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.

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Emergency Care

October 12, 2014

Doctor’s Responsibility in Emergency Care

The life of a patient should be respected and there are situations in which a patient must be attended to even if he is not able to pay. Doctors know this and so they strive to give help when these situations pop up. There are different kinds of sicknesses. Even in the context of drug addiction there are people who are seeking help to quit addiction while there are people who are at the verge of losing their lives due to drug overdose. In medical laws any patient who needs an emergency response has a right to be treated and even a drug addict who is at the verge of losing his life as a result of addiction is termed an emergency case and so should be treated just like any other person who might have had a road accident and is bleeding uncontrollably. Any person has a right to treatment at the times of emergency since without treatment the person may become disabled or may die.

Situations like cardiac arrest, heavy bleeding, profound shock, severe head injuries, and acutepsychotic states are some examples of emergencies. Both public and private hospitals have a duty to administer medical care to a person experiencing an emergency. It is therefore in every doctor’s domain to treat a patient that needs emergency response failure to which he shall be legally responsible for the death of the patient.

If a hospital hasemergency facilities, it is legally required to provide appropriate treatment to a person experiencing an emergency. If the hospital is unableto provide emergency services, it must provide a referral for approriate treatment. Hospitals cannot refuse to treat prospective patients onthe basis of race, religion, or national origin, or refuse to treat someone with HIV or AIDS.

Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act

In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) (42 U.S.C.A. § 1395dd), which establishedcriteria for emergency services and criteria for safe transfer of patients between hospitals. This statute was designed to prevent transferring an undesirable patient to another facility.The law applies to all hospitals receiving federal funds, such asMedicare. The law requires hospitals to provide a screening exam to determine if an emergency condition exists, providestabilizing treatment to any emergency patient or to any woman in active labor before transfer, and continue treatment until a patient can bedischarged or transferred without harm. It also delineates strict guidelines for the transfer of a patient who cannot be stabilized. A hospitalthat negligently or knowingly and willfully violates any of these provisions can be terminated or suspended from Medicare. The physician, the hospital, or both can also be penalized up to $50,000 for each knowing violation of thelaw.

When a patient needs emergency attention he should receive it since if it is delayed there might be a loss of life. Therefore if a doctor is asked to attend to a medical emergency as defined in this statement, he must respond. This is both an ethical and legal obligation and therefore every doctor should abide. However rare there will be times when attending a medical emergency is impossible or unsafe for the doctor or patient. If a doctor chooses not to attend he or she may be required to defend that decision in the event of a charge of professional misconduct or criminal prosecution. The patient who needs medical attention is therefore catered for and should not be ignored.

A doctor is at risk of being professionally or criminally responsible of the death of a patient if he or she fails to render prompt and appropriate medical care to any person whether the patient is a current patient has just came in, in a medical emergency. A doctor who chooses not to attend must have good reason and be able to defend this position at a later time otherwise he will be charged in a court of law for medical negligence.

However there are situations when a doctor, may or should not attend a medical emergency. These scenarios may include;

if he or she is already attending another emergency
if it is more appropriate for an emergency service to attend (i.e. ambulance or rescue helicopter);
the geographical location of the doctor is such that another doctor or medical service can attend more promptly;
if he or she is off duty at the time of the call and has been drinking alcohol or taken medication or other substances to a level that may adversely influence the doctor’s level of competence;
If attending the emergency places the personal safety of the doctor at risk.
The doctor may also not attend to the patient if he is not in the right state of health himself or when he knows he is not competent enough to help the patient.

However a doctor should be able to take good care of the patient even if he is not able to offer any reasonable help to the patient. He should be able to assist the patient to access another health center where he can be helped. If a doctor fails to attend to emergency because of matters of inconvenience he will be charged and prosecuted.

Medical access is a necessity to everyone that is why we at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to patients by availing the needed information and offering them a place to call home. Just call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) today and begin your journey to victory against addiction, cancer and other diseases.

Doctor’s Responsibility in Emergency Care

Breast Thermography & Prediction of Cancer Risk

October 5, 2014

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction

In this article, we shall look at breast thermorgraphy and cancer risk prediction. Our focus shall be on discussing what breast thermography is, how it works and its role in predicting the risk of breast cancer.

What is breast thermography?

