Stem Cell Banking and Back Up - Sure Why Not, Will They Help Cure Cancer Too?

Stem Cell discoveries give hope and promise to human health and longevity. Some have questioned the ethics of stem cell use to prolong life, regenerate body parts, and maintain human health for religious reasons. Not everything is as cut and dry, and these cells only work as well as they have been programmed and they can be hijacked quite easily and cause other problems in the event the individual has a diseased area where they are injected or even a cancer.

In fact there was a very interesting article recently in "Positive Futurist - Cutting Edge News and Information Covering Science, Technology, and the Evolving World" which was published on May 10, 2011 titled; "Future of Healthcare: Stem Cells, Genetics, Remote Monitoring" by Dick Pelletier. In the article was an interesting prediction;

"Though more research is needed to realize all the hopes and dreams of this 'stem cell magic', progress is advancing exponentially; especially in areas of creating dissolvable housing systems (templates) that direct stem cells to grow into specific parts, such as hearts, livers, pancreas, muscles, bones, eyes, skin, and teeth. However, researchers have noticed that stem cells degrade in quality as people age, thus, they will offer people the ability to "bank" their stem cells for future use."

Perhaps you will recall when Senator Edward Kennedy had brain cancer, and it was thought that a revolutionary new treatment using these cells might save him. What many people did not understand is by putting them into that area of his brain, it would only have caused those cells to be hijacked into cancer cells which would do the opposite of curing him. In other words, it would help the tumor grow, not contract or be pushed out by new brain cells. There may be other future experimental techniques that might work, we shall see in the future.

Whereas the concept is legitimate, science has found that indistinguishable stem cells will become whatever they are told to become, and can be easily hijacked into cancer cells. The banking and backup makes sense for other things, and could very much help with the longevity of an individual. However as people get older the copies of their cells are not quite as good, and there is more and more bad-information going on.

Thus, these techniques for certain types of cancer are not a viable option for the future, even if they hold promises and solutions for other diseases, and increasing human longevity. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. If you have any new research, comments, questions, or case studies I'd sure like you to contact me by e-mail.

Protect Your Skull from Cell Phone Radiation - Play it Safe

When I was a young man in my 20s, I was running a business and I was quite proud of myself because we were doing fairly well, and for young man I was quite pleased with the monetary results each month. Indeed, I had one of the first cell phones, and I was paying between $.60 and a dollar per minute, and yet it seemed to pay for itself because of the inherent efficiency of rapid communication.

None of my competitors had a mobile phone yet, the best they had were those repeater phones were you had to push to talk, and they were much cheaper either. Needless to say, I was running over 1,000 hours per month on average.

Unfortunately, they didn't know back then all the know today about how dangerous cell phones could be to the biosystem. It turns out those phones back then operated on 3 Watts of power, no, that's not very much. But since the frequency of the cellular phones back then were in the microwave range, which they are today, that meant that I was holding the phone up to my ear, and that wasn't very good for the issues with cell phone radiation. Now then, my first phone sat underneath the seat of my vehicle, and it probably cooked the underside of my seat.

Later, I had a transportable phone which I walked around with, but again it was away from my body, so it was a little bit safer. Eventually I had a handheld phone when they finally got invented, which had quite a bit more power, but I held that unit up to my ear. Later on, about eight-years later, the cell phones started using less power and they went to a different system. The wattage was significantly less, as it is today, and therefore it's probably not too much of a problem as people hold this up to their ears, provided they are not using the phone a significant percentage of the time, let's say 500 plus minutes per month, but to be totally precise, you'd need to look at the data yourself.

However, people also commonly wore their cell phone on their belt. Those microwave frequencies can damage DNA, and the last place you'd want to put it is near your reproductive system, in fact you would not want it anywhere near. Nor would you want it next your brain, even though your skull could somewhat protect you. Remember microwave frequencies go through things; that's why your microwave oven has special shielding.

There was an interesting article recently in Kurzweil's Accelerating Intelligence Online News titled; "New Studies Reveal Evidence that Cell Phone Radiation Damages DNA, Brain, and Sperm" by the Editor posted on May 24, 2011. The article stated that a:

"New independent studies offer proof that confirms findings from the Council of Europe: pulsed digital signals from cell phones disrupt DNA, impair brain function, and lower sperm count, according to a statement by the EHT. It was found that four hours of exposure to RF-EMF disrupts the ability of human brain cells to repair damaged genes. Other new work from Australia shows damage to human sperm."

