Category Archives: AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center

Aromatase Inhibitors and Cancer

August 15, 2014

Aromatase Inhibitors Are Effective In Fighting Cancer

AromataseAromatase inhibitors may help in fighting cancer as they stop a key enzyme called aromatase from changing other hormones into estrogen. It works differently from other drugs that focus on blocking the oxygen receptors such as tamoxifen and raloxifene. This helps in lowering the levels of the estrogen hormone in the body denying the estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer fuel to grow.

Research has linked excess estrogen to various types of cancers such as the breast, prostate, lung, cervical, uterine, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers. With the aromatase inhibitors the production of estrogen hormone is stopped. The aromatase inhibitors do not stop the production of estrogen hormone at the ovary and therefore they work only at post menopausal stage. As known the ovaries stops producing estrogen hormones after menopause and this may often lead to hormonal imbalance between the estrogen and progesterone hormones which is also known to cause cancer.

The dangers of excess estrogen in the body has been emphasized by oncologists who have advised women to maintain an ideal weight and shed extra fats as Enzyme, aromatase is found in fats, it converts the testosterone into estrogen hormones. The dominance of estrogen in the breasts tissues exposes you to breast cancer. The dangers of estrogen dominance are a lot and so it should be controlled. Let’s look at the implications of excess estrogen hormones.

Dangers of Excess estrogen

Cancer has been linked to estrogen dominance in the body. In a case where estrogen is excessively higher than the progesterone hormones in the body the hormonal environment in the body becomes conducive for the growth of cancer cells. Excess Estrogen hormones in the breast tissues are a major risk to breast cancer.

An imbalance between the progesterone and estrogen hormones is a major cause of cancer. The level of progesterone is always lowered during perimenopause and menopause stages as ovarian hormone production stops completely. When production of this hormone is reduced, the body will have high estrogen hormones hence exposing women to cancer. A key approach to cancer prevention is in ensuring a balance between the estrogen and progesterone hormone is achieved.

Artificial hormone xenoestrogen adds the estrogen activities in our bodies. We get this hormone in commercial dairy products that are from animals injected with growth hormones and it acts as estrogen in our bodies. It is also available in pesticides used to spray crops and unfortunately they end up in our bodies. When introduced in the body they inhabit fatty tissues like the breast tissues and hence favor growth of cancerous cells in the breast. This hormone is more poisonous than natural ‘estrogen dominance’ and it also poisons the DNA, unfortunately xenoestrogen cannot be easily removed from the body.

Some of the drugs that are known to function as estrogen inhibitors are;

I.        Arimidex also known as anastrozole

II.        Aromasin also known as exemestane

III.        Femara also known as letrozole

Each is a pill, usually taken once a day. All three are available as generic medicines.

Benefits of aromatase inhibitors

Aromatase inhibitors have been endorsed by researchers and cancer patients for use in treatment of various types of cancers. In a research study doctors compared the use of aromatase inhibitors and Tamoxifen to see which type of medicine was effective in treating cancer especially the early stage hormone receptor positive breast cancer in post menopausal women. The findings from this study favoured aromatase inhibitors and therefore the doctors recommended the use of aromatase inhibitors after initial treatment that is mostly through conventional cancer therapies like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

An aromatase inhibitor is the best hormonal therapy to start with. When treating Doctors have found that aromatase inhibitors are the best hormonal therapy. It was found that treating early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. This is because aromatase inhibitors have more benefits and has fewer side effects than tamoxifen.

Researchers have also proved that when a patient who has been on a tamoxifen for 2 to 3 years switches to aromatase inhibitors for a total of five years, he would benefit more than a patient who has been on five years of Tamoxifen.

The doctors have also recommended the use of aromatase inhibitors for another five years after a patient has been on Tamoxifen for initial five years. This will help the cancer patient to reduce the chances of cancer re-occurring. Therefore it should be taken even after treatment with Tamoxifen.

