing with the rock band "The Cure" for the cure, in fact we will jump through hoops for the cure and most important we will work for the cure. We only lack one ingredient to find the cure and that ingredient is the money needed for the stem cell research. What's It all about? ...Finding the cure, that's what it's all about. The Cure! The Cure! The Cure!
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Sunday, February 5, 2012
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Cancer is a process that has always effected animals, it is just as common in domestic and farm animals, birds and fishes as it is in humans. Western scientific medicine has been effective in minimising infectious diseases. Many of us are living longer and cancer has almost been accepted as a normal feature of the ageing process. But statistics do not bear this out. The incidence of cancer is increasing in all age groups.
Because cancer cells take some time to grow to a stage where they are a large enough mass to be identifiable, it might be 18 months to 3 years, even 30 years before the disease is diagnosed by a doctor. By then we can be more than half-way down the path to a terminal illness. Due to our psychological make-up we are often immobilised by the news.
We tend to minimise it or deny that it has happened to us. We get depressed. 'Why me?' A cycle of immobilisation - minimisation - depression often occurs. Those who do break out of it and manage to accept the reality start testing for options, often 'against the clock' find out that cancer is an awesome and complex subject providing a great example of opening a 'whole can of worms'. Information overload, specialist language, ignorance of alternatives, vested interest, lack of co-operation, paradigm gaps, lack of access to specific information or treatment and a host of barriers such as language translation exist that prevent understanding the problem let alone the latest research.
Since an allopathic doctor (Western surgical doctor) is generally the first point of contact for this dis-ease, cancer is mostly treated only with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and more recent biological breakthroughs in hormone treatment. Despite billions spent on research these are basically the same options we had fifty years ago. Essentially the basic treatment of cancer has not changed for many years.
Orthodox treatments for cancer can be brutal and expensive but in the face of scientific medical evidence are the best we have. Solid information on alternatives is confusing, contradictory, unproved and unsupported by current medical models. Many medical doctors view alternatives or complementary approaches with doubt. Those that do endorse them do so mainly because they might enhance the patients quality of life or contribute to palliative care (palliative: 'relieving pain or alleviating a problem without dealing with the cause').
Many complementary and alternative practitioners point out that allopathic cancer treatments are only palliative because they treat effects without looking at causes. An example is using pain killers to take away a headache. Although it is highly useful and very convenient it is no guarantee that the headache won't re-occur. Similarly the orthodox treatment of cancer is more concerned with treating the dis-ease than the patient.
How does it start?
In cancer, a cell, or group of cells, loses touch with where it is in the scheme of things, its 'synergy', and starts replicating for itself. The word synergy comes from the Greek 'sunergos', meaning 'working together'. Synergy is the interaction of two or more agents, that produces an combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects, in this case - us. All the cells in a healthy body work together to give us life. They exist as unique individual cells in their own right but also have a higher function, contributing to the life-form of which they are part. Every one of the two thousand billion cells in our bodies has as many working parts as a passenger airliner so it is quite usual for some of these cells to suffer damage.
We all have the potential for cancer. Even a healthy body carries about 10,000 malignant cells and a fully functioning immune system will remove them. But what do cells 'get' that change them, click them out of the whole system of our body to become selfish and self-replicating?
Some doctors refer to this simply as 'insult'. What happens when you insult a cell so often it gets upset? Just like you or I might do - it gives up on the host and sets out for itself. Our consumer culture is presently rich in ways for us to insult our cells and stress them without us even realising.
The growth begins when oncogenes (controlling cell growth and multiplication) in a cell or group of cells are 'transformed' by carcinogens. Cell insult often starts with 'free radicals', which are unstable atoms or molecules produced by the body as part of its natural defence against disease. Sometimes the body over-reacts in its production of these and produces more than it needs. Recognised stressors that can spark overproduction include cigarette smoke, smog or pollution, too much ultraviolet light, illness or even too much exercise!
Free radicals contain a negative charge that makes them highly reactive. As soon as they are produced they start looking for other molecules with positively charged particles. The reaction they have on meeting is called oxidisation, and this reaction can have a harmful effect, damaging the D.N.A. inside cells or cell membranes and opening the door for cancer.
When a cell is changed into a tumour-forming type, the change in its oncogenes is passed onto all offspring cells. Hence a small group can become established and then start dividing rapidly. Usually these cells 'give up' on their normal specialised task in the body and escape from normal controls such as bodily hormones and nerves.
Cancer has no regard for the condition of its host only the success of its own growth, it is 'anti-synergistic' and a parasite to the body, consuming nutrients and contributing nothing. It converts the energies around it to its own use and blocks any attacks by suppressing the body's own immunity. This immunity self-attack is an emerging pattern in modern diseases.
Cancer cells interact with each other and cells around them. They affect the growth of cells nearby and elsewhere in the body, they change the immune system to benefit themselves, they can avoid or destroy normal body defences such as lymphocytes. They can even persuade the body to grow new blood vessels to feed a tumour.
Cancer cells move seemingly 'at will' around the body, dissolving the glue of healthy cell walls to pass through and set-up camp elsewhere, creating metastases (secondary growths) seemingly anywhere. It is a highly complex disease with over a hundred definable types and many variables within each.
