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Hailed in ancient Eastern medicine as the “mushroom of immortality” and the “medicine of kings,” you’d expect reishi to offer you some pretty astounding health benefits, right? Your assumptions are correct. This prized fungus may be able to boost your immune system, fight cancer, ward off heart disease, calm your nerves and relieve both allergies and inflammation.

“Reishi indeed sounds like a cure-all,” writes Rebecca Wood in her book “New Whole Foods Encyclopedia.” She goes on to explain reishi’s wide range of uses: “An immunostimulant, it is helpful for people with AIDS, leaky-gut syndrome, Epstein-Barr, chronic bronchitis and other infectious diseases. It is used as an aid to sleep, as a diuretic, as a laxative and to lower cholesterol.” It almost seems too good to be true.

How can one fungus help the human body in so many ways? Traditional Eastern medical science explains reishi’s wide range of medicinal applications better, perhaps, than mainstream medicine ever could. According to Eastern thought, the body needs to defend itself against threats to its “equilibrium.” These threats can be physical, such as viruses and bacteria that cause infection; emotional, such as stressors that cause anxiety; or energetic, in that they reduce alertness. Whatever the threat, reishi helps the body maintain its defense against these threats to its equilibrium, helping the body to maintain balance. In this sense, diseases like heart disease and cancer mean that the body is out of balance, which is why an equilibrium-enhancing remedy such as reishi can help so many diverse ailments.

Skeptics can doubt the previous explanation as Taoist “mumbo jumbo,” but laboratory research proves many of reishi’s medicinal applications. As Dr. Andrew Weil writes, reishi “has been the subject of a surprising amount of scientific research in Asia and the West.” Research shows that the polysaccharide beta-1,3-D-glucan in reishi boosts the immune system by raising the amount of macrophages T-cells, which has major implications for people suffering from AIDS and other immune system disorders.

This immune-boosting action also works wonders in the prevention and treatment of cancer, as the T-cells are then able to fight cancer cells more effectively. However, reishi may help the body defeat cancer in not just one, but four ways. In addition to boosting the immune system, the glucan in reishi helps immune cells bind to tumor cells. Many experts believe that it also actually reduces the number of cancerous cells, making it easier for T-cells and macrophages to rid the body of them. Another substance in reishi, called canthaxanthin, slows down the growth of tumors, according to “Prescription for Dietary Wellness” author Phyllis A. Balch and other experts. As a result of these amazing anti-cancer abilities, laboratory research and traditional medicinal usage of reishi to fight cancer is so positive that the Japanese government officially recognizes it as a cancer treatment.

Besides cancer, reishi can help and treat another of America’s top killers: cardiovascular disease. The protection reishi offers against heart disease and stroke is truly remarkable because it helps prevent so many different risk factors, due to its high content of heart-saving substances like sterols, ganoderic acids, coumarin, mannitol and polysaccharides. Experts believe that the ganoderic acids in particular lower triglyceride levels, remove excess cholesterol from the blood, lower blood pressure, reduce platelet stickiness and even help correct arrhythmia. In fact, for 54 people with hypertension unresponsive to medication, taking reishi extract three times a day for four weeks was enough to significantly lower blood pressure, according to a study reported by Burton Goldberg in “Heart Disease.” Just imagine how the incidence of cardiovascular disease could be reduced if using reishi really caught on in the Western hemisphere.

While you protect your body against infectious disease, cancer and heart disease, your use of reishi can also help relieve your everyday discomforts. Do you have allergies? Japanese researchers discovered that the lanostan in reishi acts as a natural antihistamine. Do you suffer from muscle aches or arthritis? Dr. William B. Stavinhoa of the University of Texas Health Science Center found that reishi is as powerful as five milligrams of hydrocortisone, but with minimal side effects. What about anxiety or insomnia? According to “Mind Boosters” by Dr. Ray Sahelia, the reishi mushroom can calm the mind, as well as improve memory, concentration and focus. With all these benefits, reishi truly is the “medicine of kings.”

Article continued: Mr Green Archive

Popularity: 10% [?]

