This article is the fourth installment of a series on Natural Health Therapies and Cancer. The material presented is meant to inform you of complementary cancer therapies that are available in the medical community. These therapies are to be used in cooperation with other cancer treatment methods. They are not meant to be done in place of your physician’s care. In the previous articles, we have discussed the fundamentals of cancer, reviewed a list of causes, explored the various types and stages of cancer, examined the role that nutrition can play in cancer growth, and looked at the use of herbal supplements as a form of cancer therapy. This segment will discuss various Physical Support Therapies and their benefits for individuals with cancer. The specific physical therapies will include Detoxification, Biological Dentistry, Water Therapy, Heat Therapy, Bodywork (which covers such areas as Therapeutic Massage and Exercise) and the ancient Chinese practice of Qi Gong.

Detoxification

I know that I have talked about the practice of detoxification in articles on diet, fasting, and cleansing your digestive system. In the society we live in, we are constantly bombarded by pollutants that directly affect our body. Right now, most drinking water contains over 700 chemicals; over 10,000 chemicals are used in food processing and storage; and over 3000 chemicals are added to the food supply. We directly ingest all of these toxins and they can remain in our body for years. The only way to cleanse the system is through a detoxification process.

There are several different systems to detoxify the body; the length of time for the various systems lasts from one week to several months. A thorough detoxification will address clearing all areas through which the body releases toxins — the intestines, the bladder, the lungs, and the skin. In addition, each system will have a special program of nutrition to help rebuild the body’s healing system.

In order to do a proper detoxification, you should consult with your physician regarding dietary changes, reduction of stress load, massage and skin brushing (stimulates nervous system and lymphatic system), herbal supplements, and nutrients such as antioxidants and probiotics to boost your immune system function.

Biological Dentistry

The practice of Biological Dentistry involves removing dental toxins such as mercury-based dental fillings and root canals that can harbor unidentified infections. This practice has been developing since the 1940s, and focuses on using nontoxic dental restoration material instead of mercury dental amalgams.

Practitioners believe that the mercury leeches out from dental fillings and travels into the body tissues. This process weakens the immune system, providing an opportunity for cancer growth. They also believe that root canals can contain hidden infections, which can directly contribute to the development of cancer.

The removal of amalgam fillings must be followed by any detoxification of the body in order to eliminate any residual mercury that may still be in the body tissues. This is a dietary process similar to the one described above and lasts roughly three months.

Water Therapy

The technique of Water Therapy or Hydrotherapy uses water, ice, steam, as well as water at hot and cold temperatures to assist the body in removing toxins. Techniques included steam baths, hot and cold compresses, sitz baths, colonic irrigations, and full-body immersions.

Water Therapy is used for detoxification as well as for the relief of stress and pain. This is achieved by increasing the blood circulation and heightening the immune response to the application of water techniques at various temperatures.

Heat Therapy

Hyperthermia or Heat Therapy is beneficial to individuals battling cancer because cancer cells are vulnerable to high temperatures. Methods of raising the temperatures include saunas, hot packs, steam baths, or wrapping oneself in hot blankets. Common medical approaches include ultrasound, shortwave or microwave diathermy, radiant heating, and extracorporeal heating.

Ultrasound increases the body temperature by the frictions of the sound waves as they pass through the various body tissues. Diathermy causes the body temperature to rise by electromagnetic energy delivered at certain radio frequencies. Radiant heat is the application of infrared heat to areas of the body. Extracorporeal heating is the practice of removing the blood, heating it outside of the body, and returning it to the body at a higher temperature.

Hyperthermia has been shown in studies to change the structure of cell membranes. It makes tumor cells, easier to attack with radiation or chemotherapy, while protecting the normal cells.

Bodywork

The term Bodywork refers to a wide range of practices such as Therapeutic Massage and Exercise. These techniques provide physical relaxation, stimulation of the circulatory system, reduction of pain, stimulation of the lymph system, and enhancement of the body’s immune system.

Massage helps to relax muscle tension as well as speeding the removal of toxins from the system. Prolonged muscle contractions contribute to pain and interfere with the elimination of chemical wastes in the muscles.

Exercise helps with digestion, weight control, detoxification, and immune system function. Yoga, low-impact aerobics, calisthenics, stretching and flexing exercises are all good ways to strengthen the body’s healing system. The benefits of exercise for people with cancer are as follows:

· Increased blood supply to cells — cancer cells cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment.

· Lymph system stimulation — muscular contractions help the lymph system remove toxins more rapidly.

