Quit Smoking And Be Happier, Says Science

February 9, 2010 by Ingolf Ymer  
Filed under Cancer

Being a smoker is more fun. This widespread myth has now been busted by British scientists. The survey, which included 880 ex-smokers, showed that roughly 70% of the ex-smokers found themselves to be happier after the smoking cessation. The fear of losing life quality is why many smokers don\’t want to quit smoking, but after the initial difficult time with withdrawal symptoms, it seems that life a a non smoker by no means is worse than life as a smoker. Quite the opposite actually, a study shows, which was recently published in the journal \”Nicotine & Tobacco Research\”. No ex-smokers regrets having stopped smoking, but what is important is to \”survive\” the first difficult time with withdrawal symptoms.

Out of the 879 ex-smokers, who took part in the survey, almost 70% felt that they were happier after they had quit smoking. Less than 4% were less happy and about 26% felt no change in their mood.

The findings corresponds well with my own experience: people don\’t regret that they have stopped smoking, rather they regret that they started.

There is a myth, that if you quit smoking, you might prolong your life, but at the same time you lose some quality of life. But the ex-smokers who have come through it the first time with withdrawal symptoms both have the cake and eat it too: they feel proud to be able to stop, feel free of dependence, has more energy and is meet with recognition for their achievement. They are, in short, on the winner of the team.

Focus on life quality rather than health

When trying to motivate people to quit smoking, focusing on the health benefits is far more efficient that pointing fingers and trying to scare people to quit.

Instead, we are developing new methods in which we dont to focus on diseases and health, but rather on the improved life quality, which freedom from smoke brings. The methods were developed from experiments with advice on smoking cessation for cancer patients. They were excited, partly because they felt that with a smoking cessation they themselves made a difference. Rather than being part of the problem, they were now part of the solution instead.

Better in time

The increased satisfaction is more pronounced, the longer the time that has passed since they stopped smoking. But even with ex-smokers, where the smoking stop was quite new, it was still the majority who feel happier now. Younger ex-smokers was more excited after their cessation than older people. However it did not matter whether they were heavy smokers or only smoked a few cigarettes a day.

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Asbestosis Mesothelioma Causes, Prevention And Treatment

February 8, 2010 by Heidi Wingrain  
Filed under Cancer

Asbestosis mesothelioma is a work related lung disease like the mesothelioma cancer. It affects the parenchyma tissue of the lungs. Over exposure to asbestos is the reason behind the disease. Here the parenchymal tissues permanently remain sore and irritable as a result of which dyspnea or shortness of breath occurs. There is increased possibility of contracting lung cancer also. In this case plaque would form above the diaphragm due to over exposure to asbestos. This will be revealed in X-ray tests.

Asbestosis mesothelioma victims witness breathing difficulties as the initial symptom. Total respiratory failure may be experienced by patients who are seriously affected. Minimum ten years are required for the disease to become visible. But many cases have been reported where the illness became noticeable just after a period of three months. Amphibole and Serpentine are the two types of asbestos particles. Amphibole is thin and straight whereas serpentine is curved. It is the first one that is responsible for the disease since it can move deep into the lungs through the process of inhalation. This results in injuring lung tissues around terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts.

The air sacs of alveoli are the place where oxygen is routed into the blood. Once the fibers reach there, they prompt the lung\’s innate immune system into getting swollen in order to discard the foreign body. Macrophages are released by the body to get the trespasser digested. But the problem lies in the fact that asbestos being indigestible, the macrophages die resulting in the release of cytokines. The consequence will be further release of macrophages. This extra accrual results in thickening of alveolar walls thereby decreasing elasticity and transmission of gas. Thus oxygen transfer into the blood is obstructed.

Severely affected patients may witness inspiratory crackles and clubbing of fingers. The disease may not be life-threatening, but it can indirectly cause serious medical situations like heart failure. Around half of all asbestosis patients may develop plaque in the chest and lung cavities.

Asbestosis mesothelioma presently has no effective curative treatment, but regular oxygen therapy can be administered at home itself to provide relief from breathing problems. Supportive therapies like respiratory physiotherapy, chest percussion, vibration and nebulization are also used to dilute secretions causing shortness of breath. Asbestosis patients are also entitled compensation from their employers.

