Breaking The Silence

Being diagnosed with cancer has never been easy for anyone. In fact, the mere mention of the word is enough to make people want to turn their eyes away. What more if you are the one who is left with no choice but to live with it.

The initial revelation would be really shocking. Then, soon after, the enveloping despair sets in. As with the variation in people's personalities, we cannot expect all cancer patients to react in the same way despite having to live with the same dismal reality. Some of them may be vocal about it. Others, however, would just let silence pervade as they try to hide their pain from the rest of the world. But apart from the physical perils of having cancer, the other big risk patients have to consider is the threat of depression.

Silence has its merits. But in the case of cancer patients, choosing to bottle their feelings becomes a serious threat. When emotions run high, keeping it in would only weaken a person even more. Although cancer patients might find it hard to resist the compulsion to keep their hurt to themselves, this is not the best time to be solitary.

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Source: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/neutropenia.html#

Dealing With Fatigue

Helping ease your loved one's fatigue due to cancer or as a side-effect of his medications and/or chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments can be done in the comfort of your own home. Aside from following his doctor's indications and monitoring the medications prescribed to him for addressing fatigue, you can also try any of these helpful options:

• Undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy necessitates that he gets more rest than usual. This can be easily obtained by just sleeping more, with or without making any change in his typical daily routine. Since he is likely to become more fatigued if undergoing aggressive treatment or upon reaching its end, he may spend more time sleeping.
• Make the needed improvements in his diet to help him become more energized. At best, he should cut back or avoid caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol; all of which would only aggravate his fatigue. Also, make sure that he eats all the needed meals for the day, especially breakfast.
• Try having him break the cycle of fatigue by acquiring a more active lifestyle spent doing moderated, enjoyable activities with friends, and cutting back on screen time—time spent watching TV, playing games, or browsing the net.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Breaking It to Your Child Gently

Attending to a child diagnosed with cancer is ranked among the most difficult and heartbreaking challenges parents have to face. As if it isn't enough to deal with your own pain, as the parent, it is also part of your responsibility to manage the impact of your child's condition on the rest of your family. But of the many emotional aspects that need your careful attention and consideration, none could be as delicate and challenging as handling your child's emotional needs, especially at that point when you have to tell him about his condition.

Even though painful, being truthful to your child about his cancer illness is imperative to help him adjust to his condition. Letting him know that he would be needing medical attention due to his illness is his inherent right, which you could not deny from him. Doing so would make him better understand that even if medications and doctors are daunting, they are vital in keeping his health in check. However, despite the need to stay truthful, you must break it to him in a way that neither hides the truth nor exposes it too bluntly as to scathe his innocent mind.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Effective Exercise Advice After Cancer Treatment

Maintaining a balanced diet along with regular exercise incorporated into a serious lifestyle change are the common prerequisites ensuring recovery as a cancer survivor. Especially regarding exercise, it plays a vital role in speeding up the process of recovery while helping to maintain our good overall well-being. The many benefits it provides cancer survivors include the following: improved endurance and strength, protection against depression, reduced anxiety, stronger immune system, decreased sleeping problems, less fatigue, and improved mood. To effectively incorporate exercise into our daily routine after cancer treatment, here are some salient pointers to consider:

Instead of enrolling in a specific exercise course, concentrate on making our life more physically active instead. For example, rather than drive to the nearby convenience store, we can just walk.

Don't rush it. Get started slowly and just increase our activities as we get used to it after a period of time. Experts advice adult cancer survivors to have half an hour of exercise at least five times a week.

If we're not up to exercising given a bad mood or any medication side-effect, we shouldn't force ourselves. We can just make up for it by exercising some other time when we're feeling better.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Three Habits That Raise Your Cancer Risk

Whether you're doing it consciously or otherwise, these habits would up your cancer risk:

Smoking

With the many negative health effects of smoking, it is understandable why many health advocates advise against it. Aside from lung cancer, more than 11 other kinds of cancers have been attributed to it. Persisting with your smoking habit means subtracting years from your life, depending on how long you decide to stick with it.

Overexposure to the sun

Overexposure to the sun during those times of day when its deadly rays are most potent can deplete your chances of living longer rather than sustain it. So to cut your risk of contracting skin cancer, which results from your exposure to its harmful rays, make sure to practice sun smart prevention tips to keep your skin protected.

Uncontrolled weight

The pressure of all the extra weight you put on your body could deter it from functioning properly. The more overweight you are, the higher chances that your body would eventually incur health malfunctions. Hence, obesity is considered as a harbinger of a host of lethal illnesses including cancers. To keep your risk at a minimum, see to it that your weight is in check always.

Whether you're doing it consciously or otherwise, these habits would up your cancer risk:

Smoking

With the many negative health effects of smoking, it is understandable why many health advocates advise against it. Aside from lung cancer, more than 11 other kinds of cancers have been attributed to it. Persisting with your smoking habit means subtracting years from your life, depending on how long you decide to stick with it.

