Jun 14

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

by Anne Woodland

Everyone will suffer pain at some point in their lives and strange as it may sound, some pain is necessary; it’s a signal from our brain that something is wrong which we need to address to protect our health and well-being. Pain can come from any type of injury, illness or condition but it is then our job to locate where the pain is originating from to stop it. Normally once the cause of the pain is treated, the pain will gradually disappear but not always.

Many of us have experienced this to a degree when we suffer a headache or a migraine but it also refers to conditions like arthritis and back pain. Around the world, many people live with chronic pain throughout their lives and it can happen at anytime for almost any reason. Often the cause of chronic pain is actually cured but the nerves still believe the condition is still present and the pain will often become the condition itself.

The problem with prescription medication is that it is easy to become dependent and as time progresses the drugs become less effective but the dependence remains; or there are serious side effects to be considered and many are now turning towards natural pain relief treatments as long term alternatives. Although there are a number of natural pain relief systems in use, probably the most often used is acupuncture especially by those who unfortunately suffer with chronic pain. The Chinese use acupuncture to treat and cure many ailments by inserting long very thin needles into the skin.

Patients with conditions like severe back pain, migraines and arthritis claim it makes their condition much more bearable and relieves pain more than any conventional treatment they have used. Herbal remedies are another time-tested alternative to conventional therapies, providing natural pain relief to sufferers without many of the unwanted side effects of conventional medicines. For the reduction in arthritic pain, Emu oil can be used and people with scarring pain can try vitamin E; these are just two natural pain relief remedies of the many available.

Some people do not like using these herbal remedies, not because they do not provide enough relief but because they take longer to work; the plus side is that nothing synthetic is entering the system that can harm it. The best way to avoid the need for any type of natural pain relief is to look after your health and avoid substances that create problems like processed foods, foods with high salt and fat content, and eat more fruit and vegetables. People often underestimate the need for proper sleep and disregard any advice on regular exercise like walking and refraining from using the elevator to use the stairs, both of which are good for the hear

About the Author:
Jun 8
by Anne Woodland

Alternative health therapy is often used instead of conventional treatment. Integrated therapies use a combination of either alternative or complementary therapies with normal medical treatment, for the practice of which a high level of expertise is required. Alternative therapies make available services which are not offered in conventional medicine. Some of the alternative therapies include: herbal medicine, folk medicine, and homeopathy, diet fads, new age healing, faith healing, naturopathy, chiropractic, and music therapy even though this isn’t an exhaustive list. Alternative therapies very often promise cure or help in areas where conventional treatment might not wish to do so.

Alternative health therapies can help you feel better and improve your quality of life and improve your general health to give you a sense of control. Reducing and eliminating tension, stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness, causes the person to feel a sense of well-being and relaxation. The intensity of some of the side effects of traditional cancer treatment can be made more bearable, other symptoms like breathlessness, diarrhea, lack of appetite, constipation, pain and feeling sick that are greatly reduced.

They alleviate pain which could conceal a grave situation and this is a possibility as today they are frequently used with traditional medicine. For example, there are some support groups for cancer, that offer all of these therapies for free or for a small fee and there are some hospices and hospitals that provide these as a special part of the care for cancer, right alongside of the conventional treatments for cancer like radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Several of the people that now have cancer are known to use all of these therapies in order to help support them throughout the stages of cancer and the treatment itself. These therapies are very valuable in that they identify and support spiritual and emotional characteristics and physical features, but they should not be used as the only alternative line of treatment.

There is an increase in the use of alternative health products, Americans use a lot of herbs and vitamins and spend about billion every year on alternative health products. The recent studies that were conducted by Phillips, Tindle, Eisenberg and Davis, reflected that there was roughly seventy two million adults within the United States that use alternative and complementary therapies. Also indicated from these studies is a figure of more than billion per year spent on out-of-pocket for these therapies according to Herman, Craig, & Caspi, 2005.

However there is no specific alternative health therapy that is more effective than the other, you will only be able to determine which treatment would suit you and which one is effective only by the trial and error method. Individual therapies like massage, meditation, acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, reflexology and reiki are proved to be very helpful for some people in improving their life. Before you consider any of the alternative therapies that are available, it is always a very good idea to consult with your physician, it is also important that you double check that any treatment that you take in addition isn’t going to adversely affect any of the current treatment programs that you are on.

