Category Archives: Dr. Dalal Akoury

Penile Rehabilitation

September 27, 2014

Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Penile Rehabilitation after Radical Prostatectomy

What is penile rehabilitation?

PenilePenile rehabilitation Procedures (PRPs) are different methods and practices that are used to help patients recover their ability to control eth functioning of their penises. For patients who have lost this important ability, specific methods are used to help them recover and regain it within the shortest time possible.

There are different methods and techniques that are used as part of Penile Rehabilitation Procedures. For instance, special devices that work as pumps may be used on a patient prior to having a sexual experience. Such devices work by altering the flow of blood within the corpora cavernosa region of the penis. By withholding blood in this region, such devices enable a man to have a full erection for he required length of time.

Other forms of procedures are used in this approach as well. For instance, special drugs have been developed for the sole function of altering the flow of blood as well the functioning of nerves in the prostate region. The basic purpose of all the methods and techniques used is to shorten the time that it takes for a man affected from temporary erectile dysfunction to regain the ability to erect.

When is penile rehabilitation needed?

Penile Rehabilitation Procedures are required for patients who have undergone Radical Prostatectomy and, as a result of this, have lost the ability to use their penises. Radical Prostatectomy is a special type of surgery that is usually carried out to remove the prostate in men who have advanced prostate cancer.

The need for the procedure is to deal with this type of cancer once and for all in cases where it has already metastasized and other forms of treatment are not tenable. Therefore, since prostate cancer is a common disease in men of advanced age, the use of this procedure to solve the problem has been and will remain common in the days to come.

Although this procedure is effective in dealing with prostate cancer, its effects on the body of a patient are severe. The most important effect of this procedure is that it leads to major damage of important nerves in the corpus cavernosa region. When the cavernous nerve is injured, the ability to control the penis is lost immediately.

After undergoing the procedure, many men are expected to lose this ability for a year or so. This is the approximated time that it takes for the nerves and tissues to heal completely. However, since many men exhibit the need for sex well in their advanced ages, there is need for the time taken to regain the ability to erect to be reduced. Herein is the need for Penile Rehabilitation Procedures.

What is platelet- rich plasma?

This is a relatively new type of procedure that can be used to treat erectile dysfunction arising from the damage caused by Radical Prostatectomy. The exact effect of this method on the body of a patient is yet to be fully documented but work has proven that the method is quite effective. What happens in this method is that plasma that is rich in platelets and is derived from the body of a patient is used to correct the damage done to the corpus cavernosa region of the penis. It is believed that the healing nature of the cells that are contained in the plasma used in this procedure is effective in repairing the tissues in this region.

How is platelet rich plasma administered?

One advantage of this method as compared to the Other Penile Rehabilitation Procedures is that it does not entail the use of drugs or other devices that may be unpleasant to some people. What happens is that a small sample of blood is drawn form a person. The sample is then subjected to special laboratory treatment so that only the platelets are separated. The separated platelets are then injected back to the body of a person, but this time, at specific locations around the penis. Special local anesthesia is used to ensure that a patient does not experience pain in the course of the procedure. The entire procedure takes less than 30 minutes.

How does platelet rich plasma work?

The procedure works by simply stimulating healing, growth and regeneration in the entire corpus cavernosa region. Naturally, platelets have been known to play a critical role in the healing process. Therefore, their introduction to the damaged region triggers the natural healing process. Furthermore, the platelet-rich plasma that is introduced in the region stimulates the activity of stem cells, another important aspect of natural healing and regeneration.

PenileThe exact process by which Platelet Rich Plasma works to help a person recover the ability to erect is related to the effect that this therapy has on the nerve fibers within the region. Since Radical Prostatectomy damages nerve fibers, this procedure works by restoring the fibers that are necessary for smooth functioning of the nerves in the corpus cavernosa region.

If you have undergone Radical Prostatectomy and have lost your ability to erect as a result, you definitely need to undergo specific Penile Rehabilitation Procedures. We recommend that you visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Dalal Akoury will be ready to work with you on the most appropriate form of Penile Rehabilitation Procedure to undertake.

Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Penile Rehabilitation after Radical Prostatectomy

 

 

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IV NAD in Cancer Treatment

September 26, 2014

IV NAD as an Alternative cancer treatment

What is NAD?

