Dealing With Chemobrain After Surviving Cancer
You've undergone chemotherapy and are now a cancer survivor. You find that you are physically and mentally exhausted. You are probably not too surprised at that. After all, you went through a lot during your battle with cancer.
You may be more concerned with the mental deterioration than with the physical exhaustion. You may be constantly in a fog. You may have difficulty concentrating, focusing and remembering things. You may even start to think that you have Alzheimer's disease. I jokingly used to say, "I have chemobrain". I don't know where I picked up that term but I thought it was a non-medical vernacular term.
Did you know that chemobrain is a real medical condition? A recent UCLA study shows that chemotherapy causes changes to the brain's metabolism and blood. According to that study, chemotherapy patients experience disrupted thought processes and confusion.
Hospitals and cancer organizations are unanimous in recognizing chemobrain as a very real medical condition. Recently oncologist Dr Patricia Ganz received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct a five year study on chemobrain.
Researchers from New York's University of Rochester found several types of key brain cells were highly vulnerable to the drugs used in chemotherapy. According to Dr Mark Noble of the University of Rochester, "This is the first study that puts chemobrain on a sound scientific footing."
From the Science Daily, "Cancer survivors, take note. The mental fog and forgetfulness of "chemo brain" are no figment of your imagination."
Now that we recognize that chemobrain is very real medical condition, what can we do about it? Here are some suggestions:
Establish routines.
Use a daily planner
Exercise your brain. Read, get a hobby, do volunteer work Take some courses.
Get sufficient rest and sleep.
Don't dwell on your chemobrain symptoms.
Talk to family, friends, and your healthcare team about your chemobrain
Remember, you are not dim-witted or nuts; you have a real side-effect to chemotherapy.
Researchers are also looking at different medications as possible treatments for chemobrain.
After undergoing chemotherapy, you may not want a medicine to treat the side effects of another medicine. Research suggests the following:
Exercise. It's a known fact that exercise can improve you mood, increase your energy and help your concentration.
A healthy diet.
Certain vitamins and supplements.
Brain Cancer Symptoms
Brain cancer accounts for about 1.4% of all cancer cases and about 2.4% of all cancer deaths. This may not seems like a lot but don't let the numbers fool you on the severity of brain cancer. Once the cancer turns malignant, the tumors grow aggressively and overpower the healthy cells taking up their space, blood and nutrients. This is an area of grave concern because the brain is the most important part of your body and controls everything. Whenever there is something wrong with your brain, it affects the entire body. Knowing what the brain cancer symptoms are and able to recognize these symptoms is incredibly important for our prognosis and survival from this deadly disease.
The biggest problem with brain cancer and brain tumors is that their symptoms are often nonspecific making it is very difficult to know if you have it or not, unless you are seriously looking for it. The most common symptoms of brain cancer are headaches, general weaknesses, difficulty in walking, clumsiness and seizures. Other more serious symptoms include difficulty with speech, abnormal vision, nausea, vomiting, quick emotional changes, and an altered mental state. An altered mental state can include changes in concentration, memory, intellectual capacity, attention and alertness.
Several different factors can cause these symptoms. Some of these symptoms are caused by the tumor pressing on different parts of the brain and impairing them from functioning properly. The symptoms can also be caused by the swelling of the brain, the tumor or the area around the tumor. Unfortunately, these brain cancer symptoms usually develop very slowly and gradually over time and this makes it really difficult for anyone to confirm the existence of this deadly disease. For instance, people often think that a headache is just a headache or that the dizziness felt is due to any other reasons except cancer. If these symptoms occur frequently and very rapidly, you should definitely visit your doctor to see what the problem is.
The doctors will often make you take a CT scan if they feel you have brain cancer. A CT scan is like an x-ray except in shows the brain in three-dimensions. A harmless dye is usually injected into your bloodstream to make abnormalities more visible in the CT scan. Other tests include blood tests, liver tests, urine tests and blood coagulation profiles. MRI scans are sometimes used instead of CT scans. The reason for this is because MRI has a better ability to assess the changes in a tumor.
