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Posts Tagged ‘cancer’

In 3,300 B.C., a tribal elder from Val Venosta, Italy, trekked across an Alpine glacier in an attempted getaway from enemies. But his foes got the better of him and with a well-aimed arrow pierced his subclavian artery, leaving him to bleed to death in a glacial cave where his mummified remains were discovered in 1991. Among the belongings of Oetzi the Iceman were two medicinal mushrooms, the earliest evidence in existence of mushrooms used as remedies.

One of the mushrooms he carried was a traditional de-wormer known as Birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus), which makes sense because whipworm eggs were found in Oetzi’s intestines. The other mushroom was a species frequently used to cauterize wounds, Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius). The Iceman’s right hand had been injured days earlier and was in the process of healing when he was killed.

Both of these are polypores, so named because they have pores instead of gills underneath. No species of polypore is known to be poisonous. They usually grow on trees, dead or alive.

Polypores are usually considered inedible due to the fact that they are hard and wood-like. But for ancient peoples all across the globe – from China and India to Europe and the Americas – polypore teas and poultices have none-the-less been indispensible allies to human health at least for as long as written and oral traditions can recount.

Oral traditions of Native Americans bear tale of many types of polypores being used to help against the diseases brought by the Europeans, including Birch polypore but also Reishi (Ganoderma resinaceum), Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) and the now almost vanished species Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis).

Although nearly extinct today, Agarikon was once common in the old-growth forests of ancient Europe. Greek physician Dioscorides referred to Agarikon as a remedy for tuberculosis in Materia Medica, 65 B.C. It’s the earliest record of a medicinal mushroom in European literature. Two millennia later, the historic use of Agarikon in Poland was put down in writing in the article Medicinal mushrooms in Polish Folk Medicine by K. Grzywnowics. Again, it included lung conditions, as well as rheumatoid arthritis and infected wounds.

So far, we’ve only covered the history of medicinal mushrooms in Europe and America and have barely even touch upon their use in Asia, where their use has been even more exhaustive. At least three Asian species must be included in any article on the history of mushrooms.

First is the polypore Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), which has been used in China and Japan as a health bestowing mushroom of immortality for at least two millennia. It was first mentioned in the 2,000 year old book Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic. Many ancient wood-carvings and temple engravings in the Orient bear testament to the homage paid to this acclaimed cure-all mushroom.

Another Chinese medicinal mushroom known as Cordyceps was first described in the 200 A.D. book The Classic Herbal of the Divine Plowman. Cordyceps was, and still is, largely used as an aphrodisiac and to improve physical prowess in athletes, although modern research also indicates many other areas of potential usefulness.

Finally there is the Shiitake mushroom, which today is a common household name even in the West. In Asia, however, it is known to have been cultivated as a gourmet mushroom for at least a thousand years. What may surprise is that Shiitake is also one of the most researched medicinal mushrooms in the world. Its potential uses range from energizing tonic to immune-booster and antibiotic with anti-tumor properties.

Medical research on mushrooms appears to have begun in the late 1960’s in Japan. It gained attention in the West through the research by Dr. Ikekawa, who found that families growing mushrooms had lower cancer-rates than other people in their communities. Since those early days, medical research into mushrooms has grown exponentially and is still increasing. Medicinal mushrooms are continuing to make history.

It is more fun to be a smoker. This is a widespread myth, which is now being busted by British scientists. In a survey among 879 ex-smokers, approximately 70 per cent answered that they were happier and more satisfied after they have stopped smoking. Many smokers do not want to stop smoking, because they think they will miss something life. Have they first come through the first difficult time as a non smoker, it does not seem that life without tobacco is neither worse nor more sad than life as a smoker. On the contrary, a study shows, published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research. It is hard to find ex smokers who regrets that they have stopped smoking. What matters is to get through the first hard time with withdrawal symptoms.

879 ex-smokers were interviewed, and almost 70% responded that they were happier after they had quit smoking, 26% answered that their mood was unchanged and less than 4% answered that they were less happier than before.

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

Quitting smoking might prolong your life, but loss of life quality is inevitable – at least this is a common myth. Rather, ex-smokers actually can have the cake AND eat it too: quitting smoking boosts self confidence and mental energy, and the ex-smokers receives widespread recognition for their achievement. Ex-smokers are on the winning team.

Focus on life quality rather than health

Shift the focus from all the harmful consequences of smoking to all the positive benefits of being a non-smoker is far more efficient, when trying to motivate people. It is not fear and pointing fingers that motivates people.