Cancer is a form of chaos that grows inside us. It is no wonder this most frightening and mysterious of diseases is immortalised in the 'dreaming mechanisms' of our media. Movies such as the Alien series capitalise on our fears of something unknown and unwanted growing inside us.
Cell insult happens in a number of ways and if the right conditions for cancer exist it will start to grow through cell multiplication. Once the cancer growth gets going, and the conditions that engendered it are still present, the growth continues at various rates, depending on the host and what they provide. Cancer grows best in an P.H. acid body with lots of glucose, oxygen and easily accessible nutrients.
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Friday, February 3, 2012
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Your alternative breakthrough treatment for prostate cancer is to follow the encouraging example of John Fox. He has shown the way for baby boomers to respond proactively to the dreaded diagnosis and beat it with a combination of techniques.
Active Personal Internet Research on Alternative Treatments
In 2003 John Fox received the diagnosis no baby boomer wants to hear. Prostate cancer. John's first technique was determination to use the Internet to get the information needed to make informed decisions about the intervention needed to rid his body of this unwanted visitor.
Once the traditional intevention had been presented by his urologist he decided he didn't want the side effects of incontinence and impotence.
His Internet research revealed a little known technique called LRPS. John discovered laproscopic radical prostatectomy is a precision micro surgery procedure. What impressed this baby boomer most was the patient recovery period was only a fraction of other traditional methods. Better still the likelihood of incontinence and impotence was greatly reduced.
Never Give Up
At this stage John had become a highly motivated researcher on prostate cancer interventions.
He made two more discoveries because of his "digging down." He found the ideal doctor living less than a half hour drive from his New Jersey home.
The second discovery was this doctor had developed an improved system for LRPS treatment. It uses robotics for high level of surgical precision.
John's treatment saw him out of hospital the day after surgery and total recovery time was less than four weeks.
You can be blessed by this breakthrough treatment for prostate cancer. Embrace John's belief that your personal Internet research is able to help you find the best alternative treatment by a leading urologist (the name of John's is Doctor Michael Esposito) using the latest technology.
Copyright 2005 Kenneth Little
source : ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Thursday, February 2, 2012
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I have just spent a delightful two weeks with my sister, Joy. Joy is the strong, energetic type who enjoyed a daily run before starting her teaching job. She had recovered well from a total mastectomy due to breast cancer twenty three years ago, and for the last two years had been having regular check ups for polyps in the bowel.
While running early one morning, she noted her foot was hurting. It was still troubling her several days later, so she decided to make an appointment with her doctor. The doctor examined her foot and suggested it would be a good idea to have a routine blood test.
This showed that Joy was anemic, which prompted the Doctor to do a colonoscopy. Wilma's other sister rang with the disturbing news! The colonoscopy revealed Joy had colon cancer and faced the difficult decision to have the whole bowel, or a major part of the bowel removed.
Six weeks after surgery and in between chemotherapy, Joy came to me to recover. "I am going to enjoy every day," she said. "This has made me appreciate life, as none of us know what is in the future." And enjoy every day we did! During our bush walks the birds seemed to sing louder and sweeter, the moss appeared greener, the trees bigger. To Joy, the mountains were awesome, and the walk along the beach with the feel of the sand between her toes and the clear blue water were described as, 'just beautiful'.
Joy praises God for every new day
As nature came alive and Joy took on a new appreciation of it, I was drawn to this thought for the week.
"When men invented flying machines they were noisy, but God made songbirds so they could sing the purest music on earth! (Genesis chapter 1, verse 21)
The sophisticated song mechanism of birds leaves scientists speechless. Birds are such skilled musicians that it often requires someone with a degree in music to fully appreciate their brilliance. Nightingales can have a repertoire of 300 songs stored in their brains! They will often sing 70 songs before they repeat the repertoire again with perfect accuracy. Many birds have 'absolute pitch', meaning that they can determine exactly what key they sing in without reference to anything like a tuning fork!
Some birds can perform antiphonal singing where two birds alternate notes in a song. This requires knowledge of the duet by both partners and split second timing in the execution of the duet. When human beings do this it's considered very skillful and impressive yet birds can accomplish it easily! Since man-made music has an intelligent composer, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that birdsong has an intelligent, divine Composer.
Article Source: ezinearticles
Posted by Asbestos Poot
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer. Every year it kills more than 30,000 American males.
There are two different types of the cancer - an aggressive and deadly one and the other a slower-growing and less harmful one. Making possible prostate cancer detection and its severity anticipation is the way to save thousands of men a year from surgery (treatment) they don't need. The big problem is not the surgery itself, but the situation they will face the side effects of that treatment such as impotence, bladder control troubles and possible worst conditions.
To be able for this performance, doctors use varying techniques. The newest methods involve 3-D mapping, a biopsy method in which a grid is placed over the prostate to evaluate the amount of cancer and its precise location. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) is another possibility to detect the severity of prostate cancer. Because PSA can reveal how quickly the cancer changes over time, specialists hope that they will be soon able to anticipate the more aggressive form of prostate cancer.
In the context of accuracy, more typical methods have recently been the subject of debate. One of panel conclusion was that the still standard biopsy helps doctors determine whether cancer is present.
Prostate cancer patients should be very interested in doctor's abilities and methods to determine the severity of their illness. They need a right evaluation of stage and progression of cancer as more men die with prostate cancer than of it.
source : ezinearticles
