Joke: Mutes (and this is humor, so don't feel offended)

A mute was walking down the street one day and chanced upon a friend of his (also a mute).

In sign language, he inquired how his friend had been doing. The friend replied (vocally!), "Oh, you can forget that hand-waving shit. I can talk now!"

Intrigued, the mute pressed him for details. It seems that he had gone to a specialist, who, seeing no physical damage, had put him on a treatment program that had restored the use of his vocal chords. Gesturing wildly, the mute asked if he might meet this specialist. They got an appointment that very afternoon.

After an exam, the specialist proclaimed that there was no permanent damage, that the mute was essentially in the same condition as his buddy, and that there was no reason why he couldn't be helped as well.

"Yes, yes" signed the mute. "Let's have the first treatment right now!"

"Very well," replies the specialist. "Kindly go into the next room, drop your pants and lean over the examining table. I'll be right in."

The mute does as instructed and the doctor sneaks in with a broomstick, mallet, and jar of Vaseline. Greasing the broom handle, he "sends it home" with a few deft swipes of the mallet.

The mute jumps from the table, screaming, "AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa!"

"VERY good," smiles the doctor. "Tuesday, we continue with 'B'."

More details about asthma - some facts and information

Meaning of the word, derived from ancient Greek. Asthma is a word meaning 'panting or shortdrawn breath'. As the word means, one of the common symptoms of an asthma patient is that they get frequent attacks of breathlessness, in between which he/she may even be completely normal. It is an allergic condition resulting from the reaction of the body to one or more allergens, and is the most troublesome of respiratory diseases.

Symptoms of asthma: Primarily, gasping for breath. Patients suffering from asthma appear to be gasping for breath. In more detail, what happens is, actually, they have more difficulty in breathing out than breathing in, and this is caused by spasms or sudden involuntary muscular contractions of the smaller air passages in the lungs.

Asthma Causes: Allergy can be caused by weather conditions, but there are other factors as well. Asthma may be caused due to an allergy caused by different factors such as weather conditions, food, drugs, perfumes, and other irritants. Allergies to dust are the most common.

Cures for asthma: Asthma treatment using Honey. Honey is one of the most common home remedies for asthma. It is said that if a jug of honey is held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes into contact with it, he starts breathing easier and deeper. However, as with many natural treatments, you should not depend totally on them unless you are sure that they work.

Asthma treatment using Figs: Among fruits, figs have proved very valuable in asthma. They give comfort to the patient by draining off the phlegm. Three or four dry figs should be cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soaked overnight.

Asthma treatment using Lemon: Lemon is another fruit found beneficial in the treatment of asthma. The juice of one lemon, diluted in a glass of water and taken with meals, will bring good results.

Cancer research: Control your pain, control your cancer

Kinda strange topic, since, after all, cancer is controlled through the normal treatments, being chemotherapy, radiation, or through surgery. What does controlling pain have to do with being beneficial to cancer treatment, especially when you consider the case of cancer in children. Well, it is being found that an essential part of trying to make cancer treatment in children more effective is also by treating the pain caused by the cancer and by its treatment. Pain affects the body's immune system, and also has profound psychological implications (link to article):

Experts at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital suggest that tumours press on nerves, bones and organs; radiation can damage the skin and mucus membranes; and chemotherapy agents can cause harsh side effects. Moreover, acute pain increases a patient's heart and respiratory rates, metabolism, blood pressure and stress hormones. Children who are hurting need more oxygen.
"Chronic pain influences the immune system, so patients don't heal as well. Research also shows that patients don't breathe as well when in pain, causing a higher risk of pulmonary complications after surgery," said Dr Doralina Anghelescu, Anesthesiology Division at St. Jude. "Patients in pain don't eat as well or sleep as well either. Pain management benefits the whole body," Anghelescu added.

What this study suggests is that, especially in the case of children, pain management and emotional support be an essential part of the treatment, and even the family members of the patient should be part of understanding pain management.

Ad: Click Here to learn more about Cancer treatment!

