July 20, 2012
Author: Roxanne
I have always loved to learn. After years of trying to pick a major as an undergraduate, I met a professor who guided me to graduate school. And from graduate school, I learned that I could always go to school and keep on learning. And so I have...
Where is Erin Brockovich? PA needs her…
July 19, 2012
What Nutrition Can Do for Cancer Patients by Jillian McKee, Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance
July 17,2012
Guest Post by Jillian McKee [http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/jillian/]
As a cancer patient, it is so important that you keep yourself healthy at all times. One way to do this would be to go for regular cancer treatments in order to cure the problem. While nutrition is not a cure for cancer, a healthy diet is another thing to incorporate into your life if you are currently dealing with mesothelioma treatment side effects or any cancer side effects. Nutrition boasts a variety of benefits that can improve your life and your wellbeing on a constant basis whether you were recently diagnosed or are in remission.
Nutrition is incredibly important for all functions of the body. Fruits and vegetables, for instance, contain a number of vitamins and minerals that will help the body to heal and become stronger. You cannot get these nutrients from processed foods or fast food meals. Begin incorporating nutrition into your cancer treatment so that you can reap the benefits of good eating. The vitamins and nutrients you consume will help to pave the way for a healthier future.
Another thing that healthy eating does for the body is increase energy and add calories. As a cancer patient, you need to make sure that you consume enough calories in a day to support daily functions. You can easily get these calories from vitamin-rich foods like nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. You will find that these foods give you a ton of energy that enables you to get through cancer treatments without dealing with all of the exhaustion. You will know how beneficial it will be for you to accomplish this if you are so used to feeling exhausted after you go for a certain type of treatment at the hospital.
Before you decide to make any changes to your diet, it is important that you speak with your doctor so that you can get recommendations and advice on what is best for you. Only your primary care physician knows what you need in order to become healthier. If you are already on a very strict diet set by your doctor, it is important that you ask the professional if you can make minor changes to it or add different types of foods for your own benefit.
Keep in mind that a healthy diet is not a cure for cancer. You will still have to go for regular cancer treatment and screenings after you go into remission. However, healthy nutrition can improve the overall functions of the body so that it can heal itself quicker and give the cells more energy each day. There is nothing more beneficial than being able to get through your cancer treatment with the right foods helping you along the way. The increase of energy and overall wellbeing that you get from the foods you eat will help you to feel more alive than ever no matter what type of cancer you are fighting.
Would you like to write a guest post for this blog?
July 14, 2012
If you are interested in writing a guest post for this blog, email me at roxparrott@gmail.com with the details about your topic.
Each year, I refinish a trunk. This was this year’s trunk. Here is the inside at the beginnning…
and the inside when I was done.
..
thanks to Shyam Sundar for this… worth a view
June 21, 2012
Are you fearful of being labeled ‘difficult’?
June 12, 2012
I am trying to imagine how my medical doctors perceive me. I tend to ask a lot of questions. I even bring — surprise surprise — information to an appointment and want to discuss it. I find that asking questions and sharing information leads my doctors to use vocabulary with me that I don’t understand and have to ask to have explained. And I am OK with that. But I cannot remember a time when I worried that my doctor, or my childrens’ doctors, or doctors treating my husband would label me ‘difficult’ because I asked lots of questions. But others do have these concerns.
A study published in Health Affairs conducted by Dominick Frosch and collaborators used focus group discussions to learn what barriers limited efforts to share decision-making with their doctors. They learned that participants wanted to be more involved in considering treatment and care options, but concerns that doctors would label them ‘difficult’ kept them from doing so. This suggests to me that doctors may need to make more explicit efforts to invite participation in shared decision-making, thus reducing the perception that participation will make an unfavorable impression.
Read more at: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/31/5/1030
Applause applause for Disney and ban on junk food ads for cartoons
June 11, 2012
Disney has decided to ban ads for junk food when it comes to kids’ cartoons. That’s some good news when it comes to media exposure and kids’ learning product names. The bad news is that it won’t take effect until 2015. Wow. Why? Contracts?
Read more in the AP story here: http://www.registerguard.com/web/business/28184338-41/disney-ads-junk-ban-sugar.html.csp
Who told me about glutein for eye health?
May25, 2012
After a brief hiatus to complete those piles of undone tasks [which are still not all complete but I’m making progress!], I wanted to share how communicating about health in my family may have helped my vision. I use ‘may’ because it appears to be the case, but I am not a medical doctor and can only tell you my personal experience–with a focus on how talking about health worked in this case.
First, setting the stage, I have low vision. For those of you who have low vvision, you know what this means. For others, it means that limits related to my ability to see are significant. For example, I cannot drive… I see a low vision specialist at least every six months and more often if I feel the need based on some symptom. At any rate, in addition to impaired peripheral sight in both eyes and practically no vision in the left eye, at the last visit–my low vision doctor announced that a cataract had begun to develop. And it was in my so called ‘good’ eye. When I told my parents, my dad asked me if I was taking Lutein. He takes it for his vision. So this family conversation started me on a path.