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Asbestos Settlement Facts.

February 5, 2010 by Thomas Goldman  
Filed under Cancer

An asbestos settlement can be considerable, sometimes in excess of tens of millions of dollars. Exposure to asbestos is the cause of a specific type of cancer called mesothelioma, and since data on the link between asbestos and mesothelioma has been known since about 1960, litigation can often legitimately claim that the employer should have been aware of the risks.

1929 was the date of the first asbestos settlement. Many more such legal cases have been undertaken since 1960. The claim can be for compensation for many areas relating to mesothelioma, not just to the disease itself. These additional areas can include including loss of earnings, compensation from care provided whether paid-for or not, loss to other family members as well as travel to medical and healthcare facilities, items purchased due to the disease, and other related areas.

The disease of mesothelioma is most common in people working directly with asbestos, which includes shipbuilders, boilermakers and laggers because asbestos was often used as lagging to insulate boilers, also electricians, joiners, carpenters and builders who might cut or drill into asbestos insulation as they do their work, motor mechanics who have been exposed to asbestos in brake pads and clutches, pipe fitters and plumbers who come in contact with asbestos pipe insulation, as well as fire fighters, police officers, managers and other professions. Also, mesothelioma is sometimes contracted by people with secondary contact with asbestos, such as people washing the clothing of those who worked with asbestos, or even children playing on playgrounds where asbestos mine wastes were dumped.

Some asbestos cases are handled by legal professionals on the basis of \”no win no fee\”, so need not cost the claimant anything until the settlement is obtained. A settlement is often obtained before the final court hearing. This means that the claimant is unlikely to have to appear in court at all. A claimant having applied for state benefit is unlikely to prevent a claim from being made, although can make some difference to the result.

An asbestos settlement is sometimes vital for a patient to get the best treatment, as some treatments can total close to a million dollars.

Want to find out more about Mesothelioma and asbestos claims, then visit Thomas Goldman\’s site for the best info on asbestos settlement and related topics.

How To File A Inscrutable Mesothelioma Litigation

February 3, 2010 by Joe Harrell  
Filed under Cancer

Millions of asbestos cancer affected people find consolation in mesothelioma litigation. Though legal recourse such people can claim compensation from asbestos manufacturers for exposing them to the poisonous mineral for selfish purposes. There has been a spurt in the number of mesothelioma cases with the result that it has turned out to be a multi billion-dollar industry. This industry consists of specialist lawyers, law firms and attorneys working hard to provide financial compensation to the victims of this fatal type of cancer.

It is imperative that those looking for mesothelioma legal assistance should consider certain factors like the experience of the lawyer, his links and access to related resources and support groups and well versed with the laws in your state governing mesothelioma compensation. Usually, the time limits prescribed is one to two years since the diagnosis or if someone had passed away due to the cancer, his or her heirs can file mesothelioma litigation before the expiry of two years from the day of death.

The client and the lawyer should sit together to discuss the matter before filing the litigation. In order to prepare an irrefutable case, a lawyer needs ample time. Though there is no guarantee that every lawsuit wins, half the battle is won if the case is filed within the stipulated time along with having a frank discussion with the lawyer. Options are available in plenty, including the product liability, where people contract the disease by using flawed products containing asbestos. Many a times it happens that doctors misdiagnose the disease as a result of which the treatment is delayed resulting in death. Professional malpractice laws will assist the victims in this regard.

Whatever may be the case, most asbestos related cancers happen due to asbestos contact at workplaces. Such victims have the right to get compensation from the employer. Special federal laws are there to aid the victims even if the company goes bankrupt. Adding up to this, family members of the victims who are dead also can file mesothelioma litigation.

Numerous law firms are there which are capable of representing the cases. Many of them have succeeded in getting a handsome amount as relief to the victims. Only precaution to be taken is that before finalizing the law firm its credentials have to be verified. Otherwise the chances of winning would be low and if at all the case wins, the compensation amount will be very less. The time taken for the mesothelioma litigation can take a long duration of time also. This situation would be very difficult for the victims and the family members to tolerate.

