Monday, May 25, 2009

Effects Of Lung Cancer Treatments: The Terrible Side Effects of Lung Cancer Therapies

The effects of lung cancer on the patient's body can differ according to the type and stage of the disease. However, studies are now focused towards the impact of treatments intended to cure the disease in patients.

Although these have been recognized as temporary effects only, it still does produce enough good to the health of the patients.

What Are The Effects of Lung Cancer Treatments?

Since the treatment for the disease is essential to keep the cancer cells under control, several patients have overlooked the possible harm it can bring to their health. These are some of the more common treatment options for lung cancer.

1. Surgical Treatment

Effects of lung cancer treatment such as surgeries can often bring in more harm to the patient. Since it is a major operation, it exposes your chest area into the possibility of collecting air and fluid into it.

Among the side effects known for lung cancer patients who have recently undergone surgery is difficulty in turning over, deep breathing, or even coughing. Since patients typically go through these activities, recovery might be slow.

Activities such as deep breathing or coughing are essential elements in recovery since they enable extra air or fluid out of your lung area.

Among the most common conditions cited shortly after undergoing lung cancer surgery include pain in your chest area or arms, and shortness of breath. It might need a week or two before a patient can find relief from such side effects.

2. Chemotherapy

When it comes to the side effects produced by this type of treatment for lung cancer, it varies according to the type and amount of drugs given the patient.

The hazard comes in since chemotherapy does not solely target cancer cells, but also affect normal cells as well. Below are common side effects experienced by patients treated with chemotherapy:

• vomiting/nausea
• feeling of fatigue
• presence of mouth sores
• hair loss

3. Radiation Therapy

The effects of lung cancer treatments such as radiation therapy stems from the fact that, like chemotherapy, it affects your normal cells. As opposed to the type of drug used in chemotherapy, this one depends on the particular part of the body being treated and the amount of dosage.

Common side effects include the following: sore or dry throat, hard time swallowing, changes in the skin of the area of treatment, appetite loss, headaches, problems with memory retention, etc.

4. Photodynamic Therapy

This particular therapy sets its limits on the normal routine activities of a patient who has undergone this treatment. For six weeks or more proceeding the treatment, the patient's skin and eyes becomes hypersensitive to light.

Therefore, direct contact with sunlight must be avoided if possible, even indoors. Hence, protective clothing must be worn if the patient were to go outside.

Other entailing conditions of photodynamic therapy include difficulty swallowing, coughing, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.

Although the conditions cited above are often considered temporary, they must not be taken lightly. Instead, you need to see your doctor if you notice some of the side effects of lung cancer treatments continue to persist.

by: Michael Lee

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Comfortable and Safe Travel with Children

Holidays would be more fun if we go to picnic or going somewhere to relax. However, if we are traveling with children, sometimes trips may be less convenient and sometimes we get stress. With careful planning, it will be more easy and fun. Here are some tips for a safe and fun journey with children.

1. Get children to participate in planning your trip or vacation. Traveling with your children in foreign places sometimes could bring stress and fear for them. Help them anticipate changes in the environment and their activities included in the planning stage, trip or vacation. This will also help them to welcome a new place if you will bring familiar toys and other things that will make your child feel comfortable.

2. Check your hotel room or accommodation. Hotel at your destination may not be as secure as the hotel in the country, it is best to check the hotel room for the disabled or the cable that may explode to electricity, unsafe stairs or balcony railings, toxic substances in the bathroom and other things that can harm your children child.

3. Bring travel health kit. This will also serve as the first aid kit to help you handle your health problems while traveling with small children you. Your kit may contain health medication prescribed by a doctor if you or your children are under the medication. Drugs must bring their original bottles and copies of doctor's note or letter.

4. Advise your children to be careful with food and water. Children vulnerable to diarrhea and other related food and water, while the disease. Before traveling with your children, you must tell them to be careful with food and water at your destination. You should use only purified water. Advise your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially before eating.

5. Make sure that this trip will be memorable and fun trip for you and your children. Please plan carefully about the accommodation to reduce our budget. Actually when we are traveling with children, the largest cost usually located on the accommodation.

Happy Holidays!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Asbestos Cancers-What are the less common types, the risk factors, and recommended steps to tackle diagnosis?

I got a great article about health. This article written by Bello Kamorudeen
Please check this !

Over the past few decades, millions of people have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos, which is a fibrous mineral that leads to the development of various types of cancers. Although mesothelioma is the commonest type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure, it can also less commonly lead to the development of other cancers such as lung cancer.

Lung Cancer
This is another dangerous cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. There are two types of lung cancer: a-small cell lung cancer, and b-Non-small cell lung cancer. The Non small cell lung cancer is the commonest type of lung cancer , accounting for about 80% of known cases. The diagnosis of lung cancer is confirmed by the appearance of cancer cells under the microscope, in the sample of the tumor tissue.

Symptoms These include:
A}coughing
B}chest pain
C}haemoptysis-the presence of blood in the sputum
D}weight loss
E}tiredness
F}headaches

Just like in mesothelioma, these symptoms do not appear until many years after the initial exposure to the hazardous material. Anyone experiencing these symptoms of lung cancer and who has been exposed to asbestos in the past should seek immediate medical evaluation and examination.

Apart from mesothelioma and lung cancer which are the two most commonly associated cancers with exposure to asbestos, exposure can also lead to a number of other ,very serious life threatening cancers like gastrointestinal cancer, and colorectal cancers. Also according to the National Cancer Institute, exposure to asbestos can also increase the chances of developing kidney, throat, esophagus, and gall bladder cancers.

In addition to these cancers, exposure to asbestos has also been linked to breast, ovarian and prostate cancers, as well as Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Associated Risk Factors For Asbestos Cancer
As with other carcinogens, the risk of developing this type of cancer is influenced by a number of factors related to exposure.

1-The amount of asbestos to which a person is exposed to is an important factor, as the number of asbestos fibers increases, so also the likelihood of developing serious asbestos related diseases increases.

2-The duration of exposure is also an important factor in determining the risk of developing the cancer.

3-Smoking increases the risk of developing the cancer.

4-The presence of other pre existing diseases also increases the risk of developing asbestos cancer. For example, people who have developed non malignant pleural diseases as a result of exposure to asbestos have a greater risk of developing lung cancer.

Recommended steps to take after exposure to asbestos
If you have been exposed to asbestos at any time, you should see your doctor for a medical examination. Most of the cancers caused by asbestos present years and decades after the initial exposure by which time the tumor will have been too advanced for curative treatments.

If you eventually receive a diagnosis of asbestos related cancer, you should seek the assistance of an asbestos lawyer to get you compensation from the companies that knowingly manufactured asbestos contaminated products.