IV NADNicotinamide Adenamide Dinucleotide (NAD) is an important molecule in the body of humans that is related to the process of production of energy required for all life activities. Basically, the food that we eat is usually broken down through a complex biochemical process to produce this molecule. The NAD molecule that is produced is then used to transport hydrogen at the cellular level. The combination of hydrogen that is carried by this molecule with oxygen within the mitochondria of the cell produces energy and water as byproducts of the reaction. The energy, which is produced in the form of a molecule called ATP, is what drives the processes of life in the body of a normal human being.

For healthy individuals, the importance of NAD cannot be overemphasized. First, availability of the molecule in sufficient amounts is necessary for one to experience a feeling of overall physical energy. Further, having sufficient amounts of NAD in the body is associated with good mental health, increased libido and overall good health. All these are positive attributes that make this molecule an important determinant of how healthy a person is at any given time. The reverse is true; deficiency of NAD in the body often leads to prolonged fatigue and other related illnesses.

Relationship between NAD and Cancer

There is a very complex relationship between the NAD molecule and different types of cancer. To begin with, the molecule is a byproduct of a complicated biochemical process known as the citric acid cycle in the cells. At the start of the citric acid cycle is vitamin B3, an important nutrient that is derived from good nutrition. Therefore, vitamin B3 is an important precursor for the production of NAD in the body.

One of the most important types of vitamin B is Niacin. This is a chemical that is produced in the body of a healthy individual and its function is to produce special enzymes that are required for the proper production and utilization of NAD. The enzymes are also useful in that they ensure that the Kreb’s cycle within the cells progresses without any major interruption. In the event that the cycle is interrupted as a result of lack of coenzymes, which can be traced back to insufficient niacin in the body, the cells of the body get exposed to the possibility of development of cancer.

The link between deficiency of NAD and possible development of cancer can best be understood when one considers what happens to the cells of the body when the normal Kreb’s cycle is interrupted with. Under such conditions, there is increased production of lactic acid and fermentation as the body cells seek to get a new source of energy. With increased fermentation, there is a rise in the level of lactic acid within the cells. It is such anaerobic conditions that precipitate the conversion of somatids into fungi – like microorganisms that have been found to play a key role in inducing changes in otherwise normal and healthy body cells into toxic and cancerous ones.

Therefore, lack of niacin leads to deficiency in NAD which in turn causes a decline in the amount of important enzymes. The end result is that the cell environment becomes toxic, characterized by an increase in lactic acid, conditions that ultimately lead to cancer development.

How IV NAD works as an alternative cancer treatment

There are several specific ways in which IV NAD treatment works as a component of an alternative cancer treatment regimen. What one needs to know, however, is that when administered intravenously, the treatment is quite effective because then NAD is transported to the brain of patient. Since this is where the receptors of the molecule are located, intravenous administration of this treatment produces intense and long standing results in patients. It is here that the effects of the molecule are felt before being replicated in the other parts of the body.

One way in which IV NAD treatment can be useful for cancer patients as part of the alternative treatment therapy being used lies in its characteristic as a strong detoxification agent. Basically, NAD has been known to rid the cells of all manner of toxins that accumulate over the course of time, particularly under conditions of a debilitating condition like cancer. Therefore, when administered to cancer patients, IV NAD treatment enhances the overall health of the patient by cleansing the cells of the body of all manner of toxins.

Another way in which this form of treatment can be useful as an alternative cancer treatment technique lies in its ability to boost the effectiveness of other forms of treatment that are in use. This treatment is effective in enhancing the ability of pharmacological drugs being used as treatment to kill cancerous cells in the body of a patient. The exact mechanism by which the treatment enhances the cancer – killing ability of chemotherapy while preserving normal body cells is a topic of research.

IV NADTherefore, common understanding is that niacin itself shown anti- cancer properties and when used as part of an IV NAD treatment in cancer patients, is able to enhance the effectiveness of other standard therapies being used.

IV NAD is offered at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center as part of alternative cancer treatment therapy. Dr. Dalal Akoury has won accolades in the practice of alternative treatment for cancer. You can pay her a visit for this service as well as other natural methods of overcoming NAD deficiency in the body. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

IV NAD as an Alternative cancer treatment

 

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Integrative Medicine and Biomedicine

September 25, 2014

The Difference between Integrative Medicine  and Biomedicine

IntegrativeThere are several differences between integrative medicine and biomedicine. These are discussed in the sections that follow.