In the event, that you make the decision to integrate some of the alternative health therapies into your specific treatment plan, you are going to need to discuss all of your choices very openly, regularly and honestly with your physician and others that are part of your health care team. Find out where the treatment is available, at your clinic or hospital or then though the doctors own practice. Today doctors are more and more convinced that alternative therapy does have a place in the overall healing of a patient. This gives them the ability to maybe recommend alternative therapy practitioners. Most find that this type of therapy gives them back some control of their lives and lessens the anxiety and it also helps them cope with side effects of conventional treatment.

About the Author:
May 13
by Lisa Copen

If you live with a chronic illness or chronic pain, the odds are that you have at least tried a support group once since your diagnosis. Did the situation go something like this?

You feel exhausted and not very motivated to attend the meeting but you decided to go anyway. Find the meeting place, a parking spot and the right room leaves you wiped out. At last you locate a hard, sticky seat. A few people smile at you, but there is a discussion going about now aggravating doctors can be. Soon the topic moves to people comparing how many milligrams and pain killers they need and it feels like your pain is minimized because you are on less than most people. Two people try to convince you to try their juice remedy and you want to run screaming. It’s so depressing!

Aren’t support groups supposed to be valuable in learning how to cope with illness and encourage one another?

The answer is yes! Studies completed by Dr. David Spiegel have concluded that support groups do in fact improve the quality of life of those who are willing to attend. Recent studies (CANCER, Sept 2007) have show that support groups do not actually increase the lifespan of one who lives with cancer. But regardless, by having one’s feelings about her illness validated, her skills of coping with chronic illness are definitely more improved.

Whether you are looking for leadership program ideas for your small group, or you’re just thinking about attending one, you may have cause for concern about how fast a group can go from being a friendly, honest place to a time of complaints and even bickering. Would you like some fresh icebreaker games for small groups to perk people up?

Here are 10 tips to help you make your chronic illness support group include some laughter as well as just the discussion of challenges. And these ideas will work for any groups, from a Dementia support groups in Dallas to an Ebsteins Anomaly support group. And these ideas are perfect to have when you are creating a proposal for starting up a support group.

1. Cut out some smiley faces and sad faces and glue them back-to-back to a stick or plastic knife. As you go around the circle sharing have each person make sure they are able to hold up both sides of the faces when they are talking about their illness. For example, Mary could hold up the sad face and say, “Preparing for a joint replacement and all the therapy involved afterwards is a bit scary.” (Then flip it over) “But the upside is my family and friends are already volunteering to come over and help me out around the house.”

2. Rethink your concept of what counts as indoor games for small groups. For example, have everyone bring things for a JOY box and then have everyone choose something to take with them out of it at each meeting. It could be a rubber frog, a favorite poem, a note someone sent, an encouraging book, a silly or sentimental DVD. Have everyone return them by the next meeting to share again.

3. Be goofy together with ice breakers for small groups. Make up a fun, corny theme song to start each meeting, or pick a tune everyone knows and make up new lyrics. Check out comedian Anita Renfroe’s website for some terrific examples that will leave you in stitches.

4. Find some goofy props to bring to your meeting. Don’t make anyone feel they must use or wear them. (Forcing someone to wear bug antennas may scare them away for good.) But make sure they are available to encourage light-hearted moments before discussing the depressing reasons you are there. You can find hundreds of items for a reasonable price at Oriental Trading Supply.

5. Though it can be a challenge, don’t let your group tune into a platform for any member to talk continuously about his or her disease, the treatments, alternative treatments and even complaints. If someone tends to dominate the conversation, let your group know you are implementing the use of a timer to make sure everyone has equal opportunity to share. Set whatever guidelines you wish, for instance, you could allow people to vent for sixty seconds on any topic. Or they could share about an alternative treatment they’ve found useful, but when the timer rings, time is up!

6. Have everyone bring something to put into a basket of encouragement for someone else. It may be someone who is having surgery from your group or a friend of someone in the group who has just been diagnosed. Brainstorm together about what items people would like, and be sure to remember sometimes the personal notes mean the most. If it’s appropriate consider including family members.

7. Go out for one evening just for fun. If everyone want to act their age you may consider a sit down restaurant, or you can head on over to Chuck E. Cheese’s or Build-A-Bear. It’s a terrific icebreaker for small groups since people who haven’t opened up in the group may find this is a more relaxed environment. Consider including family members to participate.

