Chan’s daughter told us that her mother’s loss of blood was due to the bleeding from her guts. The doctor in the private hospital told the family that nothing much could be done since the cancer had spread. Chan is a worrying-type of person and suffered from the following:

• She has pains if she walks for some distance.
• She is not able to sleep when she feels “heaty”.
• When she is asleep, she observes that her stomach moves and churns.
• Her stools are black in colour.

In December 2006 (about a year after taking Arimidex), Chan suffered a sudden onset of pains throughout her body besides having shortness of breast. Then, her guts bled leading to severe loss of blood. Are these problems related to the intake of Arimidex?

Among the many documented side effects of Arimidex are: hot flushes, mood disturbances, depression, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, muscle and bone pain, shortness of breath or coughing, fractures due to reduction of bone density, thromboembolic events, rash, swelling or water retention, loss of appetite, weight gain, constipation, diarrhea, vaginal bleeding and gastrointestinal disorder.

In spite of the above the medical researchers concluded that the use of Arimidex is “well tolerated”. To get an insight of what patients suffer, go to the message board of cancercompass (link below).

Patient 1 wrote: I have been on Arimidex for almost two years now. Firstly I had hardly any side effects and slowly but surely they seem to be building up, some days far worse than the next. The main side effects which I am experiencing now are aching bones and joints, mainly while trying to sleep at night. Also tiredness and seem to want to just go to bed to rest from as early as 8 p.m. — this is sad as I always went to bed late before my breast cancer.

Patient 2 wrote: I have been on Arimidex for three and a half years. I too, did not notice anything in the beginning but am now beginning to wonder. I always seemed to have trouble standing for longer periods of time — seemed to always want to sit down instead. Last summer (August) I had trouble walking for any amount of time over 20 minutes. In February of this year I had a major back trouble with sciatica. It was very, very bad. My Radiation Oncologist mentioned that maybe it was a side effect of the Arimidex. I also wake up four to five times every night.

Patient 3 wrote: I began taking Arimidex in late June and from the beginning had a constant headache, very slight so I didn’t worry too much. Then the bone pain started and got worse very quickly. My oncologist wanted me to switch to “something else” right away.

Patient 4 wrote: My pains are definitely getting worse as each month goes by. I wake up feeling 30 years older. I am with pains pretty much all over the bones and joints from the hips down! I get depression too, very bad at times. Not sure if this is because I lack sleep due to painful nights, feeling sorry for myself or the effects of Arimidex.

Patient 5 wrote: Like you, at first I didn’t notice any side effects. But for the last two to three 3 years I’ve experienced severe pain in my neck and back, specifically in the thorax region. It is truly debilitating at times. My doctor told me it was degenerative arthritis. But as I read your and other women’s remarks who are on this treatment, I have to wonder if it is the Arimidex.

Patient 6 wrote: I just started taking this drug in June. At fist I was fine but recently I’ve been having pains. I wake up several times at night with pains in my arms and fingers.

Patient 7 wrote: I have been on this medication for seven months. I too have much joint pain — pain during the night that wakes me up! I am wondering if it is worth all this pain — there is no guarantee that in five years the breast cancer will not return!

Patient 8 wrote: I have been taking Arimidex for two years also. I feel bone pain, my hands hurt, my headaches have gotten worse, I am depressed, and my appetite is just not there any more. I wake up three hours after I go to bed. I feel tired and drained the rest of the day. My doctor thinks I am a hypochondriac. But these symptoms are real. My cousin had been taking this for four years and her intestine got infected from all the medicine. It started to eat away at it. She died two months after the removal of her intestine. Have you heard any thing about that?

The comments of these patients and the case presented by Chan are real. These are not fantasies of the patients’ mind. The side effects suffered by Chan are similarly felt by other patients. Chan had bleeding from her guts. Reading the comment of Patient 8, who wrote that her cousin who took the drug for four years, ended with an “eaten away” gut, one cannot help thinking if Arimidex is causing similar problem to Chan’s gut.

It is most distressful to see the CT scan of Chan’s liver. The metastasis is so extensive and widespread covering her entire liver. Over the decades looking at liver images, I cannot help feeling that the scan images of Chan’s liver is rare indeed.

The question that begs an answer: “Why is the liver metastasis so extensive?” Only a year ago (April 2006) Chan’s liver was said to be free of metastasis. Why does this happen so suddenly and so soon? It is understandable if there are only one or a few metastatic spots in her liver but to have numerous nodules at once is beyond comprehension. One is tempted to ask if this metastasis could be related to the treatment rather than the cancer itself.

