Category Archives: Immune System

Medicare Law and The Cost Of Chemotherapy

October 15, 2014

Medicare Law Has Little Impact On The Cost Of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy in general

Chemotherapy is one of the many types of methods that are used to treat cancer. Depending on the particular type of cancer, its level of progression and other factors, this method has proven to be one of the most effective ones in reversing the effects of a tumor in the body by killing the cancer cells directly.

Although effective, chemotherapy has been described as one of the most expensive forms of treatment for cancer. The type and amount of drugs that are used in the course of the treatment usually amount to a substantial amount. Yet cancer is a disease whose adverse effect on the population is well documented.

Therefore, the need to develop programs that reduce the cost of undergoing chemotherapy has dominated academic and public debate for long. That is why the government developed a comprehensive medical law to help in bringing down the costs of chemotherapy.

How the chemotherapy costs are covered in the Medicare law

Generally, the law seeks to reduce the financial burden of undergoing chemotherapy by following four main strategies designated as plan A, B, C and D. every one of these plans covers different aspects of the overall cost and vary from the rest in terms of the amounts that are covered for every component of the treatment.

Chemotherapy

For Plan A, cover for the costs of chemotherapy is extended to patients who are admitted to a hospital. The hospitals that are taken into consideration when this plan is applied are the usual public ones as well as the specialized medical facilities that offer cancer treatment and care to patients. This plan is different from Plan C under which care is extended to outpatient clients only.

For Plan C, all the provisions under plan A and B are included but there are other additional advantages that are provided to individuals. What this implies is that a person who is subscribed to Plan C of the Medicare policy is able to enjoy a range of advantages in terms of reduced costs for undergoing chemotherapy. The advantages apply to any hospital or cancer treatment facility.

Then there is the last plan which is referred to as Plan D. under this plan, an individual is able to enjoy reductions in the cost of buying the drugs that are used for chemotherapy. Although this plan covers all the prescription drugs that one may use in the course of undergoing chemotherapy, it is worth noting that the plan only covers outpatient services. This implies that it is not applicable to the drugs used by inpatients.

How the Medicare law sought to reduce the cost of chemotherapy

Passed back in 2003 and 2005, the Medicare law sought to help reduce the costs of chemotherapy for cancer patients. Generally, the law pursued several approaches. The first one was reducing the usage of highly priced drugs for treating cancer. since a large portion of the costs of undergoing chemotherapy are consumed by buying highly priced drugs, the law sought to reverse this by introducing special reimbursements to clinics that charge clients a fee for their service. The idea was that by reimbursing such service providers, the manner in which they recommend drugs for cancer treatment would be controlled.

Therefore, under the legislation, different types of drugs were accorded different levels of reimbursements to the service providers. The law sought to reduce the high dependence that service providers show on such expensive drugs by reducing the amount of reimbursements that is offered to them. This way, it was thought that service providers would find selling such drugs not as profitable as it was before and consequently reduce the frequency with which they prescribe them to their patients.

Impact of the Medicare law on the cost of chemotherapy

Although the Medicare law that was developed and passed sought to bring down the costs of chemotherapy to individuals who are registered in the plan, this has not been the case. So far, things have turned out quite differently from what the drafters of the policy and laws intended. Increasing academic opinion indicates that the policy itself has failed, apart from the relevant legislations that were passed as a way of implementing it. There are several ways in which this failure in the law and policy has been seen. These are described in the sections that follow.

First, it has now become obvious that the law has failed to limit the extent to which doctors prescribe the most expensive drugs to patients. When developed, the law sought to limit the number of highly expensive drugs that doctors recommend to their patients by reducing the amount of reimbursements that are offered to doctors on such drugs. The idea was that by reducing the amount of reimbursement that is offered to doctors on such drugs, doctors would definitely avoid recommending them to their patients because of the financial implications involved.

However, this has not been the case. Over the course of time, doctors have continued to prescribe to their patients the most expensive drugs. This only means one thing; that the policy has failed to achieve this objective.

Another way that the Medicare law can be said to have failed in achieving its objectives can be seen in the relationship between the overall cost and rate of cancer. Research studies have indicated that cancer rates have fallen slightly over the years. However, the overall cost of cancer has been rising over the years. Yet the overriding objective of the Medicare law was to reduce the costs of chemotherapy. What this implies is that the law has failed to curb the rising costs of chemotherapy for patients and other stakeholders in the healthcare industry.