Brain cancer is quite serious, and so are things like Alzheimer, and other diseases of the brain. Your brain is your most important organ, and therefore you should be thinking, and playing it safe. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Brain Cancer Survival Rate - Dare to Know Your Chances

A brain cancer survival rate refers to the percentage of people who were reported still living after being diagnosed with the cancer about 5 yrs ago.

Basically, brain tumor is the abnormal growth of cells in the brain and we commonly refer to it as cancer cells. There are different ways in which a tumor may spread. One is that it can be a cause of the spread of cancerous cells originating from another body part or the cancer cells are really coming from the brain itself.

It is true that exposure to harmful chemicals leads to abnormal growth of brain tumor. It was statistically confirmed that about 80% of brain cancer patients are suffering from oligodendroglioma.

Cancer of the brain remains one of the most incurable cancers with an average survival period of one to two years.

Factors Affecting Survival

A five-year brain cancer survival rate may be influenced by several factors including the size of the tumor, at which part of the brain, the severity of the cancer and the stage. In most occasions, the general health of the patient is also an indicative factor of survival.

How do you calculate the rate of survival?

Survival statistics are based on a large number of people, and should not be used to predict the survival of an individual or patient.

Healthline.com reported that children at the age of 14 have around 73 percent chance of surviving cancer of the brain and live until five years of more, while the rate drops to 55 percent with young adults between 15 and 44. Middle-aged patients between 45 and 64 have a rate of 16 percent, and older people have a survival rate of only 5 percent.

Other facts

Statistical facts show that with the proper combination and usage of radiotherapy and chemotherapeutic drugs, the lives of those with brain cancer may be prolonged. In some patients, the quality of live may even be improved but there are those who easily give up and were not luckily able to live more than 2 years.

The brain cancer survival rate presented here is based on a relative result. The total 5-year brain cancer survival rate from the years 1995-2001 was more than 33%. The relative survival rates at 5 years for brain cancer by race and sex were:

• 32.1 percent of Caucasian men
• 37.7 percent for African-American men
• 33.5 percent of Caucasian women
• 37.5 percent for African-American women.

Brain cancer survival rate statistics reveals that about 85% of physical disorders were affected by the negative mental and emotional stress at the fourth/metastatic stage of the disease.

Many patients could attest to the fact that negative emotion and mental stress weaken the immune system despite the fact that there is no such direct connection between negative emotion and cancer, medically speaking. This is one thing we should remember when dealing with patients suffering from cancer, in general.

Returning to School After a Cancer Diagnosis

"Back to normal" means "back to school" for most children who have been treated for a brain or spinal tumor. When your child returns to school, you want him or her to be treated as normally as possible and it will take the cooperation of both the school and the health care professionals working with your child to make this happen.. To make the transition back to school an easy one the teachers and school nurse should be encouraged to prepare classmates by providing them with information about the disease and treatment and answering any questions they may have. Let the teachers and classmates know what to expect and give them an opportunity to express their concerns and feelings. It is important for teachers to communicate to other students that cancer cannot be caught and that radiation treatments do not make a child who has them "radioactive." These types of open conversations may eliminate children's curiosity and make it easier for them to accept your child back into the class and help them to accept the differences in their classmates and make them more empathetic and willing to help. Some medical centers provide an education team consisting of a child life worker and health care practitioner who can help prepare the class for your child's return, which in some cases may be helpful.

In order to make the re-entry into the scholastic environment less abrupt for your child, the students and the teachers, a slow, transitional approach to reentering school can be helpful, perhaps only having lunch, attending specific classes, or going on a field trip with the class prior to a full-time return to school. It is important to update your child's teachers and the school nurse with whatever medical information will help them help your child in school. The more knowledgeable and familiar the teachers are with how your child functions, the more the classroom environment can be adapted to your child's special needs, no matter what level of school they may be returning.

Before your child returns to school, set up a meeting with the teacher, school nurse, and principal. This meeting will give you an opportunity to discuss any special requests or concerns you might have. Suggest that the meeting also include health care professionals such as neuropsychologists familiar with brain tumor treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and shunts and give your child's teacher a copy of Cancervive Teacher's Guide for Kids with Cancer. You might want to meet or speak with the teacher on a weekly basis to monitor your child's progress; it might also be helpful to connect with your other children's teachers as well. Remember to keep an open line of communication with your child's school. The role the teacher plays is very significant to your child's developmental adjustment and recovery. The teacher and/or school nurse must inform you of any communicable diseases, such as chickenpox, that any class member has contracted. If your child is still in treatment and has not had chickenpox, exposure to this virus can be dangerous, and you should contact your physician immediately. (Chickenpox is worrisome primarily after chemotherapy; doctors rarely worry after radiation therapy.) If informed, teachers can deal successfully with problems concerning your child's self-image and relationships with peers as they arise.