The case of Chan further reinforces my resolve to say this to cancer patients: Cure for cancer requires a change of diet, lifestyle and full commitment on the part of patients to take matters into their own hands. Subjecting themselves to invasive treatments of modern medicine and taking of the so-called “FDA-approved drugs” may not be the only option for them. Look far and wide – there are other options available in the horizon. My experience shows that for some patients, taking the “alternative, holistic” path could prove to be a more humane and effective path for their cancers.

Comments by patients:
For information on holistic healing for cancer: cacare.com cacare.com View patients’ videoclips go to: cacarevideo.blogspot.com cacarevideo.blogspot.com

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Asbestos testing is a very important process, since people know the dangers of this mineral (asbestos is a group of fibrous metamorphic minerals of the hydrous magnesium silicate variety). Most asbestos fibers are invisible to the human eye because their size.

Asbestos testing is necessary, because you can’t tell whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it, unless it is labeled. If in doubt, treat the material as if it contains asbestos or have it sampled and analyzed by a qualified professional. A professional should take samples for analysis, a professional knows what to look for, and because there may be an increased health risk if fibers are released.
Asbestos testing should always be done by an expert.

For asbestos testing the requirement of EPA is the polarized light microscopy (PLM asbestos test method) analysis with specialized microscopes. The results of asbestos testing establish the percentage and type of asbestos present in the sample material.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and with safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. The EPA began operation on December 2, 1970. The current Administrator (as of 2006) is Stephen L. Johnson.

If you would like to know, where you can find EPA regional offices and the list of EPA administrators you need to check the following URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPA.

Asbestos Fiber Analysis (PLM Test Method)

The purpose of the Bulk Asbestos Program is to accredit testing laboratories to assure that they are competent to analyze bulk samples for asbestos testing, using polarized light microscopy (PLM).
National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly the National Bureau of Standards) develop an accreditation program for laboratories conducting analyses of bulk samples of asbestos-containing material.

You can find the accredit asbestos testing laboratories list here: ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/214/scopes/plmtm.htm

Asbestos Lawyers are the lawyers that specialize in the cases dealing specifically with the hazardous effects induced by Asbestos exposure. If you are or someone in your family is an asbestos victim, you will need an asbestos lawyer. More info you can check the following site:
asbestos-lawyer-info.blogspot.com/

Nikoletta Bocz owns and operates asbestos-testing.blogspot.com/ asbestos-testing.blogspot.com/ and asbestos-lawyer-info.blogspot.com asbestos-lawyer-info.blogspot.com
sites. You can find more articles and resources about asbestos and asbestos testing.
Feel free to reprint this article in your ezine, blog, autoresponder or on your site, as long as don’t modify the content and include the resource box above.

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The answer is still uncertain. A team of researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London tracked 160,900 women for an average of 11 years. The participants were divided into two groups: Women in the study group were offered annual mammography screenings beginning at age 40, while those in the control group were offered annual screenings beginning at age 50.

Deaths resulting from breast cancer among the younger women decreased by only 17 percent, a figure considered by researchers to be not statistically significant. However, the study also found that in this group of women 23 percent had at least one false-positive result, compared with 12 percent of older women. (A false-positive result is an irregularity in the screening process that later turns out not to be breast cancer.)

Regular screening also increases the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer, a risk that many endocrinologists believe outweighs the benefit in a small percentage of women.

The researchers concluded that annual mammography screenings remain too uncertain to conclude that a net benefit accrues to women in the below 50 age-group.
Another study conducted by researchers at France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, or INSERM), found that chest X-rays may actually raise the risk of breast cancer in women with the breast cancer gene mutations BRCA1 or BRCA2.

Researchers studied 1,601 European and Canadian women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations, which greatly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. The group included 853 women with breast cancer.

The results show that the women who reported having chest X-rays were 54% more likely to have breast cancer, compared with those who reported having no chest X-rays. That outcome was more prevalent among women up to 40 years old and those who reported having had chest X-rays before age 20.

According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s web site, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are carried by an estimated 250,000 women in the U.S. These inherited gene mutations account for 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. A woman’s odds of developing breast cancer, assuming that she lives to the age of 85, are about 13 percent if she has no BRCA2 mutation, 60 to 80 percent if a woman has a BRCA1 mutation, and 30 to 85 percent if she has a BRCA2 mutation.

It is known that radiation exposure can increase the risk of cancer. However, it should be noted that X-rays typically use low levels of radiation that are generally considered to be safe. It is also known that the younger the age at first exposure to radiation the greater the risk of breast cancer.

