Posts Tagged ‘Medical’

Hormone Replacement Therapy Still Good For Menopause?

March 5th, 2010

Hormone replacement therapy, now more commonly known as hormone therapy, use to be medical worlds standard treatment for those women suffering from hot flashes and other side effects of going through menopause. They also thought that it could help prevent osteoporosis and even heart disease.

In 2002 however; the minds of many in the medical field changed when they saw the results of a clinical test. What the test uncovered is that the hormone replacement therapy could actually be causing a lot more health hazards than benefits. As the doctors saw the increase of health hazards with women on this therapy they began to prescribe it less and less and a lot of women completely stopped it on their own when they heard the news about it may being dangerous.

Those who took the hormone replacement therapy were given estrogen and progestin. This therapy would ease some of the symptoms of menopause making life easier for the women going through a difficult menopause. The long term prescriptions for this are rarely given now, on occasion though, women are given the treatment for short term.

If the bioidentical hormone replacement is given short term, there still might be some health benefits. Over short periods of time, doctors have discovered that it can help lessen the chances of getting osteoporosis. If used moderately, the hormone therapy may still be able to lower the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Heart disease risk can be lowered if estrogen is given in the early stage of postmenopausal years but not throughout the entire cycle of menopause.

There are risks for taking hormone replacement therapy and women who are experiencing menopause should weigh the facts and figure out if menopause is causing that much disruption in their lives that it would be worth chancing the hazards that come with the therapy.

Long term use of the therapy actually increased the threat of heart disease in women who took the real therapy. Breast cancer appeared to increase with long term use. Strokes increased in women that took the long term therapy. There were also an increase in false positive mammograms.

On the other hand, if women only took estrogen did not seem to have an increase in heart disease or breast cancer, but; they did have an increase in strokes, blood clots in their legs and an increase in abnormal mammograms.

If your menopausal symptoms are far greater than the risk, you should talk to your doctor if the following things are bothering you the most. If you have severe hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms that are interfering with daily life. It has been discovered that you have lost bone mass and you have stopped having your period before the age of forty.

If you experience any of the above mentioned situations, it might be wise for you to consider the treatment anyway. Your doctor will be able to identify whether or not what you are experiencing is extreme enough to begin you on the hormone therapy.

Compounding pharmacists are professionals with specialized and trustworthy expertise in the medical field. Among the best within their industry, they have knowledge of procedures like the Bioidentical Hormone Replacement, or better known as the BHRT.

Mesothelioma Survival – A Difficult, But Sustainable Life

March 3rd, 2010

Mesothelioma is a sort of cancer that’s nearly always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this illness, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers the majority of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura ( outer liner of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it might also happen in the peritoneum ( the lining of the abdominal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.

Mesothelioma survival relies upon a wide variety of factors – the level of cancer, age and general health of the patient etc. A five-year scale is used by the experienced persons in mesothelioma research and treatment to calculate survival. Mesothelioma survival is so difficult that only around ten percent of the total patients diagnosed have reached the five-year target so far.

The probability of mesothelioma survival can be enhanced by continued and rigorous treatment. However, it should be noted that the response to the treatment differs from person to person. The possibility of cure and the length of survival period depend on this response. There are many factors that control the success of treatment. Most importantly, success depends upon the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. Chances of a cure are greater through surgery and chemotherapy in the first and second stages. The chances of survival are bleak in the third and fourth stages.

There are mainly three types of mesothelioma cancer. The first type called pleural mesothelioma affects the membranous covering of the abdomen; the second known as the peritoneal cancer ruins the abdominal cavity and the third one, the pericardial is found in parts in and around the heart. The third one is more malicious than the other two, but it is rarely found. Mesothelioma survival depends on the size of the tumor, the area affected, the level of excess fluid collected in the abdomen or chest, the cell structure, type of cancer cells etc.

After analyzing the mesothelioma survival rates for the last few years, the medical community has arrived at the conclusion that this asbestos cancer is highly lethal and incidents of mesothelioma cancer infection is increasing around the world. It has also been found that chemotherapy is the most effective for most cases where surgery is not advisable for some reason. However, researchers are working on new and more effective treatment strategies to counter the frightening threat of this cancer, which has already ruined the lives of thousands amongst us.