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Mesothelioma Prognosis, Information.

January 17, 2010 by Thomas Goldman  
Filed under Cancer

A mesothelioma prognosis is a doctor’s opinion on the likely outcome of this particular form of cancer. This disease is usually caused by exposure to asbestos although can sometimes be caused by other chemicals, and typically affects about one in a million people.

A medical prognosis is the opinions of specialists on the likely results of a particular medical condition. Although this can be accurate statistically for large numbers of people it can never be particularly certain for any individual. A doctor will therefore usually present a prognosis to a patient in terms of statistical likelihoods.

Studies have shown that most doctors are likely to be optimistic when delivering a prognosis to a patient.

A prognosis for a patient suffering from this disease depends on a number of factors. The disease is often very difficult to diagnose at all until the late stages, because all the symptoms can also be indications of other diseases, and because many of the symptoms don’t necessarily appear until decades after the asbestos exposure.

Some screening methods can help to determine if a patient is likely to develop mesothelioma later, but these are far from precise much of the time. The approaches to screening are continually being researched and there is hope for improved approaches.

Smoking itself does not actually cause the disease but in combination with asbestos exposure it has been shown to increase the likelihood that a person will develop this disease.

Mesothelioma treatment can include a variety of options such as immunology, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. It has been shown that a combination of more than one treatment is usually more effective than a single approach.

A mesothelioma prognosis can be helpful in determining which treatments to use, and of course can be used in litigation to help obtain compensation, which can be considerable (sometimes more than tens of millions of dollars).

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The Far-reaching Effects Of Cancer Mesothelioma

January 8, 2010 by Heidi Wingrain  
Filed under Cancer

Cancer mesothelioma is a malicious disease which is life threatening. It is developed in people who come in direct contact with asbestos. Inhalation of asbestos for a prolonged duration affects the mesothelium, which is the protective lining of our internal organs. The disease has destroyed the lives of many families by killing their dear and near ones. Since the disease is developed many years after the exposure to asbestos, even a ban on it has not helped much.

All the three forms of mesothelioma, that is, the pleural, peritoneal and pericardial are highly potent threats to human life. In many cases, the cancer is detected only after thirty years, making it difficult to either claim for damages from the offending employer or taking effective treatment.

Many governments have taken steps to help the victims. The use of asbestos in work places has been banned and there are laws which ensure adequate compensation measures. This comes as a great comfort for the family members to cope with the tragedy. Apart from this more and more researches are going on to find better treatment options for the patients suffering from cancer mesothelioma.

There are many symptoms associated with the disease like fever, fatigue, wheezing etc. Endless treatment procedures start once the patient is diagnosed with the disease. The patient has to go through a series if medications including chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has many side effects like rashes developing in the skin, high fever, a feeling of numbness, fatigue, sores in mouth or throat, diarrhea or constipation etc. Surgery and radiation therapy are also used in many cases.

With the advancement in medical technology newer tools and procedures are invented for early detection and treatment of cancer mesothelioma. Modern treatment methods include immunotherapy, angiogenesis, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, complementary and alternative medicine etc. These days palliative care is becoming highly popular. This involves lessening the pain the patient has to endure.

Cancer mesothelioma, being a peculiar disease, requires long term clinical care where the combined effects of medical professionals, oncology social workers, psychologists and nutritionists are required. They provide solace and hope to the otherwise crestfallen patient and family members and give them a new urge to live. Without this urge, any treatment effort would prove futile.

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Hair Loss And Chemotherapy – LR

December 29, 2009 by Lee Reid  
Filed under Cancer

Chemotherapy hair loss is one of the numerous effects of this cancer treatment. What is the reason why hair loss occurs during chemotherapy? The medication used in chemotherapy is extremely powerful and it destroys all the developing cancer cells, although they affect other body parts too. There are normal body cells with a rapid growth rate, and they are not cancer; the cells in the digestive tract and the hair follicles are the main examples here.

