Two of our most popular previous blog posts described free vacation opportunities for adults with cancer. Given the uncertainty of the past two years, we thought it was time for an update. Here is a short list of organizations that have made it their mission to provide needed respite to those affected by cancer. Each has been verified to have...
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Recent research presented at a virtual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 1 indicates the need for greater care and continued social distancing for those who are in treatment for cancer and – in one study that was presented – those who have a recent history of cancer (the research looked at people from 2015 to the...
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By Steve Gillman What my cancer taught me about medical “evidence” and how much is enough I exaggerate. My oncologist probably does believe humans need food, but I suspect the belief makes him uncomfortable, since no double-blind studies have been done to prove it. Like many doctors, his general approach to treatment is that if something hasn’t been...
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Nanodrugs have been around for some time. In fact, over 250 drugs using nanotechnology that have been approved by the FDA and are in clinical use. The name nanodrug or nanopharmaceuticals refers to the size of the particle that is created to house the medication. A nano is very tiny: nanoparticles are between 1 and 100 nanometers in at least one of its...
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Since the Human Genome Project published the first draft of the human genome in February 2001, there has been a boom in research and new technologies around genetics. The project revealed that humans have around 20,500 genes. Around 3 million base pairs make up these genes. CRISPR is a new technology that has arisen from this groundbreaking Human Genome...
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In 1904, a physician wrote about a patient with leukemia who went into remission when he got the flu. Though the patient was not cured, it was a ray of hope at a time when there were no treatments for leukemia. Other cases were reported throughout the years of people with Burkitt’s Lymphoma and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma going into remission when they...
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During July and early August of 2018, the Harris Poll in association with the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO’s) conducted a poll of 4,887 U.S. adults, 1001 of these have or had cancer. This second annual National Cancer Opinion Survey explored a wide range of topics. The findings clearly describe disparities in the care patients with...
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“Always trust your gut. Don’t leave your treatment in the hands of someone that you don’t trust or that does not seem like a team player. Yes, they are all smart—even brilliant—but read, read, read, and question them at every corner and challenge the standard of care. Exercise, healthy eating, learning the ropes of insurance, mediation/prayer...
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Prior to the 20th century, most people lived about 47 years in the developed world because of infectious diseases. In 1940, the first use of penicillin to treat infectious diseases occurred and penicillin became available in 1945 to the general public. Science and research conducted throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, created more antibiotics so that life...
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When I think of vaccines, I think of the MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccines which help our bodies establish immunity against diseases that used to kill. Now, there are vaccines being created for cancer. The rise of cancer vaccines According to Dr. Nora Disis, an oncologist and researcher in cancer vaccines at the University of...
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The adrenal glands-which are also called suprarenal glands-are part of the endocrine system and are found on the top of each kidney. How the endocrine system hormones work Hormones secreted from glands of the endocrine system travel in the bloodstream to target cells. Target cells have receptors that are specific to each hormone. The hormones and receptors...
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Thirty-eight states in the US have passed “Right To Try” laws. These are laws that are created to give terminally ill patients who have run out of options access to experimental drugs that have not completed the FDA approval process. There is an effort underway to pass this type of legislation on a federal level. On February 8, the #LCSM (Lung...
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