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Mesothelioma Pericardial Deadly And Incurable

February 28th, 2010

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that is almost always caused by getting exposed to asbestos. In this disease, malicious cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Its most typical site is the pleura ( outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it might also happen in the peritoneum ( the liner of the intestinal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.

Mesothelioma, or asbestos cancer as it is commonly called, is classified into three groups depending to their nature of infection. While the peritoneal and pleural types accounts for more than ninety percent of all cases, mesothelioma pericardial, which affects the protective sac around the heart, accounts for only around five percent. However, this type is considered to be more dangerous than the other two. Scientists and doctors in the field aver that chances of survival after being getting infected is quite grim.

In the case of mesothelioma pericardial, the stress is given to improve the quality of life of the patient than burdening him with treatment procedures and surgeries. Like other forms of mesothelioma cancer, this type of cancer is also diagnosed very late. The symptoms appear at a later stage and the diagnosis takes place only ten to fifty years after a person contracts the disease. This makes the treatment process futile. Commonly it is observed that a patient dies within six weeks to one year after detection. The main symptoms are shortness of breath, heart palpitations, persistent cough, pain in and around chest, etc.

However recent researches in the medical field have given a ray of hope to the victims. New treatment methods and strategies have come up, which may extend the lives of mesothelioma pericardial patients. Immunotherapy, which aids in improving the immunity power of the body and gener therapy are two examples. Anyway, considering the enormity of the disease it is always better to take preventive steps than going for a cure. Those who have been exposed to asbestos for over a period of ten years should compulsorily go for check ups to detect any trace of the infection. Even family members can undergo check ups to ensure safety.

The government has been particularly enacted certain laws which enable the victims to claim compensation from the employers. It has also put up various restrictions in the use of asbestos. Experienced mesothelioma attorney and lawyers are available to help the patients with the lawsuits for compensation. This would alleviate the financial burden of the victims and their families reeling under monetary problems caused by the disease of mesothelioma pericardial.

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Mesothelioma Support For Patients And The Society

February 27th, 2010

Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer unleashed on humans by the endless greed of a handful of people, which include ruthless industrialists too. The cancer is caused by breathing air contaminated with asbestos particles.

Asbestos with all its positive aspects like resistance to heat, electric shock, chemical reactions etc had one defect – its propensity to cause mesothelioma cancer, which is one of the most deadly diseases known to mankind. However, with awareness in this regard on the rise, the number mesothelioma support groups are also increasing.

The most prominent Mesothelioma support groups are members of legislatures working together to bring about a total asbestos ban or improve safety measures, lawyers in the field of mesothelioma compensation, cancer centers and doctors specializing in mesothelioma treatment, research groups trying to find better cures and ordinary people trying to spread awareness through the internet. The combined efforts of these groups have started bearing fruit with many countries banning the use of several kinds of asbestos, enhanced precautionary measures at asbestos mines and other industries where asbestos is used on a large scale, improved treatments and facilities at mesothelioma cancer centers and opportunity for the distressed patient to bring to book those who are responsible for his illness.

Asbestos, being a multifarious material, was used extensively especially during the Industrial Revolution and Great Wars. As the symptoms of the disease lies dormant for many years, workers of that period started showing symptoms only after many years. The condition then would be too bad that most patients lose their lives before the completion of two more years.

But the collective work of mesothelioma support groups has started yielding good results recently. Now the patient can hope for better treatment and compensation. The society as a whole is also benefiting due to the improved awareness levels brought about by those working in the field of mesothelioma prevention and cure. In short, mesothelioma is not as feared as it was some years ago because of the spurt of awareness levels of people and the preventive measures enforced upon workshops and factories that use asbestos extensively.

