Cancer Protect

Who would have thought that someone healed from cancer would still have pain years later?

Ten years ago, Gerty was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph system. She received cancer treatment that included chemotherapy and had pain in her back ever since. She didn't know what to do about it and told herself she was happy to be alive and went on through life, enduring the 'cancer pain'.

Did you know that statistics report that 30-45% of people with a cancer diagnosis experience moderate to severe 'cancer pain'? The incidence increases to 70 to 90% for those with advanced cancer. Studies show that even cancer survivors of 10 years or more are still suffering from 'cancer pain' including back and neck pain, just like what happened to Gerty.

What are the options for someone in such pain?

There's always Vicodin. Gerty, like many others, was prescribed Vicodin that she used regularly. The problem was that as time went on, the pain really didn't decrease much and she found herself dependent on it for the little pain control she received for the cancer pain. And even medical doctors report that the more prescription drugs a person takes, the lower the quality of a person's life.

Until recently there have been few options for the relief of cancer pain. Although there are herbs and herbal combinations that have been created for building muscles, recovery from illnesses, eliminate infections, and stress relief herbs, the formulas on the market for natural pain relief made from herbs is limited to ones using predominantly arnica. However, arnica is not potent enough to relieve cancer pain.

One company took the problem to heart and started researching what really could be done to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. With a strong herbal research background, they knew that if they combined enough of the right herbs together in the right dosages, they could eventually assist people in the natural pain relief with herbs for cancer pain. Cancer fighting herbs take the form of herbs that boost the immune system, increase the body's detoxification ability, support the body by providing nutrients; why not herbs that fought against cancer pain?

After much research, the scientists created a formula of 14 different herbs that resulted in cancer pain relief for those with mild to moderate pain. Some of those herbs include red sage, red peony, notoginseng root, white peony, cnidium and lotus node. The reasons why cancer pain is decreased becomes obvious when one reviews the actions of the natural herbs themselves.

Notoginseng helps control bleeding and reduces swelling and pain. Whenever any area of the body swells, there is pain because pressure and pain receptors send pain messages to the brain. That's when we start to perceive the pain. For example, did you ever sprain your ankle? How much pain did you have from that injury? The swelling from the tissue damage contributes to the amount of pain you feel. In cancer patients, the pain can be from tissue damage as bones, muscles, and organs are destroyed by the cancer.

Red sage is used to treat abdominal pain and pain from stagnant blood. Red peony is a specific Chinese herb used for abdominal pain, rib pain, hernia, swelling and produces a tranquilizing effect. White peony is an herb that is specifically used by Chinese herbalists for pain in the chest, abdomen and ribs.

Cnidium is an interesting herb because it is known for its ability to control pain, improve blood circulation and promote the flow of life energy throughout the body. The herb contains the active ingredient ferulic acid which may contribute to its effectiveness in treating cancer pain. Cnidium has been used traditionally to treat headache, abdominal pain, and menstrual disorders.

The herbal gurus then found that not only did the combination of herbs help diminish cancer pain, but also it was quite effective for nerve pain, pain in the muscles and bones, migraine headache pain, stomach ache pain, and PMS pain. They ended up achieving their goal, that of natural pain relief using herbs, for pain.

If you are experiencing cancer pain or watching one of your loved ones experience pain, it's good to know that now there is the possibility of relief from the world of all natural herbs.

Astragalus is a very sweet-tasting herb found to be high in silicon, zinc, magnesium, and iron.

It's possible that the bitterness of a diagnosis of cancer can be relieved with the sweetness of this Chinese herb that has been used medicinally for thousands of years. One of the properties of Astragalus is that it enhances the body's natural defense mechanisms.

Scientists have discovered that the antioxidant, antiviral, and immune modulator activity of Astragalus are primary ways that the all natural herb helps alleviate the negative side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Immune modulators are substances that affect the immune system in some way to make it more active. By using immune modulators, a cancer patient on chemotherapy feels less toxic side effects and experiences a greater quality of life.

The big problem with chemotherapy is that it depresses the immune system, leaving cancer patients prone to infections that can become opportunistic. By using immune system modulators, such as the herb Astragalus, a cancer patient can become less prone to infections.