Known in China as a ‘Qi’ tonic, astragalus is one of the most beneficial immune tonics and cancer-fighting herbs. It increases the body’s resistance to disease, strengthens the digestion, and improves the vitality of the immune system. Astragalus increases the ‘bone marrow reserve’, enabling the body to produce more immune effector cells {such as t-cells}, aiding the immune system in its fight against pathogens. In China, health practitioners prescribe astragalus as a daily tonic. Astragalus is often blended with other immune tonics such as ligustrum. Astragalus has a taste of SWEET and a temperature of WARM.

• Treating Cancer with Astragalus
• Treating HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) with Astragalus
• Treating Immune Deficiency with Astragalus
• Treating Spleen Tonic with Astragalus

Astragalus Proper Dose

Astragalus Reference Information

Supporting Research

Leung, A. and S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients. New York: J. Wiley & Sons.

McGuffin, M. et al. 1997. Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Bensky, D. and A. Gamble. 1986. Chinese Herbal Medicine. Seattle: Eastland Press.

http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Astragalus-Herbal-Remedies

Popularity: 8% [?]

By Rita Goldman

Many oncologists are doctors who treat cancer believing that patients should be evaluated for fatigue when undergoing cancer treatment. Fatigue often means that patients have to give up many activities that could be considered normal, because they are too tired to function. There is an argument that you should be discussing your levels of fatigue with your oncologists. They should be providing the initial screening, because they can provide the basic education that those levels of fatigue lead to pain, loss of sleep, emotional disturbances, hypothyroidism and anemia.

If any of those five primary symptoms of fatigue are present they need to be treated within the guidelines of the practise of each patient. Further assessment can include a review of the system of treatment and a total review of all medications, metabolic evaluations and an accurate assessment of current physical activity levels.

There are certain symptoms of fatigue such as electrolyte imbalances, infection and cardiac dysfunction that needs specific treatments but when these are not present then there are non-pharmacological options of treatment. These can include hypnosis to manage the pain, and improve the mood, and aid sleep. This can be in conjunction with a moderate gentle exercise program designed to make activity more tolerable.

Many cancer patients use hypnosis to alleviate their symptoms, but it is estimated that few of them discuss the results of alternative treatment with their oncologists. Many discuss it as a primary option, but once hypnosis is underway it is not discussed again. In fact it should be discussed and incorporated into a regime to manage your levels of fatigue as you undergo treatment. This is because the exact cause of fatigue in cancer patients has not been isolated.

A research study in Pakistan studied one hundred and ninety-one patients (1994) who each had a twenty five minute interview to assess how many of them used alternative therapies. Pakistan is a developing country, 54.5% of all patients used alternative therapies as part of their treatment. Traditional herbal medicines accounted for 70.2% and homeopathy was used by 64.4%. What was interesting is the fact that 36% or just over a third of the people studies used these treatments before conventional treatment was sought.

Only 15% used alternative methods after conventional therapeutic treatment options had been exhausted. Patients perceived that these treatments were less expensive and toxic. They have the opposite problem. The belief in Western therapies is not sufficient, that cancer patients will not use alternative therapies first, thus wasting a great deal of time before employing proven methods of treatment. However a recent American Cancer Society survey revealed that mind therapy which included mental imagery, hypnosis was employed by 49% of the users.

Obviously in Pakistan, dangerous consequences of using unconventional therapies instead of proven medical care mean direct physiological harm and needless deaths, but there has to be a happy medium of using alternative therapies with the full knowledge of your oncologist who is supposed to be coordinating your treatment.

As isolated as you may feel right now, you are not alone. Cancer diagnosis is no longer the end of the story. [http://www.thewordishope.com]Cancer survivors prove every day that this can be the beginning of a whole new positive chapter in your life. Join our unique community of [http://www.thewordishope.com]cancer survivors to be right now and receive a FREE report on Cancer Survivor’s tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rita_Goldman http://EzineArticles.com/?Cancer-and-Fatigue-is-an-Oncologists-Problem&id=2651426

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http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals/cancer-hospital-rankings/

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• Strengthens immune system
• Increases and regulates white blood count and red blood cell count – read clinical study
• Boosts energy
• Activates NK cells
• Stimulates macrophages
• Relieves fatigue
• __________________________________________________________

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia have devised a novel method to expand the number of immune system “natural killer (NK)” cells from blood cells outside the body. They have found that adding such cells to anti-cancer therapies involving monoclonal antibody drugs is more effective in killing cancer cells, and perhaps someday may improve treatments.

