Posts Tagged ‘TREATMENTS’

Bone Cancer: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Cancer having its origin in the bones is referred to as bone cancer in medical terms. Bone cancers are relatively uncommon when compared to metastatic (cancer occurring initiated in another organ and spreading to bone tissues) or secondary cancer.

Bone Cancer Causes

Underlying causes behind bone Cancer is still unclear. However, there are certain risk factors that have been identified. Most of them suggest that Estrogen, female hormone, plays an imperative role in development and progress of this cancer. It’s known that women, having menstrual period for the first time before 11 or at a very later stage in their life, are more prone for developing this disease. The reason being that they remain exposed to higher levels of estrogen for a longer period of time. Again, count of menstrual cycle prior to first pregnancy is also considered significant. Experts believe that women having their first child below the age of 20 might be affected in the near future. Breastfeeding offers additional protective effect.

Bone Cancer Symptoms

Bone Cancer Symptoms are many linked to the location of the bone, which has been affected by cancer in the body. Common symptom associated with bone cancer is tenderness, swelling or pain in the affected area. Lump formation might also accompany bone cancer in a patient. Although the detection of lump associated to the cancer is difficult in the early stages, it can be felt when the disease occurs in or around the joints. Still, you cannot consider any of these symptoms as prominent signs of bone cancer.

Bone Cancer Treatment

Treatment for cancer of bone, mainly metastatic cancer, has 2 goals:

-Managing neoplasm

-Managing symptoms produced by local lesion

Prognosis is mainly affected by patient’s age, primary tumor size, lymphatic & blood vessel invasion degree, symptoms duration and tumor location on arm, trunk or leg.

There are 2 methods for treating bone metastasis. Systemic Therapy is aimed for treating cancer cells spread throughout your body. It includes hormone therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Local therapy is aimed towards killing cancerous cells of a specific portion on the body. It includes surgery and radiation therapy.

Surgery:

It is often extensive and involves the removal of a wide margin of tissue surrounding the tumor. Sarcomas, which involve muscles, also require removing the entire affected group of muscles.

Radiation Therapy:

It is mainly used for preventing local recurrence of radiosensitive tumor and given either before or following the surgery.

Chemotherapy:

Several drugs have proven effective for treating bone & soft tissue sarcoma. However, required dosages for providing a great chance to cure might lead to significant side-effects. Effective agents include cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), dactinomycin (Actinomycin D), dacarbazine and investigational agent. In some cases, even combinations of all these drugs are used.

Hormone Therapy:

It’s either removal of organs producing hormones promoting growth of specific cancer types (testosterone and estrogen) or drug therapy for keeping hormones from promoting growth of cancer.

Even after completely removing bone or soft tissue sarcoma, significant risk is there that small tumors, left undetected, may spread to other regions in the body. Adjuvant Chemotherapy attempts for eliminating such tumor deposits.

Even, there are safer and effective methods for treating pain. Medications will allow people for being free of pain and continue the activities essential to them.

To Your Health!