Interventional Pain Management: Image-Guided Procedures with DVD (Hardcover)

What is Diabetes Insipidus ?

Diabetes Insipidus is a rare disorder, resulting in excessive thirst and excessive passage of very dilute urine, due to a hormone deficiency in the pituitary gland, which is situated at the base of the brain.
Diabetes Insipidus results from a decreased production of antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin), the hormone that normally prevents the kidney from producing too much urine. Children with DI may be irritable or listless and may have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Milder forms of DI can be managed by drinking enough water, usually between 2 and 2.5 liters a day. DI severe enough to endanger a person’s health is rare.

Signs & Symptoms :
- Excessive thirst that is difficult to satisfy.
- Passage of large amounts (up to 15 quarts a day) of diluted, colorless urine.
- Dehydration, leading to rapid heart rate, low blood pressure and shock.
- Constipation.
- Mild cases may present with unremitting enuresis (bed-wetting).

Risk Factors :
- Brain tumor or pituitary gland tumor.
- Head Injury
- Infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, tuberculosis.
- Sarcoidosis
- Family history of diabetes insipidus.
- Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).


Diabetes Insipidus is not the same as diabetes mellitus ("sugar" diabetes). Diabetes Insipidus resembles diabetes mellitus because the symptoms of both diseases are increased urination and thirst. However, in every other respect, including the causes and treatment of the disorders, the diseases are completely unrelated.

There are four (4) fundamentally different types of Diabetes Insipidus(DI). Each has a different cause and must be treated in a different way. These four forms are:
- Neurogenic, also known as central, hypothalamic, pituitary or neurohypophyseal, is caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin.
- Nephrogenic, also known as vasopressin-resistant is caused by insensitivity of the kidneys to the effect of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin.
- Gestagenic, also known as gestational is also caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin, that occurs only during pregnancy.
- Dipsogenic, a form of primary polydipsia is caused by abnormal thirst and the excessive intake of water or other liquids.

How do you test for diabetes insipidus?
Usually your doctor will check your urine to see how much water is in it. He or she may also check your blood. Your doctor may give you a "water deprivation" test. During this test, you aren't allowed to drink any liquids. The staff will weigh you, check your urine and blood every hour for several hours. If the results of the test show that you have diabetes insipidus, you will probably also have pictures taken of your brain with a CT (computed tomographic) scan or an MRI (magnetic resonance image).

Medications:
- Vasopressin or desmopressin acetate, modified synthetic forms of antidiuretic hormone, may be taken as a nasal spray several times a day, to maintain a normal urine output. However, taking too much of this medication can cause fluid retention and swelling and other problems.
- Sometimes diabetes insipidus can be controlled with drugs that stimulate production of antidiuretic hormone such as chlorpropamide, carbamazepine, clofibrate.

Diet: No special diet. Drink as much water as you feel you need.

Ad: Click Here for the Diabetes Guide!

The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Diabetes Insipidus: Directory for the Internet Age (Paperback)

Diabetes research: Researchers Find Gene That Causes Resistance To Insulin

One of the major areas of focus for Diabetes research is to identify the precise reasons (including genetic reasons) for the multiple factors that go towards making a person afflited with Type 2 diabetes. These could be geared towards identifying why the body stops making insulin (or makes it in reduced quantities), or to identify as to why the body develops insulin resistance, which means the body is unable to pick up glucose from the blood stream. This particular research is geared towards identifying the genetic reasons that make the body stop responding to insulin present in the bloodstream. The gene reduces the effect of insulin already present in the muscles, liver and fat of the affected person (link to article):

Unlike most of the genes that have been shown to cause diabetes, the new gene, called Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 (IRS1), doesn't affect how insulin is created in the pancreas, but rather, how the body responds to insulin already in the bloodstream. IRS1 has to do with the function of the other tissues in the body. Rather than reduce production of insulin, this gene reduces the effect of insulin in muscles, liver and fat, a process called insulin resistance.
Sladek hopes this discovery may lead to new therapeutic lines of attack in the future. "It's possible that in diabetic patients, the signal to turn this gene on and off might be impaired. But we might be able to use one of the other pathways to turn it on," he said.