Brain cancer is an incredibly serious form of cancer and it is important for us to know what these brain cancer symptoms are so that we can take necessary action to arrest the situation early. If you suspect you are suffering or are suffering from these symptoms, please consult your doctor early to ascertain your actual medical condition. If brain cancer is confirmed, discuss with your doctor for an appropriate course of treatment best suited for you. An early intervention increases your chances for an early recovery and a prolonged survival.
Gluten-Free Diet – Can it Cure Fibromyalgia?
A chronic disease called Fibromyalgia or FM, FMS is described as combined fatigue located in muscle, bone or joint. Men can also be affected with this but women are more prone to fibromyalgia. With the total people in the world, 3 up to 6 percent are having this kind of situation, and the diagnostic to this doesn't choose any age. You can just prevent this symptom but there is still no medication for it. The medical society doesn't accept the fact that some doctors call fibromyalgia a mental illness.
Those patients who are having this merciless FM situation are concerned in tracking a cure for it. Within a period of time one option has arisen, this option is by using a diet plan as an action for fibromyalgia. Those patients with FM can lessen the pain they have when they take out some foods and this is a change diet for FMS. Gluten is one element taken out when you are in a diet for fibromyalgia.
Gluten can be seen in all grain goods because it is originally from wheat. For a better result in terms of bread products the main key that we use is gluten. When people seen the symptoms of FMS one factor is that they can't assimilate gluten. Many who are practicing diet for fibromyalgia are having difficulties looking for goods with no gluten, but nowadays it can be done due to improved access to gluten free goods. In the world market now, one of the booming products are those gluten free foods, you can take pasta, eat breads and enjoy other goods created with wheat.
A doctor may discourage dieter to take food free from gluten for FMS. This decision you must take courage by your own. Notify your physician before making the move for security purposes. Patients who take courage in trying gluten free diet gives a reviews that they feel less pain because they take out some preservatives and artificial additives that can be triggering the fibromyalgia. But if it's not successful, you can always turn back to your usual method. Pain killers are a pain to the pockets, gluten free goods are much cheaper to pain killers but may be costly than ordinary food.
If you are one of the patients of fibromyalgia, you might take the courage to try to lessen your pain by choosing the right action. At first you will be having a difficulties adjusting to the alternatives to your preferred bread goods and cereals, but you'll get use to it. Once you have proven that the pain was lessen you might consider not taking goods with gluten content again. Patients claim that they fell good when they take the courage to use the gluten free diet for fibromyalgia. With positive result it can give to you, and then maybe you should consider taking it.
The Dangers Of Viagra
Let me start off by saying that I am in no way knocking the importance of the physical relationship between a man and a woman. If this interaction ceased to exist, so would the human race. However, it is important to understand the risks associated with taking drugs like Viagra for erectile dysfunction. In this article, we'll cover just what Viagra is, how it works and what the potential dangers are. Hopefully, after reading this, you'll be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not Viagra is the right choice for you.
Viagra is actually the brand name for the generic drug Sildenafil, which is manufactured by Pfizer, only one of the largest drug companies in the world. It is used for erectile dysfunction in men who are healthy enough to have sexual activity. What many people don't know is that a stronger form of this drug is also used to treat high blood pressure in the lungs. So it is important to know that you can't substitute one form of this drug for another.
Another thing that people who use, or plan to use, Viagra need to know is that this drug does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore it is important to use protection during sexual activity even if you are using this drug.
The drug has to be taken at least 30 minutes before having sexual activity. Taking it more than 4 hours before sexual activity is too long and the drug will not be as effective after that amount of time.
Side effects from this drug include stomach upset, headaches, dizziness, or even light headedness. In more extreme cases, diarrhea is possible.
The real danger of Viagra, is the possible loss of eyesight in one or even both eyes. This can be temporary or permanent in extreme cases. If you have heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol or a history of eye problems, this risk is greatly increased. Also, in combination with certain drugs that contain nitroglycerin or isosorbide, fatalities may occur.