Breast Thermography

Breast thermography is one of the methods that are used to examine the internal structure of breasts as a means of detecting the possibility of breast cancer developing. Detection of breast cancer is one of the important elements in the overall management of the disease. That is why there are many different procedures that have been developed to help doctors detect the presence of cancerous cells in the breast of a woman pretty fast.

One such method entails the use of mammograms. These are special images that are generated using x-rays to view the internal structure of the breast as a way of testing for breast cancer. Mammograms have proven to be effective in screening procedures for breast cancer so far. Another one is biopsy. This is the most complicated and effective method of detecting breast cancer. Tissues are removed from the breast and subjected to thorough examination in the laboratory for the presence of abnormal cancer cells. It is actually the last step in the detection process.

Lastly, breast thermography is based on the idea that diseased tissues do have a higher rate of biochemical activity and, therefore, emit a higher level of radiation than the other normal tissues. The method uses this logic to generate an internal view of the tissues of the breast.

What is the procedure for thermography?

Naturally, the human body emits a form of radiation known as infrared radiation. There is nothing new in this for nearly all objects emit this form of radiation, what matters is the type of radiation that is emitted in terms of its range. When properly functioning, the emission of radiation from the body is actually uniform. However, when cancer is developing at any part of the body, there is always abnormal activity taking place at the cellular level in the region.

The abnormal activity is seen in several ways. First, the cancer cells seek to get extra supply of blood through the process of angiogenesis. This increases the biochemical reactions taking place in the tissues in which cancer is developing. Second, the cells seek to induce development of their own supply systems within the body. Once again, this causes hyper cellular activity. Third, cancer cells tend to break away from the original lump and spread to other areas where they can invade healthy cells and grow afresh. Known as metastasis, this process increases the biochemical activity at the cellular level.

Using specialized equipment, doctors are able to get images of the breast tissues by stimulating specific reactions to the body. For example, using special procedures, doctors can stimulate the body to cool down suddenly and then observe what parts of the body (the breast tissue in this case) fail to cool down relative to the rest of the body. Such parts are marked for possible presence of cancer cells.

Highly advanced cameras are able to detect such anomalies in the biochemical activity of cells and translate them to highly complicated images that are interpreted by specialists. The results of breast thermography are not enough for a diagnosis of breast cancer to be made on a patient. What usually happens is that breast thermography is used as an initial procedure. The results determine whether or not other additional tests should be carried out. Besides, thermography has been successfully used to monitor the progress of treatment in patients of breast cancer. Therefore, its uses are diverse.

Role of breast thermography in cancer risk prediction

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Basically, this procedure has been hailed as an effective way of detecting the possible development of breast cancer in patients quite early. When properly used, breast thermography can play an important role in detecting the risk of breast cancer early thus allowing doctors to tackle the risk using the right measures.

There are several ways in which breast thermography is a useful tool in breast cancer risk prediction. For example, the procedure is usually used in conjunction with other clinical procedures to ensure that cases of breast cancer are detected early enough to allow for successful use of appropriate therapies. Usually, breast thermography is used in conjunction with mammograms and biopsy to detect and make accurate diagnosis in patients before a specific therapy is recommended.

Also, breast thermography plays a role in managing the risk of breast cancer by being used as a tool for ordinary breast checkups. Since the method is completely safe and quite fast, it is used as a means of conducting checks on the conditions of the breasts of patients on a regular basis. Studies have indicated that this approach produces positive results over the long term.

Further, when used for the first time on a patient and the results indicate an abnormal image of the breast tissue, the results of this method have been useful in accurately indicating the possibility of one developing breast cancer in the future. Therefore, when one gets a positive result from this test, it has been the norm to institute the right measures to ensure that if the inevitable occurs, it can be tackled quite easily and fast.

Breast cancer is a common health problem today. Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we have devoted our resources to helping patients of breast cancer go through treatment quite fast and effectively. We use various alternative treatment methods to reduce the side effects and boost the effectiveness of the treatment method being used. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Feel free to visit us or contact Dr. Dalal Akoury, a renowned cancer specialist for personalized solutions.

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction

Immune Stimulation Therapy

October 5, 2014

What is immune stimulation therapy?

