Stage-Three Breast Cancer
July 28, 2008
Getting diagnosed with breast cancer itself is a huge shock. And on top of it if you come to know it’s the third stage of the disease, it is sure to freak you out. But do not panic, it is not as out of hand situation as you are likely to visualize. True that when cancer inflicts, it is not only your body, that is effected, but also your mind, body and spirit. Today’s research and development has made it possible for women with third stage cancer, to treat themselves.
Avoid tension
Half of the disease aggravates because women tend to get too emotionally weak and get hyper tensed as soon as they hear their diagnosis. What is needed is to hold on to your nerves. You need to understand that the treatment requires a number of tough decisions to be taken and this will require sheer will power and determination to come out of the situation.
Panic and anxiety is not going to help you in any way. So deal with what has happened, face it and go about the resolution. Go to your gynecologist or a breast cancer clinic, once your diagnosis is confirmed and get a complete updation on your current state of disease and the options of treatment. Every stage three cancer is not treated in the same manner. The treatment is given according to needs and your specific condition.
Staging
Generally the breast cancer stages are divided into four parts. The first three stages are known as the primary breast cancer. This indicates that the cancer has not yet spread to other parts of the body. In the third stage particularly, the tumor obviously outgrows its second stage size. The tumor usually measures more than 5cms across. The difference from stage-two breast cancer is that, herein even the armpit lymph nodes get affected.
Reaching the stage-three breast cancer level is a matter of serious consideration. Any kind of delay or neglect on your part will prove to be fatal. Primarily, you need to undergo various tests like biopsy, clinical breast exam, chest X-ray, mammogram, bone scans, CT scan and MRI scan. Blood test is done usually to know the woman’s overall health and to see if the cancer has spread through he blood stream or no.
Treatment options
As said earlier a lot of options have been invented for breast cancer treatment. Certain ways are as mentioned below:
· Surgery
· Radiation therapy
· Chemotherapy
· Hormone therapy
· Complementary therapies: include nutritional support, naturopathic medicine, mind and body counseling, acupuncture, spiritual support and much more.
Choosing from any of the therapies mentioned above will definitely provide you with complete cancer treatment care. Remember to be calm and think practically and logically. You are not alone in such a situation. There have been many who have come across the same and come through to it.
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Stage 4 Lung Cancer – The Terminal Stage
July 27, 2008
Cancer is a disease that sends a chill down people’s spine. But the gravity and seriousness of the disease depends completely on the stage in which the cancer is. The stages are basically divided into stage 1, 2, 3 and 4. The gravity increases along with each stage and the treatment too differs along with each stage. The first three stages have sub stages A and B, but the fourth stage does not have them.
Now what do these stages exactly mean? Well, if the lung cancer is in the first stage, then it is localized and while if it is in the second, third or fourth stage, the cancer has spread. The level or the extent of the spread is more with each stage.
Characteristics Stage 4 of the lung cancer
Following are some of the characteristics of the stage 4 of the lung cancer –
• The cancer is no more localized and it has spread up to the nodes on other side of the chest and probably above the collarbone.
• There is more than one tumor in the affected lobes of lobe of the lung.
• Malignant pleural effusion – There is fluid around the lungs that basically contains the cancerous cells.
• The tumor has grown into another important structure of the chest apart from the lungs. It may be the heart of the esophagus.
• The cancer may have spread to any other part of the body like the bones or the kidneys or the liver.
Thus these are basically the characteristics that can determine the stage of the lung cancer. It is possible to get to know the stage by doing a few specialized tests, but in many cases people have to go through operations, to be completely sure of it.
Treatment for people suffering from stage 4 lung cancer
There are many options that can be used to treat stage 4 lung cancer patients. Following are some of the possible treatments that you can use –
1. Chemotherapy is one of the most popular options used.
2. Radiotherapy.
3. Chemotherapy along with comfort care
4. Comfort care only.
Though all these are options that are available, it is found out that if only comfort care is used, the patient is likely to suffer less and the chances of survival are more. Although survival is very less, the toxic effects of chemotherapy are likely to give a lot of prior death problems like nausea and unendurable pain. Alternative medicine like Ayurveda and Naturopathy, reiki etc have also become popular these days, as they are known to have soothing effects.
