Chinese Herbs Fighting With Cancer

Chinese medicine has involved the use of Chinese herbs in fighting cancer since well before the birth of Christ. The Chinese do not have a single word for cancer but rather several different words, since their medical professionals see cancer as several different disorders.

In today's world, a number of people are turning to Chinese herbs as a treatment and hopeful cure for cancer rather than the more traditionally recognized treatments of chemotherapy and radiation which are ordinarily used in this country.

Different kinds of Chinese herbs are given in the battle against cancer. Some kinds are given to attack the tumor with blood breaking capabilities. Others are what are called anti toxic herbs which are given to toxicity which may have been caused by chemotherapy treatments.

Since the body must have the capability of fighting against the cancer which has invaded it, herbs are given to strengthen the immune system.

Still other herbs are given to put the body in what the Chinese medical professionals refer to as balance. This means that the body will function as one being, not several parts, each doing it's own battle.

Along with the herbs given to fight the cancer and to set the body in balance, herbs are also given to prevent the reoccurrence of cancer.

Different herbs are given to specifically fight different kinds of cancer. Chinese medical professionals divide cancer into six distinct groups, breast cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer, seeing each one as a different disease, where as with American medical professionals, cancer is seen as one disease which strikes different parts of the body. Many American medical professionals are beginning to feel that their scientific studies are beginning to point towards this same idea, that cancer is not just one disease but several.

Many Chinese medical professionals feel that the use of Chinese herbs to fight the various kinds of cancer has proven to be successful. There are also a number of people who have been treated for cancer by the use of Chinese herbs who feel that they are now one hundred percent cancer free.

If a person decides to treat their cancer through the use of Chinese herbs it is important that they research the medical professionals qualifications to offer this kind of treatment just as they would in researching the qualifications of a person advertised as being a member of the American Medical Association.

Talk to your family doctor. Possibly the best solution for cancer treatment would be a combination of the traditional American treatments and the Chinese herbs. Make your decisions wisely.

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Cancer Is the Symptom of Something Much Deeper - An Alternative Cancer Cure

Cancer is a disease which touches one in five people. The mysteries of the disease seem to evade even the most well-known oncologists. However, there are alternative cancer cures. Cancer can be cured by changing your lifestyle in such a way that you begin to live an "Anti-Cancer" lifestyle. I have developed an "Anti-Cancer Diet" comprised of cancer fighting foods which can be found on the shelves of the grocery store. Our bodies have miraculous recuperative abilities. A miracle cancer cure occurs "when you get your mind, body and spirit working in 'sync' with one another." Changing your food is not the only change you need to make. "Thoughts are things" and you have "thought yourself into illness." Since you have "thought yourself into illness" logical thought progression shows that you can "think yourself into wellness." This is not an easy concept to grasp at first, but when you take time to consider alternative cancer cures and alternative cancer therapy a new realization happens. Many times the simplest solution is the best solution.

Before I had cancer I was an international fashion designer with a television show on Home Shopping Network and the Shopping Channel in Canada. I had several businesses and life seemed to be thriving.

I was engaged to be married to my business partner. While on a business trip to China, I tried to call home to my fiance. Call it woman's intuition, but I had a very bad feeling. My feeling turned out to be justified. I received a call on my cell phone while in China from the Sheriff of my home town telling me that my fiance had died of a heart attack.

That news shook me to the core of my existence after I stopped screaming for hours.

I flew home to collect the body only to find out my fianc? had another life that did not include me. He was gay; actually bisexual. He died before he could hide the evidence of his other life. This was September 2005. I had a double shock, the shock of his death, and the shock of the reality that he had a life which did not include me.

I was an emotional mess filled with a combination of anger, rage and sadness. I hid the truth from family and friends because I wanted to bury him with honor. My prayers for a very happy marriage with family and friends were answered, but not the way I was expecting.

I had been betrayed on what was to be the happiest time of my life; my wedding.

Within two years of my partner's death, in May of 2007 I was diagnosed with throat cancer. The doctors were perplexed because I was not the typical profile of a person who gets this disease.

I went to the University if Virginia for Chemo and Radiation cancer treatment. I nearly died from the treatment of this type of cure for cancer. I lost 60 pounds, but the cancer was in remission.

With my immune system down, I got an amoeba in my eye that ate the cornea and blood vessels and I had a heart attack. I recovered from both illnesses.

Within two years, the same cancer returned.

This time the doctors wanted to do surgery. They felt that Chemotherapy and Radiation had not worked. This time they would do "salvage surgery" which involved removing a part of my jaw, a part of my throat, a part of tongue, replace my neck artery with an artery from my right hand, take a patch of skin from my left shoulder to make a flap in my throat, insert a tracheotomy, and a stomach tube for the rest of my life.

I refused "salvage surgery".

I turned to alternative cancer therapy to find a new cancer cure. I read where the body has the power to heal itself. That is where I began.

I went to a Naturopathic Doctor and began a regime of herbs and vitamins coupled with fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and fish.

I began reading everything I could find about miracle cancer cures, healing, alternative cancer cures, self-healing, natural cancer cures, alternative medicine, holistic cancer cures, meditation, visualization techniques and Reiki therapy. Believe me, this was a lot of work. On the other hand, what was my alternative?

I had no choice but to take the road less traveled. I had come to what my intuitive healer calls the "Crossroads" of my healing. I had come to the end of what I would accept from standard medical procedures. I had the three top Throat Cancer specialists in the country basically tell me the same diagnosis. "Salvage Surgery" was not an option that I would allow for myself. Besides, my inner self was telling me to "go deeper."

An intuitive healer helped me to find that the shock of my fianc?'s death and related childhood traumas had caused my illness. She helped me to release the fact that I had been betrayed. She showed me how our emotions influence our body, mind, and soul and that I needed to love myself and forget the past. I learned that Cancer is just the symptom of something much deeper.

With the intuitive healer's vast experience in dealing with cancer patients for over twenty years and her Reiki Training, her intuition and wisdom surround you when you are with her. She explains that "Life is like and Onion" peeling one layer at a time. I do not have cancer anymore.

I had a miracle cancer sure. There were many Angels sent to heal me when conventional medicine had all but given up on me. I hope I can be an Angel sent to you. Never forget the Power of God.

Copyright 2010 Carol E. Patterson. All Rights Reserved.

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What Is It About Soy That Helps Fight Cancer?

When it comes to cancer prevention, the phytoestrogens are the business end of soy. As you'll recall, phytoestroogens compete with estrogens produced in the body or introduced from the environment (xenoestrogens) and prevent them from activating estrogen receptors. The cells that make up the breasts, uterus, and prostate gland are very sensitive to estrogen levels and are packed with estrogen receptors. A soy-rich diet provides just enough isoflavones to lessen the chances of developing hormone-related cancers, without the excessive amounts that could affect masculinity or reproduction. It's not surprising, that countries with a high intake of soy tend to have very low rates of hormone-influenced cancers. The antioxidant abilities of the isoflavones cannot be discounted as a cancer-preventing tool used by the soybean. Genistein and daidzein disarm free radicals that would otherwise trigger cellular mutations. These isoflavones also boost levels of some of the body's own antioxidants. Another weapon in soy's anticancer arsenal involves angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels. Under normal circumstances, new blood vessels are formed only during limited times: ovulation, pregnancy and wound healing. Angiogenesis steps into high gear when a cancerous tumor starts growing in the body. Large amounts of new blood vessels are needed to feed the enlarging tumor and to shuttle away its waste products. Isoflavones help to prevent this angiogenic process during cancer development.

Does soy have any other anticancer embeds?

Isoflavones can prevent cancer in even more ways. Cancerous tumors are made up of undifferentiated cells. Differentiation is the process that tells a cell to be a heart cell, nerve cell, and so on. Without differentiation, a cell does not have a clearly defined ''job description," which may result in uncontrolled cancerous growth. The isoflavones in soy prevent cancer by encouraging cancer cells to differentiate into normal, healthy cells. It is also likely that the isoflavones arrest the spread of cancer by blocking an enzyme called tyrosine protein kinase, which cancerous cells use during their unhealthy, accelerated growth.

Can soy play a role after cancer has taken hold?

First, it must be noted that all of the research in this area is in a very preliminary stage. But dentists have noticed that certain humors have a drug resistance that acts as a pump within the cancer cells to expel anticancer drugs before they can eradicate the cancer. Greg Peterson, Ph.D., and Stephen Barnes, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham have demonstrated that genistein, ''... and the isoflavones, in general, may be immune to the multidrug resistance phenomena." In effect, the isoflavones, in some difficult to treat cancer cases, may be one of the only treatments that the tumor is not able to resist. But again this potential benefit of soy requires further research for confirmation.

Why do vegetarians tend to have lower rates of cancer?

Using soy foods in place of some or all of a diet's meat and dairy produce twitch contain substances that initiate or promote cancer) may explain some of the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Why? First, soybeans are packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants and phytoestrogens. Second, a vegetarian diet is much lower in total fat and saturated fat. Finally substituting meat with soy-based dishes boosts fiber intake, and high-fiber diets have been shown to protect against several cancers, including breast and colon cancer. Relax you don't have to become a complete vegetarian to garner benefits. Replacing some servings of meat or dairy products with soy foods can give you some measure of protection. Even so, the more you base your diet on low-fat, high-fiber, soy-rich cuisine, the greater your cancer protection will be.