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Indepth Discussion Of Benign Mesothelioma

February 26th, 2010

Benign mesothelioma is fond very rarely as mesothelioma lies inactive for a considerable period of time before the first symptoms become visible. It is a non-cancerous form of tumor affecting the lining of the lung and chest cavities known as the pleura. Asbestos particles responsible for the cancer get accumulated in the mesothelium, causing severe pain. This tumor growing to excessive size leads to shortness of breath, compressing the lung.

Being a curable disease, surgery is highly beneficial for treating benign mesothelioma, provided the growth is only local. The only complication that can happen during surgery is the pleural effusion. The situation occurs when pleural fluid is leaked into the cavity around the lung. It is not life-threatening since the fluid can easily be drained. By examining this non-cancerous growth thoroughly, it can be found out whether the patient is exposed to asbestos, thereby preventing the contraction of malicious forms of mesothelioma cancer.

Though benign mesothelioma is not fatal, it can affect the overall well being of the victim. The significant symptoms of benign mesothelioma are localized pain, shortness of breath, chronic cough and chest pain. This can make you lead a miserable life. Chest CT scan and open lung biopsy are reliable techniques to find out the existence and level of infection.

There is no other effective cure to this cancer than surgery. If promptly done, the outcome is always good. It is imperative that the patient should contact a physician as and when any of these symptoms show up. But many patients do not develop any of these symptoms and the existence of the tumor is discovered accidentally. Another interesting fact is that it is men who are more vulnerable to benign mesothelioma than women. Experienced physicians can detect the tumor from the clubbed appearance of fingers.

There is the possibility of the situation to recur after ten years in at least 10% of the cases. But the good news is that it can also be cured through proper treatment. Apart from this benign mesothelioma may prompt you for detailed check ups, which will help you to prevent malignant mesothelioma.

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The Unenviable Situation Of A Mesothelioma Patient

February 25th, 2010

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that is nearly always caused by getting exposed to asbestos. In this disease, malicious cells develop in the mesothelium, a protecting lining that covers the majority of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura ( outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it might also happen in the peritoneum ( the lining of the intestinal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.

Mesothelioma patient is a person who is afflicted by mesothelioma cancer. The cancer is very rare compared to other forms of cancers and is mostly noticed only after it reaches complex junctures. These two and these two features results in the cancer becoming more dangerous than other cancers. In most cases, a person gets affected after inhaling air filled with asbestos specks for protracted periods and workers employed in asbestos mining or those working in factories which use asbestos extensively are the most affected ones. Sometimes, even family members of these employees and the populace living next to asbestos mines contract this deadly disease accidentally.

A mesothelioma patient has the right of law to ask for compensation for the physical damage, the resultant sufferings, income loss due to loss of health and medical expenses. Even family members are entitled in some cases to seek damages. As the disease is detected usually after it has assumed gargantuan proportions, medical help may not be immensely successful. But monetary compensation from the employer or the government can act as a cushion to expenses incurred in diagnosis and treatment.

Mesothelioma is a deadly disease that affects the mesothelium, a protective coating on crucial organs like lungs, heart, abdomen, liver, etc. The thin fibers of asbestos cause some chemical reactions in the mesothelium cells, which result in abnormal division of these cells and the membrane becomes cancerous. Symptoms become visible only after the infection reaches our vital internal organs and by then, the situation would be too bad for effective recovery. The usual symptoms a mesothelioma patient may witness are difficulty in breathing, pain around the chest, continued cough, high fever and so on. In many cases, the cancer is detected when a physician conduct detailed tests for treating some other minor ailments like fever, pain and cough.

Mesothelioma patients can be categorized into four according to the stages of cancer. Stage-I and stage-II are patients are luckier since the ailment can be removed through traditional treatments. But stage III and IV require very aggressive treatment to increase the lifespan of the mesothelioma patient. But there is hope in the air for such persons as newer treatments like gene therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy etc are being devised and practiced to improve the chances of survival.

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Exploring Treatment Options For Lung Cancer

February 25th, 2010

When many people consider treatment for lung cancer, they initially think of surgery. While a wedge resection, partial or full lobectomy, or pneumonectomy may be necessary, there are other approaches that can be taken to help eliminate cancerous cells. They include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and various targeted therapies. In many cases, doctors will suggest a multi-pronged approach that combines surgical and non-surgical forms of treatment.