All this research is geared towards ensuring that medical science develops a much deeper understanding of why the body goes towards insulin resistance, and whether there is a genetic reason that can be repaired.

Ad: Gluten Free Low Glycemic Cookbook For Diabetics & Allergy Sufferers.

Introduction to Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a condition in which the body cells are unable to get glucose for producing energy. Due to insufficiency of insulin, the cells cannot use glucose. To avoid starvation the body begins to break down fat, for energy. The constant break down of fat, releases fatty acids and ketone bodies causing chemical imbalance (metabolic imbalance) called Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS:
* Excessive thirst
* Frequent urination
* General weakness
* Vomiting, Loss of appetite
* Confusion
* Abdominal discomfort
* Gasping breath
* Dry and hot skin
* Dry mouth
* Increased heart rate
* low blood pressure
* Sometimes a distinctive fruity odor on the breath
* Blurred vision
* Drowsiness or difficulty waking up
* Coma and finally death

CAUSES OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS :
The condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when the body has no insulin. This leaves the muscle, fat, and liver cells unable to use glucose (sugar) in the blood as fuel. Other hormones such as glucagon, growth hormone, and adrenaline cause fat to break down within the cells of these tissues into glucose and fatty acids. These fatty acids are converted to ketones by a process called oxidation. The body is literally consuming muscle, fat, and liver cells for fuel.
In diabetic ketoacidosis the body shifts from its normal metabolism using carbohydrates for fuel to a fasting state using fat for fuel. The resulting increase in blood sugar because it cannot be transported into cells for future use causes increased urination and dehydration. Commonly, 10% of total body fluids may be lost. Significant loss of potassium from urination is also common.
The most common events that cause person with diabetes to enter a state of diabetic ketoacidosis are these:
- Infection (40%) - Missed insulin (25%) - Newly diagnosed or previously unknown diabetes (15%)
Various other causes may include a heart attack, stroke, trauma, stress, and surgery. There is no identifiable cause 5-10% of the time.

WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE ?
- If you have diabetes, contact your doctor if you have very high blood sugars (generally more than 350 mg) or moderate elevations that do not respond to home treatment.
- If you have diabetes and develop a fever or start vomiting, contact your doctor for instructions.
- If you have home access to urine ketone test strips, and if urine sampling indicates moderate or greater urine ketones, notify your doctor.

TREATMENT FOR DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS :
1. Self-Care: Home care usually includes preventing Diabetic Ketoacidosis and treating moderately elevated high blood sugar. It includes:
- Monitor your blood sugars at least 3-4 times a day. You should check it more frequently if you feel illness, fever and vomiting sensation.
- If you can see moderate elevations in blood sugar, try to adjust with insulin injections (short-acting form of insulin).
- Try to identify related signs of infection and keep yourself well hydrated by drinking non-sugary fluids throughout the day.

2. Medical-Care: When ketoacidosis goes on increasing we should immediately seek doctor's help. Treatment involves giving insulin and fluids through a vein and closely monitoring the chemicals in the blood (electrolytes). If the case is critical, it requires admitting the patient in the Intensive Care Unit.
- Intravenous fluid replacement to reverse the dehydration, and dilute glucose and acid levels. Many liters of fluid is passed, intravenous to correct losses(Potassium is added, if required).
- Insulin administration to prevent further ketone formation.
- Further test and investigation are carried out depending upon the status of the patient.