The effects of chemotherapy on hair are not limited only to the scalp as the procedure affects the hair on the body, too. Thus, patients will experience the loss of eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic and armpit hair.

The variety of the drugs used in chemotherapy is incredibly high with hundreds of medicines available. Among these, obviously some are more likely to cause chemotherapy hair loss than others. The concentration of the drugs is another aspect to consider when hair loss is under discussion, as hair loss ranges from thinning to complete baldness. Thus, discussing the medication that will be prescribed with the doctor and nurse is very important as they are the specialists able to inform the patient on what to expect from chemotherapy.

In most cases you’ll start losing hair within ten or fourteen days after you start chemotherapy. It may fall out quite fast, either in clumps or gradually. Chemotherapy hair loss remains a problem throughout the entire period of the treatment and a month afterwards. Half of the hair can fall out before this is noticed by people around. Fortunately, in the majority of cases, chemotherapy hair loss is a temporary effect. Hair will probably grow back within six months to one year after the cessation of the treatment. The new hair could have a slightly different shade of color, with the mention that even the texture could be altered too.

The hair recovery period after chemotorapy is six weeks on the average, and the growth rate will be somewhere around a quarter inch per month. When the hair starts growing back again, it might be a little different from the hair that was lost because of therapy. The color and texture alteration will be a first recovery sign and the hair will become what it used to be before the treatment the moment cellular pigmentation is functioning normally all over again. Unfortunately, chemotherapy hair loss cannot be prevented as none of the treatments available is completely free of such side effects.

Lee writes about several subjects, including health and travel. Her latest is about locating Airline Tickets to Orlando.

How Effective Is Mesothelioma Treatment Presently

December 23, 2009 by Heidi Wingrain  
Filed under Cancer

Various factors like the level of infection, the area of infection, the extent of contamination, the condition of the affected cells, the patient’s age, his overall health etc have to be considered for mesothelioma treatment. The patient should be made aware of his treatment process before it is started.

Three kinds of traditional mesothelioma treatment are in vogue, namely, surgery, medication and radiation. Surgery attempts to remove the cancer altogether while medication or chemotherapy fights the cancer through powerful drugs. Radiation is the process of destroying malignant cancer cells by use of high energy x-rays or other energy beams. In more serious cases, doctors try to contain the cancer by using a combination of two or three of these tactics.

Mostly medical tests like blood analysis are not suitable for ascertaining the form of cancer. Special procedures for diagnosis like video assisted thoracic surgery, thorascocopy, laproscopy and mediastinoscopy are made use of in identifying the disease. It is only after proper diagnosis that the actual mesothelioma treatment starts.

If the infection is comparatively mild, the cancer can be removed from its roots through surgery. Palliative surgical procedures which treat the symptoms than the causes are also resorted to these days. They include pleuroperitoneal shunt, pleurodesis, pleurectomy, thoracoscopy etc. Pleurodesis and chest tube drainage are the most common among palliative treatment, which cleans the affected areas.

Aggressive curative procedures try to remove the disease in its totality. For pleural mesothelioma, which is the commonest form of asbestos cancer accounting for more than three-fourths of total cases, decortication is used to remove tumor from stage 1 and stage 2 patients without removing the lung. If the tumor is not removable without extracting the lung, then pneumonectomy, which entails removal of a lung, is resorted to. No surgery is made without adequate tests and analysis.

Chemotherapy helps to cease the spread of cancer, to shrink tumors and get rid of the remnants of the disease after the surgery. Here chemicals are used to fight cancer and they prevent the cancerous cells from multiplying. Palliative chemotherapy is used where there are no hopes of survival. Radiotherapy makes use of penetrating beams of extreme energy or particle streams. Thus mesothelioma treatment is a many-sided tactic meant to lessen the anguish of the patients and eradicate the cancer.

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Effects Of Chemotherapy Treatment – LR

December 22, 2009 by Lee Reid  
Filed under Cancer

Chemotherapy refers to the treatment of a disease by means of chemicals meant to kill cells, typically cells of micro-organisms or cancer. This treatment works by attacking and killing cells which divide very quickly as cancer cells do. Unfortunately, chemotherapy destroys other cells with a rapid division speed normally encountered with many body functions; this is the case with the cells in the digestive tract, hair follicles and bone marrow.