The timing of exposure can be as important as the dose. When exposure occurs during the time of greater cell growth of the breast, vulnerability to the cancer-causing effects of radiation is increased. Even in older women who are still having a menstrual cycle, the timing of exposure is very important. The cumulative dose as in annual mammography screenings starting below the age of 40 in a woman with the breast cancer gene mutations BRCA1 or BRCA2 significantly increases the risk.

Breast cancer takes years to develop from the first genetic event or exposure to the point when a lump is seen on a mammogram or felt during a breast exam. It is possible that the initial genetic damage may have occurred very early in life. It is difficult to pinpoint when the initiating event occurred.

Although the medical establishment takes to avoid exposing a woman who might be pregnant to X-rays, a woman should also avoid having a mammography screening towards the end of a menstrual cycle because that’s the time when the breast cells are reproducing most rapidly.

Since young women and women who are genetically at high risk for breast cancer are more affected by X-ray radiation, exposure to radiation should be limited and alternatives should be used in emergencies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses imaging technology different from X-rays, could be a good alternative to X-rays and mammography.

It is the responsibility of each woman to decide for herself (after research) whether she should risk developing breast cancer as a result of routine mammography screenings or risk having the complications of late-diagnosed breast cancer that could have been avoided if detected earlier by screening mammography.

Reference:

Journal of Clinical Oncology

Syble James is the author of numerous articles covering a wide range of topics including health and wellness, vitamin and supplements, food and beverage, and self improvement. She has published several articles on specific diseases such as diabetes, obesity and breast cancer and prostate cancers. As a scholar with the Gerson Lehrman Group, Syble does research, writes analyses, and consults on vitamin/supplements weight loss/fitness, nutraceutical/functional food, MLM and personal care industries for the investment community. She has strong knowledge of product sourcing, product ingredients, consumer and industry trends, sales, distribution and marketing strategy within the above industries. Contact her via syblejames.com syblejames.com or mailto:bella@syblejames.com bella@syblejames.com to discuss this article or other projects.

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The history of asbestos as we know it dates back 2000 years. It was the Greeks who named this mineral asbestos, meaning inextinguishable. The ancient Greeks observed the harmful biological effects but continued to use the mineral said to have magical properties. Pliny (Roman naturalist) and Strabo (Greek geographer) noted an appearance of “sickness of the lungs” in slaves who wove asbestos into cloth. The Greeks also used asbestos for the wicks of the eternal flames of the vestal virgins, as the funeral dress worn by kings and for napkins. They were so impressed with the magical properties of the mineral that they were willing to overlook its harmful symptoms for humans. They went as far as calling asbestos “amiantus”, meaning “unpolluted.

During the middle ages, it was believed that the Frankish king, Charlemagne had asbestos tablecloths. Asbestos products were used in the 1700 hundreds but did not really become popular until the late 1800’s. The industrial Revolution demanded new uses for the mineral. It was used as insulation for steam pipes, turbines, boilers, kilns, ovens, and other high-temperature products.

The history of asbestos use continued into the twentieth century and researchers began to investigate the harmful toxic affects. It was first noticed in 1917 and 1918 that a great number of young people in asbestos mining towns prematurely died. Researchers in England carried out clinical studies on asbestos workers in 1924, after the recorded death of a young woman who had been diagnosed with the new disease they called asbestosis. Twenty-five percent of the test subjects showed evidence of asbestos-related lung disease. Legislation was enacted in 1931, to increase ventilation and to recognize asbestosis a work-related disease.

The 1930’s brought in with it, the surge of major medical research articles, warning about the asbestos connection with lung cancer partially due to a new disease, silicosis, caused by in haling silica dust particles. Much of this research continued to be ignored. Large Asbestos companies continued to use asbestos in manufacturing and construction, despite that fact that safer alternatives such as fiberglass insulation were created to replace it. These companies hid their lung cancer findings to avoid the million dollar lawsuits brought upon them by asbestos cancer victims. The history of asbestos use and company profiteering has no doubt exploited asbestos workers then and now. Today, victims exposed to asbestos are faced with mesothelioma cancer and certain death.

What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber mined from the earth. It is strong, flexible, and resistant to heat, chemicals and electrical conditions.

Forms of Asbestos
The three most common forms of asbestos are divided into two groups. The serpentine group includes white (chrysotile) asbestos. The amphibole group includes brown (amosite) and blue (crocidolite) asbestos.

Asbestos Properties
Asbestos has many properties that once made it attractive to industry. It is stable when heated, it provides strength under tension, it is resistant to chemicals and does not absorb water (depending on type of asbestos). Asbestos is suitable for weaving and can be used to reinforce materials such as concrete. And lastly, it is a good resistance to electricity.