Herbalists consider Astragalus an herb great for not only the immune system, but also helpful as an adaptogen. An adaptogen helps the body adapt well to external circumstances, encouraging the system to function correctly.

The Research Studies Show Positive Benefits

One clinical study of 115 patients receiving various forms of chemotherapy found 83% higher white blood cell counts from the use of Astragalus, exactly what is needed to fight the battle of cancer. When white blood cell counts are higher, then it is possible to strongly ward off infections.

In another study, Astragalus was added to a petri dish containing white blood cells and tumor cells. The white blood cells began attacking the tumor cells. This is an important finding because tumor cells usually produce chemicals that turn off the white blood cells' ability to attack tumors. Astragalus clearly helps the white blood cells become faster and more efficient at fighting the tumor cells.

One study showed that lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy who were given Astragalus improved their overall response rate to all four treatments. In another study, patients with small cell lung cancer who took standard chemotherapy drugs like vincristine, carmustine and cyclophosphamide along with Astragalus and ginseng survived as long as 17 years from the combined therapy.

Astragalus was also found to stop the spread of cancers known to respond to the p53 gene, a tumor-suppressing gene that keeps defective cells from multiplying.

The fact that Astragalus is helpful, either with or without chemotherapy, makes this sweet-tasting herb an herb that should be considered in many cancer cases. If the toxic side effects of chemotherapy can be lessened by the addition of a simple herb, why not consider it?

Herbalists are finding though that the mixture of several herbs together, one of them Astragalus, can make even more impact than with Astragalus by itself! It's exciting research that will only benefit chemotherapy patients who wish to add an all natural approach to cancer treatment.

Trivial findings are immense in the scientific community, especially in the field of oncology. Much emphasis is aimed at building upon previous laboratory discoveries; let's use the treatment of cancer as a broad example. As many of you know, it is now common to combine independently discovered chemotherapy treatments, with or without radiation and/or surgical intervention. The heart of cancer breakthroughs have stemmed from this methodical combination. In recent news, a new and stirring foundation for future therapeutic combinations has surfaced.

The discovery can be attributed to vigilant scrutiny of biological processes within the tumor cell. The review, in the March issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, focuses on a specialty known as epigenetics. Epigenetics is associated with inheritable disparity in gene expression while retaining the same base sequence of DNA. This essentially allows the cells, while stably maintaining the same DNA sequence, to assume different characteristics. Epigenetics is most commonly associated with x-chromosome inactivation in females, gene silencing, and post-transcriptional modification of amino acids.

Tumor cells are identifiable by numerous intracellular processes. For relevance and simplicity, I will only briefly discuss DNA methylation. Epigenetic processes can be marked by this methylation, which is vital to proper cellular function. Upon observing a metastatic tumor cell, one would find an increasing degree of hypomethylation as the tumor became more invasive. The actual comparison of DNA methylation (normal cells) and hypomethylation (tumor cells) was originally observed in 1983 during the research of colon cancer. Dr. Manel Esteller, who authored the more recent review, explained that the tumor cells were in a DNA methylation paradox depending on the location of the nucleic acid in question. The varying locations of DNA methylation directly contribute to the disturbance of chromosomes, or mutations, and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, hence the abnormal behavior of tumor cells. How can this be related to future treatment options though?

Methylation can actually predict one's response to therapeutic treatment via protein analyzation. The targeted protein is MGMT, also known as O6-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase, which is known to be significant in DNA repair. Observing MGMT for its degree of methylation allows the scientist a unique look at their prognosis with respect to certain DNA damaging drugs. For example: if MGMT is found to be hypermethylated, one can deduce the benefit of introducing DNA damaging drugs because the tumor cell will not be able to repair the DNA, leading to its death.

In conclusion, epigenetic markers can provide great insight into the potential of certain chemotherapeutic treatments: stepping away from mere protocol steps and into more individualized medicine. After all, it is the building upon minute discoveries and postulated treatments that will lead to the next breakthrough in cancer treatment.

Cancer is talked about more and more each day. Everyone probably knows someone who has or had cancer. It is something that can devastate an entire family. It takes a lot to battle it and even hearing words like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can make a person feel worse. This has resulted in millions of dollars in researching alternative cancer treatments. There are several options available to a patient if he or she doesn't want to use the normal but yet toxic methods to battle the illness.

