Air Purifier Strategies On How To Reduce The Risks Of Asthma

Fortunately, the information found in this selection of asthma tips and tricks, can prepare you by providing insight into this respiratory condition.

Reduce the likelihood of an asthma attack by limiting exposure to pets. Both pet fur, and dust/dirt which can get trapped in their fur, can trigger asthma in some people. If pets must be kept indoors, make sure that their movement around the home is restricted and that they are not ever allowed in the bedrooms.




Reduce the symptoms of asthma by removing carpets from your home, which can hold in all sorts of environmental hazards that can trigger a severe asthma attack, especially if you have pets. Furthermore, if you have a cat or dog, do not let them in your room. You breathe very deeply in your sleep, so the bedroom is the worst place for fur, dust or dander.

Visit a doctor to ensure that your asthma is not being caused by environmental allergies. Animal dander, mold and other common irritants often trigger attacks, but can be treated with special prescriptions or even over-the-counter drugs. You may be able to prevent most attacks by staying away from allergens and staying in areas with clean air.

Be sure that everyone involved with your child knows about his or her asthma and knows where to find "rescue medications" and how to administer them in the event of a severe asthma attack. Also, understand that in the majority of states, children do have the right to carry their rescue medications in school.



If you are aiming to decrease your asthma symptoms, you should use bronchodilators. These are mostly included in an inhaler treatment. These can help stop short term and long term symptoms of asthma, depending on the type that you get. They are an excellent tool to have if you have asthma.

Best Way to Use an Air Purifier

If you or your children suffer from asthma, one way to prevent the onset of symptoms is to invest in an air purifier. The most effective type of air purifier is one with a HEPA filter, which screens out allergens, such as dust, pollen and pet dander. The next best choice is a UV air purifier, which kills mold, mildew and bacterial and viral germs. Other choices include activated-carbon air purifiers, which combat chemicals and odors, and timed ozone, photo catalytic and negative ion purifiers.

If you or your children suffer from asthma, one way to prevent the onset of symptoms is to invest in an air purifier. The most effective type of air purifier is one with a HEPA filter, which screens out allergens, such as dust, pollen and pet dander. The next best choice is a UV air purifier, which kills mold, mildew and bacterial and viral germs. Other choices include activated-carbon air purifiers, which combat chemicals and odors, and timed ozone, photo catalytic and negative ion purifiers.

Now that you have learned some great ways to deal with asthma, you are sure to find a little peace of mind in knowing that you have information that will help the situation. Utilize these tips in your everyday life and you are on your way to a sigh of relief instead of a gasp for air.

Read More

Why Your Doctor Should Be Your First Call To Handle Your Asthma

If you're suffering from asthma, you should know that there are many methods that can help your symptoms and prevent it from controlling your life. In this article, you'll find many of these simple tips that will not only improve your asthma symptoms, but also allow you to enjoy and live your life.

Reduce the likelihood of an asthma attack by limiting exposure to pets. Both pet fur, and dust/dirt which can get trapped in their fur, can trigger asthma in some people. If pets must be kept indoors, make sure that their movement around the home is restricted and that they are not ever allowed in the bedrooms.

Wear sunglasses in the spring and summer. Many people with asthma suffer from seasonal allergies as well, or are at least sensitive to pollen. Wearing sunglasses keeps pollen and dust out of your eyes, which can reduce symptoms of allergies. A runny nose or other allergy symptom can easily trigger an asthma attack.

Clean up your house from food and water. Keep your food inside the fridge. When you let food or water sit, you are attracting small bugs and roaches, which can trigger allergic reactions. If you need to keep food outside of your fridge, consider getting a food pantry or opening your windows.

If you enjoy using a vaporizer or a humidifier, you have to make sure it is clean before each use. These types of machines can build up a lot of dust and calcium, that you do not want getting into the air you breath. You need to be breathing the cleanest air possible, at all times.



If you are aiming to decrease your asthma symptoms, you should use bronchodilators. These are mostly included in an inhaler treatment. These can help stop short term and long term symptoms of asthma, depending on the type that you get. They are an excellent tool to have if you have asthma.

Best Way to Use an Air Purifier

Try to reduce the amount of environmental allergens and pollutants, such as dust, pollens, pet hair, molds and fungi, and food particles. Keeping your house clean can make a huge difference for your asthma symptoms. Buying an air filter or purifier, or even cleaning out the filters in your AC system can also help.

