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Archive for June, 2011

Ovarian cancer is known to be a silent killer. It takes the lives of close to 15,000 women across the United States each year and is usually difficult to detect. It is the leading cause of death among gynaecological cancers and the fifth among cancers of all kind. Much of the problem in providing adequate and fast treatment comes from the fact that it displays no tell-tale ovarian cancer symptoms to go by. Often enough, screening for cancer can fail at the first attempt and require multiple tests to provide a true positive result. Other than that, the early stages are very similar to other gynaecological problems that women display and are usually treated for the same. It can also be wrongly diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and treated for that, further postponing correct therapy for cancer.

There are certain documented ovarian cancer symptoms, which when occurring together for long periods of time can be a cause for alarm. The loss of appetite, unexplained weight gain or loss, swelling in the abdomen and general pain in the stomach region are the first indicators of a disorder. After which, any kind of persistent bowel related problems, such as frequent urination, diarrhoea, excessive gas and constipation are further symptoms. Along with these, pain during sexual intercourse and irregular vaginal bleeding other than the time of menstruation is the extreme symptoms that definitely call for an immediate screening for ovarian cancer. Under such circumstances, going in for a simple pelvic examination is the first step one should take for confirming that the symptoms are indeed likely to be indicative of another disorder. After which, a CA 125 blood test and a Transvaginal Ultrasonography are required.

Further positive signs and ovarian cancer symptoms can be clarified with the help of these two diagnostic tools. They are quite helpful in diagnosing the disease. The CA 125 blood test measures blood levels over a period of days, keeping in mind the regular fluctuations of the levels and can be relied upon to give a true result after a given number of screenings. As the cancer advances in its stage, the results become far more accurate and can be received in one go, however this is detrimental to the health of the patient. One is suggested to use supplementary procedures and seek second opinions in case of persisting health problems. After the age of 40 years, it is advisable to keep such starting symptoms under very close scrutiny and consult a gynaecologist regularly.

Ovarian cancer symptoms are also at times confused for ovarian cysts, non-cancerous growths and vice versa. In these circumstances, all women must seek knowledge on ovarian cancer and apply it for better chances of catching the disease while it is still in its early stages of development. At this point, it can be removed without issue with surgery and further growth can be prevented. After it has reached the later stages of growth, remission becomes difficult to achieve and the life expectancy starts to plummet.

(If one were to judge by television advertising and news reports, it would seem that the “war on cancer” is all but won. What are the weapons being heralded? Drugs, research, tests and exams. They miss the point.

“Prevention” is promoted as meaning catching the disease early. Really. That also misses the point. Is it “prevention” if you call 911 when you come home and see smoke billowing from all your windows? Do we just live with a carpe diem philosophy and wait for the doctor to tell us we have a lump in our breast or a swollen nodular prostate? Is the cause of cancer a lack of one of the new cancer drugs? Is the cause of cancer really unknown, requiring endless research?

First, let me put to rest the propaganda that the war is being won. Since President Nixon declared the war (1971) and after over 200 billion dollars have been spent on research (remember, one billion is a thousand million), more Americans will die of cancer in the next 14 months than have died in all U.S. wars ever fought combined! (Where are the protest marches?) Soon, cancer will overtake heart disease as the number one killer.

Decades ago, early in the war, there were some dramatic successes such as with Hodgkin’s disease and some forms of childhood leukemia. There can be little doubt that debunking (surgical removal) of large cancers brings benefits. But the big killers such as colorectal, lung, prostate and breast cancer remain as threatening as ever. Survival gains are measured primarily in additional months (not years) added to life, not in cures. The placebo effect is by and large ignored. (People getting a sugar pill placebo in cancer studies have been known to lose their hair and some actually cure themselves by simply thinking they will be cured.) A percentage of people can experience remissions spontaneously and from simple lifestyle adjustments, but the cancer therapy is always credited with the cure. (Investigations, “Placebo Learning: The Placebo Effect as a Conditioned Response,” 1985; 2(1):23. O’Regan B, et al. 1993. Spontaneous Remission: An Annotated Bibliography. Sausalito, CA. Talbot M. 1991. The Holographic Universe. New York. Harper Collins Publishers. Townsend Letter, 2004; 251:32-3.)