Reporting April 18, 2007 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Los Angeles, scientists led by Takami Sato, M.D., K. Hasumi Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University showed in laboratory studies that adding such NK cells to a monoclonal antibody, Herceptin, which targets the HER2/neu protein on breast cancer cells, was more efficient at killing the cancer cells. The HER2/neu protein is expressed in approximately one-quarter of all breast cancers.

According to Dr. Sato, monoclonal antibodies help kill cancer cells by attaching to the cancer cell surface, in turn stimulating an outpouring of “effector” cells such as NK cells that attempt to neutralize the cancer. NK cells alone are often powerful cancer fighters, he notes, but NK cell function in cancer patients can be diminished, and chemotherapy can make things even worse.

Dr. Sato, international research study coordinator Mizue Terai, M.S., and their co-workers decided to try a different approach. They cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which are a mixture of immune cells, including NK cells, for three weeks in the test tube with their novel technique. The resulting population of NK cells increased 500 to 1,000-fold. In subsequent experiments, they showed that the combination of NK cells and Herceptin was effective in killing HER2/neu-expressing breast cancer cells, though the effect depended on the amount of antibody.

They found that the expanded group of NK cells and antibody had little effect against breast cancer cells that did not express the HER2/neu protein.

“It [the results] doesn’t mean that the antibody and the NK cells will cure the cancer,” Dr. Sato notes, “but it shows that using an antibody that recognizes the cancer cell along with added NK cells can be very effective against the tumor.”

The researchers also found that the monoclonal antibody Rituxan greatly enhanced the cancer cell-killing ability of the expanded NK cells against another cancer cell line, B-cell lymphoma cell line. Rituxan is typically used in combination with chemotherapy to treat patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dr. Sato says that the technique can be applied to “any cancer that has a monoclonal antibody available.”

The team’s next step is to test the effectiveness of the added NK cells in an animal model. The group is also in the process of starting an early phase clinical study.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 19, 2007)

Adapted from materials provided by Thomas Jefferson University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Soothe Insomnia

• Reduce Stress
  
• Regulates nervous system
• Relieves stress, anxiety, mild depression, and insomnia
• Promotes optimal sleep patterns
• __________________________________________________________

By: Chuck Arnone

Many studies have shown a link between stress and illness. Stress seems to have become a constant factor in today’s fast-paced society which can weaken the immune system and accelerate the aging process.
We talk about the three most significant stressors, namely, unwanted aloneness, loss of control, and loss of hope.If you can address those three stressors, you can enhance the power of the immune system,which may have an effect on how it’s able to fight those cancer cells and lessen the effects of cold and flu symptoms.

What we are looking at is if you can enhance the power of the immune system by doing things that make you happy, you will be healthier. Immune cells spend much of their lives circulating in those blood vessels.Immune systems of optimistic people have been found to fare much better under stressful conditions than those with a negative attitude.Chemotherapy has an affect on many cells in your body.

There is no question that good nutrition is necessary for a healthy immune system and that means a healthy variety of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, vitamins, fluids, etc. Your nutrition choices as well as your emotions can have a big impact on your body’s ability to keep up your energy levels and immune system.

In one small study, researchers found that moderate exercise (three or more times a week) increased the immune cell counts of women undergoing breast cancer treatment back to normal levels, and also improved the women’s mood and ability to handle their feelings comfortably. A healthy immune system regulates our body’s healing process and protects it against infections and diseases. Premature aging and fatigue are just part of the problem with stress and your immune system. Sleep time is when your body and immune system do most of its repairs and rejuvenation. Tea is a wonder drink as it has the ability to strenghten your immune system and fight off germs.