Thus it is recommended that pain management and comfort care are the options that can be put to best use, for patients suffering from the stage 4 of lung cancer.
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Acupuncture For Arthritis
July 27, 2008
Acupuncture has become one of the most popular and accepted as unconventional therapies. An estimated 15 million people have tried this needle therapy. It is offered in many chronic pain clinics and is covered by some insurers and managed heath organizations too. The World Health Organization recommends it for more than 40 conditions as diverse as asthma and chronic arthritis pain. Many experts have found acupuncture to be an acceptable treatment for many pain conditions, including fibromyalgia and general arthritis pain. It usually does not hurt after an initial pinch or sting. So it is no surprise that some hematologists are suggesting acupuncture, along with more conventional treatments to their arthritis patients and a few even give acupuncture treatments themselves.
How it is performed:
Acupuncture is the use of fine needles inserted into the skin at accurate points. It originated in China thousands of years ago and is based on the theory that an essential life energy called qi which means soul, flows through the body along invisible channels, called meridians. When the flow of qi is blocked or goes out of balance, illness or pain results. Stimulation of particular points along the meridians can accurate the flow of qi to restore or optimize health or to block pain.
How acupressure works for arthritis?
Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the belief that an essential life force called soul or qi flows through the body along channels called meridians. These meridians are like rivers that watering the body and nourish its tissues. Any obstruction along one of the meridians is like a dam that blocks the essential energy flow, creating pain and disease.
The incorporation or insertion of hair-thin needles into specific points along the meridians is thought to help unblock the blocked energy channels. There are more than 2,000 points on the body. Some practitioners use heat, pressure, friction, suction or electrical impulses along with or instead of the usual needles but the goal is always the same that is to stimulate these points. If meridians exist, scientists have found it hard to locate them. They do not correspond to the pathways of the nervous or circulatory system. That does not mean that acupressure does not work. There have been numerous studies of the therapy’s effectiveness but many have been limited by poor design or small size of the needle. When it comes to arthritis pain relief, statement from the National Institutes of Health listed several conditions, including osteoarthritis for which acupuncture is very useful when combined with standard medical care.
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Acupressure For Arthritis
July 27, 2008
Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing method, which involves applying pressure to certain meridian points on the body to relieve pain. The human body has fourteen meridians that carry energy throughout the body. These meridians start at the fingertips and connect to the brain and then connect to the organ associated with the specific meridian. Acupressure is the most effective method for self-treatment of tension-related ailments by using the control and warmth of the human hand. Acupressure deals with all the aspects of a person as a whole body, emotions, mind and spirit as one and not as separate parts. It relaxes muscular tension and balances the essential life forces of the body.
Alternative therapy for arthritis
Acupressure is a very exclusive form of treatment that individuals may seek as an alternative therapy for arthritis traditional treatments. Many individuals often use acupressure paired with an alternative medicine to relieve the symptoms. Acupressure by itself can be a successful treatment for arthritis. Depending on the actual center of the pain, various pressure points on the body can be used to soothe those pains. The pressure point that exists between the thumb and forefinger is often a helpful point to get relief. Individuals that suffer from arthritis or any form of this unbearable disease often have pain in the hands, fingers, elbows and neck. These areas can be affected by applying pressure between the thumb and forefinger. Other points that are affective in acupressure include the point right below the knee, one between the big and second toes and another point that can be found between the fourth and last toes. These points are more helpful in alleviating pain in the legs and feet. Alternative therapies like acupressure help individuals cope with the pain when arthritis alternative medicine or other treatments may not be enough. Seeking therapies can often be helpful in finding relief from pain and suffering. Acupressure is sometimes a source of help and hope for individuals living with this painful condition. As alternative therapies for arthritis, this treatment can be done anywhere, anytime and with little effort. When conventional options for treatment fail or are not enough, herbs are often considered to be a good form of medicine. Acupressure can provide many options for pain relief and care.
