Chemotherapy: Boon or Bane?
Chemotherapy has given hope to numerous cancer patients. However, a recent study by The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) shows that chemotherapy can often do more harm than good. This is the main reason why doctors are now being advised to be more careful in offering chemo as treatment, particularly to cancer patients.
The NCEPOD study revealed that for more than 600 cancer patients who died within a month upon receiving treatment, 27% got worse and died faster after undergoing chemotherapy.
Though chemotherapy is the usual course of treatment for cancer nowadays, Dr. Joseph Mercola is not convinced that it is the best option. Though it may lengthen a patient’s life by a couple of months in some cases, it can also end up killing them prematurely
Chemotherapy may do more harm than good to a cancer patient due to its effects on the body’s cells. Yes, this conventional treatment can kill cancer cells but it can also destroy healthy cells at the same time. Chemo prevents the rapid reproduction and division of cells which are found in bone marrow, cells in the digestive system and reproductive system as well as cells found in hair follicles.
Fortunately, there are natural, safer and more effective alternatives to chemotherapy. Dr. Mercola recommends the use of Vitamin D, healthy lifestyle choices and emotional management for the treatment and prevention of cancer.
Calcitriol is the most powerful steroid hormone in your body and is produced in the tissues of individuals with optimum levels of Vitamin D. It has been shown to fight cancer because it stimulates cell differentiation and controls cell proliferation.
Since cancer patients usually have low levels of Vitamin D, it is crucial for them to optimize their levels of this nutrient.
Cancer patients should be given up to 80-90 ng/ml of Vitamin D to help optimize their levels. The proper diet, exercise and healthy choice of food will also boost the patient’s resistance. And, avoiding negative and stressful emotions will definitely make a cancer patient feel much better. Make sure that the patients feel positive. Help them keep their faith and always give them hope.
These are just some of Dr. Mercola’s recommendations in the fight against cancer. Cancer is a deadly disease but we are not powerless against it.
Chest Pain: Causes and Treatment
Chest pain is the severe pain and squeezing, crushing and pressure felt in the chest that can last for a few minutes. If the pain moves into your neck, arm, left shoulder or jaw, it can already be considered as a serious condition. That’s why for most cases, even though chest pain is non-cardiac in origin, it is still generally considered as a medical emergency.
Interior organs such as the heart, lungs, esophagus, muscle and bone, and even the skin can cause chest pains. Part of the pain may come from other body parts due to the complex nerve distribution in the body.
An acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is a serious cause of chest pain. Other life-threatening causes of chest pain include angina, a condition where there is an imbalance distribution between the oxygen demand of the heart and the amount of oxygen delivered via the blood; aortic dissection or a tear in the inner lining of the aorta; pulmonary embolismspontaneous pneumothorax or collapsed lung; perforated viscus or a hole or tear in the wall of any area of the gastrointestinal tract; and cocaine-induced chest pain.
Other conditions that are not immediately life-threatening, including pneumonia, acute pericarditis, and disorders of the esophagus, mitral valve prolapse, costochondritis (the inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs) and herpes zoster or shingles (a reactivation of the viral infection that causes chickenpox) may also cause chest pain.
Fortunately, anyone who suffers mild or even severe chest pain should not worry too much because a lot of treatment may be done to relieve the pain. The first thing a person suffering from chest pain should do is to seek medical treatment. However, if the patient is still at home waiting for the ambulance, one way to reduce the pain is through first aid. If the chest pain has become unbearable, have the patient chew an aspirin.
It is better for the patient to chew the pill before swallowing it. If the pain does not subside, give the patient another tablet. There is no evidence that shows that taking two tablets of aspirin has any side effect. If someone is suffering from angina, give him nitroglycerin tablets and put it under his tongue while calling for an ambulance. More treatments may be done but if it involves sensitive body parts like the heart and lungs, it is best to consult a doctor because x-rays, blood tests or sometimes electrocardiogram and CT pulmonary angiogram are usually needed to determine the real cause of chest pain. Knowing the medical history of the patient is the most important tool.
If you suffer chest pains, consult your doctor immediately. It pays to know the cause as soon as possible than risk getting any worse.
Sudden Death and Other Top Heart Disease Symptoms to Avoid
Health Problems can be caused by Hidden Allergies
You can watch educational video tapes by Dr. Rapp regarding the method of allergy testing called Provocation/Neutralization. With this, you will see the dramatic and physical changes that are happening in kids and adults. According to Dr. Mercola, Dr. Rapp is an expert in this field and she can explain how everything that surrounds us can make us sick. She also said that chemical exposure can cause cancer, autism, ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), muscular conditions and infertility. But, we are unaware of this, right?
She also explains how people can avoid these environmental toxins as discussed in her site. It is an excellent source to find ways to avoid this toxin because she’s been studying about this for a long time. All of us know that if we have itchy eyes, runny nose and hives or itchy skin, these are certainly allergies. But, what we do not know is, allergies can affect any part of our body.
Not all allergies will give you an immediate reaction. To avoid all of this to happen, you have to do a detective work. You must track down everything you are exposed to. If you think it is because of the food you eat, you must track down or have a diary of what you have eaten or about to eat. This will not be easy especially if you eat processed food. All the food you eat must be listed, even your vitamins, for you to easily track what really causes your allergies.
In the long run, you will also be the one to get benefits from it. This is just a simple solution to get rid of the wrong ways and undo things that will bring your body negative effects. Allergies may be seen as an ordinary body response. Some allergies are not that dangerous but when it reacted with other symptoms, it may lead into sort of inconvenience on your part. So it is better to prevent it from happening before it will cause you more pain. As we said, prevention is better than cure.