If you're going to take Viagra, this drug can only be prescribed by a doctor who will first examine you to determine if you can take Viagra safely. If you have any of the conditions mentioned above, most likely your doctor will not prescribe Viagra for your condition.
The truth is, most forms of erectile dysfunction can be treated naturally. If you're interested in natural treatments for this problem, check out the site in my signature.
The dangers of Viagra are quite real. Know the facts before you decide to take this drug.
To YOUR Health,
Steve Wagner
Gluten-Free Diet – Avoiding Sources of Gluten While Enjoying Healthy and Varied Meals
People who experience coeliac disease or gluten intolerance can find relief from a gluten-free meal plan. When correctly followed, it can help you adhere easily to a healthy and varied diet while avoiding all sources of gluten.
This gluten-free diet consists of a range of specialist gluten-free products and ample quantities of gluten-free recipes prepared with naturally selected gluten-free foods and fresh ingredients.
To fully enjoy this diet, it is recommended that you select a recipe-based meal plan. To summarize the concepts of this healthy diet, we give you 4 points from which you can base your decision.
1. It helps avoid symptoms related with coeliac disease.
2. It ensures high levels of energy with its healthy sources of carbohydrates.
3. This diet is helpful in avoiding all gluten-containing foods and products.
4. This diet does not lead to boredom.
We give you an overview of this gluten-free diet by providing a sample of a day's meal plan.
1. Breakfast starts the day with its gluten-free cereal with raspberry shake. To prepare the shake, blend 150ml of orange juice with 1 banana, 2 ice cubes, 50g of raspberries, 1 tbsp of low fat yoghurt, and a tsp of honey. Serve when smooth. Mix 40g of gluten-free breakfast cereal with 150ml of partly-skimmed milk.
2. Lunch is delectable with minted pea soup with 2 rice cakes and 1tsp of reduced fat olive spread, 125g of grapes and 1 apple.
3. Snack involves cottage cheese and 4 chopped dried apricots mixed with 75g of fruit cocktail (canned and drained).
4. Dinner is prepared with beef goulash with potatoes (75g of broccoli, and 4 small baby potatoes).
Why Folic Acid is Important For Pregnant Women
In order to help prevent birth defects, women need to get enough folic acid every day, even if they are not planning a pregnancy. About 4,000 babies are born with neural tube defects (NTDs) each year, and many other affected pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth. This is especially necessary during both pregnancy and infancy when cell growth is extremely rapid. Both adults and children need folic acid to make normal red blood cells and to prevent anemia. According to one study, only 10% of women know that folic acid should be taken before pregnancy.
Folic acid is rapidly absorbed from gastrointestinal tract following oral administration. Peak folate activity in blood is 30 to 60 minutes after oral administration. Folic acid is needed for the development of your baby's spine and brain in the early weeks of pregnancy.
Folic acid is also required for the production of DNA, which is necessary for the rapid cell growth needed to make fetal tissues and organs early in pregnancy. That is why it is important for a woman to have enough folic acid in her body both before and during pregnancy. Folic acid is a B vitamin used by cells as they grow and divide. The naturally occurring form, folate, is found in spinach and leafy green vegetables, dried beans, liver and citrus fruits. A higher dose of 5,000 micrograms (5mg) of folic acid is recommended for women who have previously had a baby with a neural tube defect, or are taking medicine for epilepsy. If you have a family history of neural tube defects then you should also take the higher dose.
Folic acid is responsible for assuring an adequate supply of thymidylate. Thymidylate is one of four nucleotide bases needed to construct DNA molecules. Folic acid is needed during the first few weeks, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. That is why it is so important to start taking folic acid each day, even when you are not planning to get pregnant.
Folic acid is generally thought of as a "good" nutrient. Mothers who get enough folic acid before and during pregnancy have a far lower risk of having a baby with a spinal birth defect.
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