Arthritis Pain Relief – What You Need To Know About Natural Treatments

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

There is a little-known natural solution to curing oneself of arthritis pain, which I discovered many years ago. Getting rid of arthritis pain, without drugs, was one big relief for me.
Arthritis pain can be experienced whenever a stiff or swollen joint is used. There are more than 100 different types of medical conditions that can affect your joints; it’ll be difficult to treat your condition effectively unless you know exactly what your diagnosis is; get diagnosed. Sometimes arthritis occurs in the wrist, elbows, shoulders, and jaw but you generally don’t find it there.
The ability to make repairs to cartilage becomes limited as cartilage cells age. Joints are designed for normal and painless movement and are primarily supplied by the synovium and cartilage. Collagen is the main protein found in all connective tissues in the body, including the muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Aging cells may be a factor in the development of arthritis. One possible cause of arthritis is the inflammatory response due to the over-reaction of the immune system to an injury or other assault in the body, like an infection. It’s generally thought that inflammation plays a minor role in osteoarthritis and is more likely to be a result, not a cause, of arthritis.
With natural treatments there will be fewer, if any, side effects or adverse reactions. Many have told me that going off dairy products and gluten containing foods relieved their arthritis pain entirely. Not a food, but many, including one well-known professional golfer, still wear copper bracelets and swear by them.
Watch your diet closely – load-bearing joints are affected by excessive weight; they are the hips, knees, feet and spine. For natural treatment for arthritis make an appointment with a naturopathic doctor, called a naturopath; ask around for referrals. A study in Great Britain touted the beneficial effects of cod liver oil on osteoarthritis; relieving pain and stiffness, and reversing the destruction of joint cartilage within 24 hours.
For snacks, choose raw nuts without salt instead of lifeless roasted nuts. And avoid all inflammatory foods, if you can.
Try massaging your fingers or other affected joints with coconut oil twice a day. If you really want to get rid of your arthritis pain forever it may take a radical change in your diet and ongoing commitment.
Important exercises for arthritis are range-of-motion exercises, isometrics, and some weight bearing exercises. For arthritic fingers, a good exercise is to put your finger tips together and press hard and release, then repeat several times. Even if you don’t think you can exercise, you can do some movements. At bedtime try putting on a pair of stretch gloves to help reduce the pain and swelling in your fingers for those of you who have arthritic fingers.
Whatever you do, keep moving; don’t sit when you can stand, don’t stand when you can walk. Try to keep painful joint areas in motion, even in a limited manner. A good exercise routine is the key to beating arthritis and arthritis pain – keep moving.
Conventional doctors may suggest the standard protocol for your joint pain; they tell you to take over-the-counter NSAIDS or prescribe COX-2 inhibitors, of which all have side effects.
If you’re planning to take any of the non-prescription NSAIDS for arthritis, make sure you understand what bad effects they can have on the stomach, liver and/or kidneys and discuss this with your doctor. For conventional treatment of arthritis – if you do choose to take drugs or medications, be very careful and read the labels thoroughly.
One should not only search for relief of arthritis pain but work on preventing it. Knowing more about arthritis and how it works will ultimately help contribute to the relief of your arthritis pain. More and more conventional doctors are investigating the benefits of diet and alternative therapies.

Arthritis Pain Relief – Natural Tips And Treatments That Work Fast

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

I got rid of my arthritis and arthritis pain forever by doing one single thing – read on. Yes I finally found complete relief from my arthritis pain naturally, and you can do it too.
To get the arthritis pain relief you’re seeking it’s helpful to understand how arthritis works. Sometimes arthritis occurs in the wrist, elbows, shoulders, and jaw but you generally don’t find it there. In osteoarthritis, any one or more affected joints experience a progressive loss of cartilage, which is the slippery material that cushions the ends of bones.
It’s important to learn plenty of facts about joints and arthritis to help you understand how to treat arthritis better. Collagen is the main protein found in all connective tissues in the body, including the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Damaged joints cause pain and sufferers are constantly looking for ways to relieve the pain.
Researchers report a higher incidence of osteoarthritis between parents and children or between siblings than between husbands and wives. Injuries sometimes can be the start in the arthritic disease process; osteoarthritis can develop years later even after a single traumatic injury to a joint or near a joint. Possible causes of arthritis include lesser known: bleeding disorders, like hemophilia that causes bleeding to occur in the joint; disorders such as avascular necrosis, that block the blood supply closest to the joint; and conditions like hemochromatosis, which causes iron build-up in the joints.
Many arthritis sufferers have changed their diets, like I did, and noticed significant or total improvement. An acidic diet, that is any foods that are not alive, is considered to be inflammatory to the joints. One natural treatment method involves avoiding all inflammatory foods. I learned to eat and enjoy all living foods. Living foods are foods that are alive, like fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. There are plenty of raw food cookbooks out there with great recipes, too.
If you’re not already doing so, make a big effort to change your diet. Many have told me that going off dairy products and gluten-containing foods relieved their arthritis pain entirely.
Make smoothies with fruit only using a base of two bananas, adding a cup of frozen or fresh blueberries and mango chunks or substitute any other fruit and add an energy boost of two tablespoons of coconut oil; add one or two leaves of kale for another highly nutritional boost — no one will ever know.
Studies done on antioxidant vitamins question the value of these supplements; it’s clearly better to consume these antioxidants in living foods because they may also need to work with other nutrients present in the foods to work properly. Keep in mind, if you take a joint supplement it should help do three things — build cartilage, relieve everyday joint pain, and enhance your flexibility and movement.
Some people swear by morning drinks of raw apple cider vinegar and honey for arthritis pain relief. If your osteoarthritis is affecting your load-bearing joints, keeping your weight within a normal range is important.
Even the lightest exercise can go a long way to maintaining your joint mobility and overall health. At bedtime try putting on a pair of stretch gloves to help reduce the pain and swelling in your fingers for those who have arthritic hands. To be on the safe side always seek your doctor’s advice before starting or changing your exercise program. Stretching and warming up the joints should always be the first step in your exercise routine to make your joints more flexible.
For arthritic fingers, a good exercise is to put your finger tips together and press hard and release, then repeat several times. Even if you don’t think you can exercise, you can do some movements. Use Taiji health balls, with the chimes, to strengthen the finger joints: hold two balls, move in a clockwise circle with your fingers to rotate them, then try counterclockwise and do throughout the day.
If you’re going to go the conventional treatment route and take medications, ask your pharmacist for drug inserts so you can read up on the drugs and understand any side effects or adverse reactions, before taking them. If you’re planning to take any of the non-prescription NSAIDS for arthritis, make sure you understand what bad effects they can have on the stomach, liver and/or kidneys and discuss this with your doctor. Once you become more informed about arthritis you’ll be able to plan an arthritis treatment program, natural or conventional or a combination of both.
More and more doctors are investigating the benefits of alternative therapies and most don’t object to patients trying them. One should not only search for relief of arthritis pain but work on preventing it. Knowing more about arthritis and how it works will ultimately help contribute to your relief of arthritis pain. Changing the diet to a diet of mostly living foods is the fastest way to get rid of arthritis pain – I did it, you can too.