Overexposure to the sun

Overexposure to the sun during those times of day when its deadly rays are most potent can deplete your chances of living longer rather than sustain it. So to cut your risk of contracting skin cancer, which results from your exposure to its harmful rays, make sure to practice sun smart prevention tips to keep your skin protected.

Uncontrolled weight

The pressure of all the extra weight you put on your body could deter it from functioning properly. The more overweight you are, the higher chances that your body would eventually incur health malfunctions. Hence, obesity is considered as a harbinger of a host of lethal illnesses including cancers. To keep your risk at a minimum, see to it that your weight is in check always.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Three Important Cancer Screening Exams for Women

The distinction between the male and female bodies bring with it a set of health risks exclusive to each gender alone. One such risk is that of acquiring cancers. Below are the three important cancer screening tests exclusively for women:

Pelvic Exam

Gynecological health problems require women to have regular pelvic exams. It plays a vital role in detecting sexually transmitted diseases as well as the early indications of gynecological cancers. Usually done with the Pap Smear, the rate in which a woman undergoes pelvic exams depends on her susceptibility and/or the results of her previous examination.

Pap Smear

In detecting cervical cancers, doctors vouch for the effectivity of pap smear exams. Since it isn't considered as a diagnostic procedure, follow up tests are required after or along with it. Usually, it is done with a pelvic exam. Performing this test requires obtaining cells from the woman's cervix, which would then be examined closely under the microscope.

Mammogram

Mammograms are advisable to be taken by women 40 years of age and above on a regular basis. This process is needed to detect if there are any abnormal growth along the breast area, which may be indicative of breast cancer.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Stave Off Cancer By Eating Plant-Based Foods

Apart from ditching unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking, taking necessary precautions with the food you eat is vital in assuring that you stay cancer-free. Food serves as the fuel that keeps you literally alive and well. But besides playing an important role in keeping your good overall health, it's also important in determining your chances against illnesses, including fatal ones such as the big”C” (cancer).

When it comes to healthy eating, none is considered better than having a predominantly plant-based diet. Consisting of a large variety of whole grains, vegetables and fruits, plant-based foods possess many health advantages. Low-fat and high in fiber, they're proven to contain the most amounts of cancer-combating nutrients. Combining all these three health-sustaining attributes works to empower your body's immune system, making it more capable of fighting off cancer as well as other diseases.

There are many ways whereby you can prepare and enjoy plant-based foods. However, experts suggest that they are best eaten close to their natural, fresh state. The less processed plant-based foods are, the more nutrients stay intact, the better chances your body would have in absorbing their cancer-fighting benefits.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Different Cancer Treatments and Your Child's Fertility

Regarding the effects of cancer treatments on your child's fertility, not all of them could adversely affect it. However, some could incur minor side effects, while others can result to complete infertility due to the resulting damage on his/her ovaries or testes. To give you a lowdown on how these could occur, read on.

• Radiation

This kind of treatment process could adversely affect your child's ovaries or testes. His/her sperm/egg cells are especially at risk if the radiation is focused on the whole body or on any of the following body areas: spine, abdomen, specific areas of the brain, and the pelvic area. The manner whereby radiation affects the child differs in accordance to his/her gender:

girls—Their uterine operations and menstrual cycle could be affected. Also, they may have problems with completing the full term required in carrying a child.

boys—Their sperm count and body's ability to move spontaneously may be affected.

• Surgery

Concerning your child's reproductive organs, your child's doctor could suggest performing surgery to remove their cancer-affected parts.

• Chemotherapy

Drugs used in chemotherapy that are considered more liable to cause infertility are the following: Procarbazine, Cytoxan, Infosfamide, Procarbazine, Melphalan, and Busulfan.



Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Differentiating Childhood Cancer From Adult Cancer

All forms of cancer, whether that of an adult or a child, share the same common denominator: the disease starts from uncommon cell growth resulting to abnormal shapes or sizes that ruin neighboring cells and eventually spread to the tissues and organs of the body. For children, developing cancer causes the destruction of their bones and organs while weakening them on the whole. This weakness translates to a frangible immune system, making them susceptible to infections and other illnesses.

Statistics shows that in America alone, 14 out of 100,000 children get diagnosed with cancer annually. Common cancers that strike children are brain cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. Compared to adults, cancers among children are not often caused by exposure to environmental hazards and harmful health habits like smoking. Although rare, children born with genetic conditions like Down Syndrome have a higher risk of getting cancer. Also, those who had undergone cancer treatments due to a previously diagnosed cancer condition have increased chances. But by and large, most childhood cancers strike randomly, developing from non-hereditary changes in their developing cells' genes. Hence, it's difficult to exercise early prevention since it can't be predicted whether a child is susceptible to cancer or not.


