All posts by Chris

Cancer Caregivers, Living with Cancer

I Have Cancer, Who Should I Tell?

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Finding the Best Way to Tell Others you Have Cancer.
Finding the Best Way to Tell Others you Have Cancer.

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, it’s important to maintain a support network of friends and family, but discussing your illness can be awkward and uncomfortable. How do you decide whom to tell and what to tell them?

Sharing Your Cancer Diagnosis

  • Your situation is unique. How and when you inform loved ones is up to you, not some arbitrary timetable. Take time to explore your own thoughts and emotions, giving yourself permission to experience them honestly.
  • Once you’re ready to start telling others, make a list of those you want to talk to in person. This group will most likely include your spouse or significant other along with other family members, followed by close friends. You may want to let these people break the news to more casual acquaintances.
  • If you work, not everyone in the office has to have the same level of information. You should tell your supervisor and human resources manager, since treatment will probably affect your work schedule. With co-workers, you might want to let them know with a general email or statement and then share details individually as you see fit.

Handling the Reactions

  • Most people will offer assistance, so be prepared with an answer. If you do want help, give them specific suggestions.
  • Sometimes people make inappropriate or thoughtless comments. Keep in mind that such behavior stems from their own discomfort or insecurities and shouldn’t be taken personally.

Personally Tailored Immunotherapy for Cancer Programs

At Issels®, we have decades of successful experience using immunotherapy for cancer to bolster our patients’ natural defense mechanisms. Visit our website to learn more.

Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Which Sleep Disorders Impact Cancer Patients?

Can't Sleep?
Can’t Sleep?

Sleep in the mechanism that allows your body time to repair and recharge itself, both mentally and physically. While sleep is necessary for good health at any time, it’s even more essential if you’re living with cancer.

The Anatomy of Sleep Cycles

While you’re not consciously aware of it, there are two distinct phases to sleep:

  • REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the time when your brain is active.
  • NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep is the restful phase, which includes four stages ranging from light to deep.

One full sleep cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes, with a NREM phase followed by a REM phase. This pattern repeats four to six times during the night, depending on the total length of sleep. Any interruption in the cycle prevents the brain from fully completing its restorative tasks.

Sleep Disorders and Cancer

The National Cancer Institute identifies the five major sleep disorders as:

  • Insomnia or the inability to fall asleep and remain asleep
  • Sleep apnea, where a patient actually stops breathing for several seconds at different times during the night
  • Hypersomnia, which causes difficulty staying awake during daytime hours
  • Circadian rhythm disorder, in which the entire sleep-wake cycle is skewed
  • Parasomnia encompasses unusual behavior such as walking or eating while asleep

Chronic lack of sleep can interfere with your ability to care for yourself during treatment while it saps your energy and increases the risk of depression.

Issels® Offers Immunotherapy for Cancer Designed for Your Specific Needs

Our integrative immunotherapy for cancer treatments are focused on boosting your body’s natural abilities to fight the disease. Visit our website for more information.

Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Do Depression and Stress Lead to the Spread of Cancer?

Don't Let Stress Get To You! Take a Deep Breath.
Don’t Let Stress Get To You! Take a Deep Breath.

It’s been well-documented that stress and depression can cause a wide range of physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems such as chronic joint pain, listlessness, and lack of concentration. Do these mental difficulties have any effect on the onset or spread of cancer?

The Connection between Stress and Cancer

An article published on the National Institutes of Health website gives a comprehensive overview of studies on the link between stress and cancer. While there is little evidence to suggest that stress and depression can trigger the development of tumors, there is strong evidence to support a relationship between stress and cancer metastasis.

Metastasis occurs when malignant cancer cells break free of their original location and spread to other parts of the body, forming new tumors. Researchers have discovered that chronic stress and depression activate hormones that promote angiogenesis, which is the process of creating new blood vessels.

While angiogenesis plays an important role in the healing process, it also provides the dedicated blood supply needed for cancer cells to grow and spread. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that’s in short supply in patients experiencing chronic stress or depression, inhibits angiogenesis and impacts the tumor microenvironment.

Combating Stress and Depression

The role of dopamine in restricting angiogenesis makes it a promising factor in immunotherapy for cancer. Having a strong support system can also relieve stress and depression while improving the outcome of treatment.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Boosting Your Body’s Natural Defenses

At Issels®, our state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments target both the tumor and its microenvironment. Contact us to learn more about our integrative, personally tailored protocols.

Cancer Care Tips, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

Which Foods Have Probiotic Benefits for Cancer Care?