If you or your children suffer from asthma, one way to prevent the onset of symptoms is to invest in an air purifier. The most effective type of air purifier is one with a HEPA filter, which screens out allergens, such as dust, pollen and pet dander. The next best choice is a UV air purifier, which kills mold, mildew and bacterial and viral germs. Other choices include activated-carbon air purifiers, which combat chemicals and odors, and timed ozone, photo catalytic and negative ion purifiers.

Hopefully this article has shown you something you didn't know about asthma to help you to help improve your quality of life. Just because you have asthma doesn't mean you can't do what you want! Apply the advice from this article now and live your life better.

Read More

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Fast and Inexpensively

I mentioned in a previous article (Don't Allow Bed Bugs Bite!) the problems and solutions! of coping with Bed Bugs. Remember, don't give up, of course, if everything else fails, call a seasoned exterminator with good reputation. Today, lots of pesticides are available within the market, which concentrate on these protective coverings. Once the space is completely clear, vacuum everywhere inside a methodical, thorough manner this will are the bed, soft furnishings, curtains, inside furniture, even less obvious places like smoke alarms, light switches and travel alarm clocks have to be checked. Experts know this, too.

Unlike pesticides these insect treatment goods are 100% Eco-friendly and harmless to utilize around children and pets, hospitals, hotels, your projects place as well as you home or flat. So increase the danger for call today. Places like dorms, apartments, motels, hotels, especially used furniture, luggage, bedding and clothes baskets would be the usual areas that bedbugs hide. This could be newspapers, some lose close, like sock's. These steps are simple and easy to help us get gone bed bugs and end bed bug bites.

Unfortunately, simple cleaning methods won't perform trick alone. If you suspect an infestation in your closet, include all your clothing articles in the laundry loads as well. You should then be provided you which has a 100% written customer guarantee to make certain peace of mind.

When you commence noticing the very first bite marks, you ought to isolate the bed that you suspect is have been infected with bed bugs. 3% spray) and allethrin are effective. Therefore it could not unusual if in coming generations they result in a risk greater than ever before by transmitting viral illnesses from a patient to a normal healthy person.

Behind wallpaper, picture frames and other dark areas. Also, the can bite other warm blooded things, as being a pet. Similar final results may be obtained by putting the actual same objects outdoors for approximately two weeks for the time period of winter season. Similar final results could possibly be obtained by putting the precise same objects outdoors for approximately two weeks for your time period of winter season. He scheduled a Knoxville Bed Bug Control expert to come to his house to perform an inspection.

The cheapest way to acquire from flea is always to mix boric acid and salt and around the infected areas. Having said that, the mere believed that bugs have already been influencing your residence really should lead you to have your house treated. If you travel a great deal or make daily experience of other people, then you will need being especially careful to ensure that your clothes will always be kept clean. Observe hygiene and cleanliness to avoid any similar problem from re-occuring.

Read More

Prostate Cancer May Be Related to Breast Cancer Gene Mutation

Family history, old age and the African-American race are some factors that increase the risk of an individual developing prostate cancer. And now, new findings suggest that a particular gene mutation may have an effect on how the disease progresses.

Research conducted by US scientists has revealed that that some men with prostate cancer may be at increased risk of aggressive tumor. Men who are carriers of a gene mutation which is normally linked to breast cancer are in the increased risk category. For prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, this finding has significant implications.

Prostate cancer patients are at times advised to adopt a wait and watch approach where more aggressive treatment options are employed only if the cancer shows signs of rapid metastasis. But if the patient is a mutated gene carrier, this approach may not be advisable because of the high likelihood that the tumor grows aggressively. In such cases, surgery or radiation, or a combination of both, would perhaps be a preferable option.

So how do you know whether the tumors are aggressive or not? It is quite difficult to make a distinction between tumors that may remain without enlarging or spreading and aggressive tumors. 979 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1251 men free of the disease, were selected for the study. In this sample, the scientists took care to exclude Ashkenazi Jews because they are five times more likely to carry the mutated genes and their presence would have skewed the results of the study. The researchers took a closer look at whether any of the men carried the mutated variants of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes that are linked to ovarian and breast cancer in women.

The good news is that even if you are a carrier of the mutated gene, you are not at increased risk for developing prostate cancer. However, if you already have prostate cancer and carry the mutated gene, you are at a very high risk for developing aggressive tumors.