8. Provide handouts or items that encourage people to thrive with illness. For example, National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week always has fun items like bumper stickers, static clings, stickers, pins, mugs, etc. with the different themes like, “My illness is invisible but my hope shines through!”

9. When you schedule guest speakers, remind them that you want to provide the most positive outlook as possible, while still being practical. Invite them to pass out props, encouraging articles. Listen to your speakers before scheduling them. Some illness speakers are quite depressing.

10. The people in your group are quite amazing and able to make a difference. This is important for them to remember since they often feel so out of control. Your group may not be able to actually walk for charity, but they can likely work at a registration table, pass out bottles of water for a walk/run, or even just hand out presents to kids at the children’s hospital. Teens with chronic illness often get support groups can be great motivators for these kinds of outings. Find a project people are passionate about where they can see they are making a difference in the lives of others.

Support groups can provide some of the most influential relationships that can help one live successfully with chronic illness. The environment of the group, however, can make or break its usefulness. With these few simple tips, your group can be a refuge and a place of true relaxation, creating an special group for people to create friendships that could just last as long as the illness, perhaps indefinitely.

About the Author:
Apr 17
by James Grey

All I needed was to have the right info in my hands when I quit smoking. Each and every time I mustered up enough mental energy, I would attempt it again. It was a learning adventure each time I failed in my attempts to quit but, I learned what not to do the next time. If you fail in quitting smoking, you can at least slow down on the cigarettes you are having. When you stop smoking it will be one of the best things you can do for yourself hands down. Call your health insurance company and ask for some help, they will help, LOL. Know what you are going to do when you get that craving for a smoke. It is not that hard to stop smoking once you put your mind to it.

The last time I had quit smoking, I signed up with one of those stop smoking support groups. The reason I did that is it was just killing me to quit over and over again, pure torture it was… It was going to be the last time for me. Daily and personalized support can go a long way. It can be one hell of a psychological ride, not counting the physical cravings. Having a stop smoking support group and a checklist help with tips and advice to head off what you will be facing. There is nothing innovative about this, we all go thur the same withdraws. I was just so afraid to fail again, stress and more stress. Your mind will play tricks on you, coming up with reasons to smoke. Learn a few ways to talk yourself out of having that smoke.

Arm yourself with the information of why you smoke and understand the effects it has on you. Change your behavior, plan it out ahead of time and like do not hang out with your smoking co-workers and friends. Treat the tobacco like a dependence problem because it is. Face these challenges if you truly want to quit smoking.

Smoking two packs of cigarettes a day was to much for me to quit cold turkey. One of the most known stop smoking idea that people know, not for me with no plan, I don’t think so. Climbing the wall themselves was not for me, in the cold turkey plan.

The use of products to quit smoking is useful. Cravings from withdraw of the nicotine would be eased. A nicotine patch or gum would be helpful in plans of not smoking. If you end up having a few cigarette after you quit just start once again. Don’t cry over a few more cigarettes; refocus your efforts on ways to stop smoking.

Start by making a promise to yourself, that you are going to find a way to quit smoking, it starts with a plan. When you start you will be very uncomfortable at first. Family can help with your stress. Smokers fail in there first attempts all the time, just start again.

Some smoking aids do contain nicotine; other products are coming on the market all the time that do not contain nicotine. Doctors may use drugs like bupropion, chantix and fluoxetine. Chantix is pfizer’s drug, fluoxetine may be for depression in smokers and there is nicotine free bupropion. Doctors will use what works best.

What happens when you quit smoking is withdraw symptoms from quitting smoking can vary from feeling fatigue or suffering from irritability and feeling like you are coming down with a cold or something. In the first 48 hours is when these will be the strongest. Temporary is what this is, do not forget. Knowledge is what you need to stay in control of your mind when this is happening to your body which will go away.

If you need an incentive to quit smoking think about how much money your can save in a year if you are not buying smokes. After a year buy your self something special. One other incentive would be no more negative attitudes from the non smokers at work. You will no longer have to stand 15 feet away from the door of a building because you will not be smoking anymore. No anti-smoking law to deal with, make all the laws they want, raise taxes on the cigarettes. I have always said if they would outlaw cigarettes, it would put all the drug dealers out of business.

About the Author:
Apr 15
The Life Threatening Effects of Oxygen
icon1 Christian Goodman | icon2 Cancer | icon4 04 15th, 2008| icon3No Comments »
by Christian Goodman

The normal human cell is filled with molecular oxygen, and has only a slightly alkaline pH to it. On the other hand, the average cancer cell has an acidic pH, and a distinct lack of oxygen.