Statistics can always be massaged to create the result desired. This practice is rampant in cancer research. Animal models (euphemism for real living and feeling caged creatures being tortured by the millions) do not prove effectiveness across species boundaries to humans. Neither do laboratory cell lines. That’s why all the “breakthroughs” based on tumor shrinkage never pan out. For-profit drug companies and National Cancer Institute grant-based research ignore metastases (the spreading cells of cancer through the body) in their positive reports. Instead they highlight and focus on more easily obtained lab results, such as “tumor shrinkage,” and on easily manipulated clinical data such as “five-year survival.”

Twelve new “improved” drugs introduced in Europe between 1995 and 2000 were no better than the drugs they replaced. But the prices were all higher, in one instance by a factor of 350 times. One new “revolutionary” drug, Erbitux(TM), found to “shrink” tumors but not extend the lives of patients at all costs $2,400 per week. Avastin(TM), another costly chemotherapeutic, by the best calculation, extended the lives of 400 colorectal patients by 4.7 months. Tamoxifin(TM) is proven to be effective in decreasing breast cancer. Risk is decreased by about 15% but what is not equally heralded is the fact that it increased the risk of endometrial uterine cancer by about 15%. (Patient Information: Nolvadex, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals)

Are such results worth the financial devastation and miserable life that chemotherapy, radiation and surgery impose? Is that the way to spend one’s remaining days? If such therapy does add a couple of months, are those couple of months really worth the poking, prodding, pain, unrelenting nausea, disfiguring, destruction of the immune system and increased susceptibility to other diseases? “Yes” would be a hard answer to justify.

In the face of a cancer diagnosis most people just throw up their hands in terror and surrender to the conventional cancer therapy death process. The feeling is that something must be done, and, since “doctors know best,” one must begin the “fight” by following the advice of the doctor. But fighting does not mean surrendering to the will of another person who has their own personal agenda and narrowed field of view dictated by the club they belong to. That misses the point. You must do something.

Here’s the on-point best approach:

1. Prevention means adjusting your life right now so that you are living in tune with your design. Cancer is, quite simply, the reaction of cells subjected long enough to an environment they are not designed for. The genetic apparatus loses its bearings, becomes insane, if you will, and regresses to embryonic infancy and just begins multiplying recklessly. What is the proper environment? It is that food, air, water and lifestyle you are genetically designed for. The proper healthy preventive living context is encapsulated in the Wysong Optimal Health Program(TM).

2. If you get cancer, don’t panic. First thing is follow #1 advice. Learn. Gather as much information as you can from all resources, not just what the medical establishment provides. We try to gather such information for you in The Wysong Directory of Alternative Resources.

3. Think about what has happened in your life that has caused the disease. It is caused, it does not just happen. Correct your life.

4. You take control of your own body and you make the decisions. Determine to set right what is wrong and do it. Taking control is essential to not feeling like a helpless victim and sinking into hopeless despair – a sure mindset to speed the disease along.

5. Think long and hard before submitting to unproven cancer therapies. If the doctor cannot prove effectiveness (at least prove that you will be better off with the therapy than without) and if you are not willing to take the risk of all the contraindications, then don’t submit because you think it is “all that can be done.” It isn’t. See #2 above.

All good things in life are hard. In our modern world, good health takes effort and attention. Preventing and reversing disease also takes effort – your effort. Begin today to take charge of your health and be the best you can be. Most chronic degenerative diseases have long latency periods, the time between when the disease begins and it manifests in overt symptoms. Most everyone reading this has such disease brewing within at this very moment. So take advantage of the window of opportunity and give your body a chance by living the life you were designed to live. That will not only prevent disease from gaining a foothold, but reverse disease that is incubating within.

What is successful treatment of addiction? To answer this question correctly, it needs to be understood first that addiction is a chronic, lifelong condition that requires changes to one’s lifestyle and behaviors. Like diabetes or hypertension, addiction is a disease and can prove as fatal as a malignant cancer is left untreated. Whether the dependence is on drugs, alcohol, or behaviors like gambling and overeating, the fact remains that an obsession with anything can prove to be unhealthy.