As a man grows older, he is at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer. Above 65% of prostate cancer diagnoses are made in men above 65 years of age.

Men belonging to the African American race are also 56% more likely to develop the disease than Caucasian men. The mortality rate of African Americans due to prostate cancer is also 2.5 times that of Caucasian men.

If your close blood relatives have the disease, you are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer. And if more than 2 relatives have a history of prostate cancer, the likelihood is further increased to four times.

According to the study on gene mutation and prostate cancer, participants with aggressive tumors were found to be 3.2 times more likely, than the men in the control group, to be carriers of the BRCA2 gene mutation.

Read More

Cancer health insurance plan for you

While going to find out a suitable health insurance plan for cancer, one of the devastating diseases that can ruin a family you might need to consider so many things! Initially there were only few insurance companies who used to provide insurance plan for cancer patients. But now you can easily find out so many insurance companies who provide health insurance coverage for cancer.

You know till now there are so many insurance service providers who are strict in providing medical insurance for any pre existing diseases. You can get some policies where pre existing health problems will be covered but for that you need to pay high. That extra amount could make your premium rate high and for many it’s quite difficult to pay on regular basis. So it’s always advisable to go for an early purchase instead purchasing once you get attacked by the diseases.

Here you might get surprised to think if you’re healthy and free from cancer! You might think I don’t have cancer so why should I buy a medical insurance plan for cancer!!? No you don’t need to think even to buy it except once you think you’re at risk to get attacked by the most distressing disease the it’s off course safe to go for that particular health insurance plan instead of waiting to purchase once your doctor will say that you’ve got cancer! It’s just for safety because taking precautions in due time can save your hard earn money a lot!

Consider yourself and the insurance company as well before buying any such health insurance policy. Your health condition, family history about cancer should be considered well before going to purchase. Now it’s time to check the insurance company and ensure about their reliability. Online research is a great way to get sure about trustworthiness about any insurance coverage. Check several cancer health insurance policies, what are the coverage you could get from them along with their premium rates.

Read More

Food For Acid Reflux

The food you eat is the most important factor for controlling your acid reflux, that and keeping optimistic thoughts.

Knowing you can cure your acid reflux with natural remedies and acting upon that belief is the name of the game.

You can experience healing in your life at every level, but it needs to begin first with your thinking patterns. If you believe you can, or believe you can’t . . . either way you are correct.

To be frank, you’re not likely to eat the right foods to help cure your acid reflux if you don’t believe you can be healed.

The belief in healing is paramount.

That’s why big drug companies spend billions of dollars in advertising trying to keep you in a state of fear, doubt and hopelessness.

Because once you discover for yourself that you don’t need to hide your acid reflux symptoms with drugs, you’ll begin to see the light.

Healing your acid reflux is simple. All you need to do is work with your body instead of against it. Your body has a built-in natural intelligence. That’s how it keeps regenerating and functioning doing the amazing things it does.

Remember doctors are only “practicing” medicine. If they knew how to work with your body/mind and its amazing natural healing intelligence, they wouldn’t be trying to fix your health challenges with drugs.

Your acid reflux is NOT a drug deficiency . . . it’s caused from not eating foods that nurture an alkaline environment.

The environment inside your body determines whether you suffer from acid reflux or not.

For optimum health your inner environment must maintain an alkaline state. The only area inside you that should be acidic is your stomach acid and the waste your body is trying to eliminate.

Foods that will prevent, treat and cure your acid reflux provide natural healing cofactors called minerals and nutrients. These minerals and nutrients create a balanced alkaline environment which generates just enough stomach acid . . . not too much and not too little.

Try eating more raw vegetables and fruits in-between smaller portioned meals- also try drinking naturally alkaline water between meals. Naturally alkaline water has a high level of electrons, oxygen and minerals . . . the Japanese use coral tea bags to optimize their water . . . in fact people that drink alkaline water between meals live longer, healthier live- that’s a fact.

Read More

Infant Acid Reflux

Is your newborn always coughing and just seems miserable?

It may not just be a case of colic . . . it could be your baby has infant acid reflux.

When I found out that about 50% of newborns and up to 85% of all premature babies suffer from infant acid reflux I was shocked.

Most outgrow the acid reflux symptoms after the first few months, but then there are those who never seem to overcome it. In fact many that receive the best medical treatments continue to suffer from infant acid reflux and its dangerous complications.