Cancer cells are not the only diseased cells that have a distinct dislike for an oxygen rich environment. In fact, there are a lot of unhealthy cells that do not like the effects of healthy oxygen in the body.

Many diseases, germs and other causes and producers of disease hate oxygen and environments rich in oxygen. This is because just like the negative processes in the oxygen deficient disease cells stunt the growth and health of healthy cells, the oxygen rich environment created by healthy cells prevents disease cells like cancer cells from growing and thriving in the body.

Healthy oxygen has more uses aside from curing and preventing many types of cancers. Filling your body with healthy oxygen will also heal other diseases and ailments, such as fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder, migraines, dizziness, vertigo, and others.

Not only do cancerous, unhealthy cells thrive in oxygen depleted environments, but these environments also become a place where disease and illness are produced.

By introducing healthy oxygen into these oxygen deprived environments, you can stop these unhealthy cells from spreading and even kill them and be cured.

While there are pills and other medicines that can mask the signs of illness, the most effective and most natural way to combat the growth of these unhealthy and diseased cells is simply to turn your body into an oxygen rich environment promoting the growth of healthy cells.

It has also been proven that filling your body with oxygen to create an oxygen rich environment can even help you lose weight.

This concept may seem unbelievable to most people. The reason is because the idea of putting healthy oxygen into your body seems very simple, so why aren’t many people doing it?

The reason is that we have been used to pills and prescriptions as the only cure. Not a lot of people are looking for alternatives that are natural and healthy, to cure them of their disease. These alternatives do not need prescriptions and pills that only cure the symptoms rather than cure the disease.

Illnesses like fibromyalgia, migraines, dizziness, vertigo and weight loss can be cured by making your body an oxygen rich body. My new exercise program will help you to put healthy oxygen into your body to prevent, reduce, and cure all of these illnesses. My program can help cure you of all these ailments!

About the Author:
Apr 13
by Susan Wilby

One of the quit smoking ways many have found to help is to figure the cost of smoking and plan on a reward for yourself with the money saved from not smoking. For the same of even numbers, assume you smoke $5 worth of cigarettes per day. At the end of the year you could buy yourself something nice with that $1,875 if you are a one pack a day smoker. If you smoke more than that, imagine the reward you could get.

If rewarding yourself for healthy behavior does not offer you enough incentive, think about your family, especially if you have small children in the home. The vast majority of parents claim they want only what is good for their children, then fill the air with smoke for them to inhale and potentially become ill from breathing. Take a look at your children and think of the quit smoking ways you will try to give them a better, healthier life.

The government supports hospitals to treat the many illnesses that smokers acquire, so the government has teamed up with those in the medical services to provide preventative measures. Many experts believe that preventative measures are much less expensive that caring for patients after they are afflicted by problems caused by smoking.

Some government organizations have even asked for special funds to provide help and tips to quit smoking. In California this year, there was a measure on the ballot to raise extra funds to provide help and tips to quit smoking. This measure did not pass but legislators will try to find other means to raise the necessary funds.

There are two aspects of smoking to consider when attempting quitting and those are the physical addiction and the mental addiction. The addiction to nicotine will last about three days until it is flushed from your system. The mental addiction will take much longer and will require more quit smoking tips to help you be successful.

Laser techniques, hypnosis or a number of other methods can be used to help end the addition to nicotine, but to help keep your mind from remembering the addiction or to help ignore it, you will need some quit smoking tips that will work for you. Most times when people try to quit, and many try three or four time or more before succeeding, they harbor the negative thoughts that they are not going to make it. And, they usually do not.

About the Author:
Apr 3
by Kay Brown

There was a film in the early 1990’s starring Sean Connery as a research scientist who discovers the cure for cancer; medical research continues to advance in it’s war with this disease that plagues humanity. Although there are other more awful diseases, this one holds the crown at the moment because of how often it is diagnosed; a cure would bring a sigh of relief everywhere. Whilst we do know about some of the causes of cancer, no-one can predict who, where or when it will be triggered.

First off it is a good idea to understand exactly what cancer is and try to ascertain whether it is hereditary or something you can acquire. This is a disease where unhealthy cells grow, divide and then expand into other cells, often transferring to parts of the body using a method called metastasis.