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Cancer Causes and the Impact of Emotion

I listened in on a very interesting call this weekend. Dr Patrick Kingsley (now retired) who was one of the most effective cancer doctors around gave an interview about his approaches to cancer and how he treated more than 3,000 end-stage cancer patients in his 30 years of practice.

Dr Kingsley didn't use the traditional treatments on his patients. He didn't use chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery to treat them. Instead he used nutrition, lifestyle changes, and making the patient believe he or she could beat the cancer, to treat them. The amazing thing is that he kept every single patient alive.
He gave me a wonderful insight into what exactly cancer is and how, through lifestyle choices, nutrition and of course belief, you can achieve health.

So what exactly is cancer?

It is widely believed that when cancer develops, there are three things which have gone wrong. First, something has caused stem cells in a particular tissue to stop developing into normal cells. Second, the p53 gene has stopped sending out messages to certain cells to die by apoptosis. And thirdly, something has damaged normal cells so badly that they have stopped working properly.

Cancer develops when the level of toxins in our bodies become excessive, to the point where they damage our cells and the information our cells carry regarding their function in our bodies.

We produce cancer cells quite regularly. Our immune systems are designed to identify rogue cells and eliminate them and this happens all the time, except when our immune systems are over stressed.

The medicinal industry and science accept that a number of environmental factors can cause cancer. These accepted causes are radiation, asbestos, tobacco, viruses such as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and chemicals.

However Dr Kingsley has observed other causes of cancer which are in line with my insights into cancer. Dr Kingsley has observed that stress of any sort is a major cause of cancer. During his consultations with cancer patients, it was discovered that, '... shortly before the cancer was discovered, some form of stress occurred.'

So what does stress do to cause cancer? Firstly, it impacts your immune system. Secondly, it creates a demand for better nutrition. What often happens is that when we are stressed, we tend to ignore our diets and snack on convenient foods and drink more tea and coffee and alcohol and often smoke even more. This creates an environment more appropriate for cancer to develop.

Normal cells thrive in a slightly alkaline environment, while cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. Stress causes our bodies to become more acidic which creates an ideal environment for cancer to thrive. Besides creating this ideal environment for cancer to grow, if this stressful environment continues for too long, your body will suffer because in order to neutralize the excess acid in your body, calcium is withdrawn from your bone which creates weak bones and potentially osteoporosis.

Dr Kingsley went on to suggest that cancer could be a protective mechanism. For example: lung cancer is trying to protect you from cigarette smoke or asbestos, and cervical cancer is trying to protect you from the Human Papilloma Virus etc.

This hypothesis offers you the opportunity to try to overcome the cancer that is affecting you at present. This state of affairs is all the more likely to occur if you have been under a lot of stress, especially shortly before your cancer showed up as a specific symptom or lump.

Dr Kingsley suggests that, '...if you can identify and eliminate the cause of your cancer, you don't need the cancer...'

Having had cancer myself, I am very aware of the impact of my emotions on my body. A few years before I was diagnosed, my life changed dramatically and I didn't cope with the changes very well and on an emotional level I closed in on myself. We then suffered a very late stage miscarriage at 23 weeks in January 2006. If I had been able to hold on to the pregnancy for 1 more week we would have been able to save the baby. This devastated us as a family and I really struggled to deal with the emotional turmoil that was left in the wake of this loss.

Almost exactly a year later I was diagnosed with cancer after finding a lump in my breast. I cannot justify pinning my diagnosis purely on the loss of a baby as cancer is a complex combination of a number of things. But dealing with the emotional issues I had previously not acknowledged or accepted has created a much better environment internally and externally to create the space for me to step into my destiny and walk my path with my head held high and be able to face the challenges that life brings us.

For those who don't know me, I really just wanted to introduce myself to you. In brief; I am a mother of two absolutely amazing little girls and a former cancer patient.

I have a loving and supportive family and an amazing network of friends. I have found my calling in life and am following it with great passion and love. I am certainly not scared of the future or angry about my illness and I definitely don't feel guilty about being ill anymore. I have re-engaged with life and am more in touch with who I am and what my purpose is in life than ever before. But that hasn't always been the case.

In 2007 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time I was pregnant with my second daughter; Ruby. You can imagine, this compounded the experience significantly. I spent a year undergoing operations, chemotherapy, childbirth and radiotherapy. At the end of the process my body and spirit were battered and bruised. I had hit rock bottom. I had to find a way out of the darkness or get away from everything I know and love to spare them the fallout.

Fortunately my background and interest lies in human development, and with a lot of self will and amazing support from friends and family, I slowly but surely clawed my way back. My purpose in life is to help people in a similar situation to find themselves again. To re-engage with life and to live life with energy and passion. Do you know somebody who has been diagnosed with cancer who is still hiding from life? For more information go to:

Contact Information
phone: +44 (0)7870 275 257
http://www.cancercoach-nlp.com/
http://www.cancercoachuk.com/toptips
info@cancercoach-nlp.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniella_L_Slabbert

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Can You Overcome Cancer Naturally?

There is something so wonderful, that I have learned about our bodies, their ability to heal. It has been given to us by the powers that be. When our bodies are in balance they are able to defeat disease and illness because when you're in balance your body's tissues are so loaded with oxygen that diseases like cancer can't even begin to grow or spread. Disease needs an acidic state to survive and in that state is where your body is weak and unhealthy, that is the only way you can be susceptible to disease.

The problem that we face in this day and age is the onslaught of environmental pollutions that are destroying our planet and since we are all part of this planet, we too are feeling the effects of this polluted state. Our bodies are amazing in their natural way of removing these pollutants from our bodies. The problem we face now is the amount of environmental pollutions is so high that our bodies are being overwhelmed and are unable to keep up any longer. What happens to the toxins that your body can't remove? Unfortunately your body is forced to absorb what it can't remove into tissues and organs where over time can cause several kinds of health problems, mostly cancer.

The toxic burden that we all face used to happen in years. Now it is taking only 9 months before your body is burdened with toxins and heavy metals to the point that we are now losing 1 out of every 3 people to cancer. It is time to take action against this threat of environmental pollution and unfortunately the fight from the outside in is a losing battle. No one wants to change their ways. Look at china; they are so crazy on powering their homes and industries with power made by coal burning plants. Emissions from coal burning plants are huge contributors to cancer and unfortunately china is sharing their pollution with the world as we are doing the very same thing.

We must now look within to fight the battle and that battle is the removal of these toxins and heavy metals from our bodies before they are left to cause disease, pain and eventually premature death. Fortunately for all of us, Mother Nature has provided a natural method to help us remove this burden and do it on a daily basis. We take in high amounts of toxins daily and removing these toxins daily helps bring back the balance that your body needs to survive in these polluted times.

The balance that your body needs is out there for you, and it's all natural meaning it has zero side effects. Conventional means of bringing balance back to your body is failing; we must turn to alternative natural methods to help us over come diseases like cancer and so many other kinds of disease. The natural way is so easy to use; most find it hard to believe because we are so programmed to believe that conventional methods are the best way to go. I'm here to tell you there are natural ways that can help you overcome cancer simply by removing the root cause that is causing cancer in the first place.

What if I told you so many have been able to defeat disease simply by removing the pollution that resides in all of us? It has been proven that if we provide the right tools for our bodies they can find that natural balance that we all must have to survive. Prevention from disease is your best bet, but if you are already burdened with disease then do yourself or someone you love a huge favor and learn more about this amazing method. You may find that you can change your life on your terms and leave diseases like cancer in your past where they belong.

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Breast Cancer Signs and Symptoms Every Woman Should Know

Most women fear of having a breast cancer because this disease is really common in women especially with ages 40 and above. A cancerous cell found in the breasts is known as breast cancer. A multitude of breast tissue that grows in the front section of your body abnormally is a cancerous tumor. If you feel that you have cancer of the breasts, it is essential for you to be aware of the cancer signs and symptoms to confirm whether you have cancer or not.

Second to lung cancer, cancer of the breast is the most common cancer type that attacks and kills thousands of people every year. This is also the most common cancer found in women. If you are a woman, ensure that you live a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent it from occurring. Although, breast cancer is usually acquired through hereditary factors, modern lifestyle is still associated with this disease.

Early cancer of the breast is usually difficult to determine because it normally doesn't cause any pain. The fact is when early cancer develops; there may be no visible single symptoms at all. Patients suffering from this cancer would just then realize they have cancer as the cancer grows. Breast cancer signs and symptoms to watch out for are:

Lump in the boob. When you found a lump that is not clear of the shape and the size of small crab, most likely it is one sign of cancer of the breast. This is usually visible near the boob area or in the underarm area.Nipple changes. It is unusual if there are sudden changes with your nipples. It could be a sign.Changes in the size and shape of the boobs. Unless you are pregnant, changes in the size and shape of the breast is not normal.Nipple discharge and tenderness. If you found nipple discharges without any reason, then there is a possibility that you might have cancer.Swollen breasts and the skin look like the skin of an orange. Front pains are normally felt before menstruation and during pregnancy. If your boobs are swollen with none of the reasons I mentioned, then you should see your doctor for examination.