Which Foods Have Probiotic Benefits for Cancer Care?
Which Foods Have Probiotic Benefits for Cancer Care?

Have you been hearing about the dietary benefits of probiotics? These live microorganisms found in fermented dairy products create a balance of “good” bacteria in your gut. In addition to promoting digestive health, probiotics appear to have properties that serve as protection against cancer.

Simply adding these foods to your diet can reduce problems such as gas and diarrhea while aiding the ability of your immune system to fight tumors.

Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the more publicized sources of probiotics. Look for brands that include “live and active cultures.”

Sauerkraut

The pasteurization process kills probiotics, so opt for the unpasteurized variety, which also includes vitamins that help prevent infections. If you like it on the spicy side, the popular Korean dish kimchi has the same properties.

Soft Cheeses

Probiotics are sometimes too fragile to survive in the digestive tract, but certain types found in fermented soft cheeses such as Gouda hold up well.

Kefir

During immunotherapy for cancer, beverages may be easier on your stomach than food. Kefir is a yogurt-like drink that originated with the shepherds in Eurasia’s Caucasus Mountains.

Sourdough Bread

The organisms that give sourdough bread its distinctive tang are loaded with probiotics.

Supplements

While probiotics come in convenient capsule, tablet, liquid and powder forms, they lack the additional nutrients provided by foods and beverages. Talk to your doctor before beginning a course of supplements.

Issels®: The Leader in State-of-the-Art Immuno-Oncology

A healthy diet is part of the integrative approach we follow at Issels®. Contact us to learn how our non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer treatment is tailored to accommodate your individual lifestyle, environment and other factors.

 

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

How to Lower Your Stress Level during Cancer Treatment

Lower Stress
Lower Stress

Psychological stress is a normal part of life, and moderate amounts can even help you perform better by improving focus and motivation. But stress can reach unmanageable levels when a person feels a lack of control over their life. How does extended stress affect cancer patients?

Physical Effects of Stress

At present, a direct link between stress and the development of cancer is weak at best. However, it can be an indirect cause due to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as smoking or drinking that carry an increased risk of cancer.

More significantly, chronic stress can weaken the immune system, thereby giving cancer a greater chance to gain a foothold. Studies on mice carrying human tumors have shown that the cancer was more likely to grow and metastasize when the mice were subjected to stressful conditions.

Stress Relief Methods

Stress-related depression and anxiety can seriously affect a cancer patient’s quality of life and even cause them to forgo treatment. Having a strong support system is an effective means of combating harmful stress.

Other techniques to release stress include:

  • Counseling and therapy, both individual and group
  • Cancer education sessions
  • Meditation and relaxation training, such as yoga
  • Exercise and physical activity
  • Medication to treat depression and anxiety

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Defense against the Effects of Stress

Stress is one of the lifestyle and environmental factors that make each cancer patient’s case unique. At Issels®, our individually tailored immunotherapy for cancer treatments boost the immune system’s ability to fight tumors naturally. Contact us to learn more about our state-of-the-art protocols such as cancer vaccines and hyperthermia.

 

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer

The Issels Story – a Focus on Immunotherapy

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Another Step in Stopping Cancer
We Are Dedicated to Stopping Cancer

Immunotherapy for cancer has been a hot topic in the news lately, but the methods are far from new. Our founder, Dr. Josef Issels, was a pioneer in the field of integrative immuno-oncology dating back to the mid-20th century.

Josef Issels: A Life Dedicated to Fighting Cancer

Dr. Issels began his trailblazing path in 1948, conducting extensive research on the causes of cancer while working in his native Germany. His studies focused on the role of the immune system in fighting cancer as well as microbial aspects of the disease.

In 1951, Dr. Issels founded the first hospital in the world devoted exclusively to integrative immunotherapy, focusing on patients for whom traditional treatments had failed. The revolutionary Issels program went above and beyond standard tumor-centered treatments, and many patients experienced partial or total long-term remission.

As the integrative procedures developed by Dr. Issels continued to generate successful results, the hospital added 35 beds in 1970 for a total of 125. The scope of research also expanded to include programs such as vaccines, hypothermia and mycoplasma.

After Dr. Issels retired, he brought his innovative immuno-oncology programs to America. Since his death in 1998, his wife, Ilse Marie, has continued his work alongside their sons, Christian and Hellmut. The trio has maintained the same dedication and level of excellence set forth by Dr. Issels.

Issels® Continues to Lead the Way in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Nearly 70 years later, our patients continue to benefit from the foresight and tireless work of Josef Issels. Contact us for more information about our state-of-the-art programs that are personally tailored to meet each patient’s specific needs.