The malignant property of cancer differentiates it from benign tumors which limit their growth and do not invade or metastasize. Some benign tumors, however, are capable of becoming malignant. Whilst it is not generally a young person’s disease, it can occur at any age; Statistics show that the number of people cancer kills globally each year is about 13 in every one hundred.

Cancerous cells may have been transformed by radiation or poison, cigarettes for example and this creates genetic abnormality in those cells which then continue to grow and divide.

For some people the problem lies not with any form of external poison although faults with their parents DNA or genetic makeup can result in a person being born with the diseased cells. It would seem some people are more susceptible to it than others and it may be their genetic makeup and their exposure to certain carcinogens that is responsible.

Long term research has given a better picture of what cancer is and the study of cancer is one of the top ten diseases being researched throughout the world. We are always learning more about diseases and how they affect our bodies and minds. We are continually trying to find out why this disease attacks some and not others. By understanding the origins of cancer, perhaps we will be able to avoid contracting it until we come up with a cure.

One of the major causes surrounds food and dietary habits. Your regular diet could be putting you at long term risk from all kinds of diseases. Some of the foodstuffs that could be causing these problems are salt, saturated fats and dairy products. A high calcium intake could possibly be responsible for cases of prostrate cancer in men.

Cancer can affect any part of the body from the bones, blood, skin or organs. nowhere is safe from it. Sometimes the disease is only picked up through routine screening. Usually the cancer is at an early stage and a person may have a better chance of being cured. The number of different types of cancer that can be treated has increased dramatically in recent years with so much intensive research being carried out.

Advancements in medical techniques mean that cancer in many cases can be treated and often completely cured; it is only a matter of time before a complete cure is discovered

About the Author:
Mar 18
by Ron Powers

The symptoms of Mesothelioma (a form of cancer) can take between 20 and 50 years to develop. Unfortunately, this delay can prevent the discovery of the disease and result in wrong diagnoses. The beginning signs are like many other illnesses, such as colds or the flu, and, as a result, can be rejected . Another quality of mesothelioma is respiratory problems, such as pain in the chest and difficulty breathing. The three forms of mesothelioma each have a little bit different symptoms.

Pleural Mesothelioma effusion, develops, coming after a pleural effusion, a buildup of fluid in the pleura of the chest, which often cause symptoms, such as the following: respiratory complaints, the difficulties with swallowing disorders, shortness of breath, persistent cough, weight loss, fever, cough Blood, rasping, and pain in the chest.

The signs of peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer of the mucous membrane of the abdomen, include weight loss, and a bump and abdominal pain (which are because of ascites - fluid in the abdominal cavity), and blood clotting disorders, intestinal occlusion, anemia and fever.

Lastly, the rarest form of mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma, includes mild to severe pain in the chest, palpitations, a persistent unrelenting cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

For the diagnosis, whether it be the symptoms of a patient with any of the mentioned mesothelioma, when compared to other forms of cancer is a little less difficult o diagnose, an X-ray or ultrasound examination can be used. If the results of these methods are not conclusive, a biopsy can resolve if cancer is there or not. As of now, there is no cure for mesothelioma. Research and clinical trials are in progress.

Please note. I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice but just the passing on of information I have gathered from several sources on the net. If you believe you may have mesothelioma you should consult a licensed medical doctor immediately

About the Author:
Feb 28
My Mom Has Cancer
icon1 Administrator | icon2 Adolescent, Cancer, Teen & Preteen | icon4 02 28th, 2008| icon37 Comments »
jags2009 asked:

okay i know i was a Di ck earlier with my other questins and i am sorry about that if it affended anyone.
but we just found out my mom has cancer and if she dies me and my little sister go to my real dad i think. i refuse to go with him from things that happened before so is it possable to leagly go with my step dad who is married to my mom? my sister wants to go with r dad, but she cant unless i do(agian courts desion following things that happened before with his drinking). is that leagal to stay w/ r stepdad?
Also, my little sister is taking this hard, and i am trin to be strong even tho yes we do fight alot. what kind of things can i do to help her keep her mind off of it? any suggestions?
aaron.
im a guy btw

Question posted courtesy of: Caffeinated Content

Feb 26
Cancer and Blood Pressure
icon1 Administrator | icon2 Cancer | icon4 02 26th, 2008| icon36 Comments »
WEE-LO asked:

if u had cancer and had ur blood pressure taken.. would it show in the results?

Question posted courtesy of: Caffeinated Content for WordPress

« Previous Entries