Diabetic Nephropathy - A Kidney disease

Diabetic nephropathy is kidney disease that develops as a result of diabetes mellitus(DM), also called diabetes. This disease damages many organs, including the eyes, nerves, blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. DM is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States and accounts for over one-third of all patients who are on dialysis.
Each kidney is made of hundreds of thousands of filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron has a cluster of tiny blood vessels called a glomerulus. Together these structures help remove waste from the body. Too much blood sugar can damage these structures, causing them to thicken and become scarred. Slowly, over time, more and more blood vessels are destroyed. The kidney structures begin to leak and protein (albumin) begins to pass into the urine.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY :
* Fatigue.
* Foamy appearance or excessive frothing of the urine.
* Frequent hiccups.
* Generalized itching and ill feeling.
* Headache, nausea and vomiting.
* Poor appetite.
* Swelling of the legs, around eyes, body swelling in later stage of disease.
* Unintentional weight gain (from fluid buildup).

What causes diabetic nephropathy?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a complication of diabetes that is believed to contribute most directly to diabetic nephropathy. Hypertension is believed to be both the cause of diabetic nephropathy, as well as the result of damage that is created by the disease. As kidney disease progresses, physical changes in the kidneys often lead to increased blood pressure.

A higher proportion of individuals with type 2 diabetes are found to have microalbuminuria and overt nephropathy shortly after the diagnosis of their diabetes, because diabetes is actually present for many years before the diagnosis is made and also because the presence of albuminuria may be less specific for the presence of diabetic nephropathy, as shown by biopsy studies.

Screening for microalbuminuria can be performed by three methods:
- Measurement of the albumin-to-creatinine ratio in a random spot collection.
- 24-h collection with creatinine, allowing the simultaneous measurement of creatinine clearance.
- Timed (e.g., 4-h or overnight) collection.

TREATMENT FOR DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY :
Specific treatment for diabetic nephropathy will be determined by your physician based on:
* your age, overall health, and medical history.
* extent of the disease.
* your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies.
* expectations for the course of the disease.
* your opinion or preference.
Treatment may include any, or a combination of, the following:
* proper diet.
* exercise.
* strict monitoring and controlling of blood glucose levels, often with medication and insulin injections.
* medication (to lower blood pressure).

Diabetic Retinopathy - Eye disease

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication common in uncontrolled diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. It occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Given that a healthy retina is necessary for good vision, damage to the blood vessels will affect your eyesight. At first you may notice no changes to your vision. But over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes. All people with diabetes—both type 1 and type 2—are at risk. That's why everyone with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.



Diabetic retinopathy has four stages:
1. Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy. At this earliest stage, microaneurysms occur. They are small areas of balloon-like swelling in the retina's tiny blood vessels.
2. Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy. As the disease progresses, some blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked.
3. Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy. Many more blood vessels are blocked, depriving several areas of the retina with their blood supply. These areas of the retina send signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment.
4. Proliferative Retinopathy. At this advanced stage, the signals sent by the retina for nourishment trigger the growth of new blood vessels. These new blood vessels are abnormal and fragile. They grow along the retina and along the surface of the clear, vitreous gel that fills the inside of the eye. By themselves, these blood vessels do not cause symptoms or vision loss. However, they have thin, fragile walls. If they leak blood, severe vision loss and even blindness can result.




Signs and Symptoms
The affect of diabetic retinopathy on vision varies widely, depending on the stage of the disease.
* Blurred vision (this is often linked to blood sugar levels
* Floaters and flashes
* Sudden loss of vision
What are the symptoms of proliferative retinopathy if bleeding occurs?
At first, you will see a few specks of blood, or spots, "floating" in your vision. If spots occur, see your eye care professional as soon as possible.

How does diabetic retinopathy cause vision loss?
1. Fragile, abnormal blood vessels can develop and leak blood into the center of the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy and is the fourth and most advanced stage of the disease.
2. Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is called macular edema. It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses.

How is diabetic retinopathy treated?
During the first three stages of diabetic retinopathy, no treatment is needed, unless you have macular edema. To prevent progression of diabetic retinopathy, people with diabetes should control their levels of blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol.
Proliferative retinopathy is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called scatter laser treatment. Scatter laser treatment helps to shrink the abnormal blood vessels. Scatter laser treatment works better before the fragile, new blood vessels have started to bleed. That is why it is important to have regular, comprehensive dilated eye exams. The doctor places 1,000 to 2,000 laser burns in the areas of the retina away from the macula, causing the abnormal blood vessels to shrink. Because a high number of laser burns are necessary, two or more sessions usually are required to complete treatment.

