All posts by Nancy McCord

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy

What is Biotherapy Treatment for Cancer?

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It's Time to Stop Cancer!
It’s Time to Stop Cancer!

You may sometimes hear immunotherapy for cancer referred to as biological therapy, or biotherapy for short. The prefix “bio” relates to living organisms, as opposed to “chemo,” which indicates chemicals. Biotherapy makes use of natural, living substances that assist your body’s own immune system in fighting cancer.

Biotherapy vs. chemotherapy

Traditional chemotherapy uses drugs to directly attack cancer cells. The main drawback is that chemo drugs can’t differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells. As a result, damage to normal cells can result in nausea, fatigue, hair loss and other side effects associated with this type of treatment.

While your immune system does a good job at fighting bacteria and other foreign bodies, it has a hard time identifying and eliminating cancer cells. Biotherapy uses protocols developed from elements of the immune system, such as T-cells, cytokines and NK or natural killer cells, to harness and increase its cancer-fighting power.

How biotherapy affects the immune system

Biotherapy treatments can aid your immune system either directly or indirectly.

  • Direct assistance boosts the immune system’s ability to fight cancer cells by enhancing its power or making diseased cells easier to recognize.
  • Indirect assistance results from stopping or suppressing the process whereby healthy cells are transformed into cancer cells, as well as preventing cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

Issels® is in the forefront of biotherapy cancer treatments

Personalized immunotherapy for cancer used at our Issels® center is based on special testing methods to determine each patient’s specific needs. Visit our website for more information about our individualized non-toxic therapies.

After Cancer, Cancer Survivors, Living with Cancer

June is National Cancer Survivor Month – Wear the Purple Ribbon

Diverse Hands Holding The Word Cancer
June 5th is Cancer Survivor Day!

We tend to think of National Cancer Survivor Day as a day that’s set aside to honor all of those who have beaten this dreadful disease. However, here at Issels® we feel that it’s also important to remember the unsung heroes. These are the people who have worked hard by their loved ones’ sides to ensure that they receive the best possible care during their treatments.

National Cancer Survivor Day is June 5. On this day, we want to remember everyone who has fought, or who is still fighting cancer and celebrate them and their journey.

The Effects of Cancer

Unless you’ve been through it, it’s hard to completely understand the effects of cancer. Many patients live their lives in a constant state of fear from one treatment to another, and the side effects that are usually experienced after their treatments can have life-long impact. Their caregivers struggle with knowing if they’re making good decisions, and whether or not their friends and family members are comfortable and pain-free.

Providing Support to Patients and Caregivers

If you know a cancer patient or a cancer caregiver, there are many ways you can honor them; not just on National Cancer Survivor Day, June 5, but all year long. Providing a listening ear helps more than you know, and offering to do tasks such as running errands, cleaning the house, and paying bills is very much appreciated. Cancer patients and their caregivers need to know that they are supported and loved, and you can play a major role in making sure that happens.

This year, on National Cancer Survivor Day, June 5, wear your purple ribbon and show your support!

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology

BBC Reviews the “Right” Way to Fight Cancer

Stop Cancer Sign
It’s Time to Stop Cancer!

Cancer is the #2 cause of death in the United States. Untold amounts of time and money have been spent researching treatments, such as the non-toxic protocols used at our immuno-oncology center. But is the fight against cancer going in the right direction? Four experts recently spoke with BBC News about ways to improve the approach toward cancer research.

1. Relax government regulation

Dr. Vincent DeVita, instrumental in discovering the cure for Hodgkin’s disease, points to restrictive rules enforced by the Food and Drug Administration. He says it took three years for his team to develop their program, but today’s gauntlet of hurdles would stretch that time to 15 years.

2. Focus on early-stage treatments

According to MIT assistant economics professor Heidi Williams, shorter clinical trials for late-stage treatments result in more funding. Private funding is usually directed toward this research, suggesting that public funding could be allocated more for early-stage treatments studies.

3. Allocate more resources toward prevention

Political and economic considerations make cancer prevention efforts a lower priority, states Dr. Christopher Wild of WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. He estimates that 40 to 50 percent of cancers could be prevented if knowledge was applied to prevention as well as treatments.