Difference in overall purpose

Integrative medicine is an approach to medicine that is focused on combining alternative therapies with the conventional ones as a way of providing complete treatment to patients. Complete treatment in this case represents overall wellbeing in the body, mind and spirit of a patient. On the other hand, biomedicine is a distinct approach in medicine in which overall health of an individual is seen as a state in which the functioning of all the internal systems of the body is at an optimum level. It can be seen that whereas the focus of integrated medicine is on ensuring that a patient is healthy in body, spirit and mind, the focus of biomedicine is to ensure that all the internal systems are working properly. It is only when the internal systems are at their optimum level that an individual can be said to be in perfect health.

Difference in the role that the patient plays during treatment

It can be said that in both approaches, the patient takes the central position in the treatment process. Both forms lay much emphasis on the principle that good treatment should be patient – centered in the first place. It is this approach that differentiates these practices from conventional medicine.

However, the manner in which the patient is expected to play a central role in the course of treatment differs distinctively in both approaches. In biomedicine, the patient is taken to be the master. It is the uniqueness and specific demands of the patient that determine the nature, type and timing of the therapies used. This differs significantly from what takes place during the course of treatment under the integrative medicine approach. Since integrative medicine entails use of conventional and alternative therapies in the course of treatment, the role that the patient plays during this process is likely to vary depending on whether he or she is undergoing conventional therapies or getting complementary ones.

This is so because whereas the role of the patient in course of complementary therapies like nutritional supplements and exercises may remain central, this may not necessarily be the case in the course of undergoing conventional therapies such as chemotherapy in the case of cancer.

Differences in what constitutes the key aspects of a human being

The two approaches, biomedicine and integrative medicine, differ from each other in the way they view what the elements that constitute a whole person are. Although this may be a difference in principle, it does have an influence in practice since the approaches that are used and the way that they are administered really depends on the underlying principles of the practice.

In biomedicine, a whole person is seen as being composed of three key systems: neurological, digestive and immunological. It can be seen that clearly, the emphasis is on the biochemical composition of the body of a person. It then follows that disease, under this approach, is a result of a form of imbalance in any of these systems. Such imbalances may be caused by a buildup of toxins or poor intake of nutrients. Since this is the case, the approach works by seeking to restore balance to the biochemical functioning of a patient. This is done by recommending the kind of nutrients that should be taken to restore the balance in the three systems and ensure that removal of poisonous byproducts is efficient.

In integrative medicine, an individual is viewed as being made up of three aspects: the physical, spiritual and mental. Therefore, the health of an individual depends on how well the three aspects are functioning. It can be seen that the focus for integrative medicine is wider than that of biomedicine which is based on the biochemistry of the body and its related internal systems.

Differences in the kinds of therapies used

There are also fundamental differences between biomedicine and integrative medicine with regard to the kind of therapies that are used during treatment. For the case of integrative medicine, it should be noted that the approach combines conventional and complementary therapies. The conventional therapies that are used in the course of treatment under this approach vary with the disease that is being treated. A common point is that they include use of pharmaceutical drugs, special procedures such as surgery and other methods whose development and use has been based on rigorous scientific research, technological development and clinical trials.

In addition to these therapies, integrative medicine entails the use of other therapies which are derived from a number of different sources. For instance, different types of physical exercises may be used in the course of treatment. Also, practices such as acupuncture, body massage and use of special nutritional supplements may be used in the course of treatment.

The goal of combining these apparently different forms of treatment is that by doing this, the methods complement each other, thus enabling a patient to have full health in body, mind and spirit.

IntegrativeAlthough biomedicine may use some of the alternative methods that are used in integrative medicine like naturopathic medicine, the mode of treatment under this approach remains confined to such methods.

Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre has been on the forefront in the use of biomedicine and integrative medicine in the treatment of various diseases and conditions, chief among them being cancer. If you have a chronic disease or any condition that requires the attention of a doctor, do not hesitate to contact us for an engagement. We value our clients; that is why we endeavor to offer the most personalized care to them for any kind of condition.