Having a child with infant acid reflux can be about the most challenging things you can face as a parent. The constant misery of infant acid reflux symptoms can exhaust both parent and child.

Here are 8 signs of infant acid reflux:

1. Constant crying

2. Irritability and pain

3. Disturbed sleep patterns

4. Arching of the neck and back

5. Vomiting

6. Chronic hiccups

7. Ear infections

8. Sinus problems

Even one of these symptoms could indicate your child may have infant acid reflux.

If the root cause of infant acid reflux isn’t addressed it could lead to these complications:

* Anemia
* Constant drooling
* Sinus infections
* Swallowing problems
* Chronic hoarseness
* Sore throat
* Chronic ear infection
* Sleep apnea
* Lung problems
* Esophagitis
* Failure to thrive
* Eroded teeth
* Sandifer’s syndrome
* Halitosis

The obvious cause of infant acid reflux is generally straight forward. Normally, the ring of muscle between the esophagus and the stomach (lower esophageal sphincter) relaxes and opens only when you swallow.

Otherwise, it’s sealed tightly - keeping stomach acid where it belongs. Until your baby matures, infant acid reflux may cause food to flow up the throat, into the lungs, ears and sinus cavities and out your baby’s mouth.

Sometimes air bubbles in the esophagus may push liquid out of your baby’s mouth. In other cases, your baby may simply drink too much, too fast.

The artificial milk or baby formula you’re using could be the real problem.

Breastfed babies have been shown to have fewer and less severe infant reflux problems than artificially fed infants. Mother’s milk is more easily digested than artificial milk and is absorbed and digested from the stomach twice as fast.

Proper digestion and speed are vital to minimize irritating infant acid reflux. Mother’s milk is by far less irritating and much healthier for your baby than artificial milk products.

The bond between mother and baby is an important factor to preventing and curing infant acid reflux. Unhappy infants get overwhelmed and stress out which can trigger infant acid reflux.

Nursing is nature’s perfect way to protect your infant, plus hormones made when you breastfeed help relax you both . . . another reason to nurture your infant with breast milk.

Here are some tricks to help your infant to nurse:

1. Create a soothing peaceful environment-soft pleasant music helps.
2. Try nursing when your infant wakes from the acid reflux or when sleepy.
3. Give your infant lots of skin-to-skin contact and cuddling.
4. Try to keep your infant upright while your hands are free. Try a baby sling.

Read More

Gastric Ulcer Causes

Ulcers can happen throughout the entire digestive tract, but when they happen in the stomach specifically, they’re referred to as gastric ulcers. Gastric ulcer causes are numerous, but one cause is the most common.

H. Pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a corkscrew shaped bacteria that lives in the digestive tract. The bacteria is fairly common, and in most cases isn’t harmful. However, occasionally it can inflame the lining of your stomach, and disrupt the mucus layer which causes an ulcer.

H. Pylori can be transmitted from close contact, like kissing. It can also enter the digestive tract through contaminated water or food. It’s a fairly common infection, with half of the people who are over 60 contracting it, and one in five people under 30 getting it.

Other Causes

While H.Pylori is an extremely common cause of ulcers, it’s not the only cause. NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are a big cause of gastric ulcers. Medications like Motrin, Ibuprofen, Asprin, Aleve and others can damage the stomach’s delicate lining, resulting in an ulcer. NSAIDs block the production of an enzyme that protects the stomach’s lining against damage and injury. Without this protection, the stomach is vulnerable to acids. If you have an ulcer, make sure your doctor is aware of that fact before he or she prescribes any kind of pain reliever, including prescription pain medications or over the counter NSAIDs.

Smoking is also pointed to as another main cause of ulcers. The nicotine found in tobacco is thought to increase the production of stomach acids, which eat away at the lining, resulting in a painful ulcer. Smoking also slows the healing process, which can be detrimental when trying to get over a gastric ulcer. If you are diagnosed with an ulcer, it is best to stop smoking so that your body can heal, and keep ulcers from recurring in the future.

Although it’s unclear whether excessive alcohol consumption can cause an ulcer, or merely exacerbate an existing ulcer, it should be avoided if you suspect that you have an ulcer or have a family history of ulcers. Alcohol eats away at the mucus lining of the stomach, making it vulnerable to damage and stomach acids. Monitor your alcohol consumption to ensure a healthy digestive tract.

