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Nausea and Vomiting

Not the most delicious topics to discuss, but Nausea and Vomiting (N&V) are two of the symptoms that are commonly associated to cancer that have a larger impact on people’s lives than most people realize. Not only does it negatively impact a person’s quality of life, it also can cause or elevate problems with metabolism, weight, and immunity.

Causes

Some of the causes of cancer related N&V include the cancer itself, chemotherapy, radiation, medication, other symptoms such as constipation and balance issues, anxiety, and other disease or illness.

Treatment Plan

Each person responds to chemo differently, so not all treatments work the same for all people all the time. Because the cause of the N&V differ so greatly between people, many treatment plans are based on what exactly is potentially causing the N&V (such as treating anxiety or balance issues).

Pharmacotherapy

Your main anti-nausea meds include Promethazine (Phenergan), Prochlorperazine (Compazine), and Ondansetron (Zofran). Other meds may be used to treat anxiety (Xanax) or dizziness (Meclizine). Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be used to help lessen side effects from other medication. If your medication for N&V is not working, talk to your doctor.

Non Drug Treatments

For mild cases of N&V or alongside medication for more severe cases, it may help to reduce anxiety and stress by trying some of these options: self-hypnosis, meditation (or meditation oriented activities such as Yoga or Tai Chi), massage, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) , and acupuncture.

Eating Habits

If eating is a major problem, talk to a dietician/nutrition expert as well as your doctor to make sure you getting everything you need. Eat smaller meals every 2 to 3 hours, but if you want more food in one sitting than a small meal, go for it. If you are getting sick to the stomach as a result of eating, stop eating for a little bit. You don’t want to vomit everything you worked so hard to get into your system. Eat lightly before chemo and/or radiation treatments, and bring a small snack with you if you plan to be there for hours. Eat foods and drink drinks that are easy on the stomach, and increasing protein in your diet will not only help with the nausea, but also it will help with the fatigue and the healing process. It also helps to eat some crackers first thing in the morning. Some sources believe Ginger can also help relieve nausea.

Other Tips

Consider the environment of your home. Light, smells, and sounds also affect your overall mood. It has since you were a baby, and like a baby, your body may be a little more sensitive than usual to certain things. Some homeopathic sources believe that cinnamon and orange citrus scents help relieve nausea and increase appetite.

Whenever possible, get help with the shopping and meal preparation. You do not want to overdo it, and sometimes preparing the meal is enough to make one lose one’s appetite. The main focus should be to relax as much as possible and remove as many stressors. Regardless of what is causing your N&V, anxiety can cause nausea, and you don’t want to add to it.

Filed Under: Cancer, General, Health Tagged With: Ginger, Nausea, Vomiting

Poor Diet Just as Responsible for Cancer as Smoking

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Billions of dollars are spent every year spreading the truth about tobacco use and the dangers of smoking. How many times have any of us seen a commercial saying poor diet can promote cancer just as much as smoking?

A Purdue professor, Dennis Savaiano says poor diet and exercise can contribute to cancer just as much as smoking. He says essentially that 33 percent of cancer is caused by smoking, 33 percent by genetic factors and 33 percent are related to poor diet and lack of exercise.

It seems like everything is bad for us these days. Some commercials say eggs are great for us, others say eggs are terrible. Some say beef is helpful, other’s say it’s harmful.

Well you can’t go wrong with whole grains and lots of fruits and vegetables. Try reducing the amount of bread that your family consumes, or simply allow only whole grain bread into the house. Finding a way to get vegetables and fruits into your diet. Remember, children develop their eating habits when they are young. If you teach your children to eat good stuff when they are young, they will continue those habits into adulthood.

Try getting away from empty calories this year. If it comes in a box, it’s probably not good for you. Choose your foods that have good color to them. Try squash as an alternative to potatoes, and get come cucumbers and broccoli into the rotation.

Of course there is no substitute for exercise. Studies have shown that even moderate exercise improves one’s health. If the Purdue professor’s claims are true, then perhaps we should all spend as much time on eating healthy and exercising as the anti-tobacco movement preaches to stop smoking.

As long as you stick with your prescription drugs, stop smoking, start eating better and exercise then it will improve your chances of not getting cancer

Filed Under: Cancer, Research Tagged With: Cancer, Health effects of tobacco, Physical exercise, Smoking cessation

Avoiding Germs is Tougher While Traveling

Travel exposes your body to numerous strains of germs that it would not encounter in the regular routine of life, in which your movements take you between only a few different locations per day. While traveling, you’re exposed to not only new areas, but also to people who are themselves traveling. With the mishmash of individuals stuffed onto an airplane, it’s easily possible to have germs from all seven continents represented! This opens up health concerns unlike those you’re likely to encounter on a trip to the coffee machine at the office.

