Archive for category Cancer Care
Cancer Wigs – Hair Replacement for Children
Posted by admin in Cancer Care, Child Care on December 23, 2010
If a child who suffers from hair loss doesn’t have an Alopecia condition, most likely that child has lost his hair as a result of Cancer treatments. When the child loses his hair, they must seek out hair replacement options, such as long-term Cancer wigs and other solutions that provide hair replacement for children.
When children are diagnosed with Cancer, they face a battle on two fronts: first, fighting the Cancer itself and the draining, ongoing medical fight that nearly always includes some form of chemotherapy and radiation. And when the effects of this battle have taken their toll, children face a battle on a second front; they suffer from hair loss, often requiring them to wear short or long-term Cancer wigs.
Cancer treatments have a battering effect on a child’s health and immune system and can seriously affect his or her appearance as well. Medical hair loss necessitating the use of Cancer wigs is the most common result of oncology treatments and might well be the one aspect of Cancer treatment that children dread the most. Why? Because it makes them feel and look different from their friends. It makes them look ill, even after they’re done with Cancer treatments. And by the time a child whose been through all this is feeling well and ready to jump back into life, hair loss may stand in their way. Read the rest of this entry »
Urgent Cancer Patients to Avoiding Antioxidants
Posted by admin in Cancer Care on September 19, 2010
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 1,500 Americans die from cancer each day. For advanced metastatic cancers, the prognosis is typically between one and two years. “Chemotherapy can improve survival for many of these individuals, but this often comes at the expense of toxic side effects that can at times be more frightening than the disease itself. However, some physicians have found that patients who receive antioxidant-rich nutrition experience fewer side effects during and after chemotherapy. Many also believe that treatment response and survival are also improved,” Dr. Block notes.
There is a growing body of scientific research to back this up, including the gold standard of evidence-based medicine — randomized controlled clinical trials. “Glutathione has been shown to significantly reduce the various toxic effects of cisplatin and other chemotherapy drugs in six randomized controlled clinical trials to date. Not one of these studies found any sign of interference between glutathione and the various chemotherapy drugs,” Dr. Block says. He adds that studies of the potent antioxidant called melatonin have been even more favorable, including multiple studies showing significant improvements in both outcome and survival in advanced cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The numbers of studies showing positive results of cancer therapies supplemented with antioxidants is far larger once non-randomized studies are included. “Although those trials are not considered the gold standard for medical evidence, it’s worth noting that virtually all of them suggest favorable outcomes or at least no interference with chemotherapy,” says Dr. Block.
So where does the idea come from that supplements could be harmful to cancer patients? Dr. Block explains that some chemotherapy agents create free radicals or similar molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are highly reactive and unstable forms of oxygen that have the capacity to damage genes and other cell structures. These in turn cause the intended cellular damage to cancer cells. Because antioxidants are used to counteract the damaging effects of ROS, some researchers assume concurrent use of antioxidants should limit the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs that rely on ROS and may advise against the use of antioxidants with all chemotherapy agents, regardless of whether or not they create ROS. Read the rest of this entry »