Some of the side effects of aromatase inhibitors

Researchers have shown that aromatase inhibitors tend to cause fewer side effects as compared to Tamoxifen. However aromatase inhibitors can also cause such side effects as blood clots, stroke, endometrial cancer, heart problems and osteoporosis. It may also cause more broken bones than Tamoxifen. It is therefore important to have a bone density test before you begin using the aromatase inhibitors. The doctors will advice you depending on the bone density test results whether to use bone strengthening medicine in the course of the aromatase inhibitor treatment.

AromataseAnother common side effect of using Aromatase inhibitors is joint pains. However many people are not troubled with the joint pains after a 2008 British study revealed that women who experienced joint pains while under hormonal therapy medications were less likely to experience the coming back of the disease.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced integrative cancer doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has worked hard not only in treating the disease but also in availing informational support to cancer patients at Awaremed which has become a place called home for many cancer patients. Call on her now and get help on cancer.

Aromatase Inhibitors Are Effective In Fighting Cancer

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Angiogenesis Inhibitors and Cancer

August 15, 2014

Angiogenesis Inhibitors Play A Great Role In Cancer Treatment

AngiogenesisMetastatic static cancer is a fear of every cancer patient. Metastasis makes it hard for cancer to be treated. However cancer cannot metastasize without angiogenesis which is the sprouting of new blood vessels. The oncologists can best avoid metastasis by avoiding angiogenesis which is only achieved by use of angiogenesis inhibitors.

Angiogenesis defined

Angiogenesis is a process through which blood vessels are formed. Angiogenesis occurs naturally during the growth and development of children. The mother’s womb has to form new blood vessels that are important in the development of the infant. This is a crucial process in the foetus. However in adults this process happens less often and may happen during wound healing. In women it happens during the menstruation cycle. When this formation of new blood vessels is induced by tumor, it is referred to as tumor angiogenesis. This happens when the tumors release molecules that signal the surrounding tissues. It is this signaling that activates genes that make proteins to initiate growth of new blood vessels. These new blood vessels penetrate into the cancerous cells and help them grow by supplying them with the needed nutrients and removing wastes out of them hence creating an environment that favors their growth and metastasis.

Without angiogenesis tumors cannot grow and metastasize, it is therefore a necessity without which the cancerous cells will become inactive and will even die. When the new blood vessels have been formed it become hard for the cancer to be treated. The cancer patient will have to endure pain as the tumors will be growing at a faster rate since they have adequate nutrient supplies which they receive though these newly formed blood vessels therefore they can be controlled when these nutrient supplies are cut and that is what angiogenesis inhibitors does.

This discovery that cancer cells depend on angiogenesis to grow and metastasize has led to development of many cancer treatments that target angiogenesis. These therapies can be very effective in fighting this disease since it doesn’t affect the healthy body cells. Moreover if angiogenesis can be inhibited then all cancers can be controlled since it is a necessity for growth of tumors in all cancers. When angiogenesis is inhibited the cancer cells are denied of their supplies and they will automatically die of starvation.

Copper is a necessity for Angiogenesis

Copper is a trace element the needs to highly regulated as any slight homeostatic copper disruptions may result in serious health complications such as the Wilson’s disease. Copper is necessity for angiogenesis. Without copper angiogenesis cannot take place. It is therefore evident that Copper fuels cancer tumor growth and metastasis. Angiogenetic inhibitors can be used to curb this situation. Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) is effective in copper chelation.  Researchers have proved that TM forms a stable tripartite complex with copper and protein. When given with food, it chelates food copper with food protein and inhibits absorption of copper in the bloodstream. There is endogenous secretion of copper in saliva and gastric secretions associated with food intake, and this copper is also chelated by TM when it is taken with meals, thereby preventing copper re-absorption.

Medical researchers have done test on the effectiveness of the tetrathiomolybdate (TM) on mice that were injected with cancer cells and left for a week for angiogenesis to begin. After the new blood vessels had been formed the mice was injected tetrathiomolybdate (TM). The angiogenesis stopped and the tumor growth stopped. However from researches that had been done in the past it was concluded that tetrathiomolybdate (TM) has a unique action on the copper that fuels angiogenesis and retarded tumor growth with minimal side effects. When cancer patients are given TM with food they get a negative copper balance which is not good angiogenesis. The copper that is bound by TM cannot do any meaningful biological activity as it cannot be absorbed by cells and is excreted in the urine having been cleared by bile hence tamed.