And this is only considering the sharing of air. When traveling, it’s common to find that amenities such as pools and hot tubs are available. While every effort is made to make these experiences clean and safe – chlorine is in widespread use – it’s not at all uncommon to return to your home maintained by Sacramento Property Management and to soon begin feeling odd. First, it’s a tickle in your throat. Then a dry cough that seems to itch arrives. Suddenly, you’re hot and then you can’t remember when it all began, but you have come down with a full fledged sickness. It seems to happen out of the blue, but the germs that cause such an onset of symptoms typically fester in your system for some time before manifesting as illness.

Fighting germs is tough. But a few notions help tremendously in the fight against health concerns gained while traveling. Drink plenty of water, often. Keeping the mucous wet keeps germs from sticking to your body rather than being moved through, and out of, the system. If someone is rudely coughing or sneezing near you without the common courtesy of covering their face, immediately remove yourself from the area. Wipe your restaurant silverware, which is handled by many fingers. Be aware of germs, and they may not cause you grief.

Filed Under: Health

Making the Decision to Stay in an Assisted Living Center for Cancer Treatment

Cancer can be one of the most physically exhausting diseases that a person can get. The actual cancer isn’t physically exhausting but the treatments that are required to beat the cancer can cause extreme fatigue and feelings of weakness. Besides the treatments, the stress and emotional burden of having such a grave disease can really take a toll on a person and can cause them to be extremely tired all the time.

These extreme feelings of fatigue and weakness force many people to make a very tough decision during their cancer treatment. They must decide whether they will rely upon friends and family members to take care of them or turn to an assisted living center to help while they are undergoing treatment.

This is an extremely tough decision and one that cannot be made lightly. If you or a loved one are considering using an assisted living facility during your cancer treatment then it might be a good idea to ask yourself some of these questions.

Do I have the resources to take care of myself? Many people assume that they have the resources to take care of themselves during cancer treatment but when the time comes they only have a handful of people that help out. Consider how many people can help out during this time and how long you will need their help. This could help you decide if you want to stay at a center.

Will medical treatments be needed? Some cancer patients actually have such fatigue, weakness and nausea that medical treatment is required. If this is the case with you or a loved one then an assisted living center might be best as they have the medical means to help out during this time.

Making the decision to stay at home or stay at an assisted living center can be a tough one. These questions can help you make that decision.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: Assisted living, Cancer, Health, United States

Viagra for cancer

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Viagra is extensively used by men who suffer from erectile dysfunction to perform better in bed. More than one fourth of men above the age of 60 suffer from this disorder. Viagra to them is like a magical blue pill. But now another use for this drug has been discovered, which could actually save lives instead of helping men perform better in bed. Viagra has shown to be effective in treating prostrate cancerm along with a powerful anti -ancer drug. This research was carried out by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

The University conducted the tests in combination with a powerful anti-cancer drug known as Doxorubicin. Doxorubicin has been used to treat cancers since a long time. It has been shown to have irreversible side effects such as heart damage. There has been no way to save the heart from the harmful effects of this drug. But now researchers have something they can use to save the heart from the harmful side effects of doxorubicin. The combination of Doxorubicin and Viagra produces reactive oxygen species that lead to the death of the cancerous cells. The remarkable thing is that the healthy cells are left intact. Invitro studies in mice showed that Viagra increased the levels of therapeutic nitric oxide which saves the heart form the cancer treatment drug Doxorubicin. The process of the addition of nitric oxide inside the heart is known as preconditioning. Doctors are pushing forward the use of Viagra, also known generically as Sidenafil to be used alongside powerful cancer treatment drugs that have many harmful effects. More clinical stage research needs to be done and a more effective cancer treating Viagra is in the pipeline. But if you suffer from prostrate cancer, you can experiment with it right now, since it has no harmful effects. You can buy real Viagra online without any uncertainty of it being fake.

Filed Under: Health, Research Tagged With: Cancer, Sildenafil, Virginia Commonwealth University

Oncology and medicine

Cancer is one dreaded disease and so many people have fallen prey to this evil in the past. The disease continues to be a real challenge even today. However, with the increase in medical advancements and a rapid rise in the number of oncologists in recent times, many lives have been saved.

More and more people are getting into the field of medical research. Oncologists are people who choose to study about the causes, symptoms, and cure for cancer. Since a real cure for cancer is yet to be established, there always seems to be a demand for oncologists.

Since there are many varieties of cancer, oncologists choose to pursue different fields. Pediatric oncologists are those who try and seek answers for questions related to cancer in children. There are also gynecological oncologists who take care of cancer treatment related to women. One can also study the use of chemotherapy drugs used in cancer and become a general oncologist or become a radiation oncologist.

For most people, the news of carrying the cancer leaves them in a rude state of shock. Accepting the situation and moving on seems to be a bigger challenge. Since cancer could be a life-changing situation, people would need the support of close friends and family members to fight the disease.

As treating cancer could be a financial drain in most cases, people could even opt for cash advance to pay the fee associated with a radiation therapy course. Sometimes, external support systems leave the patient to take the help of drugs. This can also provide a great amount if relief.

Lastly, a cancer person has to be constantly reminded that it is still possible to survive, as has been the case with so many cancer patients in the past. All that it requires is a positive outlook and a strong feeling of optimism to fight anything.