Hence, the chemotherapy effects usually damage these areas. The most frequent adverse reactions that occur during and after chemotherapy include hair loss, the inflammation of the soft membranes in the digestive tract or mucositis and the decrease of the blood cells production, called myelosupression.

Chemotherapy effects or side effects can classified according to the extent of the adverse reactions into long and short term categories. Side effects of chemotherapy represent unwanted symptoms which occur as a direct result of taking a drug. It is not difficult to confuse drug side effects with cancer symptoms. Symptoms characterize the disease in fact, while the side effects represent natural adverse reactions to a chemical invasion in the body. Side effects vary depending on the type of drugs used in the treatment, with the mention that one single form of medication will not trigger all the possible adverse reactions in a patient.

Generally speaking, chemotherapy harms those cells with a faster division. Chemotherapy will thus affect the bone marrow responsible for blood cells production, the mouth, the intestines, the skin and the hair. Since hair is growing all the time, the skin is constantly renewing itself and the lining of the digestive system and the mouth have the same dynamics, then, the cells of all these body tissues must constantly divide to produce a steady supply of new cells. And, unfortunately, it is due to this division process that the chemotherapy drugs attack proper functioning body parts.

It is known that most drugs used in chemotherapy have side effects, yet, not all the patients get the same chemotherapy effects. The way one goes through chemotherapy therefore differs immensely, depending on some factors specific to every case. These elements include the period during which the drug has been taken, the concentration of the drug, how the drug is administered, the patient’s general health state, as well as the combination of the chemotherapy drug with other medicines. Some chemotherapy effects are serious medical conditions which must be dealt with; others, although bothersome, are not necessarily a major threat to the patient’s health. It is also relevant to discuss the effects of chemotherapy with the health care provider in order to be aware of what lies ahead and be able to bear the treatment in a good psychological shape.

Lee writes about many different subjects, including where to shop for Affordable Prom Dresses.

Reasons For Negative Mesothelioma Prognosis

December 19, 2009 by Heidi Wingrain  
Filed under Cancer

Mesothelioma prognosis is devastating for the victims and their near and dear ones. The reasons for these are wide and varied. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which infects the mesothelium, the protective covering of vital internal organs. Over exposure to asbestos is the cause for contracting the cancer. This exposure can be either from work places or asbestos quarries. Any way the effect of infection varies from person to person depending on the stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis, the capacity of the body to give positive response to the treatment and the age and overall health of the victim.

Mesothelioma lies inactive for many long years before the symptoms become visible. When ultimately mesothelioma prognosis happens it would be too late, since the infection may have affected the vital organs like lungs, heart or abdomen. There are four stages of mesothelioma. If the patient is in the first or second stage of cancer there is hope for him through expert medical help. But the prognosis of stage 3 and stage 4 cancer is devastating as the treatment would not be effective at these stages. Mostly mesothelioma is diagnosed when the patient goes to the doctor for some other medical problems.

Another problem associated with the illness is that many specialists and cancer centers do not have the expertise to treat mesothelioma which is a rare form of cancer. As far as stage 3 and stage 4 cancers are considered the treatment is aimed at reducing the pain and providing a comfortable atmosphere for the patient. However research works are going on to find a successful treatment for advanced stages of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma cancer is of three types – the pleural, the peritoneal and the pericardial. The most commonly found one is the pleural type, though it can be cured easily. Different treatment procedures like chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are used to cure the infection affecting the protective lining of the lungs. The second type affects the abdominal cavities. This is called peritoneal mesothelioma and is more dangerous. The third type affects the heart region and is definitely fatal. This is known as pericardial mesothelioma. Another problem associated with the disease is that doctors tend to diagnose the type of infection wrongly increasing the number of fatalities.

In the modern age, with the invention of modern treatments, mesothelioma prognosis has become better. The modern treatment includes multimodality treatment, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy etc. Ultimately survival depends on the response of the patients towards treatment and the type of cancer.

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