The fact of the matter is that tradition cancer methods are both expensive and can be harmful to the body and often leaves the patient feeling terrible and weak. There are certain alternative ways to fight cancer that are being tested. One of the main ones is homeopathy. With homeopathy, trace amounts of the harmful cancer causing agents are introduced in the body in an attempt to trigger the body to defend against the harmful agents.

Physical touch methods are also being looked at as possible options in cancer treatments. Acupuncture falls under this method. The basis of acupuncture is putting needles in key spots on the body that unclog "flows of energy" in the body in hopes to balance it. Although it isn't proven to be a cancer remedy, it is known to reduce pain. Along the same lines, chiropractic therapy is known to boost the immune system of someone who is battling cancer. Massages are another physical touch method, but again it is mainly used to relieve pain and help a cancer patient to relax.

Possible one of the most talked about natural cancer treatments is nutritional therapy. It's a known fact that eating a healthy diet can be the difference between a healthy and non-healthy person. However, aside from keeping your body healthy, there are some foods that are known to prevent and cure certain types of cancer like breast cancer. These cancer-battling agents are often found in fruits like berries and pomegranates.

Natural cancer remedies are being utilized by many cancer sufferers, either as a sole treatment, or as an adjunct to traditional remedies . If you would like to read more about avoiding and treating cancer in a non-toxic way, then read on.

The main problem with the current system

Heres one of the key issues for most people: If you need to unearth genuine alternative cancer treatments , many traditional doctors will not help you determine which of the alternative cancer treatments to take. In fact, some doctors are highly skilled at talking patients out of using alternative cancer treatments.

Body's natural defense's

Your immune system is comprised of mainly fast-growing cells. This is precisely the sort of cells that traditional chemotherapy targets. The worst action to take when you are unwell is to attack your immune system. Your immune system is designed to destroy foreign entities. If the immune system can be augmented enough to clear out toxins, the cause of the cancer, the toxins can be removed quickly. So strengthening the immune system can stop new cancer cells from growing, but much more than immune system strengthening is needed to overcome cancer.

Toxic

As you might suspect, the medical industry studies on orthodox therapies do not uncover any issues with orthodox cancer therapies (how can you find an issue by comparing the old toxic sludge with the "new" toxic sludge). Theres promising new methods of treating cancer in a non-toxic, alternative and often inexpensive manner. The food we eat is beginning to be highlighted as a key contributor to cancer. For the top 10 reasons to look at traditional cancer therapies critically, click here.

Reduce risk

It can be fast to learn straightforward techniques to lower your risk of getting of cancer. Researchers interviewed 1,866 women aged 20 to 75 in Mexico City about their diets and found that breast cancer incidences rose with carbohydrate consumption. Women who ate the most carbohydrates had over double the chances of suffering from breast cancer compared to women who ate the least amount of carbohydrates. However, Walter Willet, MD, MPH, DrPH, of the Harvard School of Public Health, says that we shouldn't jump to conclusions and that more research is needed. For other simple steps you can take to lower your risk of getting cancer or increasing your chances of beating it, you can check my blog.

What exactly is successful? There are so many definitions when it comes to success; probably as many definitions as there are people. One's idea of success may be to have a billion dollars while another's may be to have safe drinking water. The difference in medical success for cancer treatment is probably just as vast in scope as these are. If you have gone through cancer treatment, you may have a different outlook on success than someone who doesn't even know where the hospitals in Illinois are located, let alone where you can get specific treatment for prostate cancer. You can bet someone who has had prostate cancer and lives in Illinois can probably tell you not only what is offered in the various hospitals in Illinois but also what is offered in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and maybe even nationally. They may even be able to tell you the different techniques offered at the different cancer centers.