4. Educate the public

Professor Pekka Puska led a landmark experiment to reduce heart disease by educating a Finnish community about the dangers of high-risk habits. A similar campaign could be used to inform the public about the connection between cancer and individual behaviors.

Cancer treatments at our Issels® immuno-oncology center are personally tailored to focus on each patient’s particular needs. Contact us for more information.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Caregivers

Tips for Young Adults on Caring for a Parent with Cancer

Group of college students leaning on banister
Young Adults Can Help Parents When They Have Cancer.

Young adulthood is an exciting time of establishing independence, starting a career and finding romance. Becoming a caregiver for a parent with cancer is a major responsibility that may curtail some of these activities, but it can also strengthen your familial bond.

Here are some tips for finding balance between your caregiver role and your personal life.

  • Set aside time when you can sit down and talk to your parent without being rushed or interrupted. Discuss their medical wishes, including possible alternative cancer treatments. Establish plans for financial management, care visits and any other pertinent issues.
  • After the discussion, use the information to create a master task list. Enlist the support of siblings, family members and close friends to help out where needed.
  • Schedule a meeting with your parent’s health care team to get the facts about your parent’s illness. He or she should be present as well to approve release of protected medical information.
  • Make sure your contact information is kept in your parent’s file. You should also keep a list of doctors, pharmacists and anyone else involved in your parent’s treatment.
  • Don’t feel obligated to give up your personal life. Spending time with friends and participating in your favorite activities reduces your stress level, allowing you to be a better caregiver.
  • Join a support group to get encouragement and advice from others who are or have been in your shoes.

The non-toxic alternative cancer treatments at Issels® focus on harnessing the body’s natural immune response to fight cancer. If you, your parent or another loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, contact us for more information.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Caregivers

Caregiving: Your Role in Their Recovery Makes a Difference

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Let Others Help You While You Battle Cancer

If you are a caregiver for a patient who is in treatment for cancer, it can literally be a full-time job. The American Cancer Society quotes a study that shows more than 50 percent of cancer caregivers spend upwards of eight hours a day tending to the needs of their loved one.

Caretaking is most effective when you are at your best mentally and physically, but it’s easy to neglect your own needs in an effort to meet those of the patient. Use these helpful tips to maintain your own health and quality of life.

Schedule time for yourself

What activities relax you and renew your spirit? Whether it is exercise, reading, painting or any other pastime, plan time to enjoy simple pleasures in your schedule just like an appointment. Include activities that involve contact with others so you don’t feel isolated.

Seek individual and group support

No matter what emotions you are feeling, others have been through it as well. Contact the American Cancer Society or talk to healthcare workers about joining a support group for cancer caregivers. If you have outside employment, check your benefits to see if they include an Employee Assistance Plan or other provisions for individual counseling.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

You’re not weak if you can’t do it all on your own. The demands placed on cancer caregivers are a challenge for even the strongest person. Keep your family and loved ones in the loop and ask for help when you need it.

Our newsletter contains valuable information for both cancer patients and caregivers. Visit our website to subscribe.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Cancer Survivors

New Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy

Happy mother, father and daughter in the park
Keeping Baby Safe Even With Cancer

Patients who receive a cancer diagnosis have some difficult choices to make regarding treatments such as chemotherapy or immuno-oncology. Pregnant women have two lives to consider, placing additional weight on their decision for cancer treatment. Is there any option that will not pose significant risk to the fetus?

Some doctors recommend erring on the side of caution, suggesting a preterm delivery or even termination. The results of a study that was presented at the recent European Cancer Conference in Vienna show that cancer treatment may not necessarily interfere with a healthy, full-term pregnancy.

Dr. Frédéric Amant of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium was the lead author of the study, which involved more than 100 children born to women who underwent cancer treatment within the last two trimesters of their pregnancy. Results revealed no difference in cardiac and cognitive functions between these children and those in the control group.

Since birth defects are most likely to occur during the first trimester, none of the women participating in the study received treatment during that period. Premature delivery was found to have a greater impact on fetal development than cancer treatment. Each additional week in the womb added two points to a child’s score on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, which was used in conjunction with a neurological exam to measure results.

Our non-toxic immuno-oncology therapies at Issels® are personalized to account for lifestyle and other elements of your individual situation. Visit our website for more information about our innovative, state-of-the-art treatments as well as testimonials from our patients.