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Alzheimer’’s and Drugs: Exploring Treatment Options
July 27, 2008
Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating brain disease that scientists find difficult not only to understand but also to treat. By studying the effects of the disease process in Alzheimer’s patients’ brains—a combination of plaques between neurons and tangles within neurons—scientists are able to experiment with a variety of drugs to slow the damage to the brain and to improve the quality and duration of patients’ lives. The effectiveness of drugs for a person with Alzheimer’s disease, however, is debatable, and a cure remains as elusive as the cause.
The most widely used and the only FDA-approved group of drugs for a person with Alzheimer’s disease involve a chemical compound called acetylcholine, which is important for the functioning of neurons in the brain. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease are found to have low levels of acetylcholine, so drugs such as Aricept, Exelon, and Reminyl attempt to inhibit the production of the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase, which eats away at healthy acetylcholine. Debate rages about just how effective the drugs are at improving cognitive functioning and slowing impairment because some patients with other serious health problems were not included in the studies on the drugs. Also, the drugs can have some unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, so they have to be administered to patients in slowly increasing amounts over a period of time. Studies have found, though, that, in as many as twenty percent of Alzheimer’s patients taking acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, cognitive impairment is slowed by as much as a year, offering patients and their families precious time.
Several other types of drugs for a person with Alzheimer’s disease are being researched, but their effectiveness, by and large, has not been supported by studies. For example, vitamin E and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, have been thought to combat the damaging effects of inflammation associated with plaque in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. While not enough evidence exists for either one being an effective treatment for a person with Alzheimer’s disease, NSAIDs have been found to offer some protection. Another potential preventative drug is estrogen, a hormone often taken by postmenopausal women, which has been found to keep the brain healthier and younger by increasing cerebral metabolism. While studies show that estrogen can decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the hormone, when combined with the hormone progestin, has been linked to a greater incidence of cardiovascular problems, such as strokes; therefore, estrogen is not recommended as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. Ginkgo biloba, a popular plant extract associated with improving brain function, has also been found to have dangerous side effects, so, despite studies which show it as a mildly effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, it is not recommended for patients.
Finally, selegiline, which is a type of antidepressant, has been studied as a potential treatment for some of the effects of Alzheimer’s, such as certain behaviors and moods, but research is not supportive enough for scientists to endorse it. In the end, while researchers have found some drugs to be more effective that other drugs for a person with Alzheimer’s disease, patients and their families must make their own decisions regarding treatment options.
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Diagnostic Tests for Lung Cancer Part II
July 27, 2008
X-rays, CAT scans and even PET scans can only indicate that there are conditions suspicious of a cancer diagnosis. In order to definitely diagnose lung cancer, a pathologist must confirm the diagnosis by examining a tissue sample and finding cancerous cells in it. The simplest and least expensive tissue test is a sputum analysis (sputum cytography). Unfortunately, it’s not the most reliable of tests, and can give both false positive and false negative results. There are a number of other tests that a pathologist can do to confirm or discard a diagnosis of lung cancer.
Bronchoscopy
Bronchoscopy can be performed on a same-day, outpatient basis. The procedure, carried out by a pulmonologist or a surgeon, involves inserting a thin probe through a tube into the airways. The probe can then be used to visualize the tumor, and to scrape or draw a tissue sample from it. A bronchoscopy can be used if the tumor is in the central portion of the lungs or one of the larger airways. If a tumor is found and a large enough sample of tissue can be extracted, it’s usually possible to get an accurate diagnosis.