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.

Mesothelioma is a sort of cancer that is almost always caused by getting exposed to asbestos. In this disease, malicious cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers almost all of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura ( outer liner of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it may also happen in the peritoneum ( the liner of the abdominal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.

Mesothelioma survival relies upon a wide variety of factors – the level of cancer, age and general health of the patient etc. A five-year scale is used by the experienced persons in mesothelioma research and treatment to calculate survival. Mesothelioma survival is so difficult that only around ten percent of the total patients diagnosed have reached the five-year target so far.

The chances of mesothelioma survival can be enhanced by vigorous and continued treatment. Depending on the response of the patient to the treatment chances of survival also varies. The treatment success is controlled by various factors. The most important thing is that success depends upon the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. If the disease is detected early, the chances of survival and cure are more. The third and fourth stages have very little chances of survival, whereas the first and the second stages can be healed through chemotherapy and surgery.

There are mainly three types of mesothelioma cancer. The first type called pleural mesothelioma affects the membranous covering of the abdomen; the second known as the peritoneal cancer ruins the abdominal cavity and the third one, the pericardial is found in parts in and around the heart. The third one is more malicious than the other two, but it is rarely found. Mesothelioma survival depends on the size of the tumor, the area affected, the level of excess fluid collected in the abdomen or chest, the cell structure, type of cancer cells etc.

The medial community has come to a conclusion after studying the mesothelioma survival rates for the last few years. The finding is that incidents of mesothelioma cancer are increasing all over the world and it is turning out to be a dangerous situation. It is also found that chemotherapy is the best alternative for cases where surgery is not advisable. Researches are going on endlessly to find more effectual treatment methods to overcome this dreadful disease that has taken the lives of many innocent people. The advancements in research give a new hope for the victims who lead their lives in endless misery.

Talking about a disease named Cancer gives an individual a heavy feeling inside the chest. It is a very serious sort of sickness that when one has it, he will never escape it. The quantity of people diagnosed with cancer is constantly skyrocketing as time rolls by and the amount of individuals dying from this disease is increasing as well . Today, folks should become more health conscious. There are a large amount of instances wherein cancer can be developed due to our lifestyle and from dreadful stress. Being a heavy smoker may cause lung cancer. Everyday intake of meat or carcinogenic foods can cause cancer of the bowel. Less intake of calcium rich foods can cause bone cancer. These are just few of those instances where cancer develops because of our everyday lifestyle .

Lifestyle alteration, daily consumption of healthful foods and exercise can help forestall the occurrence of cancer. However , if cancer runs in the family’s blood, there’s nothing else to do but to just accept the actuality. Cancer is hereditary so it’s vital to do early detection to every member of the family so as to know if you have cancer. The commonest kind of cancer a female develops is breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the leading reason for mortality in girls. Breast sensitiveness, presence of lump, pain, nipple and breast changes are few of the leading indicators of breast cancer. When these are experienced and felt, it is critical to visit the nearest doctor in order to have your knockers checked and to do required interventions.

If females have breast cancer, in males, they have prostate testicular cancer. This type of cancer generally occurs in men aging 45 years and over. Prostate problems is also the leading reason for mortality in men apart from lung cancer. Evidence of prostate problems are often silent and are detected when the disease is in an advanced and progressive stage. When there’s agony on urinating or when there’s presence of blood or pus in the pee, agony in the lower back and discomfort on ejaculation, then the need to visit a doctor is a must.

Prostate problems can end up in barrenness in men if not perceived in an early stage. Testicular cancer detection is possible through performing testicular self-exams. This is usually done once every month most ideally when getting showered. Thru performing this, you can establish if there are changes with the size, form and feel of the testicles. The chance for survival is high when early detection is done. Surviving breast cancer and prostate problems can be accomplished when the patient undergoes surgery. Thru performing surgery, the influenced part is removed thus stop the dissemination of cancer to different parts of the body. Medications are then prescribed in order to completely eliminate the carcinogenic cells in the body.

Every individual must be aware of the different signs and symptoms of cancer. Early detection, being healthy and smart are important elements in keeping our bodies safe and unencumbered by any illness.

Keeping the bodies healthy should be a part of every individual’s priority. It’s a must to visit your medical practitioner when we feel our bodies getting weak or when we feel something unusual. We never actually know that what we already experience are signs of cancer.