Important Arthritis Pain Relief Tips And Treatments For You

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Arthritis pain can be experienced whenever a stiff or swollen joint is used. The first step when looking for solutions to an arthritis pain problem is to understand how arthritis works. Arthritis is usually found in the joints of the fingers, feet, knees, hips, and spine.
The combination of the collagen meshwork and high water content tightly bound by proteoglycans creates a resilient, slippery pad in the joint, which resists the compression between bones during muscle movement. Damaged joints cause pain and sufferers are constantly looking for ways to relieve the pain. Cartilage contains a high percentage of water, but it decreases with age.
It’s generally thought that inflammation plays a minor role in osteoarthritis and is more likely to be a result, not a cause, of arthritis. Most experts now believe that osteoarthritis results from a genetic susceptibility that causes a biologic response to injuries to the joint, which leads to progressive deterioration of cartilage. One possible cause of arthritis is the inflammatory response due to the over-reaction of the immune system to an injury or other assault in the body, like an infection.
Nutrition experts say it takes a combination of supplements, that no one supplement can relieve arthritis pain, build cartilage, etc. For natural treatment for arthritis make an appointment with a naturopathic doctor, called a naturopath; ask around for referrals.
Supplements that help any disease or ailment include vitamin B12 — the methylcobalamin type not cyanocobalamin, and has to be sub-lingual — dissolves slowly under the tongue; and vitamin D3 especially if you can’t get a daily dose of 15-20 minutes of sun on your arms and legs so you can make your own vitamin D3.
One natural approach is to consume foods that are known to help relieve arthritis pain or prevent arthritis. The first step in managing your arthritis is to change your diet; I think all experts would agree on this. Studies done on antioxidant vitamins question the value of these supplements; it’s clearly better to consume these antioxidants in living foods because they may also need to work with other nutrients present in the foods to work properly.
Natural treatment for arthritis is usually a better choice because it’s non-invasive to the body. I know quite a few people who are drinking tart cherry juice to relieve their arthritis pain; has to the tart kind though.
Many arthritis sufferers have changed their diets and noticed significant or total improvement. Gluten may be a culprit in arthritic diseases including fibromyalgia; avoid wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, kamut and oats (although not a gluten grain it gets contaminated at the wheat mills).
If weight is an issue, try to use exercises that will help you in losing weight such as walking. Use Taiji health balls, with the chimes, to strengthen the finger joints: hold two balls, move in a clockwise circle with your fingers to rotate them, then try counterclockwise and do throughout the day. For arthritic fingers, a good exercise is to put your finger tips together and press hard and release, then repeat several times. To be on the safe side always seek your doctor’s advice before starting or changing your exercise program.
Sign up for water aerobics classes at your local community center. Putting on a pair of stretch gloves at bedtime can help reduce the pain and swelling in your fingers, for those with arthritic hands. Even if you don’t think you can exercise, you can do some movements.
Once you become more informed about arthritis you’ll be able to plan an arthritis treatment program, natural or conventional or a combination of both. Let your doctor and pharmacist know about any other drugs, herbs or other supplements you’re taking, to ward off any adverse drug reactions that might occur from the combining of different drugs or supplements. For conventional treatment of arthritis – if you do choose to take drugs or medications, be very careful and read the labels thoroughly.
Changing your diet to predominately fruits and raw veggies, like I did, can turn your arthritis pain around almost overnight. Stopping the progress of your arthritis as well as stopping your pain should be your number one goal. More and more doctors are investigating the benefits of alternative therapies and most don’t object to patients trying them.