Normally, the level of copper that is needed for angiogenesis is much higher as compared to the amount of copper that is needed for cellular activities that are dependent on cancer like cytochrome function and heme synthesis. Cancer therapy that are based on anti-copper may work well as the copper needed for cellular activities will be retained even when TM is used to as an anti-copper angiogenic agent.

Low molecular weight heparins inhibits metastasis

AngiogenesisIt has also been found out that Low molecular weight heparins helps in improving the cancer patient’s chances of survival as it inhibits metastasis. The low molecular weight heparins are able to inhibit metastasis by preventing cancer cell triggered destruction of the endothelial glycocalyx. In experimental animal models and clinical tests; it was found that the low molecular weight heparins protects against cancer progression and metastasis. The scientists say this is possible as the low molecular weight inhibits metastasis interfering with the cancer cell binding on the platelets. Cancer cell needs to attach themselves to the platelets to move to other parts of the body. Low molecular weight heparins also inhibit metastasis through binding of heparanase or hyaluronidase thereby protecting the vascular endothelium from invasion by the cancer cells.
Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced integrative cancer doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has worked hard not only in treating the disease but also in availing informational support to cancer patients at Awaremed which has become a place called home for many cancer patients. Call on her now and get help on cancer.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors Play A Great Role In Cancer Treatment

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Gene Therapy, Epigenetic Gene Therapy

August 14, 2014

Gene Therapy Is an Effective Cancer Treatment Alternative

Gene TherapyCancer has continued to threaten the very existence of the human race. Being a disease with numerous causes, it has become so hard to evade it completely. This has led to doctors trying to find the best ways of curbing it or better yet do away with it completely. Researchers have given foundations upon which these alternative cancer treatments can be based. The researchers have even studied and known the cancer cell survival mechanisms and this has led to emergency of very many alternatives that all affect the cancer cell survival in a way. Just like farmers know-the best way to do away with a weed is to uproot it completely as it will not grow again lest another seed is planted. The best way to treat cancer is to find a way of doing away with it from the roots. Unfortunately most of the cancer treatments that our loved ones are subjected to are only focused on killing the cancer cell and reducing the severity of the symptoms. This is why there are cases of repeated chemotherapies that instead of helping in killing the cancerous cells only make the cancerous cells more resistant to the drugs. Our environments expose us to myriads of carcinogens that affect the DNA make up of our body cells. There are very dangerous heavy metals that will make us prone to cancer when we interact with them consistently and this is a problem that has been facing industrial workers over the years. Upon intrusion into the body they are likely to affect our DNA make up resulting in gene mutation which is synonymous to cancer. Genes play an important role in cancer treatment and so therapies that target the gene may go a long way in healing the cancer patients, that is Gene Therap

Changes that take place in a gene are most likely to cause cancer .these changes that take place in a gene that increases cancer risk may happen due to exposure to environmental carcinogens like smoking tobacco and other potential gene mutants that emanate from the surrounding. However a person may inherit faulty genes from the parents making him have a higher risk of getting cancer. A person may inherit faulty genes from the parent but if he adopts a healthy lifestyle and evade all the potential gene mutants then he may not get the disease.

What is gene therapy?

Cancer being caused by gene mutations it is better to have a way of treating the cancer by repairing the faulty genes or better yet replacing them with functional genes so that the routine gene functions are revived. Gene therapy is a way of repairing genetic problems. This can be achieved by adding a functional copy of the defective gene. When a functional copy of a faulty gene is added, the tissues  and organs that might have been affected by the gene mutations will begin to function in the right way. The gene therapy works better because unlike other cancer treatments that only treat the symptoms it goes deeper correcting all the genetic problems.