Below, we’ll focus primarily on non-surgical paths toward removing lung cancer. We’ll describe when each approach is used, how it is administered, and how it works to help eliminate cancerous cells.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is administered (usually intravenously or orally) when lung cancer has spread to other sites throughout your body. It is considered a systemic approach because it kills diseased cells wherever they exist. Doctors will also rely upon chemotherapy to help reduce the size of a tumor prior to surgically removing it. By itself, chemotherapy seldom functions as a solution. Instead, it is used in conjunction with surgery or to prolong the life of a patient with late stage, incurable lung cancer.

Radiation Therapy

As its name implies, radiation therapy uses radiation to treat lung cancer. The rays damage the cancerous cells’ DNA, preventing them from dividing (and thus, spreading) or killing them. Like chemotherapy, it is rarely used by itself, except in cases where the patient’s health is too fragile for other treatment paths. Instead, radiation therapy is normally combined with other forms of treatment, and is often administered both before and after surgery. While it is usually used for non-small cell lung cancer, it can also be effective in small-cell cases.

Targeted Therapies

Newer medications are being used liberally in order to target cancerous cells. They are called targeted therapies. Some of them focus on the proteins of diseased cells while others locate non-diseased cells that are in the process of being used to help spread the cancer. Even though targeted therapies are typically used with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, they also offer an alternative to those approaches. Medications such as Tarceva and Avastin carry fewer side effects.

It’s worth noting that most targeted therapies used today are reserved for stage 3 and 4 lung cancer. That will likely change in the future as newer medications are introduced and new approaches to eliminating tumors are discovered (e.g. severing the blood supply to the tumor, etc.)

Surgical Options

The use of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and the increasing tide of targeted therapies does not preclude surgery. In fact, surgery is usually necessary to remove the tumor from the lung. The non-surgical approaches described above are effective when the cancer has moved outside the lungs and chest, and begun to penetrate other sites.

Consult with your physician. He or she can determine the best form of treatment, given the stage of lung cancer from which you’re suffering, and your health. If surgery is necessary, ask your doctor whether a minimally invasive approach is possible.

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The Right Kind Of Measures Againts Mesothelioma Disease

February 21st, 2010

Mesothelioma is a potential killer disease which mankind is facing these days. The cancer which is commonly known as mesothelioma disease is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers for prolonged period of time. In many cases, the patients do not survive for more than two years after diagnosis. The symptoms of the disease appear very late making it almost impossible for a timely detection and effective treatment.

Asbestos, which is highly useful mineral in industries, is extremely toxic. Once breathed in, the air borne fibers get accumulated in the mesothelium, which is a protective membrane that covers the internal organs. This results in excessive abnormal cell division and the extra fluid collected due to this thickens the sidewalls of the organs. This obstructs the proper functioning of the organs.

Depending on the area of occurrence mesothelioma disease is divided into three. The pleural mesothelioma affects the lung cavities, the peritoneal attacks the abdominal cavities and the pericardial impairs the cavities of the heart. The pericardial is found to the most dangerous one among the three.

There is no full cure for a fully developed mesothelioma cancer case, as of now. Traditional therapies like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can at best increase the life span by several years. The treatment procedures are hindered due to late detection resulting from the long gestation period required for the disease to show its first symptoms. In most cases, symptoms show up only after the cancer reaches advanced stages. However, if detected early and treated quickly, there is a fair chance that the disease can be removed totally thereby assuring the patient a prolonged healthy life.

It is advisable for all those who have worked in asbestos factories or pits and their relative to undergo periodic tests to root out the fear of cancer. Breathing problems, cough and fever are the common symptoms of the disease. But many of the cancer centers are not prepared to deal with mesothelioma disease. In such a situation, the patients should approach only doctors who are experts in treating the disease. Otherwise it would hamper an early diagnosis, which finally delays the treatment reducing the chances of a cure or survival.