This is a form of treatment for cancer in which the immune system of a patient is stimulated in order to effectively combat the effect of invading cancer cells. Immune stimulation therapy is closely related to immunotherapy or biotherapy. However, it is accurate to view immune stimulation therapy as a component of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy can be seen as a method of treating cancer in which the immune system plays a leading role. The practice of immunotherapy is carried out using two major ways. In the first one; which is what we are concerned with; the immune system is stimulated to act against the effects of cancer cells. In the second method, additional compounds are introduced into the body to help fight cancer cells. This is what is commonly referred to as biotherapy.

The immune system and cancer

There is an interesting relationship between the immune system and how cancer develops in the body of a human being. The immune system is a complicated collection of processes, structures and connections that provides the much needed protection for the body. The environment we live in is full of foreign bodies in the form microorganism that are toxic to the body. It is the primary function of the immune system to not only prevent the entry such microbes into the body but also kill them in case they get in.

In destroying foreign bodies, the immune system makes use of white blood cells. Entry of foreign microbes into the body triggers a complex response process that leads to an increase in the production of white blood cells. The cells are able to engulf disease-causing microbes thus neutralizing the danger of the body being invaded and ran over.

To do this, white blood cells are able to detect the proteins that are found on the microbes. Since they understand the composition of all cells that are found in the body, entry of cells that have different compositions automatically triggers a defensive response.

immune stimulation therapy

The immune system is not efficient in destroying foreign antigens all the time. That is why treatments are sought for different diseases all the time. Cancer, in particular, presents serious complications to the immune system. First of all, cancer cells develop from normal healthy body cells. Through the process of mutation, erstwhile normal body cells develop cancer-like properties and set off on their own path with a different agenda: abnormal and unregulated growth. Because of their origin, cancer cells manage to evade the detection mechanism of the immune system.

Second, cancer cells do wage war against the immune system. By producing chemicals that inhibit the way the immune system works, cancer cells can be seen to be making preemptive strikes against the immune system, thus guaranteeing their own survival in the body.

It is these cells invest a lot in battling the immune system of a person that research in cancer treatment has discovered how important the immune system is in winning this war. The immune system is the major battlefield in the war against cancer.

Types of immune stimulation therapies

There are different types of immune stimulation therapies that are in use. Their common characteristic is that they work by stimulating the ability of the immune system to attack and act against cancer cells.

One of the methods by which they work is boosting the ability of natural enemies of cancer cells that are found in the body. For example, the body produces special chemicals called interleukins. These are compounds that play a crucial role in coordinating the way white blood cells work in the body. Also, interleukins are known to stimulate the production of white blood cells in general. Immunotherapy makes use of this relationship by increasing the level of this hormone in the body of patients. This way, the immune system is stimulated to act against cancer cells quite effectively.

Interferons are another type of compounds that are naturally made by the body to fight against cancer cells. Their ability to fight off virus infections and possible cancer development has been known for a long time. In immune stimulation therapy, their production in the body is highly boosted, thus empowering the immune system to fight against cancer cells in the body.

The fight against cancer cells is usually directed towards inhibiting their process of growth and development. Through angiogenesis and metastasis, cancer cells are able to develop, grow and spread across the tissues of the body. Interferons and interleukins work against them by undermining these processes.

Another way in which the immune stimulation therapy is used to treat cancer is special drugs that stimulate the immune system in specific ways. Usually, the cancer cells are able to evade attacks from the immune system because they disguise themselves as normal body cells. The immune system has an in-built mechanism that prevents it from attacking normal body cells. Therefore, theoretically, when this mechanism is stopped, the immune system is able to attack cells with fury. The good thing is that the fury is usually directed towards cancer cells. In practice, drugs have been made which do exactly this; temporarily stop the inbuilt mechanism of self-defense to give the immune system time to attack cancer cells. However, since the immune system attacks normal body cells as well under such conditions, these drugs usually have serious side effects on a patient.

Immune stimulation therapy holds promise as a way of helping the bodies of patients to fight off the effects of cancer cells naturally. There are several natural methods that are used to stimulate the immune system. The good thing in using such methods is that they do not produce side effects on patients. Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we offer different forms of natural methods of stimulating the immune system to help it fight against cancer. we understand the method as one that arms the immune system with weapons that it is best familiar with.

What is immune stimulation therapy?

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