The Difference between Integrative Medicine  and Biomedicine

 

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Testosterone Therapy and Cancer Treatment

September 25, 2014

Testosterone Therapy and Breast Cancer

TestosteroneTestosterone therapy has been in use for treatment of women who have problems with their libido for a long time. Its use, however, has not been without controversy. On one hand has been the concern that using testosterone therapy to treat libido problems in women may actually expose them to the risk of developing breast cancer. On the other, there has been evidence to suggest that using the therapy on women actually helps them by preventing the possible development of breast cancer. In this article, the possible use of testosterone therapy to provide protection against the development of breast cancer is examined.

Use of testosterone therapy for decreased libido

Testosterone therapy has been a popular option for treating women having problems with their libido. Theoretically, there are several problems that may be the root cause of lack of libido in women. For instance, factors arising from the situation in which a woman operates may result to a decline in sexual desire. Highly stressful environments characterized by tension definitely lead to a decline in sexual libido in women. Besides, use of drugs, particularly antidepressant and drugs used to treat mental illnesses such as psychosis, has been strongly associated with low libido in women. Further, other normal body processes that occur after menopause have also been pointed out as possible causes of low libido in women. Menopause -related factors may be as a result of body processes that occur after natural menopause or those induced by surgical menopause.

Since it has been known that such cases low libido in women may actually have an underlying relationship to hormonal imbalances, the use of hormone – based therapies to handle them has been a common practice. In all these cases, testosterone therapy has been used to stimulate the libido of such women. This has been common in women who are past their menopause. In such cases, the therapy has proven effective in restoring the libido of such women, at least in the short term.

Concerns about use of testosterone therapy for decreased libido in women

There have been a number of concerns about the safety of using this therapy on women. Of particular concern has been the role that this therapy plays with regard to the onset and development of breast cancer among the women on whom it is used. Although there has been no strong scientific evidence to prove the case, the safety fears with regard to the use of the therapy have been that the therapy may pose a stimulatory effect on the breast cells which may lead to the development of cancer. The basis of this concern has been that the full effects of testosterone therapy on the physiology of the patients have not been well documented.

The possible way by which the therapy has been feared to lead to breast cancer development has been in two forms. First, there have been fears that testosterone therapy, like general androgens, may directly stimulate the androgen receptor in the breast of the patients, thus creating the right conditions for development of cancer. Secondly, it has been feared that the therapy may lead to production of estrogen within the breast tissue of the patient. This is said to possibly occur via activation of a complex enzyme process within the breast, thus predisposing a patient to breast cancer.

Use of testosterone therapy for decreased development of breast cancer

A lot of studies have been carried out to ascertain the veracity of the fears discussed before. In all these studies, results have indicated that use of testosterone therapy to treat libido problems in post-menopausal women does not expose them to the risk of developing breast cancer; quite the contrary. Strong evidence from several studies has indicated that use of testosterone therapy to treat such women may actually be responsible for providing protection against the development of breast cancer.

Contrary to popular belief that the therapy may trigger the onset of breast cancer either directly or via a complex process of enzyme activation, strong evidence has indicated that indeed, testosterone therapy does the opposite: inhibits the possible development of cancer cells within the breasts. What this means is that testosterone has been found to slow down the rate of growth of the cells found in the breasts thus reducing the possibility of the cells developing into cancerous ones. This mechanism offers inner protection to the breast against the possibility of the onset of cancer.

In a study conducted to determine the effectiveness of testosterone inhibiting the onset and development of cancer, it was found that the hormone is effective in blocking the onset and possible development of several different lines of breast cancer. Therefore, apart from blocking the possible development of cancer cells within the breast, testosterone has been found to limit the possibility of cancer cells developing and multiplying.

Conclusion

From the evidence of different studies presented here, three important conclusions can be drawn with regard to the use of testosterone therapy for treating low libido in post-menopausal women.

TestosteroneThe first one is that the therapy does not have an association with the onset and development of breast cancer. The second conclusion is that testosterone therapy actually provides internal protection to the breast because it prevents the possibility of cancer developing. The third one is that the therapy is useful in breast cancer management in that it has shown the ability to limit the spread of cancer cells within the breast.

Dr. Akoury has built AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as a leading center for cancer care and treatment. Added to her training, expertise and dedication, the services that we offer at this place have made us one of the best. If you are experiencing low libido and are worried about the possible effects of hormone therapy, you may talk to us and we shall provide all the information required.

