Tag Archives: Fighting Cancer

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.

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.

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.

 

Tips for Settling Your Stomach While in Cancer Treatment

Better Eating
Better Eating

Nausea is a common side effect that occurs with cancer patients, whether from the disease itself or from treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. While the physical discomfort is bad enough, nausea can prevent you from absorbing valuable nutrients when you need them the most.

Relieving Nausea during Cancer Treatment

Drugs called antiemetics can help control nausea, but here are some cancer treatment tips you can use to naturally reduce your symptoms:

  • Don’t try to counteract nausea by eating your favorite foods. A more likely result is that you’ll lose your taste for those foods because you associate them with the nausea.
  • Sip liquids throughout the day, but not during meals, when it can cause bloating and a feeling of fullness.
  • Sitting comfortably for about an hour after eating helps digestion.
  • Wear loose-fitting clothes that are less restrictive around your midsection.
  • If you’re experiencing nausea during therapy sessions, avoid eating for a couple of hours before treatment.
  • Soft foods such as oatmeal, yogurt and canned fruits and vegetables are easier on your stomach. Avoid spices along with foods that are high in fat or sugar.
  • Track your episodes of nausea to identify specific triggers and adjust your eating habits accordingly.

Issels® Offers State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer

We know that your environment and lifestyle contribute to successful cancer treatment. Visit our website for more cancer treatment tips and contact us to learn more about our individually tailored therapies such as cancer vaccines and NK cells.

Promising New Protocols for Breast Cancer Detection and Treatment

Super Survivor
New Breast Cancer Detection Technique

Past case records show that breast cancer has a history dating back to the days of ancient Egypt. Flash forward to the 21st century, where five innovative protocols are showing promise in more effective detection and treatment of breast cancer.

  1. Genetic Testing

Approximately 15 to 20 percent of breast cancer cases have a hereditary factor. Genetic testing aids in early detection and allows women to consider preventive measures such as prophylactic mastectomy.

  1. Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI)

With MBI, a patient receives a low-dose injection of a radioactive chemical that is absorbed at a more concentrated rate by breast cancer cells, making them easier to spot. MBI has been shown to be more cost-effective than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

  1. Internal Radiation

While traditional radiation therapy requires weeks of daily treatments, internal radiation takes a matter of only days. A small catheter-like device is implanted in a patient’s breast, where it emits a higher dose of radiation in a more focused area.

  1. Antibody Medication

Antibody medication disrupts the growth mechanism of certain cancer cells. Newer formulas pair antibodies with a chemotherapy element for more aggressive treatment.

  1. Immunotherapy for Cancer

In contrast with more standard treatments such as chemotherapy that attack cancer cells directly, immunotherapy boosts the ability of a patient’s own immune system to fight tumors. Atezolizumab, a drug currently used to treat melanoma, bladder and lung cancers, has shown positive results in testing on breast cancer.

Issels®: A Leader in Groundbreaking Immunotherapy for Cancer

For years, Issels® has been in the forefront of state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us today for more information.

New After-Cancer Self-Care Treatments Boost Healing

Create a Positive State of Mind
Create a Positive State of Mind

While immunotherapy for cancer and other innovative methods have improved breast cancer treatment results, women can still suffer from physical and mental side effects that threaten their overall well-being. Many women are finding relief in alternative self-care activities that create a more positive frame of mind and facilitate healing.

1. Brain-Building Exercises

Traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy can sometimes impair the brain’s cognitive functioning. Rehabilitation oncology therapists use tools like game apps to help patients keep their minds sharp and boost their memory skills.

2. Hit the Dance Floor

Dance is a joyous and light-hearted alternative to standard physical therapy. The tango has been found to help patients improve balance, gait and side-to-side movements, skills that sometime suffer during cancer treatment.

3. Yoga and Meditation

Yoga and meditation draw heavily on Eastern medicine concepts of the connection between mind and body. Regular practice clears the mind and relieves stress, which boosts the body’s immune function. Guided imagery is a form of meditation that involves a therapist guiding patients through a series of positive mental images.

4. Natural Medicines

Natural vitamins, nutrients and supplements can work well when paired with conventional treatment methods. If you’re considering this course, be sure to consult your doctor and healthcare team to make choices that will not interfere with other medications or treatments.

Issels®: Creating Treatments Based on Each Patient’s Needs

At Issels®, we strongly believe that a patient’s lifestyle and environment play a role in effective immunotherapy for cancer. Contact us today to learn more about our personally-developed integrative programs including non-toxic cancer vaccines and cell therapies.