If you experience 3 or more of breast cancer signs and symptoms, it is recommended to go to your doctor immediately for examination. This is one way to detect whether you have cancer or not. Be aware of breast cancer whether you are a woman or not.

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Article Submitted On: December 07, 2010

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What Are the Most Prevalent Diseases in the World?

What is cancer?

Cancer is a collective term use to refer to malignant tumor or uncontrollable cancerous cell growth within the body. Cell is the smallest unit in our body and it contains carbon and mostly water that can be ionized or become more reactive easily and affect a change in cell's genetic material called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). If the damage DNA is not repair then it may replicate and mutate to become dangerous cancerous cell. Any human part that do not replicate or reproduce like hair, nails, teeth are immune from cancer.

Risk factors of getting cancer?

Common factors those affecting frequencies of cancer are: age, gender, race, family history, genetic, diet (high fat, cholesterol, fried foods, artificial food additive are all bad for health), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol abuse, drugs, etc), health condition, environmental factors (chemical, UV, biological, radiation etc). Once the cancerous cell starts to replicate in our body and it will start to destroy and attack our normal cell which causing many symptoms appearing as warning sign to us that our body is getting sick and weak.

Cancer Diagnosis?

People will start to be panic and looking for health professional for screening and diagnosis before getting the right treatment to either cure it (if the cancer is in early stage) or prevent it from recurrent (when the cancer already being removed) or slowing down the cancerous cell mutation to prolong one's life (when about reaching terminal stage). The most frequent diagnosis methods includes symptoms observation, physical examination, laboratory test (include blood test, urine test, body chemical test, etc) and various forms of screening tests (X-Ray, CT scan, MRI, PET)

Cancer treatment?

In general, cancer is classified based on three main criteria which are the location of tumor (topography), histological (morphological) and tumor behavior (size, invasive, spread, grade). There are three most frequent recommended treatments for most cancer patient are surgery (plays role as either diagnostics or curative or palliation), chemotherapy (using anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cell), radiotherapy (a type of high frequency radiation to kill cancer call) and follow-up checkup/visits to prevent recurrent of cancer.

More cancer list

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Grieving and Creativity

Any parent faced with the prospect of losing a child is in one of the darkest, saddest places imaginable. Faith, friends and medical assistance all look to bring comfort and of course they do, but nothing takes away the reality staring you in the face. Your child needs you to be strong and to make the last months of life as pleasant and soothing as possible.

My husband and I asked our teenage son what he would like to do as the cancer inched its way through his body. Always positive and gifted with a happy disposition his answer amazed us. He wanted no talk of death and dying but rather a focus on life and creativity. He was confident about his final destination and wanted the remainder of his journey to be one of joy for everyone.

On his wish list was to paint all the front window sills, see a second liquid amber planted in the front garden and to finish the brick wall of a garden area he had designed. To many these would appear strange choices for a gifted athlete, academic and musician. He wanted the house flooded with light and music. He requested that we issue an open invitation to his friends to join him for meals and when he was up to it, a game of table tennis.

Such was his determination that he continued all of these activities until 48 hours before leaving this world. He finished the brickwork and gave instructions for the type of plants to be placed in the garden. The window sills were also finished. He encouraged his brother and sister to express their feelings through their chosen fields. For one it was music (14) and the other fashion and design(16).

His legacy apart from his vibrant faith was to be found in the physical beauty he left behind. His garden flourished and in the weeks immediately following his death, as a family, we were galvanised into action. New flower beds were dug up and planted out in the colours of his favourite football team. Fragrant plants were added and now 24 years later, I look at the glorious colours that are a constant reminder of his hope, to leave the world brighter and lovelier for his having been part of it.

Wisteria winds its way over an arbour, gardenias spread their exotic fragrance and the riot of red geraniums and purple bougainvillea dazzle the senses. Looking back, we all worked through grief in a meaningful and creative manner.

Our daughter's fashion and design skills saw her gain 3rd in the state of NSW in her final school exams. To this day she designs and creates and is passing on her passions to her children, while her chosen career path is in the medical field. Our son likewise, pursues music and shares his love for it with his family and friends, but his career too, is in the medical field. Both of them are keen gardeners and their artist's palette is reflected in their choices of foliage and colour, harmony and contrasts, textures and fragrances.

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Facing Death by Cancer Can Be the Wake-Up Call to Living More Fully

I've had a number of people tell me how grateful they were for having cancer. No, they weren't grateful because they were ill and had to go through surgery, chemo and radiation. They were appreciative because of all they learned. They had to make decisions for their care and how they would emotionally handle what had happened to them.

Imagine you are 25-years old and have been having strange things happening with your vision. The doctor tells you he needs to do a test to find out whether or not your have melanoma behind your eye. He can't tell you he's sure that you have it, but he's pretty sure. The only way to know for sure is to take out your eye. Even if you don't have cancer, you still lose your eye. What would you do?

I know this woman who had to face this horrible decision when she was about 25-years old. I never head the story from her. Everything I know is from her mother who has such admiration for her daughter. Mom describes her as always being a fearful child. This child, now an adult, had to decide whether to let go of her eye or not. She had to play the odds. She did let them take the eye. She found out she had melanoma. The folks at the cancer hospital still ask her to come back every six months for check-ups, not that she really needs them. They want to watch her because she is the longest living survivor, more than 25 years, with this type of cancer.

He mother tells me that when her daughter stared death in the face, this young woman made a decision. No matter what she was afraid of, she was not going to let fear stop her from living. If she was afraid of it, she'd push right through it. She's a middle aged mother of three now. She does what she can to be sure her children have a variety of experiences and she won't let them quit because they are afraid.

Cancer at the age of 25 convinced her to live life to the fullest no matter how much time she had to live.

Whether she would have made this decision without cancer, I don't know. There comes a time each person has to make a decision as to how to experience his or her time on earth. Some need a major life-threatening event to convince them not to wait around on the sidelines watching others have all the experiences. Still others come out of the womb ready to experience everything possible. What have you decided? If you haven't made the decision yet, when are you going to?

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Testicular Cancer Symptoms

This specific type of cancer is caused when there is a growth of cancerous cells in the testicular region. Sometimes, it also happens that the growth happens someplace else in the body and eventually reaches the area of the testicles.

The lymph nodes are where these cancerous eventually land up. In some cases, complications arise in the lungs and stomach. If by chance, the cancer cells spread to these parts, nodes get created in these parts which tend to destroy the body.

2 types of testicular cancer have been identified:

* Seminoma.
* Non-seminoma.

The names given above are actually the names of the cancerous cells which cause the cancer.

Testicular cancer is one of those cancers whose exact cause is yet to be identified. What has been observed over the years is the steady rise in the number of people getting identified with testicular cancer. A large number of these patients have been noticed to have undescended testicles. Undescended testicles are usually present since birth and may be one of the causes for this type of cancer.

Some noticeable characteristics common in all these cases are:

* Caucasians.
* People from an affluent background.
* Heredity.
* People who have contracted orchitis.
* Impotency may also cause this.

There are many myths and confusion related to testicular cancer. Some people assume that if a person has undergone vasectomy, he is at a bigger risk of contracting testicular cancer. Others feel that an injury to the scrotum or groin area leads to testicular cancer. These are definitely not the causes for testicular cancer. The actual reasons have not been discovered yet.

There are some symptoms associated with testicular cancer:

* The lower scrotum area feels really heavy. Similar to being pulled down.
* There is noticeable pain all around the testicles area.
* It may be accompanied by a dull ache in the lower testicular area.
* There is a general feeling of lethargy all the time.

Is a person is experiencing any of these symptoms, it is recommended to take an appointment with a doctor at the earliest. If the diagnosis and the treatment is started in time, the patient has a much better shot at getting fully cured.

There are some symptoms seen in patients in the advanced stages of the cancer:

* A person may cough out blood.
* Problems in breathing.
* There is noticeable pain in the back.

The usual path taken by doctors is to get rid of the testicle that has been affected by cancer. This obviously has effects on the future sex life of a man. In other advanced cases, doctors also resort to chemotherapy and radiation before and after the operation.

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Reporting on the Use of Curcumin to Suppress Cancer

New curcumin uses are being reported every day. Just a few days ago, researchers concluded that the extract from the turmeric spice suppressed cancer of the neck and head, when combined with chemotherapy. But, wait just a minute before you run out and buy a supplement.

When you read stories like that, you must remember that the setting was controlled. The patients were also being treated with drugs. The supplement was modified to increase the bioavailability or the method of administration was changed to make sure that the nutrient ended up in the bloodstream.

Taking the supplement by mouth may be a waste of time. Very little is absorbed into the bloodstream according to researchers.

To overcome that fact, some supplement manufacturers recommend large doses. Large doses can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

The better supplement manufacturers include a small dose of piperine, an element found in black pepper. Research has shown that piperine enhances absorption or increases bioavailability. So, it is possible to take a more reasonable dose and get the same benefits.