How is a macular edema treated?
Macular edema is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called focal laser treatment. Your doctor places up to several hundred small laser burns in the areas of retinal leakage surrounding the macula. These burns slow the leakage of fluid and reduce the amount of fluid in the retina. The surgery is usually completed in one session. Further treatment may be needed.

What can be done if somebody has already lost some vision from diabetic retinopathy?
An eye care professional about low vision services and devices that may help you make the most of your remaining vision.

NOTE : Visit your eye doctor frequently. Do not wait for symptoms to occur.

Infant Jaundice - Natural Home Remedy

Many babies develop a mild form of jaundice two to four days after birth. The skin has a golden, sun-tanned appearance and the eye whites have a yellowish tinge. Newborn jaundice is due to the build-up of a yellow pigment in the blood (bilirubin) normally broken down by the liver. It occurs because the liver is not yet fully matured. Jaundice is more common in premature babies and in babies bruised during birth.

A bilirubin level of 12 or more which continues to increase after the third day and a baby that is dehydrated and lethargic is an indication of pathological jaundice. This is a condition could be related to blood group incompatibility or a damaged liver and the help of an experienced professional healer is very likely necessary for effective infant jaundice treatments in this case. If untreated this type of infant jaundice can lead to brain damage. The two other types of infant jaundice, physiologic jaundice and breast milk jaundice require little to no treatment and will disappear within a few weeks on their own.

Treatments to lower the level of bilirubin in your baby's blood may include:
- Light therapy (phototherapy). Your baby may be placed under special lighting that emits light in the blue-green spectrum. The light changes the shape and structure of bilirubin molecules in such a way that they can be excreted in the urine and stool. The light isn't an ultraviolet light, and a protective plastic shield filters out any ultraviolet light that may be emitted. During the treatment, your baby will wear only a diaper and protective eye patches.

- Sunlight will also help break down the bilirubin. So another effective infant jaundice treatment is to undress your baby and, while shading her eyes, give her a sun bath in the early morning or late afternoon sun for five minutes.

- Breastfeed your baby frequently. Plenty of fluids are needed to flush away the bilirubin.

- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Jaundice may be related to blood type differences between mother and baby. This condition results in the baby carrying antibodies from the mother that contribute to the breakdown of blood cells in the baby. Intravenous transfusion of immunoglobulin, a blood protein that can reduce levels of antibodies, may decrease jaundice and lessen the need for exchange blood transfusion.

- Exchange blood transfusion. Rarely, when severe jaundice doesn't respond to other treatments, a baby may need an exchange transfusion of blood. This involves repeatedly withdrawing small amounts of blood, diluting out the bilirubin and maternal antibodies, and then transferring blood back into the baby — a procedure that's performed in a newborn intensive care unit.

If you suspect breast milk jaundice you can stop breastfeeding for a short period of time (no longer than 48 hours) to see if the bilirubin level drops without breast milk.

Loss Of Hair - Natural Home Remedy

Hair loss is a condition that reflects the level of health of the person, although not a dangerous disease, millions of people are desperately seeking a cure for hair loss, our society drives us to look healthy and young, hair loss damages or looks and our self esteem, making us less sure of ourselves.

CAUSES OF HAIR FALL:
Women also suffer from hair loss as they age and reach menopause, though they don't lose as much hair as men. Childbirth can cause hair loss. Mothers usually lose a lot of hair during a 6-month period after giving birth. Other reasons for hair loss in men and women are; inadequate nutrition, stress, infection, surgery, high fever, diets, over brushing, syphilis, and tumors.As humidity touches Level Zenith, our hair is the first to drop. And our comb keeps ending up in clusters of hair and the entire process becomes heartbreaking.