Although stress can’t be pointed to as a sure fire cause of gastric ulcers, it can certainly worsen them. Stress causes the body to overproduce stomach acids which eat away at the body’s stomach lining. If you have an ulcer, or are susceptible to ulcers, take steps to dramatically reduce your stress levels. You can try taking a course on meditation, or practicing regular exercise to reduce your stress. Additionally, something as simple as taking a deep breath, listening to soothing instrumental music, or counting to 10 can often help you maintain a calmer attitude. Stress is thought to exacerbate a number of health problems, so reducing your stress level can do nothing but good for your body.

Read More

Gastric Reflux Disease

Did you know gastric diseases like acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease are completely preventable, reversible and curable?

A problem like gastric reflux disease can’t be healed if you don’t know what it is. Even if there already is a natural cure for it you will still have the problem simply because you don’t know there’s already is a cure.

The real problem with gastrointestinal problems like gastritis reflux disease is the problem of science versus medicine.

Conventional or Westernized medicine claims ONLY pharmaceuticals can prevent, treat or cure gastric reflux disease and if they don’t have a drug for it yet, then, according to them, nothing else can help until they make one.

This contradicts science to the core.

The solution isn’t recognized only because the real problem isn’t recognized.

There is no “Eastern” or “Western” medicine, there is just the stubborn refusal to admit that the body/mind and its elaborate healing system is far more complete than any pharmacy could ever be.

Gastric reflux disease is an inflammatory dis-ease . . . it is a symptom of your body’s powerful healing system trying to cope with the alien environment being dumped into it.

Science has proven that all dis-ease has a cause and by removing the cause the dis-ease is eliminated. Medicine insists that drugs should be used to chemically interfere with the symptoms . . . treating only the “effects.”

This tells me the druggists that are practicing medicine simply don’t know what the problem is . . .

Ignore your gastric reflux disease and you’ll end up taking more powerful drugs that may lead you right to the surgeons table. This is called taking a bad situation and making it worse.

Science simply uses the law of cause and effect. It recognizes the solution already exists, because the body/mind already knows how to restore balance.

Your body /mind will teach this you if you learn to listen . . .

Great health is much more than being drugged to the point that you’re symptoms free. Great health comes from learning to listen and respond to your body/mind signals and symptoms with a helping hand . . .

Your gastric reflux disease is NOT a drug deficiency.

Medicine tends to practice keeping the problem and the solution separated. There seems to be a different solution for every problem, yet upon closer inspection you can see accepting the science of harmony, unity and interrelatedness many effects can arise from a single cause.

The science of healing your gastric reflux disease isn’t concerned about treating the effects . . . only removing the cause.

Read More

How To Get Prostate Cancer Treated

Men, especially those over 65 years of age, are at risk when it comes to prostate cancer. Regular check ups can identify a problem in case there is one. You can then consider which option you want to choose from the treatment alternatives. You can consider radiation therapy as well. You should keep an eye out for possible side effects though.



Look on the net for doctors who have experience in treating this condition. Consider which one is most suitable depending on the fees charged. You can also talk to your colleagues, friends, and family members for suggestions.



Make sure the doctor is qualified and experienced. Schedule a consultation so that he or she can diagnose your condition. Understand the number of sessions that you will require for treatment and how long each one will last.



Prepare a list of questions earlier so that you can clear your doubts at one session. Check with him or her what the likely side effects will be. This will help you be mentally prepared. You should also confide in a family member or your doctor.



You may want to join a support group during this tough time. It will help you cope with this illness. Take care of your diet and make sure you are well rested before a radiation therapy session. Side effects that have been noted are fatigue.



You will need to come back at least once a week for status updates. In case your skin in sensitive after the treatment, ask the doctor what you can do to get relief. Side effects are temporary and should go in a few weeks.



You also need to plan how you will pay for the treatment once you know what the cost will be. The treatment will depend on the severity of the cancer. Check with your insurance company for details regarding your coverage.



Ensure that the paperwork is filled out completely. Look for a center which has the latest equipment so that you can be sure that you will get high quality treatment for diseases related to the prostate. Elizabethtown residents should look for one located close by, so that it is easy to schedule an appointment. Once you have recovered, try to alter your lifestyle so that you continue to live in a healthy manner. You will come out a stronger person after this crisis. Keep calm so that your family members also stay calm.