In cancer treatment most commonly, gene therapy uses a vector, typically a virus, to deliver a gene to the mutated cells where it’s needed to enable proper functions of the cell. Once its inside, the cell’s gene-reading machinery uses the information in the gene to build RNA and protein molecules. The proteins (or RNA) can then carry out their job in the cells. When the normal functioning of the genes is achieved the cancer cell duplication is inhibited and this is a better strategy in cancer treatment.

Scientists are still developing several gene-therapies that will be very helpful in cancer treatment. One of the best therapies so far discovered is the use of a modified version of herpes simplex 1 virus. Herpes simplex 1 virus is known to cause cold sores yet it has been found to have the ability to effectively fight cancer especially the cancer of the skin (melanoma) that has spread in the body.

To make the use of herpes simplex 1 virus safer, the doctors will modify the virus in such a way that it will not cause the cold sores that it is known for. This treatment is referred to T- VEC. This treatment is also safer than other conventional cancer treatments as it does not affect the healthy body cells but is very effective in destroying the cancer cells. It stimulates the immune system enabling it to spot the cancer cells present in the body and fighting them. When the virus is injected into the tumor it produces more of itself by replication inside the tumor until they burst thereby producing even more of them that can infect many more cancer cells.

Gene TherapyIn a trial to show the effectiveness of the gene therapy, 59 patients suffering from the cancer of the blood had their immune systems cells removed and treated with a virus that genetically altered their genetic structure in order to spot the proteins that covers the surfaces of the cancer cells. The immune cells were then returned into the patient’s body. More than half of the patients experienced complete remission giving proof to the strength of the gene therapy in cancer treatment.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced integrative cancer doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has worked hard not only in treating the disease but also in availing informational support to cancer patients at Awaremed which has become a place called home for many cancer patients. Call on her now and get help on cancer.

Gene Therapy Is an Effective Cancer Treatment Alternative

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Oncothermia and Cancer

August 14, 2014

Oncothermia and Hyperthermia As Used In Cancer Treatment

oncothermiaCancer treatment is getting advanced day by day and all this is attributed to the work that scientists have continued to do to find better ways of putting this monster where it belongs-history. Despite the many alternative cancer treatments that we have today, the research work on cancer is yet to stop. There are very many ways through which a cancer patient can be treated and it is better to find an integrative cancer center where the experienced integrative oncologists can find the best treatment that is personalized to suit your situation. The integrative cancer doctors are the best as they are able to incorporate both naturopathic and conventional cancer treatment methods to come up with the best ways to combat the disease. All these improvements in the field of oncology are driven by a common purpose which is to find a treatment that is strategic enough in killing the cancerous cells while having minimal or no side effects at all. Unlike HIV/AIDS cancer is treatable and cancer patients have received treatment even with the conventional cancer treatments but the cancer treatment duration is synonymous to pain due to the hurt that is caused by these treatments. Conventional chemotherapy affects the healthy cells as well as the cancer cells and this leads to side effects that threatens the lives of the cancer patients who have since opted for better ways of cancer treatment that are devoid of all the life threatening side effects that are always the result of haphazard conventional chemotherapy. Some of the improvements that have been made in the field of oncology include. Oncothermia and Hyperthermia.

Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia is a condition in which the body temperatures are higher than the normal degrees. Hyperthermia can be caused by certain diseases but it can also be created by medical experts to help in treatment of certain diseases especially cancer. In this case it is referred to as heat treatment. Higher than normal temperatures are known to cause various health complications but in hyperthermia the heat is under careful control of qualified medical personnel hence cannot kill the patient but only kill the cancerous cells.

Thermal treatment helps in making the cancer cells more vulnerable to treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. High temperatures may also kill the cancer cells instantly. Hyperthermia is very effective in treatment of cancer but it may also lead to the death of healthy cells for this reason it needs to be handled by doctors who are well versed in the area and can take good control of the heat so as to avoid harm to the patient.

The cancer cells are killed when the proteins in them get coagulated and the blood vessels that supply them with nutrients are killed. This leaves a place that is cooked hence no living cancer cell. Various sources of energy can be used in this process including Radio waves, microwaves, and ultrasound waves.