Turmeric was used historically by Ayurvedic practitioners in India as an antibacterial and an anti-inflammatory agent. It was recommended for stomach problems, including irritable bowel. It was said to aid healing and reduce recovery time.

Cancer is only one of the curcumin uses being investigated today. Research is ongoing in the areas of arthritis, Alzheimer's, liver disease and heart disease.

As a preventative, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity may help prevent many age-related diseases. But there are other important nutrients you should be aware of, before you buy this single ingredient supplement.

Resveratrol, which is found in the skins of red grapes, has similar benefits and is also a calorie-restriction mimetic. Calorie-restriction has proven benefits in animal studies for extending the animal's lifespan. Resveratrol turns on the same longevity genes that are activated by calorie restriction.

Unique benefits are associated with the catechins found in green tea, the astaxanthin found in pink salmon and the lycopene found in tomatoes. For preventing eye diseases, nothing works better than the lutein and zeaxanthin found in kale and other leafy greens.

The curcumin uses are not all that surprising and the single ingredient can't do everything. Consider purchasing a multi-nutritional supplement instead.

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Poison That Can Cure

Ordinarily after the physical examination, when you see a group of people in nurse scrubs, you feel like your stomach is full of butterflies... especially if one of those tells you to approach the doctor personally, you feel like being so nervous, right? It is true most probably, if you tend to manifest symptoms of having something severe. What then will you feel if one of the doctors in doctors lab coats says to you, "You are positive for having cancer cells"? You might shout for grief.

It is a known fact that chemotherapy is a poison. It is a poison which according to some, cures... but according to others, kills the patient before the cancer cells kill them. As you go on with your reading, you can already identify if chemotherapy is actually a poison that cures or a poison that harms. You may act like a medical professional wearing various nursing scrubs, as you are having a research about this cancer treatment.

The pros of chemotherapy are that it reduces the risk of developing the symptoms of cancer most especially in the advanced stage, and that it gives hope to the patient that his life will be prolonged. But, the cons of chemotherapy start from the feeling of being so ugly; mostly of the cancer patients suffer discomfort by having hair loss and drying of skin. Other patients also suffer from tiredness as well as bowel movement in a very frequent interval. Some of the people in doctors lab coats even say that it deteriorates the quality and value of life rather than the other way around.

Radiation and chemotherapy may be of benefit to some cancer patients if it is done earlier. But, if you are already suffering from bladder cancer for instance (where it is diagnosed in the later stage), chemotherapy is no longer advisable. Actually, all of the people in doctors lab coats have difference in opinion here. Some believe that chemotherapy is not curing even considering earlier detection of cancer, others contradict it.

But there is something that you must know about chemotherapy. And that is the long-term effect of which to the cancer patients. It is possible because some of the effects of chemotherapy exist long after the treatment has already ended. Such can very much affect some of the internal organs of the patient such as the heart, the lungs, and others. It might have complication to them to the extent that it will then cause their sudden death.

Chemotherapy is a poison. Some poisons can cure. In this case, chemotherapy may prolong the life of the cancer patient if treated earlier. However, it may also expedite the life of the victim if given later than usual.

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Cancer Prevention - The Benefits of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a great team player in the antioxidant defense system. It protects against free radical damage and keeps the linings of our lungs, stomach, and reproductive organs in good repair. In grade school we learned that orange juice is a potent source of vitamin C, but that's just the beginning.

To illustrate vitamin C's importance, let's look at lung cancer. Needless to say, smoking is a big part of the problem. Compared to a nonsmoker, a lifetime smoker has twenty to thirty times the risk of getting lung cancer. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, too, increasing lung cancer risk by 30 to 50 percent. But just as tobacco increases the risk of cancer, foods rich in vitamin C reduce the likelihood that lung cancer will start. In other words, you can protect the delicate linings of your lungs against pollutants with vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables at every meal.

Both non-smokers and smokers benefit from these foods. Let's compare two fifty-five-year-old smokers, Veggie Vic and Pretzel Pete. Veggie's typical menu on any given day looks something like this: oatmeal with fresh berries, a slice of cantaloupe, and a cup of tea for breakfast, a banana and orange juice smoothie for a snack and a veggie sub on wheat bread for lunch and hearty pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, and basil for dinner. With his preference for these healthy and delicious foods, Vic has just one-quarter the risk of dying from lung cancer during the next four years, compared with Pete, who munches on pretzels and other highly refined foods, hardly thinking of eating a vegetable or a fruit.

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Are You A Cancer Statistic Or A Human Being?

When you think of a statistic, it's hard to understand that the statistics they are referring to are human beings. With so many people dying of cancer they refer to them as statistics, where in my mind blankets the truth of just how many human beings are dying from cancer every year. The number is absolutely staggering, which tells me that conventional treatments are not saving as many people as once thought. There are so many things out there that they say causes cancer and one is environmental pollution. These pollutants are everywhere and in everything, we consume them in our food, we drink them in our water and something unstoppable is us breathing them in every second of the day.

There are many human beings out there struggling for their life with Cancer and the first thing we do is run to the doctor to see what our options are. In the medical field your options are limited and full of side effects and pain. In the natural field your options open and come with little to no side effects at all. Which one are you going to choose? The reason I ask that is cancer is now taking 1 in 3 people. So, the chances that you will be hit with cancer are pretty overwhelming. Think about what kind of treatment would be best for you is something you should start thinking about now, because if you wait till you actually do get cancer the clock starts to click and your time to find a treatment that suits you will be rushed.

How about this, since it has been proven that environmental pollution causes cancer, how about we just prevent cancer from ever growing in the first place. How you may ask? With these pollutants inside all of us, disrupting the balance that our bodies must have to stave off disease and illness. By removing as many toxins as you can naturally are best but the problem these days is environmental pollution is getting so bad that our bodies can't keep up anymore. The real problem then is what your body cannot eliminate on its own it must absorb, into tissues and organs. With these pollutants stuck inside us, we will over time start to have them break us down slowly. We don't even realize they are there. We just blame illness and disease on chance instead of realizing that these invisible killers are inside us all and they are corroding away the balance we need to survive.

I don't want to be known as a statistic. I want to be known as a human being and I want to survive to live a long life around my family and friends. There are natural ways to remove these pollutants and they must be removed on a daily basis. If you do those detoxification clinics, they say you should do them once a month. The second you walk out the door and take a breath you're toxic again. This problem must be met daily to help our bodies overcome disease and illness. Your best defense against cancer is prevention and if that doesn't work then you must search for the right choice in treatment. I think you just found it, please find out more about natural solutions for your body's pollutions. You may be given the gift of longer life and a happy future. Don't wait because prevention and healing are only clicks away.

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Cancer Facts - The Dangers of Dairy

Several decades ago, when medical research studies began to find serious trouble with dairy products, many people-even some doctors-found it surprising, to say the least. Milk, after all, has been heavily marketed for years. It's even served in school lunch programs.

But if we take a moment to look beyond advertising and marketing, we'll be reminded that cow's milk was intended by nature to feed and nourish calves, just as the milk of all mammals was designed to sustain their own offspring. Drinking cow's milk into adulthood could have easily turned out to be nothing more than a peculiar habit, but it has unfortunately led to many serious health problems. Milk drinking has been linked to Type 1 diabetes, breast cancer, overweight, gastrointestinal problems, and prostate cancer.

In 1997, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research confirmed that separate scientific reviews identified associations between dairy product consumption and prostate cancer risk, and concluded that dairy products should be considered a possible contributor to the development of the disease. By now, more than sixteen studies have shown the link, including two from Harvard University involving large groups of men and using the best research methods available.

As we have seen, dairy products disrupt vitamin D balance, which can lead to prostate cancer. Dairy products also boost blood levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). Studies in diverse populations have clearly shown that the more IGF-I there is in the blood, the higher your prostate cancer risk. A study of men and women aged fifty-five to eighty-five years showed that the addition of three 8-ounce servings of non-fat or 1 percent milk each day for twelve weeks caused a 10 percent increase in IGF-I. IGF-I levels are significantly lower in people who avoid meat, eggs, and dairy products.

When you skip the dairy aisle and begin selecting protein and calcium sources from plants rather than animals, you'll likely bring your serum IGF-I concentrations back down to a much safer level.

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The Budwig Diet for Cancer

The Budwig Diet is the brainchild of Dr. Johanna Budwig. Dr. Budwig, a German biochemist and a leading expert in the field of natural foods such as those containing fats and oils designed this diet and presented it to the world back in 1951. Dr. Budwig felt that this diet was not only an excellent preventative of cancer but was also an actual cure for cancer.

Doctor claimed that her scientific studies showed that the blood of people who were afflicted with cancer were significantly low in substances which are known as phosphatides and lipoproteins. She further claimed that her studies showed that the blood of people who were not afflicted with cancer were appreciatively higher in these substances.

It was Dr. Budwig's contention that if the phosphatides and lipoprotein levels in the blood of the people with cancer were raised the cancer would disappear.

Since the products which would supply these substances are not actual medicines but are rather found naturally in cottage cheese and organic flax seed oil, Dr. Budwig was able to recommend a combination of these food substances to her patients who were suffering from cancer. Dr. Budwig also made it clear that both of these food substances needed to be taken, not just one or the other in order for this diet to be effective.