Fine Needle Aspiration
When the tumor is not accessible using bronchoscopy, fine needle aspiration, also known as a needle biopsy, may be used instead. A fine needle is inserted through the skin and into the lung, and a sample of cells is drawn up to be examined beneath a microscope. That sample will be examined for the presence of cancerous cells.The error margin for fine needle aspiration is low, but significant as there is a chance that the sample will be taken from an area adjacent to the tumor rather than from the tumor itself.
Thoracentesis
When the cancer involves the lining of the lungs – the pleura – sometimes fluid collects between the lungs and the chest wall. A sample of this fluid may be drawn with a fine needle as in a needle biopsy. Examination of the fluid sample may reveal the presence of cancerous cells.
Mediastinoscopy
Sometimes it’s not possible to obtain a sample without major surgery. A mediastinoscopy involves inserting a probe surgically into the cavity between the lungs and removing a tissue sample for biopsy. Thoracotomy is the opening of the chest wall surgically to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Obviously, both carry the risks of major surgery.
Blood Tests
While blood tests aren’t used to give a definite diagnosis of lung cancer, they may reveal abnormalities that are often associated with cancer. For instance, if cancer has metastasized to the bones there may be elevated levels of calcium in the blood. Other types of cancer are often accompanied by a rise in certain hormones in the blood. .Once a diagnosis of lung cancer is definite, the options for treatment include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as combinations of the three. The exact treatment recommended will be based on the stage at which the cancer is detected and other factors, including your own wishes.
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Blood Pressure And Weak Respiratory Muscles
July 27, 2008
There is a lot of evidence there is some association between a person’’s blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles. Respiration in the lungs has a concrete influence over the development of the pressure in blood vessels of the body, and the oxygen delivered during respiratory activities affect the receptors in the body regions. This means the rate of respiration may become influenced.If there is weakness in the respiratory act (basically problems with breathing), the blood pressure may become affected. For example if person encounters pathogenic effects of pulmonary infections like pneumothorax, the blood pressure within the blood vessels becomes affected and the blood pressure may decrease down to dangerous levels.
If a person with unbalanced pulmonary functions is given a general anesthesia, the blood pressure may drastically reduce particularly during the stages of deeper anesthesia. This can be a life threatening situation and should be carefully monitored during anesthesia.Since there is a dependency between blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles, it’’s important that people understand the diseases affecting the respiratory system and its impact on related organs.A link between blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles has been discovered in African American women, among whom, even younger women suffer with blood pressure problems. This link is still being researched with interest, and further evidence of this link will be published by researchers.Severe hypovolemia is another respiratory problem that can have an effect on the blood pressure. Alveolar integration is affected in this condition and the respiratory muscles may become weakened due to the poor perfusion of the respiratory organs. As a consequence due to the association between blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles, the chances of a person’’s blood pressure becoming too low becomes greatly enhanced.It’’s important to record the blood pressure measurement on a regular basis of all people suffering from respiratory problems. The involvement of the brain and related structures also needs to be ruled out. This is because in some cases problems in the pathway between the sites passing impulses for correct respiration and the sites of assisting structures such as respiratory muscles all have an impact on the blood pressure.
The association between problems with a person’’s blood pressure and weakened respiratory muscles in cases of respiratory disorders usually shows evidences of hypoxia as in case of weakened respiratory muscles and in this case the blood pressure becomes modified. .Interdependent factors such as blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles are always considered before delivering treatment. There is also many factors to be taken into account in these cases as medication to treat one problem can often be found to exacerbate another.
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Genital Warts Look Like What?
July 26, 2008
The cause of genital warts is ascribed to the virus called epidermotropic human papillomavirus or HPV. Currently there are more or less twenty million people in the US affected by genital warts. It has been observed that this number is increasing every year. Usually, genital warts appear like a rash during an outbreak. .Men and women are both prone to having genital warts, however there has been a reported seventy five percent of cases of HPV infected men than women. The age where genital warts is more common to appear is between seventeen to thirty three years old, with a higher incidence of infection observed among those people aged twenty to twenty four.