It is because of this situation that the need for comprehensive cancer treatment and management is on the rise. AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a leading institution in provision of integrated cancer treatment therapies. We believe that an integrated approach has an important role to play in overall cancer treatment and management practices.

Medicare Law Has Little Impact On The Cost Of Chemotherapy

 

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Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress And Ebola

October 14, 2014

Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress And Ebola

What is adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is a broad term that is used to describe a condition in which a person feels exhausted as a result of failure of the adrenaline glands to function properly. The adrenaline glands are two small structures that are located near the kidney. The glands are responsible for the overall hormonal balance in the body. This is a very important function and it is carried out in two broad ways. First, the adrenaline glands are directly involved in the maintaining the hormonal balance within the body of an individual by producing   a number of important hormones. Secondly, the glands control the production and distribution of the majority of different other hormones in the body. Therefore, apart from directly producing important hormones in the body, adrenal glands are important in that they regulate the production and distribution of other hormones.

Signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue

Basically, adrenal fatigue develops when the adrenal glands are not working as they should be. There can be several reasons that make the adrenal glands to malfunction. For example, chronic diseases such as different types of cancer can interfere with the way the glands function. This definitely leads to adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue

Generally, diagnosis of adrenal fatigue is a difficult task. This is because the condition produces symptoms that are similar to other medical conditions that are different from it. Also, since the term actually describes a broad amalgamation of signs and symptoms, it may be difficult for a doctor to isolate it from other conditions that may cause similar symptoms.

However, there are certain signs and symptoms whose appearance should be taken as an indication that a person is suffering from adrenal fatigue, that is, if no other direct cause of the symptoms can be pointed out. For example, a feeling of general weakness or fatigue is a clear indication that one may be suffering from adrenal fatigue. This is true particularly if the condition persists and it cannot be attributed to any other medical condition. Lack of energy is usually accompanied with other related signs such as a low level of libido, dizziness and a characteristic tiredness even after one has had a long night’s sleep.

The second sign and symptom of adrenaline fatigue is related to changes in a person’s moods and level of hormones. Moods are usually determined by hormones. Since adrenal fatigue affects the way the adrenal glands function, the hormonal balance within the body of an individual is disturbed. When this happens, a person tends to experience sudden changes in moods over the course of time.

Stages of development of adrenal fatigue

Chronic StressAdrenal fatigue does not develop overnight. The condition follows a course of development from the time when one experiences the first signs and symptoms to the stage where it becomes a chronic condition. In the first stage, the body of an individual is forced to release a lot of hormones that are associated with the ‘fight or flight’ instinct. This usually happens after a person is exposed to stressful conditions.

In the second stage of development of adrenal fatigue, the body gets accustomed to the conditions to which it first reacted with sharply during the first stage. At this stage, the body tends to make its own internal changes in the production and distribution of hormones. More and more cortisol is produced at the expense of other hormones which are meant to serve different other purposes. Cortisol is the hormone that helps individuals to cope with different forms of stress.

The hormonal imbalance that arises as a result of the body concentrating on producing cortisol and ignoring the production of other equally important hormones is what leads to the different signs and symptoms that a person experiences as a result of adrenaline fatigue.

The effects of adrenal fatigue

Adrenal fatigue causes a number of unpleasant effects in the body. Because of the stages in which the condition goes through as it progresses, its effects on the body tend to be felt in progression as opposed to sudden changes. Therefore, one is likely to fail to realize the full impact of the condition until when it is too late. By this time, the functioning of the adrenal glands is completely impaired that one’s body is unable to cope with any form of stress.

There is a complex relationship between adrenal fatigue and a horde of different types of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer and even Ebola. Although studies are still ongoing, it can be deduced that the degenerative effect of adrenal fatigue on the body predisposes it to the possible development and advancement of such diseases.

How adrenal fatigue can be reversed

There are several different by which adrenal fatigue can be reversed. The good news is that all these methods are natural and are available here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre. The methods can be divided into several categories. The first one is about the use of different forms of nutritional supplements. Such supplements contain magnesium and different types of vitamins which have been found to help in restoring the functioning of the adrenal glands to their ideal state. The second one involves use of exercises and general lifestyle habits as a way of restoring the adrenal glands to their ideal state. Lastly, adrenal fatigue can be reversed by taking the right kind of food while at the same time avoiding excess sugars and other unhealthy substances.

Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress And Ebola

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Lung Cancer Screening

October 14, 2014

What Is Lung Cancer Screening?

Generally screening is a process that is used to detect early development of a particular disease among the general population. The procedure is usually carried out using a simple and effective test. The simplicity of the test should be reflected in the fact that it has been standardized and can be used widely to produce consistent results. The effectiveness of the test is usually reflected in its ability to provide accurate results consistently over the course of time.

When applied to lung cancer, screening means the use of a simple and effective test to detect early development of lung cancer among members of the population. The need for early detection of different forms of cancers has been shown to be a determining factor on how successful the treatments that are used to treat the cancer are.

Therefore, when applied to the general population, screening can reduce the mortality rates of lung cancer by allowing early detection and implementation of specific intervention measures.

Lung Cancer Screening

Current methods of detecting cancer

Currently, the sole method that is relied upon to detect cancer is the use of x-rays. X-ray pictures of the chest of a patient are usually taken and subjected to expert analysis for detection of the presence of cancerous cells within the lung tissues of the patient. It is after this has been confirmed that use of specific types of cancer therapies is recommended.

However, this method has several potential disadvantages. To begin with, use of x-rays to detect cancer cells only succeeds in cases where the cancer is at an advanced stage. When used on patients in whom the cancer is at an early stage, the method may not be reliable. Therefore, by only showing cases of advanced cancer in patients, use of the method denies doctors the chance to detect the cancer early enough and tackle it using appropriate therapies.

The second disadvantage of the current form of cancer detection is that is cannot be used over the entire population to detect early forms of lung cancer among individuals. Its use heavily relies on patients showing signs of lung cancer. And since the signs of lung cancer are usually varied in terms of form and intensity, x-rays can only serve the function of detecting lung cancer in individual patients in whom the disease has greatly progressed.

Thirdly, use of x-rays alone as a method for detecting lung cancer may not be completely effective. This is so because a patient may be required to undergo further complicated medical tests such as examination of the tissue of the lungs to detect the presence of cancer cells. As much as this is a costly procedure, it presents a number of dangers to the health of a patient.

The Need For Lung Cancer Screening

The need for lung cancer screening program arises from several factors. First, it has been repeatedly shown that when a universal screening program is used for a particular type of chronic disease, it results into a decrease in the rate of mortalities arising from the disease. Therefore, an effective screening program for lung cancer is necessary to reduce the social and economic burden of the disease.

Second, a screening program is usually used on individuals within a population who are at a high risk of developing the disease for which the screening is done. What this means is that the screening program is used concurrently with information about specific risk factors for a particular type of disease. For lung cancer, several factors have been identified as predisposing individuals to its development. The first one is the practice of smoking. Lung cancer has been detected in patients who are heavy smokers. Also, the problem has been associated with past heavy smoking in some patients.

Second, the relationship between lung cancer and age has been established. Although this largely depends on whether or not the individual in question is a heavy smoker, there tends to be a positive correlation between age and development of lung cancer. Therefore, past and current heavy smokers face a high risk of developing lung cancer as they advance in age.

Therefore, these factors make it necessary for a simple and effective test for lung cancer to be developed. This way, lung cancer shall be easily detected among individuals who belong to high-risk groups in the population. This will be an effective step in combating the disease in general.

Lung CancerRendering

The Future Of Lung Cancer Screening

The future of lung cancer screening is defined by a number of factors. The first one is the extent to which research is carried out. With intense research being carried out on how to develop an effective program for screening people for lung cancer, there is hope that this will help solve the complex problems that arise from the issue.

Second, the future of lung cancer screening lies in discovery and development of new and simple tests for the disease. It is only when a simple and effective test has been developed that a sound screening program can be designed and implemented.

AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is a medical institution that is devoted to helping cancer patients overcome the ravaging effects of the disease. We hold the belief that the successful treatment and overall management of cancer is a complicated process that requires multiple intervention strategies. That is why we have focused our energies on using alternative treatment therapies to complement conventional therapies that are used by our cancer patients.