Both Doctor and her medical colleagues who have worked with her on studying the effectiveness of this diet, feel that after years of careful study, it has been shown that a significant number of people who were not helped by the traditional cancer treatments were not only helped but in many cases were completely cured of any kind of cancer.

This opinion is further backed up by people who had cancer and after going on Dr. Budwig's diet claim that they have now found themselves to be one hundred percent cancer free. Many of these claims are further backed up by medical professionals who had earlier been treating these people for cancer.

Is Dr. Budwig's diet a miracle preventative and a miracle cure? Would these people who claim to have been cured by it have gone into some sort of a recession and become cancer free without it? I don't know. I can only say that there does seem to be some sort of a correlation between the diet and the disappearance of the cancer. A cure and a preventative? We can but hope.

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Cancer - Side Effects of Chemotherapy

If you or a loved one is undergoing chemotherapy or other cancer treatments, you may find that eating is complicated by odd tastes, loss of appetite, nausea, or other problems. You'll need a bit of patience, but these annoyances will pass. In the meantime, here are some tips to help you.

Lack of Appetite

- Being relaxed helps, so you'll want to make mealtime calm. If your appetite is intermittent, go ahead and eat whenever you are hungry. Let yourself have several small meals during the day instead of trying to get through three large ones.

- Morning may be the time you have the most appetite. If so, make the most of this time. For example, have two small meals and a snack before noon.

- Drink liquids half an hour before or after meals so you don't get filled up with fluid when you're trying to eat.

Taste Changes

Your sense of taste may change if you are on medications or receiving radiation treatment to the head or neck. Perhaps you can hardly taste or smell food at all. Nonetheless, keep eating during this temporary stage. Foods will still be nourishing.

Your sense of taste may continue to change during treatment. Experiment with sour, sweet, salty, and bitter foods to find out what's best for you. Try different seasonings.

Coping with Taste Changes

- For those with an increased sense of strong or bitter tastes, the mild flavor of some soy products can be a welcome change.

- For those with a metallic taste in their mouth, use plastic dishware and silverware.

- Peanut butter, tofu, and beans are bland foods that may be appealing.

If taste blindness is a problem, using marinades and seasonings for tofu and tempeh can enhance the flavor.

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Central Venous Catheter Used to Collect Stem Cells for Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

Depending on the specific chemotherapy regimen used, multiple myeloma patients may find that they are scheduled to undergo an autologous stem cell transplant (stem cells taken from the patient and returned to the same patient - no second parties are involved.) The Arkansas Treatment is one such regimen that combines chemotherapy with an autologous stem cell transplant. To collect stem cells from one's blood stream, a central venous catheter usually needs to be inserted in the jugular vein at the base of the neck. This article describes the details of this procedure from a patient's point of view.

One might expect that to collect particular blood cells, they would take blood out of one arm through an IV and return it to the other arm through another IV. That, however, is not usually the case. The process is usually accomplished by inserting a central venous catheter at the base of the neck into the jugular vein. It sounds much less reasonable or pleasant, but it turns out to be a relatively simple procedure.

Central venous catheters have a plastic base (at their center), with several plastic tubes coming out the top of the base which end with lumens to which IV lines can easily be connected. From the bottom of the base, one larger straight plastic tube extends about 6 to 8 inches to a smooth tapered tip. Close inspection shows a hole at the tip and one or two holes around the circumference of the tube about an inch back of the tip. The hole at the tip is connected to one or more lumens and the circumferential holes are connected to one or more other lumens. A typical catheter inserted into a patient's neck commonly has three lumens - two large and one small.

The design of the catheter allows one lumen to be used to draw blood out of the vein, another lumen to return blood to the vein, and a third remains free to administer medications if required.

Insertion of the catheter calls for the tapered tube to be inserted through the skin at the base of the neck and into the jugular vein. The tube then travels down (inside) the vein so the tip is positioned in the large vein right above the entrance to the heart. The insertion is performed by a physician in an operating suite at the hospital.

The typical process proceeds as follows: After arriving at the collection room, the patient lies down in the bed and the bed is wheeled to the operating room where the patient slides off the bed and onto the operating table. Then, the nursing staff begins preparations for the procedure. The physician who will be inserting the catheter will question the patient to make sure both of them are at the right place and that he is performing the proper procedure.

The operating suite will usually be equipped with several computer monitors overhead so the physician can see, as he inserts the catheter, that he has positioned its business end at the proper location at the entrance to the heart. The patient will usually be given a nasal cannula with oxygen for breathing and a blood pressure cuff will be fastened to their arm to allow measurement of blood pressure during the procedure. Then the patient will be covered with sheets - the only exposed area will be the area immediately surrounding the point where the catheter will be inserted. When all preparations are ready, medications are usually administered to make the patient relaxed (and frequently sleepy). A local anesthetic is used to numb the insertion site. One nurse will be assigned to keep a close eye on the patient while others assist the physician. The whole insertion procedure only takes a few minutes.

Before you know it, they will be asking whether or not the you remained awake throughout the procedure, and would you please slide back onto your bed. Another quick ride through the hallways will return the patient to the stem cell collection room where the newly inserted catheter will be connected to the collection machine and immediately put to use.

There are two major differences between a central venous catheter and a PICC line (a peripherally inserted central catheter.) PICC lines are usually anchored in place on the patient's arm by a bracket fastened to the skin with a strong adhesive. Central venous catheters are usually anchored in place with several stitches. This may not be obvious to the patient until a nurse, who wants to remove the catheter, says she needs to first remove the stitches that are anchoring it in place.

The other difference is that the tubes of a central venous catheter have larger inside diameters than those in a PICC line. This allows greater volumes of blood to flow easily from the patient to the collection machine, and back again.

The stem cell collection machine is an instrument based on a continuous centrifuge. Since stem cells are small and light, when spun in a centrifuge, they will float to the top where they can easily be separated and collected. The remainder of the blood is then returned almost immediately to the patient.

A central venous catheter is considered a "temporary" device - it can remain in place for at most 5 days. After that, it has to be removed and stem cell collection must cease. In most cases, sufficient numbers of stem cells will be collected within the five days allowed. In some cases, one day of collection is sufficient. When collection is complete, the central venous catheter can be removed.

The removal procedure simply requires the anchoring stitches to be removed and the catheter to be pulled out. No anesthetic is required. Once the catheter is out, pressure will be applied to the entry sites for about 10 minutes. After that, the vein and the skin should be sufficiently sealed that a bandage can be applied and the patient can be sent on their way.

Although one might become anxious about having a catheter inserted into the jugular vein at the base of the neck, this procedure is a common one that is not painful nor should it be feared. Many patients find that they were anxious for no good reason. The insertion procedure goes quickly and the day spent collecting stem cells is usually a long, slow, lazy, relaxed day. Watching TV, reading, sleeping, working on the computer, listening to the radio, eating and drinking, etc., are all allowed. The only restriction is that as long as the tubes are connected from the catheter to the collection machine, the patient must remain in the bed. Collection ends usually around 3 P.M. at which time the patient will be released from the collection machine and the bed.

When it comes time to remove the catheter, once again, it sounds worse than it really is. It is a painless procedure that can be performed by a transplant nurse at the cancer clinic.

The main recommendation for others who need to have this catheter inserted, and eventually removed, is to not fret about it. The procedures go quickly and they are relatively painless. The initial shot of anesthetic on the neck may feel like a bee sting, but only for an instant until the anesthetic kicks in. After that, the greatest inconvenience is that the dangling lumens are awkwardly positioned at the base of the neck. Usually, the catheter is not painful and it is hardly noticeable. If it's positioned properly, the only way for the patient to even see it is to look in a mirror.

In the big picture of things, the central venous catheter is a handy device to use to perform the stem cell collection procedure. Hindsight suggests it is not worth getting anxious or excited about. Other aspects of chemotherapy treatments can be nastier than the day(s) spent collecting stem cells.

The description given here is typical of this procedure - given from a patient's perspective. Complications can happen which can make the procedure seem very different to other patients. But this description of events is typical for many patients. Hopefully, those who read this article will see that this is a simple, routine procedure which is not worth losing a lot of sleep over.

Dennis Dinger is a survivor of multiple myeloma. Diagnosed in June, 2008, he received five cycles of the Arkansas Treatment: four of chemotherapy, plus the fifth - the high dose and the autologous stem cell transplant. His book, My Bout with Multiple Myeloma, chronicles his battle - to include the year prior to diagnosis, the treatments, and the recuperation period following all treatments. Throughout 2010, the cancer was in complete remission. For more details on the book, click on My Bout. In this book, he includes descriptions of most of the procedures to which he was subject, he gives helpful hints and suggestions to others who may have to deal with this or other cancers. The book was written for those who have been similarly diagnosed, as well as for their family members and friends who may be called upon to support their loved ones through similar battles.