Holding a meeting prior to your child's return to school can be helpful in determining any accommodations that may be needed to meet your child's special needs. Check to see if your school has wheelchair accessibility for both the classrooms and toilet facilities, as special bathroom privileges may be needed. Your child may need playground or gym exemptions, if he or she is easily fatigued or has coordination problems. Seating arrangements in the classroom may need to be adapted if your child has suffered permanent or temporary hearing or visual impairment. You may want to discuss modifying homework assignments with the classroom teacher. If your child needs to take medications during the day, it is very important that you inform the teacher and the school's principal and nurse what the medications are for and what their side effects may be. All of these procedures, if reviewed beforehand, will make a child's return to school much smoother.

The level of parental involvement wanted by a child varies by age, gender, and individual personality. It is important to discuss returning to school with children no matter what age to be sure everyone is on the same page and children are allowed to have a voice in the involvement of their parents in their school. For older children, such as those entering high school, autonomy and a sense of independence is viewed as a necessity for many and for this reason the teacher-parent relationship is very important, because although parents may not be wanted by children in their scholastic environment, teachers have a unique view and can not only watch out for a child but do so in a way that is not considered intrusive. In this way, parents can stayed updated on their child's progress without infringing on their child's world that they are more assuredly desperate to reenter.

Adult Brain Tumor Risks, Diagnosis, and Treatment

A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells that have multiplied out of control. There are many different types of brain tumors. Some are benign, or non-cancerous, while others are classified as malignant, or cancerous. Symptoms you experience and treatment options depend largely on the type of tumor as well as its size and location.

Primary brain tumors are those that originate in the brain or tissues surrounding it. These tumors are much less common than secondary tumors, which occur when cancer from another part of the body metastasizes or spreads to the brain. While any type of cancer may do this, melanoma and cancers of the breast, colon, kidney, and lung are the most common to metastasize to the brain.

Researchers have not been able to determine exactly what causes brain tumors to form. Only a few risk factors have been documented. Exposure to radiation therapy of the head may put you at a higher risk for developing brain tumors. Certain genetic syndromes may increase your risk as well. Typically, there is not a clear indication of what caused the tumor to form. Research continues to determine if cell phones may contribute to the formation of brain tumors. At this time, no clear conclusions have been made linking the two.

There are no reliable screenings that detect brain tumors before symptoms appear. Patients may suffer from a variety of symptoms before visiting their physician for diagnosis. The size, location, and rate of growth of the tumor often determine what symptoms occur. Some of the most common symptoms may include:

    Headaches that occur more often and become more severe over time
    Blurred or double vision
    Hearing loss
    Unexplained nausea and vomiting
    Changes in personality
    Confusion
    Seizures
    Weakness or loss of movement in an arm or leg

If you experience any of these symptoms, visit your physician for a diagnosis. He or she will recommend a variety of tests to determine whether or not a brain tumor is the problem. Checking your vision, hearing, coordination, and reflexes with a neurological exam may indicate which part of brain is affected. An MRI allows the physician to scan your brain and evaluate the situation. A CT scan may be administered to determine if there is cancer in another part of your body that may have spread. If a tumor is found, the patient may undergo a biopsy to diagnose the tumor as benign or malignant.

Benign tumors are less aggressive than malignant ones and do not normally spread to surrounding tissue or other parts of the body. Even though they are not cancerous, benign tumors can still be very serious and possibly life threatening. If they are located in a vital area of the brain, exert pressure on sensitive nerve tissue, or increase pressure in the brain, these tumors may pose a serious risk to the patient. Benign tumors are often successfully treated with surgery, reducing the patient's risk of disability or death.

There are three standard types of treatment for malignant tumors: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. New treatments are constantly being researched and used in clinical trials throughout the world. For some patients, clinical trials are the best choice of treatment. Your cancer care team will make recommendations for the treatment options that best suit your particular situation.

It is important that those patients who are dealing with a brain tumor not only get the best treatment available, but also find support to cope with their diagnosis. Talk with your physician or oncologist about support options in your area.

Laura Mims is a writer for FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, which specializes in oncology, cancer care, and cancer treatment in Pinehurst, North Carolina.