Lung Cancer Screening

 

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Natural Body Restoration Before and After For Chemotherapy

October 13, 2014

Why you need to prepare for chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that makes use of drugs to kill the cancer cells in the body. Usually, the drugs are made of highly active chemical compounds that directly act on the cancer cells. The nature of the drugs and the way they function in the body presents a number of changes to a patient. Also, the fact that the treatment usually runs for a considerable length of time makes it necessary for one to be fully prepared for it. Therefore, it is important that a patient is fully prepared before chemotherapy is administered.

Ways of preparing for chemotherapy

There are several ways in which a patient can prepare for chemotherapy. The preparation usually follows some basic approaches.

Getting sufficient rest

It is important for one to get sufficient rest in the weeks that precede the treatment. The basic reasoning behind this is simple. Usually, one gets anxious and restless in the days prior to the treatment. Such an emotional state triggers biological responses in the body. When this happens, a person remains in an agitated state throughout the treatment. When the treatment is administered to a person who is already under emotional stress, the side effects of the drugs tend to be increased. It is therefore very important for one to get enough sleep in the weeks prior to undergoing the therapy.

Chemotherapy

There are several ways in which one can get enough sleep and rest. For example, there are special natural supplements which, when used, can help one sleep well and be fully relaxed before undergoing the treatment. Also, one can get some of the many herbals that are used to induce sleep in individuals. In general, using natural methods to enhance one’s sleep can play a vital role in helping a patient be fully relaxed before undergoing chemotherapy.

Being psychologically prepared

There is always the tendency of patients feeling extremely worried about the effect that the treatment will have on them even before undergoing it. Furthermore, the fact that chemotherapy is a complicated process that takes its toll on the health of a patient makes many people very worried about it. These two factors: fear and worry, can make a patient lose self composure long before the treatment is administered. Therefore, it is important for one to be psychologically prepared for treatment.

Good preparation begins with being fully informed of what chemotherapy is all about, how it will be carried out and the possible side effects that one should expect. This will help one to be fully prepared psychologically before undergoing the treatment.

Being physically prepared

As much as psychological preparation is important, one has to be physically prepared for the treatment as well. Physical preparation takes many different forms. For example, you need to increase your amount of intake of proteins. The reason for this is simple. Proteins perform the all-important function of rebuilding the body. This becomes a critical need in the course of treatment because the drugs used in the treatment kill both cancer and body cells.

Also, physical preparation takes the form of increasing the level of intake of water. This makes the body to be in the right form before one undergoes the treatment.

Why you need restoration after chemotherapy

After successfully undergoing therapy, one’s body is usually weakened by effects of the drugs. Furthermore, there is a buildup of toxic products that are produced by the action of the drugs on cancerous cells in the body. This makes it necessary for one to undergo a comprehensive restoration process after the treatment.

Ways of restoration after chemotherapy

There are several ways in which one can restore the body to its perfect condition after undergoing chemotherapy. The overall objective is to remove all the toxic products that accumulate in the body and repairing cells that have been damaged by the effect of the drugs. This can be done in several ways.

Taking the right kind of foods

Diet plays an important role in restoring the body to an ideal state of health after one has undergone chemotherapy. There are several foods that can help in this course. For example, it is recommended that one increases the amount of fiber in the diet. Fiber is important because it helps one to heal quite fast. Furthermore, the role that fiber plays in the process of digestion can be useful to a patient who has undergone chemotherapy because this will speed up the process of eliminating toxic products from the body. Therefore, one should eat foods that contain a lot of fiber like whole grains and different types of fruits and vegetables.

Chemotherapy

Physical Restoration Of The Body

Here, one needs to develop a good plan for physical exercise and stick to it. The importance of this is that physical exercise helps the body overcome drug-induced fatigue thus speeding up the healing process. One can start with light exercises and progress as time goes by.

Body restoration through the use of fluid

Fluids like water are important components of a body restoration program after chemotherapy. Fluids serve several important functions in the body. For example, they speed up the rate at which waste products are eliminated from it. Since chemotherapy leads to a buildup of toxins in the body, increased intake of fluids is very useful in removing such toxins.

Whether you are preparing for or recovering from chemotherapy, Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be of great help. Spending time with her either before or after chemotherapy will help you be fully prepared for the process and get over its effects, safely, naturally and fast.