Testosterone Therapy and Breast Cancer

 

 

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September 24, 2014

The Effect of Testosterone Level On Risk Of Prostate Cancer


TestosteroneIntroduction In this article, we shall examine the effect of testosterone level on the risk of prostate cancer. This has remained a subject of great controversy because of the divergent views that have been fronted. Basically the argument has been that using testosterone therapy on men who have been treated of prostate cancer in the past exposes them to the risk of developing the cancer afresh. The reason given for this has been that the therapy could reawaken sleeping cancer cells in the body of the patient, thus triggering a new and aggressive attack. On the other end of the spectrum has been the argument that testosterone therapy is not necessarily associated with cancer recurrence. And there have been studies to support this. We shall look at both sets of arguments in detail.

Testosterone therapy

This is a common form of therapy that is widely used to treat a number of complications in aging men. With the process of aging comes a sustained decline in the amount of testosterone in the body of men. A decline in the amount of testosterone in the body is associated with a number of problems. For instance, men at advanced ages usually experience decreased libido. This effect can be attributed to a complex interplay of hormones within the body which is triggered by a reduction in the amount of testosterone. In the same manner, symptoms such as general fatigue and even other forms of sexual dysfunction (apart from the low libido mentioned) have been treated by use of testosterone therapy. Prostate cancer Prostate cancer is a common form of disease in men of advanced age. Although studies have indicated that the disease is able to affect men of even lower ages, it has been common for the disease to be associated with advanced age. The complex interaction between different factors in the body of men at advanced ages has been studies and the results have indicated that the risk of development of prostate cancer in men increases rapidly as they advance in age. So, with a decrease in the amount of testosterone, which automatically occurs with an increase in age, comes a rise in the risk for developing prostate cancer. Although this is true, it is worthwhile to mention that currently, studies are being conducted to determine whether the relationship is as a result of decline in testosterone levels in the prostate alone or the body as a whole.

Testosterone and treatment of prostate cancer

For men who develop prostate cancer, the standard treatment procedure has been a radical reduction of the hormones in the body. This procedure has been used in many cases in which prostate cancer has developed and metastasized fully. However, studies have indicated that in some cases, prostate cancer is able to withstand such a treatment and recur in the future, if triggered by existence of the right conditions. The manner in which this occurs has been attributed to the ability of prostate cells to produce testosterone at a much higher level than before the hormone-reducing therapy was administered. What this means is that even if the amount of testosterone in the body of a patient is dramatically reduced by the procedure, the amount in the prostate remains the same, thus compensating for the loss. Therefore, when the right conditions are created, the cells that produce excess testosterone may develop into cancer cells.

Testosterone therapy and prostate cancer

Standard procedure for tackling prostate cancer in men has been through surgery, chemotherapy and even immunotherapy. However, history and studies have indicated that when men who have been successfully treated of prostate cancer are exposed to testosterone therapy later in their lives, the possibility of the prostate cancer reoccurring is highly increased. If this is so, then testosterone therapy becomes dangerous for men who have been successfully treated of prostate cancer before. However, there have been arguments to the contrary. Since a lot of studies have been conducted on this matter, we summarize the most important points here as follows. First, although some studies have indicated that giving the therapy to men who have been successfully treated of prostate cancer exposes them to the risk of developing the disease afresh, the degree of risk remains minimal, at the best. Since the association has not been firmly established, the balance of probability has been that whether or not to administer the treatment to such patients depends on the judgment of the specialist. It is safe to say that the outcome of using testosterone therapy in men who have undergone successful treatment of prostate cancer cannot be predicted with certainty. Second, there has been evidence to suggest that men with low levels of testosterone are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer compared to those having normal testosterone levels. Therefore, if such men seek testosterone therapy in the future the risk of developing the cancer remains. This is so because testosterone therapy is not used as a prostate cancer treatment method.

TestosteroneConcluding remarks

AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center has been established as a leading center for cancer treatment. We offer our clients a wide range of services in relation to cancer diagnosis, treatment and general management. Feel free to contact Dr. Dalal Akoury, a leading specialist in alternative and complementary treatment of cancer, for an appointment.

 

 

The Effect of Testosterone Level on Risk Of Prostate Cancer

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