Hyperthermia can be either internally or externally. When done external the source of heat is focused on a specific area of the patients body while in internal ablation involves using a needle that is pricked into the tumor. The needle releases lots of heat at the tip killing the cancerous cells.

Hyperthermia can be used in treatment of cancers that are deeply rooted in the internal organs. It is the method that is used in killing cancer cells in brain tumors. This technique is called Interstitial and it releases lots of heat than the external thermal ablation. Needles that release heat are used in the tumor to kill the cells in it.

Oncothermia

Just like hyperthermia, Oncothermia also involves increase in temperatures of the patients but of course this is a more improved approach towards killing the cancerous cells. Oncothermiahas cell-selective focus on the tumor and it is free from dangerous hot spots. The main advantage of Oncothermia as a cancer treatment alternative is its self-selective ability and its apoptosis oriented cell-killing mechanism. It induces apoptosis in the cancer cells inhibiting their destructive functions. This is not a new alternative to conventional cancer treatments as it has been used in cancer treatments over the past centuries. It is a common cancer treatment in Asia and Europe among other continents.

Oncothermia uses modulated and filtered frequency in a bid to destroy the cancer cells more selectively. Researchers have proved that when the frequency of heat is modulated precisely, energy focus is increased which increases the effectiveness of this method in killing the cancerous cells as well as the safety of the healthy cells. This method is more strategic in targeting the cancerous cells. The tumors are exposed to high temperatures that are regulated by experienced doctors to destroy the blood vessels that the tumor depends on as well as killing the cancerous cells outright. It is not solely about increasing the temperatures but is about how those temperatures can be focused on a tumor for a given time.

oncothermiaThe controlled heat is focused on the organ or region affected by the tumor. The process may involve use of capacitive deep hyperthermia device to stimulate energy absorption by the malignant cells after which the tumors are heated to induce apoptosis. Oncothermia can also be used with conventional cancer treatment methods like chemotherapy as it increases the vulnerability of the cancerous cells to Chemotherapy drugs.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced integrative cancer doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has worked hard not only in treating the disease but also in availing informational support to cancer patients at Awaremed which has become a place called home for many cancer patients. Call on her now and get help on cancer.

Oncothermia and Hyperthermia As Used In Cancer Treatment

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Alcoholic Relapse

August 14, 2014

Alcoholic Relapse – Social and Emotional Causes

Alcohol

In treating drug addiction relapse will be a common occurrence. Alcoholic relapsing need not to give up as this is normal and will be over-come with time.

Relapse is a common occurrence in management of various addictions. When a recovering patient relapses several times they may get discouraged but this is generally not an indication of treatment failure but just a confirmation that some progress is being made and more needs to be done in the same line. The truth is over 80% of people treated for alcoholism relapse not just during treatment but even after years of abstinence. Patients and their caregivers should understand that relapses of alcoholism are analogous to recurrent flare-ups of chronic physical diseases. Factors that place a person at high risk for relapse include:

  • Frustration and anger
  • Social pressure
  • Internal temptation

Mental and Emotional Stress – Alcohol blocks out emotional pain and is often perceived as a loyal friend when human relationships fail. It is also associated with freedom and with a loss of inhibition that offsets the tedium of daily routines. When the alcoholic tries to quit drinking, the brain seeks to restore what it perceives to be its equilibrium. The brain responds with depression, anxiety, and stress (the emotional equivalents of physical pain), which are produced by brain chemical imbalances. These negative moods continue to tempt alcoholics to return to drinking long after physical withdrawal symptoms have abated.