Read More

Information On Molecular Imaging Technology For Evaluation Of Cancer

Cancer and other diseases are both deadly and scary. With today's emerging technologies we can better understand, and pin point these cancers. Using Molecular Imaging Technology scientists and doctors can see into a patient in an in vivo, or non invasive manner. There are many different ways this can be done.

The biggest benefit to these technologies is that they are all non-invasive. They do not have to open up a patient to see what they are getting into, instead with this technology they can see exactly where everything is. Giving surgeons an exact plan of what they need to do, and how they are going to do it.

Chances are that you have probably heard of an MRI. An MRI stands for "magnetic resonance imagining". As the name suggests, is uses magnets which is very adept at creating an functional and morphological image. This method can give a fully body scan, taking a look at the whole picture. If a more specific picture is required, other machines specialize at other parts of the body.

Next there is optical imaging, which essentially uses lights to map out the body. The main downside to this method is that it does not penetrate as deep as some of the others. However it does have the benefit of having little to no safety concerns. Some people may prefer this over the MRI, but it will not give as intense an image.

SPECT, or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography emits gamma rays. This is an effective way to do an imaging of the brain. Essentially the gamma rays are moved and reflected back several times around the head until an effective map of the brain is formed. Gamma does not have to be used, but is most common in this technology as using the gamma camera is typically cheapest.

A PET scan, or a positron emission tomography is very similar to the SPECT. Typically a PET is more expensive because of the technology and radiation used, however they are also less potent making them have less safety concerns. Like cancer metastasis, this method also creates a three dimensional image which can be viewed and fully rotated from any angle.

These methods have their own various advantages and work better in specific areas over others. Developing new methods is a continued area of research. Unfortunately it can very difficult to target and identify exactly what you are looking for when developing the process. Scientists are continually trying to improve these methods, as it is an area of great interest and concern. For now at least we do have the means start to detect various cancers.

As you can see there are many different ways to go about using Molecular Imaging Technology. The benefits that this technology produces are astounding in the way it can help both patients and doctors. Each method varies slightly in what how it goes about imaging, but they all have the same goal which is to detect cancers, injuries, and diseases - to help mankind.

Read More

Facts about Stage 3 Lung Cancer

Lung cancer arises when a series of mutations in normal lung cells cause them to become abnormal and grow out of control. It is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. When a person has stage 3 lung cancer, they have a non small-cell lung cancer in an advanced stage. Approximately thirty percent of individuals during diagnosis are observed to be afflicted with lung cancer. This leaves thirty of people identified at earlier staging and forty percent people have advanced staging or stage 4 metastatic lung cancer when diagnosed.

Stage 3 Lung Cancer is ideally illustrated by segregating the stages as stage 3A and stage 3B.The differences between them are important for the patient’s prognosis.

Stage 3A is deemed as a locally advanced form of cancer which means that the tumor has not yet metastasized or spread to remote locations in the body however has metastasized to the lymph nodes on the analogous body side as the cancer.

Stage 3B as well as stage 4 are deemed as advanced lung cancer and in spite of not generally being cured yet could be treated.

Symptoms of stage 3 lung cancer are inconsistent as this stage entails a broad range of cancers. Symptoms arising as a result of cancer presence in the lungs include unrelenting cough, difficulty in breathing and recurring infections like bronchitis, pneumonia are prevalent. When the cancer has metastasized to regions like the trunk wall and diaphragm it could lead to pains in the trunk, rib cage, shoulder and back.

Some symptoms may also include like weariness and weight reduction. Blood-inundated cough or hemoptysis and wheezing would arise in case the tumors are present close to the airways. When the esophageal region and other inner organs of the chest are involved then symptoms like problems ingesting (dysphagia) and huskiness could be experienced.

There is a twenty three percent of the general five year survival rate of people having stage 3 lung cancer.

Read More

Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer

Breasts contain cells which respond to natural hormones, notably estrogens and progesterone. These cells contain hormone receptors to which these hormones can bind. Some breast cancer cells contain similar receptors, which means that they respond to and grow more quickly in the presence of hormones.

There are two main types of breast cancer: estrogen-receptor-positive (the cancer cells contain estrogen), and estrogen-receptor-negative (no estrogen in the cancer cells). About 60% of breast cancers in pre-menopausal women are hormone-receptor-positive, and about 80% of breast cancers in post-menopausal women are hormone-positive.