All in all, there has been an estimated of more than a hundred types of warts brought about by the human papilloma virus or HPV. From this one hundred, thirty of these are considered as sexually transmitted diseases. Though it is known that warts appear as an outbreak, there are also instances wherein there is no such wart outbreak but one is already infected with HPV. One could also show no observable symptoms even if already infected with genital warts. It is therefore easily transferred from one unsuspecting partner to the next. .Men and women who are sexually active are therefore advised to have themselves checked for any and all forms of sexually transmitted disease by a qualified health care provider once a year. Any human papilloma virus or STD that is untreated for a long period of time could be cancerous.
Ninety percent of genital warts are linked to types six and eleven of HPV. There are various types of HPV all with varying degree of wart appearance. In order to give you basic information on genital warts, read the following as these are some of its basic descriptions:
Bowenoid papulosis is a type of HPV. The result of this type of genital wart is a skin eruption that could appear red or brown in color, or flesh colored.
Seborrheic keratoses, which was then considered as a benign skin manifestation, usually consist of plaques that appear rough and is potentially infectious.
Bumps are also a common trait of human papilloma virus. These bumps are usually painless and is a lot common in genital wart manifestation along with a discharge. It has been observed that thses are mostly the common complaints attributed to by people with genital warts.
Eruptions could also be seen, both singular or multiple eruptions by those suffering from HPV. These eruptions vary in shape, size, texture and form. There are times that the eruptions appear pearly, while in other times they could appear cauliflower-like. At other times they are fungating.HPV commonly also cause lesions in the penis. These lesions also vary, though it is commonly seen to be smooth or lobulated.
Though in actuality, these skin eruptions are basically harmless. However their disturbance is still considered acutely disturbing and very much alarming.Skin color is also affected by those infected with the human papilloma virus. Their skin varies specifically those areas that are affected by genital warts. It has been observed that the skin could either appear in erythema or in hyperpigmentation.
It is highly advisable that any irregularities, however minimal, in the shape, color and form of HPV should be observed and reported to your health care provider at all times, since any modification from its original shape, form or color could suggest the presence of melanoma or a form of malignancy.
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Chlamydia, Pregnancy and Protection
July 26, 2008
Chlamydia is a treatable sexually transmitted disease brought about by a certain bacteria known as Chlamydia trachomatis. No one is exempted having the infection, but studies have shown that it is common in teenagers and young adults, often having several sex partners. A fact is, Chlamydia is the leading sexually transmitted disease today in the United States. Identified as the “silent epidemic”, seventy five percent women and fifty percent of men having the disease do not experience any symptoms at all.On pregnancy.
During pregnancy, women that are infected with Chlamydia have a much higher degree of infection of the amniotic fluid and sac although quick attention and treatment can lessen the risk and danger of this problem.In a number of studies, Chlamydia has been associated to increase the possibility of a miscarriage, though there are studies that also prove otherwise.When the infection is not treated, the individual is prone to having uterine infection after the baby has been born. Babies born through the vagina have a greater chance of catching the infection; almost half of babies will have conjunctivitis or an eye infection in a few days after their birth; almost up to twenty percent catch pneumonia months after their birth. Though these contaminations and infections can be critical, babies that are promptly treated with antibiotics mostly do well. But, it’’s always best to get treatment during your pregnancy to avoid passing the infection to your baby.Before, during or after your pregnancy, chlamydia bacteria may go up from the cervix to further infect the fallopian tubes or uterus, then cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Forty percent of untreated chlamydia disease in women that are not pregnant results with PID.