When an addict admits himself into a rehabilitation center, the goal is recovery – a permanent remission of this disease. However, chronic addiction is often characterized by periodic relapses into active use of a substance or habit, whether through peer pressure or the inability to cope with stress. It would be ignorant of any treatment provider to think that their methods could cure an individual of addiction or prevent relapse.

We know that bad things happen to good people. When bad things happen, a recovering addict/alcoholic may backslide into old habits. Does this mean the treatment was not successful? No, it just means the person got sick again.

Knowing what rehabilitation professionals and physicians have learned and implemented in the practice of recovery, we can define successful treatment as thus:

Recovery from addiction is the abstinence from all controlled substances and/or unhealthy behaviors, while embracing a lifestyle focused on well being and service to one’s family and community. Successful treatment is defined by people who are abstinent, recovering, and accountable for their actions. In the unfortunate events of a relapse, treatment can still be considered successful if that person is better able to recognize his/her addictive behavior and get back on the proper path toward recovery.

For an addict to admit there is a problem and be willing to do something about it is already a big step toward success. Seeing a program through and living a productive life after rehabilitation continues the achievement.

Don’t let “normal” set points and weight loss plateaus stop your weight loss plans.You have been careful for weeks at a time, lost weight and suddenly it all comes to a stop. Even if you exercised all along it still can happen. No matter what you do the scales stay the same. You at a set point, or plateau.

This happens to everyone. It’s a normal and inevitable problem. Your system works hard to keep energy intake(food) and output (basal metabolism and exercise) in a very delicate balance. We all like weight loss but our body interprets the weight loss as starvation. It shuts down our metabolism. Our bodies are designed to protect themselves from anything that interfers with our survival. Try holding your breathe, as you read the next paragraph or two and you will see another body function that is built to keep you alive.

Think about it, our ancestors, 10,000 years ago ate when they found food. Days could go by without eating. Those that were able to conserve energy, i.e. hold on to the fat, were the ones that lived. So we are programed to conserve our fat for lean times, which are not very often these days.

It takes fewer calories to maintain your weight because you simply weigh less. To lose one pound a week, you’ll need to end up with at least 500 calories per day less than you need to hold your weight. This comes from eating less and/or exercising more. These “set points” become very frustrating for all of us.Here are other for weight loss to slow down and even stop:

Normal physiologic resistance to weight loss Genetic predispositions Unrealistic expectations Mistakes in food selection, portions, and preparations Bored or fatigue
What Should You Weigh? Expectations Versus Reality:

Are expectations unrealistic? If you are comparing yourself to the bone-thin celebrity on television or what you weighed in high school, perhaps your expectations are unrealistic.

Genetic Predispositions Cause Weight Ranges for Many People:

70% of the variation in people’s weight may be accounted for by inheritance, which means that a tendency toward a certain weight is more strongly inherited than nearly any other tendency except maybe height. But they are close. If you have one parent overweight you chance of being overweight is 50:50, if both parents are overweight it rises to 80:20 or more. It boils down to the fact that the best predictor of what you will weight is what your parents weighed. That does not mean we all give up if we were born to overweight parents, we just have to be more careful and try harder.

Weight Loss is Proportional to Starting Weight:

For an individual who weighs 200 pounds, it will be easier to lose five pounds than for the person weighing 150 pounds. This is normal and expected.

It’s Normal for Weight Loss to Slow Down

Our reaction to “Starvation ” or what the body sees as “starvation” plays a huge role in holding body at pre-determined levels.

Personal Set point:

Every individual has genetically set points in their weight where they become “comfortable” and resist changes. Often it is the weight at which you might have reached in a previous weight loss attempt. It’s difficult for everyone to break out of these set points.

Depletion of Vitamins and Minerals:

Weight loss is associated not only with reductions in body fat, but also some loss of muscle mass. Invariably numerous vitamins and chemicals as vitamins and co-enzymes needed to breakdown fat are also depleted. Once you have discovered the reasons for you weight loss slow down, and understand that it is normal, you will become more less anxious and re- examine your eating and exercise situation. Maybe you are making a few mistakes that you can change. They are always there.

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