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How Asbestosis Mesothelioma Occurs And How To Cope With It

February 9th, 2010

Asbestosis mesothelioma is a disease affecting the parenchyma tissue of the lungs. It is an occupational lung disease just like mesothelioma cancer as long term heavy exposure to asbestos particles alone causes it. The parenchymal tissues would remain permanently sore and irritable resulting in dyspnea or shortness of breath and increased chances of contracting lung cancer. Due to over-exposure to asbestos, plaque would form above the diaphragm, which can be detected in X-ray tests.

The initial symptom of asbestosis mesothelioma is breathing difficulties and seriously affected persons may witness total respiratory failure. The disease usually does not show up before ten years after asbestos exposure. But there are documented cases where the ailment became visible after just three months. There are two types of asbestos particles, namely, amphibole, which are thin and straight, and serpentine, which is curved. It is the former that creates asbestosis because it can penetrate deep into the lungs through inhalation and scar lung tissues around terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts.

Once the fibers reach the air sacs of alveoli, the place where oxygen is routed into the blood, they provoke the lung’s inherent immune system into getting inflamed in a bid to expel the foreign body. The body releases macrophages to get the intruder digested, but as asbestos is indigestible, the macrophages die resulting in release of cytokines, which further attract more macrophages. This excess accumulation results in thickening of alveolar walls thereby reducing elasticity and diffusion of gas and thus results in hindering oxygen transfer into the blood.

Severely affected patients may witness inspiratory crackles and clubbing of fingers. The disease may not be life-threatening, but it can indirectly cause serious medical situations like heart failure. Around half of all asbestosis patients may develop plaque in the chest and lung cavities.

Asbestosis mesothelioma presently has no effective curative treatment, but regular oxygen therapy can be administered at home itself to provide relief from breathing problems. Supportive therapies like respiratory physiotherapy, chest percussion, vibration and nebulization are also used to dilute secretions causing shortness of breath. Asbestosis patients are also entitled compensation from their employers.

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Efficacy Of Mesothelioma Treatment Today

February 7th, 2010

Mesothelioma treatment is based on several factors, including the stage of infection, the area of infection, how much the contamination has spread, the nature of the affected cells and the age and overall health of the infected person. Infected persons are usually briefed about the success rates before embarking on any treatment process.

Mesothelioma treatment methods are wide and varied. The common ones practiced are surgery, radiation and medication. Removal of cancer cells are done through surgery whereas use of powerful drugs is involved in medication or chemotherapy. Malicious cells of cancer are destroyed using high energy x-rays or other energy beams in the process of radiation. As the case demands, physicians sometimes use a combination of two or more of these techniques.

Since clinical tests like blood analysis are not particularly successful in determining the type of cancer, diagnostic procedures like thorascocopy, video assisted thoracic surgery, mediastinoscopy and laproscopy are used to identify the malaise. The actual mesothelioma treatment starts after this.

If the infection is comparatively mild, the cancer can be removed from its roots through surgery. Palliative surgical procedures which treat the symptoms than the causes are also resorted to these days. They include pleuroperitoneal shunt, pleurodesis, pleurectomy, thoracoscopy etc. Pleurodesis and chest tube drainage are the most common among palliative treatment, which cleans the affected areas.

Aggressive curative procedures try to remove the disease in its totality. For pleural mesothelioma, which is the commonest form of asbestos cancer accounting for more than three-fourths of total cases, decortication is used to remove tumor from stage 1 and stage 2 patients without removing the lung. If the tumor is not removable without extracting the lung, then pneumonectomy, which entails removal of a lung, is resorted to. No surgery is made without adequate tests and analysis.

Chemicals are used in chemotherapy and it destroys cancerous cells from multiplying. It also assists in preventing the spread of infection, shrinking existing tumors and removing remnants of the disease once the surgery is done. Where there is no hope for a cure, palliative chemotherapy is resorted to. In radiotherapy, penetrating rays of energy or particle streams are employed. This is used along with surgical procedures. In a nut shell, mesothelioma treatment aims at removing the cancer and it is a comprehensive technique.

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