· Increased immune system function — exercise increases the activity of the body’s Natural Killer cells.

· Increased body temperature — exercise elevates the body temperature to a level that is destructive to cancer cells.

Qi Gong

Qi Gong (pronounce chee-GUNG) is a therapy of slow movements used to develop deep relaxation, enhanced oxygen supply, increased lymph circulation, and to reduce symptoms associated with cancer. This system has been used in China for centuries as a preventive measure. Qi Gong directs the production and flow of qi or vital life force throughout the body. This life force is considered an essential component of Traditional Chinese Medicine and determining the flow of qi is an important part of the analysis of any disease.

The main ways that Qi Gong aids in resisting cancer are by:

· Supplying additional oxygen to the body cells – this is helpful because cancer cells cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment and unlike vigorous exercise the oxygen is distributed throughout the body instead of being concentrated in the muscles.

· Improving the balance in the autonomic nervous system – this is beneficial because the autonomic nervous system controls our ‘fight-or-flight’ response and dumps stress-related hormones into our system that suppress our immune system. Balancing this system decreases blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels, which helps the oxygen supply and boosts the immune function.

· Increasing the function of the lymph system - this is advantageous because the lymph system acts as the body’s sewage system, taking toxins from all the body’s cells. Improving the circulation of the lymph system rids the body of toxins more rapidly and transporting immune system cells to areas of need.

In the next article, we will complete our five part series on cancer as we explore the use of Energy Support Therapies for cancer therapy. These methods include Electrodermal Screening, Magnetic Therapy, and Light Therapy. If you would like more information on any topic discussed in this article, you can contact me through my website. As always, I hope that you have found this information helpful and educational. Remember that you are the one in charge of your health.

Jerry Ryan, Ph.D. is a Natural Health Coach who teaches individuals and group classes on the scientifically documented benefits of natural health techniques. He is also an internationally published author and has been a guest speaker at such places as NIKE World Headquarters. For more information, his website is JerryRyanPhD.com JerryRyanPhD.com

Tags: cancer treatment, chemotherapy, healing

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Tags: cancer treatment, chemotherapy, healing

Research studies are now going on how best to prevent colon cancer as more and more people are diagnosed with this condition today. It is found that colon cancer usually starts in the large intestine, also known as colon, or the rectum. Colon cancer then develops from dead cells that have been accumulated in a lump over a period of time. The risk to getting colon cancer increases if you have a genetic medical background of parents or close relatives who have been diagnosed with colon cancer. Research also showed that that colon cancer is aggravated by unhealthy diets such as ready meals and fast food.

Hence, it is vital that you seek the advice of your doctor should you feel the discomfort of colon cancer symptoms. The symptoms to look out for include unhealthy bowel occurrence such as diarrhea, constipation or bowel infection, severe pain in abdomen, blood in the stools, narrow stools, anemia, intestinal obstruction and drastic loss of weight.

Prevention is still better than cure. So you really should consider the following 5 ways on how best to prevent colon cancer:

1. Adopt healthy habits. Colon cancer usually develops over a length of period before it actually shows. Hence you should not wait till you notice the symptoms of colon cancer before starting to adopt healthy habits. Eat healthy meals, exercise and have an adequate amount of sleep.

If your diet contains too much high fat and red meats with little fiber, you are definitely at a high risk of developing colon cancer. Fat accumulates on the walls of the intestine and rectum, forming lumps of dead cells. You should therefore adopt a balanced natural diet which includes lots of green vegetables, fruits and water.

Exercise helps by flushing out harmful toxins and waste matter which if left accumulated in your body can cause cancerous growth.

2. Know your family medical history. It appears that colon cancer is a genetic disease that is hereditary. As such, if you belong to the high risk category due to your family history, then you should take extra precautions by leading a healthy lifestyle.

3. Stop smoking. Chain smoking increases your chance to developing colon cancer. Inhaling tobacco can easily transfer carcinogen (a cancer agent) to your colon and rectum, thus resulting in colon cancer. Hence, do not hesitate to find ways to quit smoking.

4. Reduce exposure to radiation. Excessive exposure to radiation has been found to cause colon cancer. Radiation rays are harmful and can render healthy normal cells abnormal. By all means, avoid unnecessary X-rays, CT scans, mammograms so that you can best prevent colon cancer.

5. If you observe that you are experiencing symptoms like skin allergies, weak immune system, poor movement of bowels, bloating, etc, then it may be that you have too much toxins in your body. Consider colon cleansing as a way of detoxification. There are a couple of ways to perform colon cleansing. These include consuming herbs for colon cleansing and colon hydrotherapy.