Dennis Dinger is a Christian who is a Professor Emeritus of Ceramic and Materials Engineering at Clemson University. Since his cancer diagnosis and treatments, he has been spending his days studying and writing Christian books. His most recent book attempts to bridge the chasm between technology and Christianity. It is entitled Global Climate Change, the Bible, & Science. His other Christian books are The Coming of the Lord Draweth Nigh, a study of prophecy and the Revelation, The Tribulation to Come, a study of the Revelation of John, and Absolute Truth for a Relative World. All books are available in Kindle and paperback formats. Visit our website at http://www.timelessbooks.us/

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Cancer Almost Man Made

One of the latest theories concerning cancer is that it is man made. After careful studies made of Egyptian mummies, professional research teams have reported that out of hundreds of examinations only one case of cancer was found to exist. When compared to the fact that one out of every four deaths in today's world is said to be the result of some form of cancer, this leads us to wonder why the amazing difference. What are we doing in today's world that our long ago ancestors did not do? Or perhaps we should also ask what did they do in their time that we are not doing today?

Since there are different forms of cancer, we should think carefully about the differences between those early times and our modern times in more than one category.

For instance, what about pollution? In today's world, we pollute the air with our automobiles, lawn mowers and other forms of fuel operated machinery. We might want to consider the fact that these earlier ancestors used a much different form of transportation, one that was fueled by food stuffs and whose excretion or "pollution" if you will could be recycled naturally.

There is also the matter of food. In today's world we often use various forms of sprays on our gardens in order to protect our vegetables, fruits, berries, grains etc from insects and animals that would claim them from us. In those earlier days, these particular methods were not available.

We also use man made preservatives in our foods. In those earlier days whatever preservatives were used were natural one and natural ways of preservation.

We also might want to consider what these early ancestors included in their diets and compare them with what we tend to eat on a regular basis in today's world. We do know that they didn't have what we refer to as fast food joints. This isn't to say that cancer is necessarily a by product of McDonald's or BurgerKing, but perhaps we should give careful thought to just how much of what we term "junk food" we are consuming daily.

What about other forms of life style? Did these early ancestors get more exercise than we do in today's world? Do we perhaps take advantage of our modern conveniences to allow us not to find it necessary to get a certain amount of exercise just to be able to survive? Perhaps today's world tends to produce more couch potato's than it does those of the vegetable variety.

I'm not saying that we should go back and live as these early ancestors did, but perhaps we should examine the differences and perhaps do something to, as the old song says, eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive.

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Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Used in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

The best current treatment for multiple myeloma is known as the "Arkansas Treatment" -- which includes several cycles of chemo, lots of different cancer-fighting drugs, and an autologous stem cell transplant. Actually, it calls for two stem cell transplants in a row, known as a "tandem" transplant, but the early chemo cycles damaged the author's heart muscle so he only qualified for the first transplant. This chemotherapy regimen carries the name Arkansas Treatment because the doctor who developed it lives and practices in Arkansas.

When the author asked the question, "Why two transplants?" the answer given was that some of the cancer cells hide and are difficult to find. So if the first transplant works well, the second should take care of any and all remaining cancerous cells. When they collected the stem cells, their goal was to collect 10 million. They return about 5 million to the patient during each transplant.)

The first few days of this cycle were the easiest. Once again, the author moved into a hotel room within a mile of the cancer clinic for the duration of this procedure. The first two mornings at the clinic were the days they administered the "high dose" drug. This particular drug is one that directly attacks and kills all cancer cells. Most of the other drugs used in earlier cycles of chemo worked in indirect ways to attack the cancer. This drug has been around for years and it goes directly after the cancer cells.

Actually, this drug has a broader effect than just attacking cancer cells. It attacks all fast-reproducing cells in the body which includes, of course, the cancerous cells, but also includes hair follicles, skin, and many good blood cells. They call it a "high dose" step because they give the patient sufficient drug to kill all targets. Some of this drug was administered Monday morning, and the rest was administered Tuesday morning. Both were relaxed days. The infusions didn't take very long and the author was quickly released to return to his hotel room. On Wednesday, they infused a bag of saline, but nothing else. That, too went quickly, and the author was once again sent back to his hotel room.

Thursday was designated day "0" because it was the day the stem cells were reinfused into his body. They described this day as the "first day" of the author's "new life." The stem cell infusion went easily and quickly, as well. And once again, the author returned to his hotel room. Each of the following days called for the author to return to the clinic to have his blood counts checked. Any minerals needed in the blood could be infused, but generally, most of those days were short stops at the clinic.

The reasoning behind the transplant procedure appears to be this: Since they collected the patient's stem cells at an earlier date and they were safely in storage, the high dose drug could not affect them in any way. So they conveniently missed the effects of the high dose meds. When they were once again returned to the patient on the Thursday of that week, the high dose drug in the patient's system was no longer effective, so it could not cause any harm to the newly infused stem cells. Following reinfusion of the stem cells, all that was left to do was wait. The staff explained that it would take 9 to 11 days for the stem cells to locate properly and to begin working again. At that point, blood counts would once again begin to rise.

The author remembers that following the reinfusion of his stem cells, he felt fine. His blood counts were still relatively high and he was told he didn't need to stay isolated in his hotel room. It was only that Sunday and Monday that the blood counts dropped off precipitously and he had to hide away in his hotel room. This drop in blood counts came from the effects of the high dose drug. In addition to the precipitous drop in blood counts, the author's energy dropped off precipitously as well. To rearrange his position on the bed, from lying there propped up by a pillow, to move slightly and fluff up the pillow, was a real chore. Walking from the bed to the bathroom was quite difficult. During this time, they had connected a portable pump and large bags of saline to the PICC line in the author's arm. A second portable pump, connected to the second lumen on the PICC line maintained a very slow flow of an anti-nausea drug. If needed, the author could push a button on that pump and it would dispense a much more substantial volume of the drug directly into the blood stream where it could do its thing. No trying to take pills and hoping they would stay down long enough to become effective.

This system was great! Even though the author really didn't need to use the anti-nausea meds, it provided peace of mind because the author knew that if needed to press the button, it would deposit the meds right into his blood stream where they would do their thing! Press the button, and -- instant relief. The most difficult part of this process was getting up the energy to pick up the bag holding the pumps and fluids and carrying it to the bathroom. The fact that saline was being pumped into the patient 24/7 during those days forced frequent visits to the bathroom -- whether he could muster the energy to do it or not!

During those days, his white blood cell counts were near zero. Normal values are in the thousands. During that time, the sheet showed values of 100 -- which means that values around 50 would have been rounded up to produce the 100s shown on the CBC sheets. The oncologist had predicted at the start of chemo that the author would probably not get sick (meaning nauseous) during the process of chemo. The only thing he predicted was that the author's energy would be extremely low. The lowest energy days of the whole six months of chemotherapy treatments were during the week following the administration of the high dose drug and the reinfusion of the stem cells.

The transplant nurses all said that the blood counts would begin to rise once again, due to the functioning of the new stem cells, about the second weekend (days #9-11 according to the new count.) That prediction too was accurate. Sunday's test results indicated the blood counts were about to rise, and Monday's results had them sufficiently high that the author was released from the hotel room and allowed to go home.

During the time when blood counts were particularly low, they were very careful to monitor body temperatures which could have indicated an infection of some sort. The stem cells themselves, as they positioned themselves back in the bone marrow cavities of the bones, could cause slight temperature rises. But during the evenings in the hotel room when body temperatures rose a little, taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories were sufficient to cause the author's body temperature to drop back into the normal range. Had the body temperature risen and stayed high, they were prepared to admit the author to the transplant ward of the hospital as an inpatient. That didn't happen though. This whole procedure was performed as an outpatient procedure. A week's stay at a nearby hotel was much less expensive than a single day as an inpatient at the hospital.

Having gone through this autologous stem cell transplant, the only good reason for not wanting to do the second was that it meant the author would lose his hair again (... and that wasn't a very good reason.) The echo-cardiogram results proved the undoing of the second transplant. The author's heart function had deteriorated throughout the chemotherapy sessions to the point where his "left ventricular ejection fraction" (the efficiency of the heart) had dropped well below normal. The author is now seeing a cardiologist and taking pills for the treatment of congenital heart failure, but he is alive and functioning relatively normally on most other fronts.

Energy levels today are not as high as they once were, but the author can still be active and participate in normal activities (albeit very slowly). Sometimes unusual things happened -- for example, it is now easy to fall asleep while typing at the computer -- which never happened before. Standing in one spot for long periods of time is difficult. It is easier to walk slowly, than to stand still. When necessary, the author uses a wheelchair, but most of the time a cane suffices.

The result of the whole chemotherapy process, including four cycles followed by the high dose/stem cell transplant procedure is this: the author is currently "as clean of the cancer as he can be," according to the oncologist. Next week will be the two year anniversary of the stem cell transplant. It has been a successful procedure. Not all cancers can be treated with stem cell transplants, but this one -- multiple myeloma -- can. If other multiple myeloma patients are reading this article, please note that the author's overall experience with this treatment process has been a good one!

Dennis Dinger is a survivor of multiple myeloma. Diagnosed in June, 2008, he received five cycles of the Arkansas Treatment: four of chemotherapy, plus the fifth -- the high dose and the autologous stem cell transplant. His book, My Bout with Multiple Myeloma, chronicles his battle - to include the year prior to diagnosis, the treatments, and the recuperation period following all treatments. Throughout 2010, the cancer was in complete remission. For more details on the book, click on My Bout.

