Battling Cancer

The Mayo Clinic lists 11 alternative cancer therapies, three of which are exercise, yoga and Tai Chi. Per the Mayo Clinic: “Alternative cancer treatments won’t play any role in curing your cancer, but they may help you cope with signs and symptoms caused by cancer and cancer treatments. Common signs and symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, difficulty sleeping, and stress may be lessened by alternative treatments. ”

What’s Yoga? Yoga is a mind and body therapy that includes gentle stretches, breathing practices, and progressive deep relaxation. Visit the Yoga Center site for information on the many types of yoga.

What’s Tai Chi? A form of exercise that utilizes slow gentle movements and deep relaxed breathing. A weight bearing exercise it builds strength, muscle tone, improves circulation, balance, flexibility, posture, coordination and range of motion. For more information on Tai Chi and cancer and limited research studies see the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center site. While there are only minimal differences between yoga and Tai Chi; Tai Chi is also a martial art.

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Now that you understand clinical trials, let’s see what new cancer initiatives are in progress right now.

Clinical Study Results.org is an excellent site for finding out what is going on with drug company research and provides clinical study results in a “reader friendly standardized format” to make the results for many marketed pharmaceuticals more transparent. ”

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The liver is the largest internal human organ. If the liver completely shut down, we would die within 24 hours. This is because the liver has so many vital functions in human life.

Functions of the liver: More →

Author Appearance!

Author Liz Holzemer will be speaking at three branches of the Colorado, Douglas County Libraries, May, 5-8-10, as part of the Author Series.

The topic is Healing with Humor.

Holzemer’s book Curveball:When Life Throws You a Brain Tumor (2007) is a Denver non-fiction bestseller about her battle with not only a brain tumor (meningioma), but also a breast tumor. She is the founder of Meningioma Mommas, an online support group that raises funds for meningioma research and advocates meningioma awareness.

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What exactly is an antioxidant and what does it have to do with cancer?

Per the American Dietetic Association: “Antioxidants are dietary substances including some nutrients such as beta carotene, vitamins C and E and selenium, that can prevent damage to your body cells or repair damage that has been done.”

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No matter how much you educate yourself, how much you prepare for battle in every way; there will still be days you feel like crawling into the cave and giving up.

You had those days before you had cancer and its normal to have them now.

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Endometrial cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting the female reproductive organs. The other types of female gynecologic cancers include cervical cancer and uterine sarcoma. Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.

What is the endometrium? The endometrium is the lining of the uterus.

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Gene Therapy is an approach to treating diseases or genetic abnormalities at the genetic level. This therapy uses DNA as a medicine to treat disease.

Gene Therapy may involve replacing an abnormal or absent gene with a normal one, removing a malfunctioning gene or introducing a new gene to fight disease or for other reasons. This is considered an experimental therapy which is currently being conducted in clinical trials.

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An interesting array of new cancer information and news found its way to my in box this week.

Are you familiar with The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge? Check out this amazing facility that offers not only free temporary lodging for cancer patients undergoing treatment but also provides support and information when patients and their families need it most.

There are 26 Hope Lodge facilities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The newest Hope Lodge, located in NYC was recently featured in the local New York City television news. A great story, available on YouTube.

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Melanoma

A type of cancer that forms in the melanocyte cells, which are the cells that form the melanin or pigment of the skin. Melanoma is less common than other skin cancers, but is the most serious type of skin cancer. Like other skin cancers, it is often curable in the early stages. It can occur anywhere on the skin, but most likely occurs in the trunk of men and the legs of women. The face and neck are also common sites. Melanoma can spread to other parts of the body.

Risk Factors May Include:

• UV light exposure-natural and artificial and a history of severe sunburns
• Moles-excessive number of normal moles (over 50) and large number of atypical moles (dysplastic nevi)
• Fair Skin-occurs more often in people with fair skin, freckles and light hair
• Family History-10% of all people diagnosed have a family history
• Immune Suppression-a weakened immune system due to other factors
• Age-the most common cancer in people younger than 30, but more likely to occur in older populations
• Sex-Men have a higher incidence
• History of Melanoma-people who have had melanoma are at greater risk for a second diagnosis
• Xeroderma Pigmentosum-a rare inherited genetic condition that prevents the skin from repairing

For more information on risk factors see the American Cancer Society site.

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