I looked online at google scholar and found quite a few published scientific articles about cataracts and lutein. Here is a link to one example: http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(02)00861-4/abstract I went to Wal Mart and found lutein in the 20 mg size with zeaxanthin…which some studies specifically mentioned as being important with lutein. I took it 3 or more times each week. And this week, my visual acuity was significantly improved and the start of the cataract waas reversed…not there. Hmm. Sure am glad I talked to my dad…
Interestingly, the doctor wanted to know what I was doing differently because the change was a positive and clinically significant one. I told her. And she said, ‘the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health have found that taking lutein improves eyesight…” She went on with more details but I was lost in the thought that ‘she knew this but she didn’t tell me. My dad told me…’ I have several follow-up questions for the doctor but did not ask them at the time. Why didn’t she tell me? Did she doubt the results? Did she think I wouldn’t take the supplement? She could’ve advised me to eat more fruits and vegetables with the lutein and zeaxanthin. I do eat a lot of these though and probably wouldn’t have changed my eating habits. Brussel sprouts is included in this list, as well as some others. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1722697/
But in the end, she didn’t say anything. I sure am glad my dad did…
Health communication and Dr. Oz’s message about paraben
May 1, 2012
I am in the midst of final exam week and grading. In the background, Dr. Oz started talking about ‘paraben’ and how it acts as an estrogen. I am always on the alert for these kind of messages. Hormones, research, cancer, blood clotting… these all came to mind. I got up from the computer and went to listen carefully. And then I went to my bathroom. My shampoo have five kinds of paraben in it. My two different types of body lotions had multiple forms of paraben as well. I got rid of them. Trash. Not a moment’s hesitation.
Why? Well, one of the facts Dr. Oz shared is that in one research study, 19 of 20 women diagnosed with breast cancer had significant levels of paraben in their breast tissue. I will hunt down the research and share it soon. For now, here is a summary of content from Dr. Oz with the link to the story at the end:
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Flushed Away
We all know about industrial pollution and climate change, but there’s a new threat to the environment much closer to home – pharmaceutical and personal care product pollution (PPCP). Experts are increasingly worried that marine life across America is showing us the harm it’s doing to our planet and ourselves.
What’s Happening to the Environment?
In river basins around the country, the United States Geological Survey has found fish with both female and male sex organs. Intersex frogs are also popping up all over. And experts have found evidence of chemicals called endocrine disruptors, such as atrazine (an herbicide) and Bisphenol-A (BPA) in the country’s water supplies.
What are Endocrine Disruptors?
These chemicals alter the actions of hormones in our body, which can hurt us in 2 ways. First, they can block our hormones from acting as they normally would, and, secondly, they can act like hormones triggering effects that may include early onset puberty in adolescents.
What’s Happening to Us?
Breast cancer rates are increasing, girls are entering puberty earlier, sperm counts and testosterone levels are falling drastically, and certain genital abnormalities are on the rise.
What Should We Watch Out For?
Though the evidence is not definitive, experts fear that products we are introducing into our environment could be to blame, and they are urging us to decrease the use of certain chemicals. Here’s what to look for:
Bisphenol-A (BPA)You may have heard about BPA, the chemical used to make hard plastics, line cans, and create carbonless receipts. It’s proven to raise the risk of breast cancer in rats and the FDA has raised an alarm about the potential harm BPA can cause; Connecticut even banned its use in children’s products.
Ninety-three percent of us have BPA in our bodies. We live with it, and we excrete it when we go to the bathroom, sending the chemical into the environment.
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Phthalates
These difficult-to-pronounce ingredients help fragrance linger on the body after you have applied a lotion or body cream to your skin. They’re also found in toys, floor coverings, detergent, soaps, nail polish, and shampoos. Unfortunately, they mimic the hormone estrogen and have been linked to reproductive problems in rodents, such as lower testosterone and fetal malformation. Often they are not listed on beauty products, so the best rule of thumb is to avoid any products with fragrance.
Parabens
Found in moisturizing shampoos and body lotions, parabens are the most widely used preservatives in the beauty product industry, and they also act similar to estrogen in our bodies. One study found parabens in the breast cancer tissue of 19 out of 20 women studied; experts worry there could be a connection.
Use these chemicals as a litmus test for a healthy product. If you see them listed on the label (often as methylparaben, butylparaben, or propylparaben), it shows that the manufacturer is not concerned about limiting exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Leftover Prescription Medicine
The medication we take ends up in our water supply in 1 of 2 ways. We secrete it in our urine (which we can’t control), but many of us also flush unused medication down the toilet, contributing to the rising amount of pharmaceutical pollution found in our water supply. In 2008, the Associated Press found that dozens of pharmaceuticals end up in our water supplies, and eventually, in our tap water. That’s because water treatment plants are designed to neutralize biological hazards, such as bacteria, but not pollutants such as antibiotics. Scientists are now discovering bacteria in the wild that are not only resistant to antibiotics, they can actually live off them.
What Can You Do?
- Drink water from stainless steel bottles
- Avoid plastics with the numbers 3, 6, and 7 on the bottom
- Never heat plastic in the microwave (even if it says it is microwave safe)
- Choose frozen and fresh produce over canned
- Use BPA-free baby bottles
- Avoid any products that contain fragrances; opt for those that get their scent from essential oils
- Stay away from parabens
- Choose products that are paraben- and phthalate-free
- Dispose of leftover medication by throwing it in the trash with coffee grinds or cat litter (to keep harmful medications from being picked from the trash), return the unused portion to your pharmacy, or go online to find your local hazardous waste disposal facility.”