In this book, he includes descriptions of most of the procedures to which he was subject, he gives helpful hints and suggestions to others who may have to deal with this or other cancers. The book was written for those who have been similarly diagnosed, as well as for their family members and friends who may be called upon to support their loved ones through similar battles. Dennis Dinger is a Christian who is a Professor Emeritus of Ceramic and Materials Engineering at Clemson University. Since his cancer diagnosis and treatments, he has been spending his days studying and writing Christian books. His most recent book attempts to bridge the chasm between technology and Christianity. It is entitled Global Climate Change, the Bible, & Science. His other Christian books are The Coming of the Lord Draweth Nigh, a study of prophecy and the Revelation, The Tribulation to Come, a study of the Revelation of John, and Absolute Truth for a Relative World. All books are available in Kindle and paperback formats. Visit our website at http://www.timelessbooks.us/

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Fight Cancer With Hope

If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them.? When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope?? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell. Lance Armstrong

How we feel when we are diagnosed with cancer is a mixture of all kinds of emotions.? As an adult, we may be angry, scared, confused, sad, worried and many more negative feelings.? We make up stories in our mind before events happen and this makes the scenario worst.? There are so many resources to find information about our condition, websites online, all kinds of books with different options for treatment, and of course the public that all have their opinions.

Children, because of their innocence, tend to go with the flow.? Their fears are mostly brought on by their parents and other adults that in their life.? They will be scare when a procedure is being performed but that is because it is something new to them. ?Children do not have the know how to give up. They just automatically fight because they do not have all the life knowledge that adults do to make them not fight like hell.

So that as adults, to be able to fight we have to learn to be like the children. To do this we have to educate ourselves to our condition, to the procedures that are about to be performed, and also to be able to ask the right questions of the doctors so we know what is happening. Doctors and Oncologists are very busy and sometimes forget that we the patients might not understand things that to them are very straight forward. We have to know our odds and percentages, yet know that those are just numbers and stats and by fighting we can go against the norm and defeat the odds.

It has been said many times, that mind over body has slowed down, if not cured patients of a condition. Why is it when two people are diagnosed with the same condition, one gets through it with flying colors and the other just struggles or dies? Is it because of the state of mind, the willingness or unwillingness to fight, their religious beliefs, or the people that surround them and support them?

When diagnosed with cancer or any other disease, if you really want to live, you most have hope. To have hope, a positive mind and spirit is needed along with a supportive surrounding.

And for more information about this and about thyroid cancer go to http://www.fucoidanforhealth.com

When I went to the Cancer Institute for my RAI treatments and checkups I would see the children waiting their turn, yet never appearing frustrated or agitated. It was the adults that were flustered. I learned a lot from them dealing with my thyroid cancer.

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Understanding Cancer and the Need for Holistic Care

If you are ill, does it necessarily matter what your exact diagnosis is?

I will answer that question from a HOLISTIC point of view, one that favors treating disease effectively, yet as gently as possible, but one that does not rule out or reject mainstream treatment if it is deemed necessary. That holistic viewpoint has allowed me to live in very good health, with excellent quality of life, for 21 years since I was diagnosed with cancer.

The holistic treatment for most any disease, including cancer, is the same: Immune system-supportive diet, proper sleep, exercise and supplements, and an examination of one's life to see what may out of balance, where the stress may be, and generally, why one is "cancering." The idea of "cancering" is that a person with a healthy spirit, mind and body generally will not develop cancer, so that when one finds one is "cancering," he/she takes time out from all else, examines all aspects of his/her life and self, and sets about making whatever changes appear to be necessary so as to stop the cancering process.

That may seem outlandish, but in fact I have found that it makes good sense, and that it has worked for great numbers of people. There is a book one can purchase called "The Cancer Conqueror," by MD Anderson, which is the true story of a man diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in the 1970's, who was given less than a month to live by his doctors. The man did very much what I have described, and will describe further below, and is, to the best of my knowledge, alive and well and still telling others how he recovered from what was considered to be a death sentence. This particular man did mainstream treatment as well as holistic treatment.

When cancer is far advanced, in addition to a comprehensive holistic healing program, treating the cancer aggressively with chemo or radiation to take the wind out of its sails may become necessary, even though it may cause some very undesirable side-effects. But in such a case, I view doing the holistic treatment concurrently with and subsequently to the harsh mainstream treatment to be every bit as necessary as the mainstream treatment.

In the beginning, the cancer is often not "out of control." It is new and unaltered and is as vulnerable as it will ever be to treatment of any kind, mainstream or alternative. However it is likely that among the abnormal cells that compose the tumor, are also cells that may well be resistant to whatever treatments the doctors use. Those resistant cells will generally grow and multiply subsequent to the first round of treatment, and will very likely cause, sooner or later, what doctors call a "relapse." I should say, rather, that those cells, along with not paying attention to following a holistic plan to eliminate the cause or causes of the cancer, will result in a relapse.

From that point, what may well occur, is what one woman who pursued mainstream medicine only said, not long before she died, "Each time they hit the cancer, it hit back 10 times as hard." That phenomenon is due to several things, including the fact that cancer naturally develops resistance to chemo and radiation, and to the fact that with each successive treatment, the immune system is further weakened. Cancer is not an intelligent thing that knows how to "hit back." That is a statement I believe comes from not understanding the natural consequence of using only mainstream treatment and continuing to live one's life in the same way after the diagnosis of cancer as one did before, rather than make healthful changes.

Cancer is the result of a failure of the immune system to kill early stage cancer cells, and the immune system does not, simply for no reason, become weak enough to allow cancer to grow. There are reasons behind the development of cancer, and there are effective steps one can take to support and to rebuild the immune system so as to aid it in destroying the cancer and then keeping it in remission.

Elliot and Pam Yudenfriend have a passion to teach people how to live a lifestyle that helps to prevent degenerative disease, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and others. Elliot was diagnosed with cancer over 20 years ago, and has lived well and much longer than any of the doctors' predictions because he took responsibility for his health and learned how to live a lifestyle that promotes health and disease prevention. Get much more valuable information: http://www.healthandhealingwithnutrition.com/

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Learn the Truth About Cancer, Myths and Facts

People today are faced with so many distorted facts about cancer and too many just accept what's on offer. Most will blindly follow authority without stopping and applying a bit of common sense. The following is information on what we are being told and believe to be the truth about cancer as well as facts we're not being told.

Myth 1; People believe that cancer is a result of fate or bad luck, not the result of something they did.
Fact; All cancers no matter where they appear in or on the body are caused by the way we now live. They are all self caused. Many people blame genetics but that's just an excuse to lay the blame on something beyond their control.

Myth 2; Nobody knows what causes cancer or why there is so much of it today.
Fact; Cancer is not evenly distributed around the world, and is only a problem in western developed countries and is rare in undeveloped countries. It has many contributing factors such as our wrong food choices, toxic chemicals and our sedentary lifestyle.

Myth 3; Only doctors know how to treat cancer with their 3 treatments of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Facts; While our mainstream medical system is very good at diagnosing cancer there is no question that alternatives or natural treatments are much more effective. Cancer is a degenerative disease and all degenerative diseases can be reversed. It's never too late to do something about it.

Myth 4; All cancers if detected early can lead to a complete cure of the disease.
Fact; Believing that early detection leads to a cure is a carefully orchestrated deception. Cancer statistics are measured by a five year survival period, which is if you are still alive 5 years after being diagnosed you are statistically a survivor so the earlier they can detect cancer the sooner the clock starts running that measures this 5 year period. That is, it helps their statistics.

Myth 5; Doctors are taught that cancer is a foreign lump and if they can remove it all they have successfully beaten the disease.
Fact; Cancer will develop because of a condition within the body and by just removing the foreign growths, that doesn't remove the condition that caused these growths to appear. That's why it will often return as they haven't removed the reasons why it first grew.

Myth 6; I don't need to change the food I eat as my doctor told me it has nothing to do with cancer.
Fact; The food you eat everyday is without doubt the most causative factor in the development of cancer. "We are what we eat" and the typical western diet of processed food and convenience food is not known for its health giving qualities.

Myth 7; Getting sun burnt when we were young is the reason why someone will develop cancer of the skin or a melanoma.
Fact; For something that provides life on this earth the sun has received an enormous amount of bad press lately. Cancer commonly grows in some weak spot and the sun may determine where a growth will develop because of the irritation caused by the sunburn but it's our appalling diet that causes it to grow. The sun has many health giving qualities as it provides us with vitamin D which we need.

Myth 8; The only way to stay cancer free is to have regular check ups.
Fact; Regular check ups is a great way to recruit people into the cancer industry, Most cancer checks are highly inaccurate and 20 to 30 percent of mammograms for breast cancer can produce false positives or false negatives. PSA tests for prostate cancer are also highly unreliable. Biopsy which is taking a small sample is much more accurate but very invasive. Preventing cancer by learning about its causes and practicing prevention is a much safer option.