Natural Body Restoration Before and After For Chemotherapy

 

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Ebola And IV Vitamin C

October 12, 2014

Characteristics of vitamin c

Vitamin C is one of the many different forms of minerals that are required by the human body for proper functioning. Since our bodies are not able to manufacture Vitamin C, we need to provide them with sufficient amounts of the mineral for their proper functioning.

Vitamin C has been known for its effect as a strong antioxidant. Although humans can get their required amounts of Vitamin C from a properly balanced diet, this is hardly enough. The body requires much higher levels of this mineral than what is provided for in an ordinary diet.

How Vitamin C Can Be Used To Enhance Ebola Treatment

Although this is still a theoretical issue that is under investigation, there are several reasons that have been proposed on how an injection of Vitamin C can be used to cure Ebola Virus Disease. To begin with, scientists have been curious about the ability of Vitamin C to act against viruses. Generally, studies have indicated that large amounts of Vitamin C are able to kill a large percentage of viruses. This antiviral activity of the vitamin has been observed on different types of viruses over the course of time. Although this is an issue that is under investigation, it sounds logical to say that research in the area offers some hope of finding a cure against the disease along these lines of thought.

Vitamin C

Another reason as to why an injection of Vitamin C could be used to develop treatment of Ebola Virus Disease arises from the ability of the vitamin to inhibit the rate of growth of viruses in general within the body cells. Usually, viruses and other disease-causing organisms survive by rapid and uninhibited multiplication within the body of the host. Immediately after gaining entry into the body of an erstwhile healthy individual, viruses embark on a rapid multiplication process. This gives them the ability to colonize the body cells of the host completely. It is after this objective has been achieved that a person begins to experience the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Now that Vitamin C has shown the ability to limit the rate of multiplication of viruses within the cells of a host, this logic can be used to develop an effective treatment for Ebola Virus Disease.

Different forms of Vitamin C

When used to treat Ebola Virus Disease, Vitamin C could potentially be used in different other forms apart from the intravenous injection one. One common form is the powdered Vitamin C. The powered form could be easily dissolved in pure water and taken orally. However, there are important issues that shall need to be taken into consideration if Vitamin C is to be administered in this form. The first one is about the dosage. It will important for the right amount of the powder to be used at all times for overall efficacy. The second one is the danger of over dosage. Research has indicated that an overdose of Vitamin C produces a lot of undesirable effects on the body. It will be necessary to take precautions against possible overdose.

Another form in which a potential treatment against Ebola Virus Disease would be based is tablets of the vitamin. Currently, Vitamin C tablets are easily found as nutrient supplements. Their usage is not restricted to treating a particular type of disease but rather, is applied as a broad alternative form of treatment. The beneficial effects of Vitamin C in the body are the driving force behind the popularity of this form of nutrient supplements. Just as is the case with powdered form of Vitamin C, care shall have to be taken when using the tablets to ensure efficacy on one hand and avoid toxicity arising from over dosage on the other.

The Advantages Of Using IV Vitamin C

If developed into an effective therapy against Ebola Virus Disease, Vitamin C will most likely be applied to patients in the form of an intravenous injection. There are several advantages of this form of treatment. First of all, in many cases, the absorption of Vitamin C from the stomach has been found to be inhibited by a number of physiological factors. This makes the application of a large dose of the vitamin through the powdered or tablet form inefficient because abnormally large amounts of the mineral will have to be applied to patients. However, when the intravenous method is used, the problem of poor absorption of Vitamin C is completely overcome.Vitamin C

Secondly, when Vitamin C is applied intravenously, the desired dosage in the body of a patient can be obtained with relative ease. It is no wonder that many forms of treatment for chronic diseases are offered by this means. An intravenous injection of a drug is quite effective in that the drug is directly introduced into the bloodstream of the patient. This facilitates immediate and effective action.

AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre is devoted to helping individuals lead completely fulfilling lives by being fully healthy and well. That is why we take keen interest in new developments on how integrative and complementary therapies can be used to enhance the overall outcome of conventional treatments when used to treat different types of diseases. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and are open for consultations for any type of medical problem.

How Vitamin C Can Be Used To Enhance Ebola Treatment

 

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