Asbestos Categories
‘Bonded’ is used to refer to asbestos being so firmly embedded in a material that these materials are unlikely to release measurable levels of asbestos fiber into the air if they are left undisturbed. Therefore, they generally pose a lower risk to health.

Bonded asbestos-containing materials include asbestos cement products (flat and corrugated sheeting used in walls, ceilings and roofs, molded items such as down pipes), vinyl floor coverings.

‘Friable’ is used to refer to asbestos-containing materials that can be easily reduced to powder by hand, when dry. These materials are more likely to release measurable levels of asbestos into the air when disturbed, and generally pose a greater risk to health. Friable asbestos-containing materials include sprayed asbestos fire retardants

Asbestos Industry
In the past, the asbestos industry used around 3000 products manufactured worldwide, most commonly in the construction, car manufacturing and textile industries. It was generally manufactured in the following forms: fibrous (limpet asbestos), woven (cloth, tape or sleeving), wound (rope) or mixed with a binder, such as calcium silicate (to make asbestos cement or vinyl floor products containing asbestos).

Because of its strength and its ability to resist heat and chemicals, asbestos was used in a range of insulation materials.
Older commercial industrial buildings and private dwellings may contain a variety of asbestos products, such as asbestos-cement sheeting in walls and ceilings, or roof cladding made from corrugated asbestos-cement. Asbestos may be found in structures built as late as the mid- to late 1980s.

Asbestos Related Occupations
Asbestos has been used in association with a number of occupations such as the US military and armed forces, particularly the Navy. Massive amounts of asbestos were used in shipbuilding and commercial construction prior to the mid-1970’s.

Other workers in occupations which have been associated with asbestos use are:

Insulators, Pipe Fitters, Plumbers, Electricians, Painters, Crane Operators, Floor Coverers, Pot Tenders, Welders, Paper Mill Workers, Custodians, Steam Fitters, Tile Setters, Aerospace Workers, Mechanics, Building Engineers, Demolition Crews, Former US Navy Personnel, Packing/Gasket Manufacturing Workers, Protective Clothing Manufacturing, Rubber Workers, Warehouse Workers, Home Improvement, Hospitals, Schools, Loading Docks, Glass Factory Workers, Building Inspectors, Bulldozer Operators, Manufacturing Workers, Excavating machine operators, Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Job and Die setters, Contractors, Building Managers, Mixing Operatives, Laborers, Sawyers, Teachers, Tinsmiths, Weavers, Excavators, Technicians

Risks of Asbestos Exposure
Humans come into contact with asbestos when they swallow or inhale the fibers. These particles can then become embedded in the tissues of the respiratory or digestive systems.

Three Main Diseases Caused by Asbestos Exposure

Asbestosis
Asbestosis causes widespread scar tissue between the alveoli, or spread over the lung. It is difficult to distinguish from other causes of interstitial fibrosis. Only confirmation of exposure to asbestos or detection of unusually high numbers of asbestos fibers in the lung is considered conclusive evidence of this disease.

Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a tumor of the chest lining, abdominal lining and occasionally the heart lining. Asbestos is not the only cause of this disease, but it is the most important cause in modern times. Crocidolite is the most important asbestos-related factor, but amosite, chrysotile and tremolite are also linked. This disease takes 20-50 years to appear, with the highest risk around 30-35 years after exposure. It is typically dose-related, but in rare cases has been known to occur in patients with little known occupational exposure to asbestos.

Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is relatively common among the general public and is the cancer most frequently associated with asbestos. Tumors grow and eventually obstruct airways. No characteristics specify a lung cancer as being caused by asbestos; we cannot distinguish a ‘cigarette’ lung cancer from an ‘asbestos’ lung cancer or ‘another’ lung cancer. Smoking increases the risk of death due to lung cancer for asbestos workers.

The history of asbestos and how it is has endangered human mortality has plagued different societies since ancient times. Throughout history must of these warnings have been ignored. Today, the use of asbestos is banned in the US and many other countries. This ban applies to manufacture, supply, storage, sale, use, reuse, installation and replacement of asbestos, except in special circumstances (e.g. removal and disposal of asbestos, and research work).

About the Author:

Dave Casey is a medical writer for Mesothelioma-Adviser.com, a comprehensive guide for mesothelioma-adviser.com/ mesothelioma cancer patients. The guide covers the mesothelioma-adviser.com/history-of-asbestos.html history of asbestos, mesothelioma-adviser.com/asbestos-exposure.html asbestos
exposure and treatment options.

Copyright 2007 Mesothelioma-Adviser.com

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