Symptoms of Chlamydia
Approximately seventy five percent of women with Chlamydia have no symptoms. If symptoms do appear, they could come out after one to three weeks of the infection and may include the following:
In women
1. yellowish vaginal discharge
2. burning sensation during urination
3. inflammation of the cervix
4. irregular bleeding or spotting
In men
1. discharge from the penis
2. burning sensation during urination
3. swollen or tender testicles
4. rectum inflammation
Chlamydia screening
It is very essential to identify and cure chlamydia during a pregnancy; the CDC strongly suggests that all pregnant women are to be screened for such infection at their very first prenatal check up. Your doctor will remove a swab of the cervical fluid which will then be sent to the laboratory for analysis. .When under the age 25 years old or have a high possibility for catching chlamydia (having more than one partner in sex or your partner has the infection) the test will be repeated on the third trimester, to make certain that you are free of infection during your delivery. Furthermore, you will be tested again for chlamydia if you have caught another STI during the pregnancy, if either you or your mate develop a symptom of chlamydia, or after your chlamydia treatment to confirm you are clear of the infection.
Treatment during pregnancy
Chlamydia in pregnancy is treated with a course or sequence of antibiotics which are safe to drink or take during the pregnancy. In general, one course will treat the infection. It is recommended that pregnant women are to be tested again after three weeks of fully completing the treatment to make certain and verify that the infection is completely gone. Your partner or mate must also be treated and you must abstain from doing sex until the both of you have fully completed the treatment so the infection won’t be passed on all over again.
Avoiding Chlamydia during pregnancy
Avoid having sex with different partners if possible. If not, the use of latex condoms can reduce your chances of acquiring Chlamydia. If you are in doubt, that it is likely that you were exposed to chlamydia during your pregnancy, immediately inform your doctor about it so testing and treatment can be done.
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Aspergers Syndrome
July 26, 2008
When a child is born, every parent hopes the baby is normal. Physically this can be diagnosed by the doctors but in terms of the mental and psychological development of the child, this will not be known until the infant has reached the toddler years.Autism in general is where a person has a pervasive developmental ability that affects both verbal and nonverbal communication that is clearly seen in children from 2 to 3 and is confirmed at the age of 3 to 4. A paper concerning this was first made in 1943 but was seen by Mr. Leo Kanner in 1938.This paper wasn’t noticed at first by a people in the scientific community. Parents and doctors only began to notice this more than 20 years later and after conducting more research branched out autism to low, medium and high levels.
Asperger’s syndrome is characterized by someone who has difficulty in interacting with other people, has restricted and unusual interests with certain topics and at times may be a bit delayed with the thinking and communication skills. The unusual interests could be things normal people take for granted such as airplane flight schedules, ovens and kinds of windows.This is classified under a spectrum disorder which is considered as a high functioning autism in which certain psychological development is delayed. People who have this may have difficulty communicating with people, have a hard time keeping friendships and have a great need for routine and unusual sensory reactions. This could also make the person think that ones environment is a strange place to be in.
Many people who have this will have difficulty in life. The progress of a patient will depend if that person was diagnosed early in life and is dependent on the language skills, access to proper educational programming, the cooperation and support of the parents and other family members and other external factors connected with the aggressive behavior that can be brought under control.Should a child show any signs of the characteristics that pertain to this syndrome, a scientific clinical approach will be used to treat each with the help of the child psychiatrist and the parents of the child given that there are no single medical test for diagnosing Autism.
Evaluation and assessment with the child can be done with direct and indirect data in many ways;
1. Conversing over the unusual interests that child has a fascination about and understanding it.
2. Conducting a clinical interview with the family that focuses on the family background, the medical and the behavioral history of the child.
3. This can also be done by giving the child a cognitive or IQ test to see the child’s mental abilities.
4. A general behavior rating test.
5. Interviews and other records that the school can provide which can also help the child’s condition.Children who have this syndrome can go to the same school with normal children. Special attention should just be given as part of the treatment to help the child.
There is no definite cure for anyone who has any of the forms of autism. The only thing that can be done is to manage the behavior through community programs; behavioral management, medications and special education that will help the patient go through life as normally as possible. This can only succeed with the cooperation of the psychologists, the support of the parents.
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