Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Gynecological Cancer Mortality Rates for Women Increases

Don't Let Stress Get To You! Take a Deep Breath.
Increasing Cancer Rates in Women

While billions of dollars are spent each year on the fight against cancer, the American Cancer Society projects that the number of female deaths from cancer will reach 5.5 million by 2030. That represents nearly a 60 percent increase from the 3.5 million totals in 2012.

What factors are driving this alarming increase? According to the ACS, where you live can make a big difference.

The Importance of Early Detection

Early detection and treatment greatly improves the odds of surviving cancer, but residents of economically disadvantaged countries don’t have access to high-quality health care. The highest mortality rates are in underprivileged nations such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Mongolia.

Breast cancer survival rates also follow this pattern. The five-year survival rate tops 85 percent in high-income countries such as Canada and Australia, but the number drops to 60 percent or less in low- and middle-income nations including South Africa and India.

Lifestyles Can Increase Risk of Cancer

In addition, lifestyles vary from country to country, which play a part in the incidence of cancer. For example, women in China develop lung cancer at a higher rate than breast cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed form in the world. Approximately 50 percent of Chinese men smoke, making second-hand smoke a likely cause of their high lung cancer rate.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: A Vital Weapon in the War against Cancer

At Issels®, we have successfully treated patients with all forms of cancer, including breast and lung. Contact us today to learn more about how immunotherapy for cancer boosts your body’s own natural defenses against the disease.

Cancer Research, Living with Cancer, News

Oral Cancer in Men Jumps 61%, Is there a Link to HPV?

Could HPV Be Linked to Oral Cancer?
Could HPV Be Linked to Oral Cancer?

In the past, oral cancer was usually tied to use of tobacco, alcohol or both. But a sharp spike in oral cancer insurance claims among American men seemingly points to a surprising new cause.

A Dramatic Shift in Oral Cancer Numbers

FAIR Heath is a national non-profit corporation that serves as a resource for information regarding healthcare costs and health insurance claims. A recent FAIR Health report, compiled from a database including more than 21 billion privately billed claims, showed a 61 percent increase in oral cancer claims between 2011 and 2015.

The largest increases were seen in cases of throat cancer and tongue cancer. Breaking the claims down further by gender; a startling three-quarters were filed by men.

Searching for Answers

While oral cancer rates have remained relatively steady, smoking rates have fallen over the years, so what’s behind these numbers? Healthcare professionals suspect a link to human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection according to CDC.

HPV infects the skin and membranes that line areas such as the mouth, throat and sexual organs. The virus has already been determined to be a cause of cervical, vaginal and penile cancers, and now experts are turning their attention toward HPV as a possible factor in some of the 50,000 cases of oral cancer that will be diagnosed this year.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Boosting Your Body’s Natural Defenses

Issels® has long been a leader in state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us to learn more about our non-toxic, personally tailored programs that strengthen and support your body’s own immune response.

Living with Cancer, Stress Management

How Do I Keep My Job While in Cancer Treatment?

Feeling Bombarded with Questions on How to Handle Cancer at Work? We Have Some Tips.
Feeling Bombarded with Questions on How to Handle Cancer at Work? We Have Some Tips.

If you’re diagnosed with cancer, one of your immediate concerns is how it will affect your everyday life, including your job. Can you continue to work while in treatment, or will you even be able to keep your position?

Can Work and Cancer Treatment Co-Exist?

No matter what form of cancer you have, your particular case is unique so there are no hard and fast rules concerning your job performance. Answers will depend on factors such as your overall health, stage of cancer, and your duties.

Go At Your Own Pace

You may find that you’re able to continue with your regular work schedule during immunotherapy for cancer or other treatments. If your job becomes too much of a strain or your doctor recommends that you cut back, here are some tips to help you manage:

• Change to a part-time schedule

• Work from home either full- or part-time

• Modify your working conditions, such as having a desk closer to the restroom

• Enlist help from your family with household chores so you have more energy for your work responsibilities

You’ll need to coordinate any modifications with your supervisor, so be sure to communicate with him/her regularly. As for co-workers, it’s your choice whom you tell and how much you tell them. You may want to discuss your illness only with your closest and most trusted co-workers.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Individually Tailored for Your Specific Case

Immunotherapy for cancer includes personalized non-toxic therapies that can reduce the number and severity of side effects. Contact us to learn why Issels® is the leader in comprehensive immunotherapy for cancer protocols.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Caregivers, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

What Are the Healing Benefits of the Human Touch for Cancer Patients?

Human Touch

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, “the human touch” is more than just a figure of speech. Hands-on therapies can help reduce stress, boost your spirits, and reduce physical pain.

How “Healing Hands” Boost the Fight against Cancer

There is scientific research to back up the positive claims of touch therapy. One widely publicized study involved a group of married women who were threatened with a mild electric shock, but their anxiety levels dropped instantly with a touch from their husbands’ hands.

Chronic stress and depression inhibit your body’s immune system, making it more vulnerable to invading cancer cells. Touch therapy can improve your overall wellness so you’re better equipped to fight the disease.

3 Popular Touch Therapy Techniques:

  • Body psychotherapy goes beyond talk therapy, helping you tune in to bodily sensations that uncover deep emotional traumas. Methods focus on various elements such as muscle contraction, breathing and posture.
  • Physical therapy addresses pain and limited movement in muscles, joints and other tissues. According to one study, women who had undergone breast cancer surgery and worked with a physical therapist had less pain and better quality of life than others who exercised on their own.
  • Massage therapy may seem like a luxury, but it actually triggers brain activity that increases serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical, and reduces the stress hormone cortisol.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: An Integrative Approach

At Issels®, our innovative immunotherapy for cancer uses a comprehensive mind-body approach to attack cancer cells while restoring your natural immune response. Visit our website for more information about our non-toxic, personally tailored treatment programs.

Cancer Caregivers, Living with Cancer

I Have Cancer, Who Should I Tell?

1 Comment
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.

Individualized Cancer Treatment