HOME REMEDIES:
1. A mixture of equal quantity of fresh amla juice and lime juice when used as a shampoo stimulates hair growth and prevents hair loss.
2. One cup of lettuce and spinach juice taken daily prevents hair loss.
3. Daily application of coconut oil mixed with lime water or lime juice on the hair prevents hair loss.
4. About 250 grams of mustard oil should be boiled with 100 grams of henna leaves and applied to scalp, reduces hair loss.
5. Rinse your hair with a mix of apple cider vinegar and sage tea this helps hair grow.
6. Take Silica in capsules one a day, makes hair stronger and thicker.
7. Soak a towel in hot water and squeeze lightly. Cover your hair with this for 10 minutes and do try this for almost a week.
8. Mix Olive leaves with peach leaves, pomegranate leaves, buckthorn leaves, Henna, olive oil, and some salt. Grind and boil the mixture then leave to cool. Drain through a fabric and save in a container. Smear on the hair before bed time and leave for the whole night, wash in the morning. Repeat for 1-2 weeks. It will make the hair stronger and darker and will grow some new hair.
9. Apply a mixture of Aloe Vera with herbal powder triphala to the hair for a period of three to six months.
10.Neem has been used in ayurveda for hundreds of years to help hair growth. Thickens hair, heals follicles and it cleans the scalp.
11.Tea tree oil kills bacteria and mites that attack the follicles and causes hair loss.
12.Do not brush your hair too much. When towel drying your hair, don't rub instead pat your hair dry gently.
13.Two tablespoons of fenugreek (methi) seeds soaked overnight in water. The softened seeds should be grounded into a fine paste in the morning and applied over the scalp & left for half an hour and then washed thoroughly.

CONDITIONERS TO PREVENT HAIR LOSS
1. Heat a small bowl of olive oil or herbal oil and massage it well into the scalp. Comb through wide-tooth comb and then massage again. Leave overnight and wash it with a mild shampoo.
2. Pour 5 tbsp of southernwood infusion in a bottle and shake well. Use diluted 1 tbsp of tonic to warm water and apply on scalp.

Cancer Research: New surgery seen to have potential in cervical cancer

Studies have postulated that a new form of surgery called mesometrial resection (TMMR) (a more targeted surgical operation) could lead to a significant improvement in the survival rate of patients afflicted with cervical cancer. At the same time, the surgery also promised other improvements such as reduced complications, reducing damages to nerves in the pelvis (thus reducing post-surgery problems with bladder and bowel functionality), and also sparing patients of radiotherapy (link to article):

Survival rates among cervical cancer patients may be improved by as much as 20 per cent by making subtle changes to major surgery, researchers in Germany suggest. The new technique removes a specific, more defined, section which includes the fallopian tubes, uterus, and certain parts of the vagina, which the researchers said are the main areas of local tumour spread.
"Based on historical controls, TMMR without adjuvant radiation has the potential to improve survival by 15-20 per cent," the BBC quoted Hockel as saying. He conceded that it was next needed to conduct larger trials in different hospitals. "This new surgical technique seems to have the potential to help women with early-stage cervical cancer avoid some of the unpleasant long-term effects of a hysterectomy and radiotherapy," Liz Woolf, head of Cancer Research UK's patient information website CancerHelp UK, said.

The improved surgery sounds promising, since it not only improves the survival rate of this cancer, but also seems to reduce the post-surgery complications suffered by patients.

Cancer Research: Low oxygen level indicates recurrence of prostate cancer

For some time now, researches have been studying the link between low oxygen zones in prostate tumors, and the probability of recurrence of the cancer. Studies have made the connection that low oxygen zones are linked to the increased resistance to radiation among solid tumors. The study, if taken forward, can help in determing the amount of radiation levels (including increasing the dose) for treating patients whose tumors show such signs of oxygen resistance (and help in ensuring that the cancer is eliminated and does not come back) (link to article):

She says that the current study reinforces the preliminary findings of the six research papers published between 2000 and 2002, which detailed the link between low oxygen in tumours and the risk of increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.
The study showed that eight of the 57 patients experienced an increase in PSA levels following prostate cancer treatment, defined as an increase of 2 Ng /ml above the lowest PSA reading following Brach therapy. Overall, average muscle oxygenation was 12.5 times higher than that of the tumour. The researchers used a statistical model that accounted for such risk factors as tumour grade, PSA level and tumour size and determined that low oxygen was a significant independent predictor of an increase in PSA levels.