Codependency – Many aspects of the ex-drinker’s relationships change when drinking stops, making it difficult to remain abstinent:

  • One of the most difficult problems that occur is being around other people who are able to drink socially without danger of addiction. A sense of isolation, a loss of enjoyment, and the ex-drinker’s belief that pity, not respect, is guiding a friend’s attitude can lead to loneliness, low self-esteem, and a strong desire to drink again.
  • Friends may not easily accept the sober, perhaps more subdued, ex-drinker. Close friends and even intimate partners may have difficulty in changing their responses to this newly sober person and, even worse, may encourage a return to drinking.
  • To preserve marriages, spouses of alcoholics often build their own self-images on surviving or handling their mates’ difficult behavior and then discover that they find it difficult to adjust to new roles and behaviors.

In order to maintain abstinence, the ex-drinker may need to separate from these enablers. Close friends and family members can find help in understanding and dealing with these issues through social groups.

Social and Cultural Pressures – The media has become a powerful communication tool for the pleasures of drinking in advertising and programming. The medical benefits of light-to-moderate drinking are frequently publicized, giving ex-drinkers the false excuse of returning to alcohol for their health.

Risk Factors

It is amazing that even with obvious health risk of alcohol people are still very much into drinking. It has become a global problem with the west taking the lead in alcohol abuse. America for example is struggling with this problem of alcohol abuse with most under age getting into drinking habit. Most American adults drink at levels that put them at risk for alcohol dependence and alcohol-related problems. Let us therefore look at some of the risk factors for alcohol dependence may include:

Age

Drinking in Adolescence – we all know that alcohol consumption is very unhealthy in all dimensions, the risks of alcohol use gets more complicated depending on when one begins taking alcohol and the duration of usage. For instance anyone who begins drinking in adolescence is at risk for developing alcoholism. The earlier a person begins drinking, the greater the risk and so young people at highest risk for early drinking are those with a history of abuse, family violence, depression, and stressful life events. People with a family history of alcoholism are also more likely to begin drinking before the age of 20 and to become alcoholic. Such adolescent drinkers are also more apt to underestimate the effects of drinking and to make judgment errors, such as going on binges or driving after drinking, than young drinkers without a family history of alcoholism.

Drinking in the Elderly Population – Although alcoholism usually develops in early adulthood the elderly are not safe either. They are also affected though in a different way for example those who maintain the same drinking patterns as they age can easily develop alcohol dependency without realizing it. It will take a fewer drinks to become intoxicated, and older organs can be damaged by smaller amounts of alcohol than those of younger people. Besides all these, many medications prescribed for older people interact adversely with alcohol.

Gender

Majority of alcohol users are men though the women population drinking is also rising by the day. Studies suggest that women are more vulnerable than men to many of the long-term consequences of alcoholism. For example, women are more likely than men to develop alcoholic hepatitis and to die from cirrhosis, and again they are more vulnerable to the brain cell damage caused by alcohol.

History of Abuse

The load of individuals past life style will have great significance in the present. Those brought up by alcoholic parents have a higher risk for substance abuse later in life. In one study, 72% of women and 27% of men with substance abuse disorders reported physical or sexual abuse or both. They also had worse response to treatment than those without such a history.

Psychiatric and Behavioral Disorders

Psychiatric Disorders – Severely depressed or anxious people are at high risk for alcoholism, smoking, and other forms of addiction. Likewise, a large proportion of alcohol-dependent people suffer from an accompanying psychiatric or substance abuse disorder. Either anxiety or depression may increase the risk for self-medication with alcohol. Depression is the most common psychiatric problem in people with alcoholism or substance abuse. Alcohol abuse is very common in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Long-term alcoholism itself may cause chemical changes that produce anxiety and depression. It is not always clear, then, whether people with emotional disorders are self-medicating with alcohol, or whether alcohol itself is producing mood swings.

In conclusion, I believe you’re up to date with the social aspects of alcohol use. In our introduction we illustrated how relapse is a common happening addiction treatment and probably this is your area of concern and I want to offer you an opportunity to get over it. This is not something you can go through on your own, you will need the opinion of experts in this line and Dr. Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is the person you need right now. She is offering her exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to every addicted patients in the most natural and professional way. Choosing to call doctor Akoury is the best thing you can do to help you overcome your addiction problems and get your life back in real time.

Alcoholic Relapse – Social and Emotional Causes

 

 

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