The initial biopsy results provide information on the presence or absence of estrogen and/or progesterone sensitive cells, determining what type of breast cancer the patient has. Most women with breast cancer will require surgery. The type of breast cancer, and the stage it is at, will determine the type of treatment, including follow up care.

Estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor positive tumors tend to respond well to chemotherapy, which is usually the treatment of choice for stage III and IV breast cancers.


What is Letrozole?

Breast cancer recurs after surgical treatment in about one of three women with hormone receptor-positive early stage breast cancer. If the cancer was being fueled by the hormones estrogen and/or progesterone, then hormone blockers can help prevent breast cancer recurrence following surgery.

Hormone-sensitive cancer is slightly slower growing, and responds to hormone suppression drugs that block the body's production of estrogen. Cancer that is not hormone-sensitive requires a different kind of follow up treatment.

Letrozole, marketed as Femara, is an aromatase inhibitor prescribed to decrease the chance of a recurrence of hormone-receptor-positive early stage breast cancer by stopping the production of estrogen. It is intended only for post-menopausal women, and is prescribed as a once daily tablet following surgery.

Other commonly prescribed aromatase inhibitors are anastrolzole (brand name Arimidex), and exemestane (brand name Aromasin).

Side Effects of Letrozole

The more troubling side effects of letrozole include a loss of bone density and an increase in cholesterol. Bone density and cholesterol levels may need to be monitored in some patients.

Many patients do not experience any serious side effects when taking Femara for cancer, but some have reported hot flashes, joint and muscle pain, hair loss, fatigue, sweating, nausea, diarrhea and trouble sleeping.

Femara VS Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen was the "gold standard" in the treatment of breast cancer for postmenopausal women for nearly 30 years. In 1998, a worldwide clinical trial began involving more than 8,000 postmenopausal female breast cancer survivors. Among other things, the study compared the effects of letrozole 2.5 mg tablets vs tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive early stage breast cancer.

Normally, breast cancer patients continue to take cancer medication for five years following surgery. At a six-year follow-up, Femara was shown to have reduced the reoccurrence of breast cancer by 15% more than tamoxifen. Femara also reduced cancer from spreading to other parts of the body 15% better than the older cancer drug.

As a result of improvements in screening and treatment, breast cancer survival rates have been climbing for years. The highest survival rates for women with stage 1 cancer are in the age group of 50 to 69. The highest survival rates for women with stages 2, 3 and 4 cancer is in the age group of 40 to 49. Overall, survival rates come close to 90%.

Read More

Tumor Paint to Transform Cancer Surgery

One of the biggest fears of cancer patients undergoing surgery to remove a malignancy is that, despite his or her best efforts, the surgeon will unwittingly leave some cancer cells behind. Removing every malignant cell can prove challenging, as cancer has a way of embedding itself in surrounding tissue and spreading throughout the body.

Driven by the same concern, researchers at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center spent three years developing a molecular "paint" to coat cancer cells with a mixture of a peptide derived from scorpion venom (chlorotoxin) and a fluorescent molecule "beacon" that emits near infrared light. The beacon can be seen by a special camera that can detect it through bodily fluids and even bone.

The paint, called Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5, can light up tumors as small as 200 cells. Current technology like magnetic resonance imaging can only detect tumors that are at least 1 million cells. This is a huge leap forward in helping doctors identify the micrometastases that can make breast and brain cancers so dangerous. With the cancer cells clearly distinguished from surrounding cells, surgeons can remove all cancerous cells without harming healthy tissue – particularly important in delicate brain surgery.

The research team was led by Dr. James Olsen, PhD. "Neurosurgeons have been working for decades to find a way to better distinguish tumor tissue from normal tissue, says Olsen, "Tumor Paint is a powerful tool in the fight against brain and other cancers, and has the potential to fundamentally transform surgical oncology."

Clinical trials in mice were successful, and in late 2011, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center entered into an agreement with Blaze Bioscience to develop the tumor paint for use in humans. Blaze Bioscience is a biotechnology company founded in 2010 to develop and commercialize the Tumor Paint and other technologies to assist surgeons to improve the lives of cancer patients.

Olsen and his team are also enthusiastic about Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5's potential as a non-invasive screening tool for skin, cervical, esophageal, colon and lung cancers. Using the tumor paint to identify malignant cells in neighboring lymph nodes would be a significant advancement in the early detection of breast, prostate and testicular cancers.

Read More