Research: Extract from red sea coral can treat skin cancer

Research for combating cancer goes off into many different paths - one area is to determine the genes that kick off the cancer cells, or provide an indication of whether there is a higher risk of cancer; another area is to find naturally occurring ingredients that can either decrease the chance of getting cancer, or reduce / stop the incidence of cance once a person has been afflicted with the cancer. As a part of this, researchers have found an extract from coral found in the red sea that acts against skin cancer (link to article):

The team led by SDSU distinguished professor Chandradhar Dwivedi looked at the chemo
preventive effects of sarcophine-diol, made from a substance called sarcophine that can be isolated from soft coral found in the Red Sea. They found that sarcophine-diol has the potential to inhibit cell growth of cancers, and induce orderly, programmed cell death of skin cancer cells.
The study showed that treating human skin cancer cells with different concentrations of sarcophine-diol for different lengths of time reduced the viability of cancer cells in each case. Sarcophine-diol also inhibited the proliferation or uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. It also induced apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells.

Further research is required in this area, but this a postive trend in the cure against skin cancer.

Cancer research: A gel that prevents skin cancers

Increasing level of sun exposure has been shown in the past to be related to an increased risk of developing skin cancers, and is the reason why the increase of the hole in the Ozone was supposed to result in more skin cancers and health problems. It is also the reason why there is an increased focus on skin creams and sun-blockers for those who have a much higher exposure to the sun. But there are problems with unprotected higher exposure to the sun. Sun spots have an enhanced risk of developing into skin cancers if untreated. Now an Australian company has come out with a gel made from radium weed sap that removes sun spots (link to article):

Peplin, the Queensland-based pharmaceutical company, says that its gel can remove sun spots, which can develop into invasive skin cancers if left untreated. Dr. Peter Welburn, General Manager of the company, has revealed that human trials have shown that the gel can treat sun spots and lesions in just two days.
According to him, the gel successively removed every sun spot on 27 per cent of patients, with 44 per cent having partial success. "This is the first product that has demonstrated benefit in treating sun spots on the face, neck and difficult areas to treat like the arms and back of hands,’’ News.com.au quoted him as saying. He, however, conceded that the gel did not treat melanomas.

Nature has many cures present through either plant or animal extracts that can help in treating cancer; it is just about science being able to find them and developed them commercially.

Cancer research: Personalizing treatment for lung cancer

One of the key areas of cancer research is to find more methods for personalizing cancer research. This article talks about some interesting leads in this area, including the use of cancer vaccines and targeted therapies to help people who have lung cancer, especially those who have had surgery; such treatment can help people avoid a recurrence of the cancer (link to article):

"Personalizing therapy is the key strategy for longer and better survival in lung cancer," said Prof Paris Kosmidis, head of the second Medical Oncology Department at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece. "This is particularly important for early stage disease when following surgery, decisions about preventive therapy are based on specific prognostic and predictive factors."
At the conference, researchers will describe a gene signature that might predict which patients will benefit from the treatment. "Because the benefits of vaccination will be limited to a subgroup of patients, strategies to define these patients by means of biomarkers such as a genetic signature are of major clinical relevance, as only these patients might be candidates for vaccination in the future,” said Weder.

As we proceed on research, science keeps on finding weapons in the fight cancers; and one of the most worrisome issues for a patient who has had the removal of their cancer is whether the cancer will come back - this research points to indicators about how to prevent the delay.