Myth 9; The cure for cancer is just around the corner and we will only need to take a pill in the future to overcome the disease.
Fact; Progress with cancer research is a myth and sustaining hope for the development of a safe and effective drug is pointless. There are only natural ways to completely rid the body of cancer and that is to remove the factors that caused it to grow in the first place and allow the body to heal. It work's for everyone.

Myth 10; Radiation and chemotherapy are safe and effective ways to remove cancer.
Fact; Both these treatments are carcinogenic and if someone who has undergone these treatments survives for long enough, they could or will develop independent cancers that are a direct result from those treatments. There are many other problems with these treatments as well.

The safest option to not die of cancer is not to get it in the first place and you do that by practising a little prevention. Cancer has many contributing factors which will weaken the immune system and it's a weak immune system that will allow cancer cells to become established. The first requirement for anyone that's been diagnosed with cancer is to strengthen the immune system and you do that by eating the food that's been designed for human beings.

Alan Wighton is an experienced natural therapist specializing in nutrition. This article is part of the information contained in his book on ways to overcome cancer. For further information on better ways to become cancer free using the powerful natural healing ability of the human body please visit; cancer healing

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The Past Must Be Used As a Trampoline and Not As a Sofa

I read something the other day and it got me thinking about how we let our past impact our future. It wasn't long ago that I felt invincible and imagined myself living a long and happy life. That belief was shattered when I was diagnosed with cancer. I entered a very dark period in my life where I called all my previously firmly held beliefs into question. Perhaps I wasn't invincible after all! Perhaps I wasn't going to live a long and happy life!

I managed to get through the 8 months of treatment ok but at the end of it I was tired and broken. My faith in my world had all but collapsed. I felt as though I was trapped deep underground with no conceivable way out. I had no concept of a future and felt that any investment in a future for myself was pointless. I was intent on putting a memory book together for my daughters with 'lessons I had learned,' that I wanted to pass on to them because I didn't believe I would be here to pass it on to them in word and deed.

A few months after my treatment ended I had an opportunity to spend some time with a few people who asked me a few life changing questions and gave me the tools to dig my way out of this hole and use the experience of the challenge I faced to learn and grow.

I got to take a reality check of my life (which was a difficult experience at best) but with a starting point in sight I was able to set a destination and create a future for myself. With each challenge we face, we have a choice. We can sit down on the sofa of life and stagnate, or we can use that challenge as a trampoline to grow and mature and learn.

I have often said that getting ill was a blessing in disguise for me. I was able to take stock of my life and let go of so many beliefs that were keeping me playing small, like 'I'm not good enough', 'I'm better off on the sidelines than in the game'. Too scared to show myself in case the world collapsed around me. But that has changed.

If there is one thing I have learned from being ill, it's to live full out every day. Take every opportunity to shine and don't delay doing things because you may regret letting those opportunities slip by. Life is too short to be unhappy. Use your challenges as a trampoline to move your life to a bigger and better place.

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Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

Endocrine cancer comes in many forms and Thyroid cancer is probably the most popular of them. When the cancer cells grow at an uncontrollable rate, they cause thyroid cancer. These may begin at the thyroid gland themselves or from other tumor parts that eventually turned into a malignant tumor.

As is the case with most types of cancer, the symptoms observed in one person may not be the same in another. Generally, it has been observed that in the early cases, there is a bleak chance of any symptoms showing themselves. If the symptoms are prominent, then it is pretty likely that the cancer is in the advanced stages.

If we categorize, there are around four types:

* Papillary - Extremely common. People who report having a radiation in their heads and necks are most prone to this kind of thyroid cancer.
* Follicular - Older patients are more prone to this kind. It starts its way from the follicular cells and slowly develops.
* Medullary - There is prominent growth of tumors on the 2 lobes of the thyroid gland. Gradually, it makes its way to lymph nodes.
* Anaplastic - Most aggressive and extremely rare. The cause of this has been diagnosed to be genetic mutation.

If we care to look at the symptoms, we may find:

* There is noticeable pain all around the region of the neck.
* There is noticeable pain around the region of the throat.
* Some patients have difficulty in breathing.
* Others have also reported difficulty in swallowing.
* There is swollenness around the lymph nodes.
* There is a change in the voice of a person.
* Has difficulty speaking.
* Some get a painless neck lump. This is present very close to the Adam's apple.

There are a lot of treatments that can be performed for treating this particular type of cancer.

Surgery is the first option. Doctors will try and remove all of the cancer cells that they can find around your neck and throat region. They also work on the lymph nodes, checking for cancerous cells. In most cases, the surgery is successful. There are every few complications, if any.

Apart from the option of surgery, there are many other alternative options that can be used. These are radiation, chemotherapy, radioactive iodine etc.

It is always better to be safe than sorry, so an early diagnosis is the best cure.

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Cancer Awareness - Livestrong Bracelets For Cancer Awareness

Most of the Livestrong bracelets are generally yellow-colored plastic wrist bands from Lance Armstrong Foundation, the purpose of this particular wristband was to be employed in raising funds for most of the cancer research institution and to create cancer awareness, this purpose was fueled by Lance Armstrong after he was diagnosed with cancer tumors but he later survived. Therefore, he started the foundation that can help many other cancer patients around the world and branded the foundation after his name.

These yellow rubber wristbands have become very fashionable and perhaps sold out more than 70 million silicone wristbands just for $1 each within the first six months time, because of its comfy on the wrists and supports a very worthy purpose. If you want to purchase a Livestrong bracelet, you must know not to make single purchase but preferably to buy them in bulks and in a lot such as 10, 100, 1,200. One more thing you should consider about may be the age of folks you intend to share it with and be aware of the sizes designed to fit their wrists simply because developer already have created the bracelets both for the adults and youths, so you it is crucial to purchase those that definitely will fit the people you are sharing it with.

Where exactly Must You Purchase a Livestrong Bracelet?

Considering that the yellow wristband has become so well know now a day and at the same time you can also find quite a few con artists out there, some worthless fellas might taking the advantage by offering the fake fundraiser bracelets and putting the funds in their pocket rather than using it to support the cause and improve the well being condition of cancer patients, but don't worry, I am going to inform you where exactly you can buy the genuine Livestrong bracelets in moment.

The best place to purchase it authentic one is actually from the Livestrong website, access the Lance Armstrong Foundation website, become a member, log in and select the actual Livestrong bracelets (wristbands) and chose the different sizes or in a lot you want otherwise you can buy it through Nike, Nike also created the rubber wristbands, but in case you want to some enormous package, you have to actually buy it directly through Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Other places that you can buy this kind of fundraiser bracelets are from Amazon and Ebay. Nevertheless one thing is that whenever you decide to make a purchase through either eBay or Amazon by only showing your support to the cancer individuals, however. the funds you will spend is not going to the foundation of cancer research institution. If you don't really concern about where the fund go and afford to wait for shipping cost, then I will say you should give try to order from Amazon & eBay. Since they're the best options because you only need to purchase one bracelet. Beside Amazon and Ebay, You may also checkout some other online retailers that provide a single order on the Livestrong bracelets.

Summary of Livestrong Bracelets

Wearing the Livestrong wristband making you unique and it shouts out "I care" to the world and spread out the message in a great deal, you also might consider to have children share the silicone wristbands with their childhood friends, and both at home and colleagues. Simply because wearing and sharing the Livestrong bracelets will leave a positive inspirations on your kids and cancer patients that you care for.

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Broccoli May Help Against Cancer

"Eat your vegetables, they're good for you!" Remember those words? I would imagine that most of us find them familiar. I have to wonder though if our parents and grandparents could have told us why they were good for us.

Now, however, because of scientific studies which our medical professionals in today's world have conducted, we have an answer to give to the children in our lives. Our vegetables help to prevent cancer. This is especially true of dark green vegetables, such as broccoli.

Broccoli is considered to be especially beneficial for us. Broccoli has a large amount of something called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has been shown through medical studies to be especially useful in preventing cancer.

Medical professionals conducted a number of studies on animals and found that those animals who were fed broccoli regularly in their diets had a much lower amount of cancer than did the control group which was not fed broccoli.

According to a medical professional, Dr. Paul Talalay, of Hopkins' Brassica Chemoprevention Laboratory, broccoli eaten in it's early stages doesn't have the same bitter taste that we tend to associate with it when it is more fully developed. Dr. Talalay claims that his medical studies have proven that broccoli sprouts just don't taste like broccoli yet have the same beneficial characteristics when it comes to fighting cancer.

If you just can't stand the taste of broccoli, not even knowing that it will give you a large amount of sulforaphane, there are other plants that contain it also. You might want to try arugula, bok' choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, water cress, daikon, kale, kohirabi, mustard and of course turnips. Medical professionals claim that their scientific studies show that sprouted seeds of each one of these plants have as much as 100 times the amount of sulforaphane as we will find in fully grown broccoli sprouts and without the bitter taste. This means that the sprouted seeds have more ammunition with which to combat cancerous cells than do their fully grown counterparts.

Eat your vegetables they're good for you. Don't you want to grow up big and strong? Eat your broccoli, you don't want to get cancer do you? Isn't that better than having to take pills? Because I said so, that's why and you don't need a better reason. Now eat your broccoli.

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