Contributed By: Maris Modesto

The After Effects of Surviving Pediatric Brain Tumor

Kids who survived brain tumor after undergoing cancer treatments face the challenge of “late effects.” Technically, these are the after effects of having had cancer, which surface after the treatments have ceased. For those who have survived brain tumors as a child, the late effects could affect their mental and physical growth. These could come in the form of a slowed down cognitive function, growth anomalies, hormone-associated deficiencies, and auditory or visual problems. Apart from these, however, a child who has had cancer and survived remains at risk of developing cancer either as another brain tumor or in other organs of his body.

If your child is a brain tumor survivor, being attentive to his overall welfare could alert you of any unlikely development that could take place. Be especially vigilant when the time comes for your child to resume his normal way of life. Before hand, consult with your doctor regarding the important measures needed by your child during this phase of transition. Discussing your child's condition with his teachers is also imperative. Their cooperation is vital in helping ensure that your child has the necessary accommodations like shortened schedules or longer rest periods in this crucial period.

The Danger of Oral Cancer

Belonging to the group of cancers in the head and neck, oral or mouth cancer can be attributed to a variety of causes. But of these, excessive smoking and drinking are identified to be the most common. Hence, statistical figures have identified older men with a history of heavy smoking and alcohol consumption as having the greatest risk.

Oral cancer develops in the oropharynx and any part of the oral cavity. These days, its rate has been found out to increase among the younger crowd, especially people in their 30's and 40's. Oral cancer is not contagious. Nevertheless, knowledge of these risk factors would help increase people's awareness, so they can avoid them. They are as follows:

Tobacco
All forms of tobacco use—cigarette/pipe/cigar smoking, tobacco chewing and snuff dipping—could cause oral cancer.

Alcohol
The more amount of alcohol is imbibed on a regular basis, the higher a person's risk would be.

Sun
Lip cancer is the top risk associated with excessive sun exposure.

History of Head and Neck Cancer
Persons who have developed any form of head and neck cancers in the past are at risk of suffering from oral cancer in the future.

Cancer Linked to Depression?

It's perfectly understandable that having cancer could plunge anyone into depression. However, a study conducted in 2009 has hinted at the possibility that it could also occur the other way around: being seriously depressed could be indicative of an underlying cancer. Should this theory prove to be correct, then people diagnosed with depression would be prescribed to undergo various medical tests to detect tumors instead of the usual antidepressants.

As written by Colette Bouchez in her 2009 blogpost, this premise has been featured online, discussed under the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Accordingly, neuroscientists from the University of Chicago have found viable proof identifying hidden tumors to be the culprit behind the biochemical changes alluding to depression. With this comes the possibility that depression could strike the patient long before the actual formation of the cancerous tumor.

However, although researchers hold strongly to their belief that depression could have resulted from biochemical changes directly induced by the tumor cells, no confirmed explanations exist regarding the exact causes that brought them about. However, according to one theory, the reason could be traced to cytokines, immune cells that ward off illnesses, whose reaction to bacterial infections is through behavioral alterations.



Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Three Helpful Tips on Staying Cancer-Free

Despite the fact that someone has yet to come up with an exact cancer-prevention method all of us can use, there are three measures we can undertake to help us steer clear of the big “C.” They are as follows:


* Ditch the smoking habit for good.


Accordingly, kicking the smoking habit reduces your cancer risk tremendously. The cigarette alone has been attributed to a variety of cancers, namely; lung, esophagus, mouth, throat, cervix, larynx, kidney, bladder, stomach, and pancreas.


* Go easy on the booze.


There is a very good reason why they always advise drinkers to moderate their booze intake. Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to a great number of breast cancer cases as well as cancers of the esophagus, liver, mouth, and lungs.


* Be wary of your sun exposure.


For all its life giving components, the sun could also pose serious cancer risks if you are not careful. Both kinds of its ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB) have been ascertained to damage the skin, putting it at risk of acquiring skin problems, early wrinkling, and even skin cancer.


Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Lights Out!

Do you sleep with the lights on? If you're afraid of things that go bump in the night while you sleep, it's high time you grow up and start sleeping in total darkness. As nature would have it, keeping the lights on during bedtime puts your health at serious risk. And as to what serious danger this is, it is none other than the big “C” (cancer) itself.

As published in a Reader's digest article in July 2009, sleeping with artificial lights on causes your body to slow down its melatonin production, which eventually causes cancer. A popular theory that has been circulating for years now, it is advocated by findings from various researches. Accordingly, artificial light at night raises the risk of prostate cancer among men (based on a research by the University of Haifa in Israel) and breast cancer among post-menopausal women(based on the study of Harvard researchers).

So the next time you catch yourself about to turn on your night-light prior to bedtime, stop! Ghosts may scare the crap out of you, but for all you know, they're nowhere as real or frightening as the cancer risk of sleeping with the lights on.