Search Results for: blog chemotherapy and complimentary medicine

ED Drugs Tested for Chemotherapy

Recent tests from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California may have come up with a new use for impotence drugs: treating brain tumors. A research team from Cedars-Sinai looked specifically at Levitra and Viagra (you may have heard of them). Although the two drugs get a lot of press for their powers in the bedroom, it looks like they may have another power — with the ability to help a lot of people. In laboratory tests on rats with brain tumors, vardenafil (Levitra) and sildenafil (Viagra) were able to carry chemotherapy drugs safely past the blood-brain barrier. Did you … Continue reading →

Not All Breast Cancer Patients Need Chemotherapy

Two recent studies took a look at whether or not chemotherapy is the best treatment for breast cancer — with interesting results. The studies were reported at the 31st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, an annual gathering of scientists from around the world. One study found that women were less likely to have a relapse or die if treated with a less harsh drug than the standard chemotherapy drug, Adriamycin. One study (from Loyola University in Chicago, IL) used a gene test to help predict whether or not a woman actually needs chemotherapy to treat breast cancer — or … Continue reading →

Alternative Medicine and Your Doctor

Alternative medicine is gaining in popularity. It comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. As we learn about it’s diversity and benefits, more and more Americans are giving it a try. Let’s face it, as a whole we’re a very unhealthy bunch. We are beginning to recognize that, and some of us look for more “natural” ways to reclaim our bodies than others. Most people, I think, try to strike a balance between the medical world and our alternative worlds. The bad part is we don’t always tell our medical doctors what else we are doing and vise-versa. That can … Continue reading →

When Your Doctor Has Bad News

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A friend of mine had a scary diagnosis recently. The big C: cancer. It got me thinking about how I would handle a major illness. Do some research. I’d want to understand what was happening in my body, what symptoms I could expect, and what treatments are out there. Sites like www.WebMD.com and the National Institutes of Health are good starting points. Get a second opinion. Doctors know a heck of a lot more about health stuff than I do, but nobody is perfect. Your doctor shouldn’t take a second opinion as an insult, or a commentary on his or … Continue reading →

Can Hypnotherapy Help You Create a Healthy Lifestyle?

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A friend of mine hates answering the phone. She hates it so much that she ignores any calls from unknown numbers and never even checks her voicemail. As a small business owner, she fears that she’s losing lots of business — but even that won’t get her to listen to her messages. She mentioned wanting to try hypnotherapy to help get her past her phone problems. Personally, I think it’s a good idea. Hypnotherapy isn’t just the stage tricks we see at fairs and on television. Working with a trained, licensed hypnotherapist can help a person make huge life changes. … Continue reading →

What Should I Be Doing During Meditation?

Many jokes are told among those who practice meditation. We feel like we should be reaching epiphanies, realizing our relationship with God and a list of other tall, noble orders. What makes us laugh are the experiences that we really have a large percentage of the time that we are in meditation: “I have no idea what I’m making for dinner tonight,” “My feet are cold – I should have put socks on when she told us to,” or “Someone just dropped a weight way too hard.” We also have plenty of meditation sessions that lead us right into sleepier … Continue reading →

Working Out with Cancer

Today’s cancer patient is discovering that rest isn’t always the best prescription. In fact, a growing body of thought has indicated that walking, yoga and other forms of exercise can help a cancer patient endure their treatments including chemotherapy both psychologically and physically. More and more, oncologists are recommending that exercise is on par with nutrition when it comes to cancer patients. More than 3 decades ago, my grandmother developed uterine cancer. She had a hysterectomy and months of radiation treatments and chemotherapy. Even on days when she just wanted to throw up and curl up into a ball, she … Continue reading →