The field of study that examines the link between stress and the immune system is known as psychoneuroimmunology. Several studies in this area indicate that physical and emotional stress can have either good or bad effects on the immune system’s response. Autoimmune diseases are a result from this attack; the more commonly occurring examples include systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), Grave’s disease of the thyroid, and rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune diseases are very sensitive to any kind of stress and symptoms worsen during that time. It is also interesting to note that many autoimmune disorders, such as lupus and Grave’s disease, occur more commonly in women than in men. A positive attitude, connecting to other human beings, and minimizing stress all have a lot to do with immune system health, as well.

Part of the solution to living longer and being healthy is to protect your immune system. A healthy system regulates our body’s healing process and protects it against infections and diseases. Stress influences our health so profoundly because of the way it affects our nervous and immune systems. Because of the connection between stress and health, stress management should be a cornerstone of your healthy lifestyle. Think about your state of health for a moment. And also the health of those you know. How we learn to deal with stress makes a huge difference in how healthy we are. Studies have shown that how a person deals with stress affects your health.

About the Author:

Chuck Arnone’s research into the immune system and it’s affect on your health can be very informative.

Printed From: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/stress-will-harm-your-immune-system-296958.html

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Naturopathic Doctors Reducing the Side Effects of Standard Cancer Treatments- chemotherapy and Radiation…

As most know, when getting diagnosed with cancer and seeing their Oncologist, they most often recommend chemotherapy and/or radiation. Both of these treatments have vast side effects, including; radiation induced fatigue, burning with urination, bone pain, blood in the urine or stool, nausea, vomiting, peeling of the inner lining of the mouth, peeling of the hands and feet, sores in the mouth and hair loss, to name a few.

These side effects are usually caused by a few things; For patients getting Radiation, they are often told to do a number of weeks, usually 6 weeks of treatment and with constant radiation to one particular part of the body, the burning, irritation, and tenderness usually occurs pretty quickly. Soon after Radiation induced Fatigue will set in.

With Chemotherapy, usually 3-4 cycles are recommended usually providing most of the side effects mentioned above. The problem with chemotherapy is this; chemotherapy usually has its potent killing effect within the first 5-7 days, and then the dose dependent curve of the chemo, in terms of it being effective past one week is greatly reduced. Here begins the problem-is that people are told to do chemotherapy and radiation yet their doctors are not talking with them about what to do to reduce/eliminate the side effects of these treatments.

There are a number of Natural Treatments, including High Dose I.V. therapy, Detox regimens, Supplementation centered around detoxing the liver and colon, diet, Acupuncture, etc that people can do to eliminate/reduce the side effects associated with these drastic conventional Treatments. One such doctor that specializes in Natural Cancer Treatments and Support is Dr. Joe Brown- A Naturopathic Doctor located in Tempe, Arizona.

Dr. Joe Brown has an outpatient Treatment facility in which he works with patients who are doing Conventional Treatment to help them both get throuth the side effects of these treatments and to stimulate their immune system to do what it should have done in the first place before being diagnosed. Dr. Brown’s Treatments center around stimulating the Immune System of people, providing an alkaline diet to alkalinize their body, providing a complete supplement regimen, and providing Treatments from literally around the world to patients. Dr. Brown’s goal is to treat the person with cancer, not just the cancer.

Dr. Joe Brown, N.M.D.
Natural Health Medical Centers – Outpatient Treatment Facility for Cancer Patients-Looking for Natural Treatments
2055 E. Southern Ave., Suite B
Tempe, Arizona 85282
602-421-2613 ph
480-456-8600- Back Line only answered during Business Hours
CancerAlternatives@DrJoeBrown.com
www.DrJoeBrown.com

Emphasis: Cancer – Patients diagnosed with cancer looking for Alternative Treatments

Licensed and Accredited by the State of Arizona
-Winner of the “Princeton’s Top Doctors” -2009, New York
-Winner of the Spirit Award-2008-Presented by Channel 3 T.V.-Good Morning Arizona (http://www.azfamily.com/video/somethinggood-index.html?nvid=258306)
-Alumni Association Ambassador of Southwest College Medical School- Tempe, Arizona
-Past CoHost of 1310 Independent Radio
-Winner of the Hero Award-2008 from 104.7 F.M.-Radio Station, Phoenix Arizona
-Featured in the INCURABLES Series, Satellite & Cable T.V. (Cancer Survivor, Now Cancer Doctor!!)
-Winner of the “Who’s Who in Medicine” – 2008, New York.

www.drjoebrown.com

“There are More Options than chemo and radiation!!”