One such technique they will probably have heard about is the one offered at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee Illinois. It's state of the art and will probably cause you to pause when you hear what it is. It's a robot that assists the doctors in an operation called a da Vinci™ Prostatectomy. That's right; you can now have a robot operate on you, along with extremely skilled doctors, to remove the cancer from your prostate. Of course, it doesn't do anything by itself; it is dependent entirely on the surgeon operating it. It just provides the surgeon a more precise, less invasive way to do the same thing he/she could do without it. Just like any robot, it is only as smart as the person who is operating it or who programmed it, only this one can't be programmed. A robot offers a precise repeatable movement that also magnifies the view of the surgical area, decreases the likelihood of damaging delicate nerves and tissues and, since it uses a tiny incision, it reduces blood loss, pain, infection and scarring. Now that would probably fall into the definition of success in anybody's book that has to go through this type of surgery.

Another view of success would be "less is more" when it comes to radiation for cancer treatment. For those who have been through radiation treatment, you know it is not the burning and destruction of the tumor or cancer cells that is painful and sometimes debilitating, it is the destruction of the healthy cells around the tumor. With the latest in technology offered at one of the leading hospitals in the Chicago area it is possible now to get the most concentrated beam of radiation to your tumor without taking out the cells surrounding it. At Riverside they have the Varian 21 EX Linear Accelerator to deliver Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). That means they can deliver a beam with greater precision and accuracy to just the tumor, reducing the incidence of side effects. For those who are getting radiation to the neck and head, that can mean a great deal in your quality of life after treatment. For anybody who is getting radiation treatments, it can change your viewpoint on your definition of success.

What do you think is the No. 1 health concern among Americans today. You guessed it Cancer! The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) states that Americans believe cancer and other diseases are impossible to prevent and blame factors they cannot control.

I find this fatalistic mindset upsetting. I know many who have lived an intentional life of wellness and have experienced health and long life. There is also ample research that links cancer risk to things we can control , such as diet, physical activity and weight gain.

The World Cancer Research Fund and (AICR) issued an encouraging report titled: Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. A few of their findings:

1. Excess body fat increases the risk of many forms of cancer including pancreas, colon, kidney, endometrium, and postmemopausal breast cancer. The report urges us to limit our intake of processed foods especially those high in sugar and fat and low in fiber. We are urged to consume five or more servings of vegetables and fruits daily and involve ourselves in physical activity at least 30 minutes daily.

2. Red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer: Researchers recommend limiting consumption to 18 onces (cooked) per week. I believe it is important to reduce red meat consumption to less than 3 ounces. month and continue reducing the amount until you are rarely consuming red meat. Researchers say beyond the 18 ounces every 1.7 ounces or red meat you consume daily increases your cancer risk by 15 percent. Highly discouraged are process meats such as ham, bacon, sausage, and lunch meat and for every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed per day you increase your risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent. This is not on the front page of your local newspaper because of the money behind the meat. We must take this seriously if we expect to stay healthy and improve the health of our country. Send this article to others you care about.

3. Alcohol is linked to many cancers as well in both men and women. The panel recommended limiting rather than avoiding consumption of alcohol because small amounts of alcohol can protect against heart disease. Research has shown there are many beneficial fruits and vegetables that provide the same benefits of wine and it is unnecessary to include the risk of regular alcohol consumption in order to protect our hearts.

These are a few of the many things we all have control over. Start today improving your dietary choices and experience a life of long health and options. Making lifestyle choices that reduce your health risk are no guarantee but this and other research is showing we can do a whole lot to improve our risk factor.

I will agree these choices require personal commitment and follow threw that require dedication. Everyone is not committed to the work until the diagnosis is brought down. I have talked to many individuals diagnosed with cancer and they all say they knew they could have made better choices but just did not do it.

Today if you do not have cancer or some other degenerative disease such as heart disease, liver disease or hardening of the arteries you have options and you are still in control. Knowing what is right is only one step in the process. Having a reason to live comes before knowledge so your first step is your personal reason.

I wanted to be healthy and raise healthy children 30 years ago when I choose to commit to life long health. I wanted to feel good and free to live a long life of joy and contribution. That is how I am wired. How are you wired? What motivates you? What would you like to do?

I read all that was available at the time and went out searching for answers to health and wellness. This knowledge is not new it is easier to find these days so why do we have so many falling to disease?

Find you inspiration, make you plans, commit to a lifelong goal and find a supportive group of friends to journey through life with. There are health supportive groups is most cities and on line forums as well. It is said we must finish the race, fight a good fight and stay the course. A life of health and wellness is necessary if you want any other pleasures of life.