Sandra Kim Leong writes on detox-cleansing.com/index.php/colon-cleansing colon cleansing. Her site also includes plenty of information on detox cleansing, detox diets and liver cleansing. For free articles and tips, please visit detox-cleansing.com www.detox-cleansing.com

Tags: colon cancer

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Tags: colon cancer

There are two types of lymphomas: Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Among the two, there are more cases of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma among those that suffer from cancer in their lymphoid systems; it encompasses over 29 types of lymphomas. In the United States, the cases of reported Non-Hodgkin’s are at least seven times as common as cases of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Characteristics

This type of lymphoma is characterized by a malignant growth of B or T cells in the lymphoid system of a person. There are over twenty-nine types under this category, classified according to the type of cells that multiply and the rate by which they do so. The symptoms that people with this disease exhibit are the same as the general symptoms that people with lymphoma exhibit, including a higher incidence of infections and enlarged lymph nodes. However, just like other lymphomas, some symptoms can be very hard to detect.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Once NHL is suspected, physicians make the person undergo a series of tests that are aimed at confirming if it is indeed NHL, and if so, more tests are done to determine the type of cell growth by examining the cancer cells. With NHL, it is very important to arrive at an exact diagnosis so that the most appropriate treatment can be employed to beat the cancer.

The most often-used mode of treatment is chemotherapy, which involves administering powerful drugs that target cancer cells. This treatment is often used if the cancer is found in different areas. On the other hand, if the cancer is localized, the treatment that is employed is radiation therapy, where radiation is used to target cancer cells in a certain area. In some cases, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are combined to treat some cases of NHL. In more advanced cases, the treatment that is used is a bone marrow transplant, which is aimed at bolstering the body’s immune system, which the cancer has severely compromised. Some of the most recent treatments that have been developed include immunotherapy, using vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapy.

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), is the most common type of lymphoma. Given this, a great deal of research has been done to better understand this disease and to find ways of treating it. Fortunately, this research has provided vital information that can help the people who have cancer as well as those who are treating it.

e-Lymphoma.com Lymphoma provides detailed information on Lymphoma, Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, Hodgkins Lymphoma, Lymphoma Symptoms and more. Lymphoma is affiliated with i-BreastCancer.com Breast Cancer Symptoms.

Tags: breast cancer, chemotherapy, lymphoma

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If you are facing breast cancer surgery or have had a mastectomy or partial mastectomy, there are certain activities you can avoid to bypass extra suffering after your surgery. Here are some tips to help yourself be more comfortable:

1. As you are probably aware, emotional and psychological pain can sometimes hurt even worse than physical pain. With that in mind, you will want to have a support group standing behind you before surgery and after as well. For example, there may be a friend that you have in mind right now who has already gone through breast surgery. She will probably be a great comfort to you at this time in your life.

2. After breast cancer surgery you may experience a sense of imbalance in your body. In time your body will adjust. A physical therapist can help you regain as much movement as possible. He or she can suggest special exercises to help work out the stiffness and help you to feel better physically after surgery.

3. If you have lymph nodes removed, the affected arm may swell from time to time. So avoid wearing tight clothing or bracelets.

4. Use the arm that has not been involved in your mastectomy or partial mastectomy to carry heavy items.

5. After surgery you will want any medical procedures to be done on your stronger arm. For example, receive injections and have your blood pressure taken on the arm that has not been involved in your surgery.

6. For heavy-duty cleaning or gardening use protective gloves. If your arm is swelling, you’ll feel worse having it scratched by thorns from your rose bushes.

7. Protect your skin against sunburn. A swollen sunburned arm can cause a great deal of misery!

8. Be especially careful not to cut yourself when you trim your nails or cuticles.

9. Purchase an elastic sleeve to wear on your arm if it swells.

10. Protect yourself from being bit by mosquitoes and other insects.

11. Your arm may bother you if you have lymph nodes removed, so be sure to consult with your doctor if your arm should bother you.

12. Be very careful to avoid junk foods and eat healthy foods to give your body the nourishment it needs.

By putting these 12 tips into practice after you have had breast cancer surgery, you will help yourself feel better and avoid needless extra suffering.

Learn how to take care of yourself or ease the suffering of a loved one after azhealthtips.com/how-to-take-care-of-yourself-after-breast-cancer-surgery.html breast cancer surgery. Patricia Wagner writes about a variety of azhealthtips.com health tips to help you be healthier.

Tags: breast cancer, mastectomy

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