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Understanding Ovarian Cancer

Author: Lorna Darden

Ovarian Cancer is a women’s disease and it is on the rise. We as women have to take care of ourselves every single day. Even though no matter how much health food we eat and how much we exercise unfortunately, sometimes it’s not enough.

Ovaries are reproductive glands that produce the egg. There is one ovary on each side of the uterus in the pelvis. The egg travels through the fallopian tube and fertilizes into a baby. Ovarian Cancer begins in the ovaries. Many tumors can develop in the ovaries. Most of these are non cancerous, they can be removed by removing part of the ovary, the tumor or the ovary itself. If it is a cancerous tumor it can spread throughout the body and can be more complicated.

Your ovaries have three kinds of tissue:

Epithelial cells that cover the ovary.

Germs cells which are found in the ovary and develop into eggs that are released into the fallopian tube that are released every month.

Stromal cells which develops most of the female’s hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Tumors are named depending on which cells the tumor came from. It could be benign (no cancerous) and cancerous. There three ways to tell what kind of tumor it is by checking all three of tissues.

The Epithelial tumor covers most of the ovary. Most tumors that are found turn out to be this tumor.

The Germ cell tumor comes from part where the eggs develop in the ovary.

Stromal cell tumor comes from the connective tissue that holds the ovaries together.

Epithelial tumors usually do not spread and or lead to serious illness. Malignant tumors are cancerous and can spread to certain parts of the body. Noncanerous tumors are different from malignant cancer they do not grow into the connective tissue and to the stomach. The benign tumor can develop at a young age and even though it can be life-threatening, in most cases it is not. Epithelial ovarian cancer is called carcinomas. 85%-90% of ovarian cancer is epithelial. Here are the different types of ovarian cancer.

Fallopian tube cancer- Is very rare; it usually carries the same symptoms as ovarian cancer. It starts in the tube which carries the egg from the ovary to the uterus. The survival rate is about the same also.

Germ Cell Tumor- The germ cells form the eggs. Some tumors of this sort can be benign. Sometimes it can be life-threatening, only 5% of germ cell tumors are ovarian cancer.

Teratoma- Are germ cell cancers, they are the most common cancers. They usually affect women in their forties and teens, it is called a dermoid cyst, because it looks like skin. It can have different types of tissues like bones, hair and teeth. It can be removed by surgery.

Dysgerminoma- Is a common cancer as well. It affects women in their twenties and teens. It usually is cancerous; some do not grow or grow to fast. About 75% of patients have surgery to remove the ovary if it has spread.

Stromal Tumors- Are mostly found in women in their fifties. These tumors make up about 5%-7% of ovarian cancer. 5% of young girls develop this tumor. The symptoms are abnormal vagina bleeding, something like a period occurring after menopause. This happens because the tumor may cause female hormones; it can also cause breast development and early menstruation in girls.

Ovarian Cysts- Are a build up of fluid in the ovaries. They are usually not life-threatening in women that are ovulating and not going through menopause. If it produces while you are going through menopause and in a girl who has not started having her periods being concerned maybe an option. Your doctor will want to do a check-up after your cycle if you have a cyst. The doctor might want to wait a few months to see if it will go away. The only way to tell if the cyst is malignant, they will have to take it out and examine it. Some cancers can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and medications.

Be healthy, know your body and get regular check-ups.

Health and You

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/understanding-ovarian-cancer-717277.html

About the Author:

I’m a wife and mom of three beautiful children. I live in ILLinois USA. I have been an online marketer for two years and have been writing articles for a year. My main subjects are business and health.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Many women who undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer describe unsettling changes to the memory and concentration. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center say this phenomenon is very real, and have even given it a name: Chemo brain.

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