Cancer research: A 'pied piper' to turn off cancer

In cancer research, one of the key points is trying to determine if there are some sort of biological switches that turn on or off cancers. If for example, scientists are able to determine a point in the body / a protein / a gene that plays a key role in controlling the spread or rate of increase of cancer, the next effort would be find a chemical or biological agent that can control the spread of cancer. This article (link to article) is about scientists discovering a molecule in the blood that can slow down the growth of cancer in different types of cancers such as prostate, breast, colon and blood cancer:

Scientists have discovered a "pied piper" molecule in blood cells, called LIAR, which they claim can allow growth signals into red blood cells - and if turned off, might slow certain cancers. The scientists from Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, have also identified the function of a known cellular enzyme, Lyn, as a switch that "turns on" blood cell development.
"LIAR is like a key, which opens a pathway into the nucleus of a blood cell for a number of other molecules, allowing them to flow in - and these molecules are what signal the cell to develop and divide. "From here, if we could control Liar, the hope is that we could use it to switch off the growth of abnormal, or cancerous, cells. Because Liar is present in every blood cell, this knowledge could help treat a huge range of conditions and diseases, but where it has most potential is in cancers of the prostate, breast, colon and blood where activity of the enzyme Lyn is heightened," team leader Evan Ingley said.

Such research puts hope in the minds of people suffering from some of these cancers, since even if the research takes some time to come to actual results, there is always the hope, and hope can be a big factor as well.

Research: Using a herbal extract to fight pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a dangerous form of cancer (details: Malignancy of the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer has been called a "silent" disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause symptoms. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct and bile cannot pass into the digestive system, the skin and whites of the eyes may become yellow (jaundiced), and the urine darker as a result of accumulated bile pigment called bilirubin).
Cancer of the pancreas has markedly increased in incidence over the decades and now ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US. Despite the high mortality rate associated with pancreatic cancer, its causation is poorly understood. Smoking is known to be a major risk factor. Cigarette smokers develop cancer of the pancreas two to three times more often than do nonsmokers. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer. Cancer of the pancreas is rarely curable. The overall survival rate is less than 4%.
Hence, research that delves into how to find cures for pancreatic cancers is very imporatant; and finding of naturally occurring or laboratory created compounds that could help in the cure is very important. Here is some information about a promising herb that could help in stopping the development of pancreatic cancer (link to article):

Thymoquinone, the major constituent of the oil extract from a middle-eastern herbal seed called Nigella sativa, reduced the release of inflammatory mediators in pancreatic cancer cells, according to Hwyda Arafat, associate professor of surgery, Jefferson Medical College (JMC).
Nigella sativa seeds and oil are used in traditional medicine in the Middle East and in other parts of Asia, for treating some immunity and inflammatory disorders, Arafat said. Previous studies have also shown it to have anti-cancer effects on prostate and colon cancers, said a Jefferson release.

Any development in the fight against pancreatic cancer is very useful, and if this herb does turn out to be an important tool in the effort, then this development would be a watershed. Giving hopes to the family of those who are suffering from pancreatic cancer is also equally important.

Article on 'Emergency Room Medicine for Cancer Treatment'

From the website:

Inside the emergency room and intensive care wards, where many believe some of the most accurate medicine is practiced, are common but extraordinarily safe and effective substances that save lives everyday. Interesting no one has thought to harness these medical super weapons against chronic disease or cancer.
What we have done to establish the nuclear core of our work is to go into the emergency room and take their best and safest medicines and apply their life saving qualities to cancer and other chronic diseases. The same medicine that can save a life on demand instantly in an emergency situation, like cardiac arrest, can use to battle the diseases that have been baffling the entire western alopathic establishment for decades.
What will come as a surprise to most allopathic physicians is that the healing agents we have selected are not pharmaceutical medicines but highly concentrated nutritional substances. We are talking specifically about magnesium chloride, iodine and sodium bicarbonate. These basic emergency room substances, along with ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) make up our core protocol which together, along with other minerals and vitamins like selenium, zinc and vitamin C, can beat back the ravaging power of cancer and even diabetes.