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When someone gets diagnosed with cancer, it’s not only that person who suffers. It’s everyone around them, too! Watching someone you know and love go through chemotherapy is frustrating! You want to help but don’t know what can be done to make the other person happier and healthier. You would do anything in your power to help them get through this difficult time in their life NOW and put it in their past.

By : Dr. Donna Schwontkowski

Certainly there must be something that can be done to help your friend or loved one with cancer.

One solution is all natural herbs that can be used to strengthen the immune system and help regulate blood cell counts. These can be used as an adjunct to chemotherapy and in many cases used the same day that chemotherapy is given.

Just as drugs can affect many of the body systems, so can herbs. For example, one herb, cat’s claw from the Amazon rainforest, boosts white blood cell count and function both 34%, but also has chemical constituents in it for improving depression. In Peru, herbalists sometimes recommend placing the herb underneath the pillow and say that the next morning, a new attitude will be found.

Because of the ability of all natural herbs such as cat’s claw to affect the mind as well as the immune system, this herb is frequently found in all natural herb combination for chemotherapy patients.

Reducing Chemotherapy Side Effects Strengthens the Body

One particular herbal combination I have found recently that has been tested and researched has actions that include activating the natural killer cells that fight against cancer, relieving fatigue and boosting energy levels of those on a treatment program of chemotherapy. What a wonderful combination of benefits from something natural.

This is a major feat in itself because chemotherapy drugs are good at killing cancer cells, but during the process, normal cells are also damaged. When cells are damaged, they need to be repaired and the process can leave one feeling fatigued, weak and also susceptible to infection.

Nausea, vomiting and even pain are also common side effects. About half of chemotherapy patients report that they feel queasy even before the chemotherapy treatment session begins! It’s as if the body remembers feeling nausea from the last treatment session and is getting ready to start feeling the same thing again!

Natural herbal medicine is one of the best choices to reduce chemotherapy side effects because natural herbs often work on multiple body systems simultaneously, supporting the body functions holistically.

One proprietary formula of 15 all natural herbs has shown clinical results in an average of 7 days. The formula has a surprisingly pleasant taste and is reported by many cancer sufferers to change their condition from being bedridden to leading normal lives and even getting back to work.

The herbs included in this formula are:

Ligustrum Lucidum (fruit)

Polygonatum (root)

Poria (seed)

Codonopsis (root)

Psoralea (fruit)

Lycium (fruit)

Astragalus (root)

Dong Quai (root)

Tangerine (fruit peel)

Dendrobium (stem)

Chinese Licorice (root)

Spatholobus (stem)

Rehmannia (root)

Bai-zhu Atractylodes (root)

Reishi Mushroom (whole)

Dozens of research studies have reported that many of the all natural herbs in formulas like this are well known immune stimulators and have anti-cancer properties. They repair cellular damage, important when someone has cancer. Bai-zhu Atractylodes stimulates the two component parts of the immune system, the T cells and the B cells, producing more antibodies and more interferon and is known for its anti-cancer properties. Reishi Mushrooms promote the production of natural killer cells. Because of the actions of these all natural herbs, many cancer patients taking a combination such as this notice relief of anemia, relief of chronic fatigue, and relief from abnormal blood counts.

One of the big keys to recovering from cancer is regaining strength. Once this happens, the cancer patient feels better both physically and mentally and hope sets in.

For more info on herbal formulas that may help reduce chemotherapy side effects, see the website http://www.immuneenhance.com

Dr. Donna Schwontkowski is a master herbalist and a retired chiropractic physician. She is internationally known for her work in the field of herbs. Her website is http://www.drdonna.info

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View the specialists from the Northern California Melanoma Center, www.melanomacenter.com, answer commonly asked questions.

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Strengthens & Balances the Immune System

Secondary Benefits

• Regulates blood cell counts
• Boosts energy
• Activates NK cells
• Stimulates macrophages
• Relieves fatigue

By Anju Shandilya
Published: 1/2/2008

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By Reshma Jirage

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ScienceDaily-  Scientists have used multiple tactics to rev up both innate and adaptive immunity to enhance the body’s ability to fight cancer.

“The problem with cancer is that it becomes part of what the immune system identifies as ’self’ and there are ways the body learns to tolerate ’self’ to prevent immune attack,” says the study’s senior investigator, Linda Sherman, Ph.D., a professor in the Scripps Research Department of Immunology. “Hitting it with these new tools basically gets the immune system to pay attention to the cancer, and go after it.

She continues, “What is needed is effective and non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer patients, and we believe this work provides a foundation for that. The concepts we have shown are directly translatable to human therapy.”

Stimulating Killer T Cells

In the new study, the researchers basically used two different strategies. First, they worked out a way to force T cells—the immune system’s killer cells—to become active and grow in the presence of tumor “antigens,” the proteins on the outside of cancer cells that can stimulate an immune response. While these T cells recognize the tumor antigens, their response to them tends to be chronically weak because they are ’self’.

“We have been working for years to find ways to coax these so-called low affinity T cells to work better,” Sherman says.

In this study, the investigators tested a novel complex developed by Professor Jonathan Sprent, M.D., Ph.D., a previous member of the Scripps Research faculty who is now at the Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia, and Scripps Research co-author, Professor Charles Surh, Ph.D. The agent combines Interleukin-2 (IL-2) with an IL-2 antibody. IL-2 is a well-known stimulator of the growth of activated T cells, and is often used to boost immune system response in human therapy; T cells have IL-2 receptors on their surface. In previous studies, Sprent and Surh found that coupling IL-2 with a specific type of IL-2 antibody allows the complex to bind better to activated T cells and produces a more robust T cell response.

“The beauty of this complex is that, as we demonstrate in this paper, it has a much greater ability to bind to low affinity T cells, which IL-2 itself cannot do very well,” says Sherman.

So, in order to jump start such an immune reaction, the researchers prime T cells by delivering this complex. When this complex binds to T cells, they grow and mature and deliver a signal to release cytotoxic granules that enter tumor cells and promote apoptosis, or cell death.

“A number of nice things begin to happen,” says Sherman. “T cell growth is promoted as well as their killing function. There is a lot of good activity.”

However, as soon as investigators withdraw the IL-2 complex, the T cells die quickly, as their growth stimulant has been removed.

The “Double Whammy”

The researchers’ second strategy, then, was to also deliver an agent known as poly(l:C) that keeps T cells surviving longer. The agent also enhances the killing power of the T cells by stimulating the innate immune system, which provides an immediate defense against invaders.

“It is this trick of really stimulating T cell proliferation and killing functions, and then keeping the T cells alive, that provides the double whammy,” Sherman says. “The T cells are hitting all their bases, and that is when we see the killing of tumors.”

The researchers tested the system in mice that spontaneously develop tumors. The researchers delivered tumor antigen, the IL2 complex, and poly(l:C) all at the same time, and demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the strategy.

Today, there are human cancer treatments that work in the same way, but they are highly toxic, Sherman says. For example, some patients with melanoma receive melanoma antigens, infusions of T cells, and high doses of IL2, which causes a lot of harmful side effects. Since the IL-2 complex can be used at ~50-fold lower doses than IL-2 with the same efficacy, the use of complex is likely to circumvent the toxicity problem. To further rev up the immune response, patients sometimes also receive whole body irradiation, which produces widespread inflammation.

“We think we can provide two very safe ways to hit these same bases,” Sherman says.

However, more research needs to be done before human studies can begin, including finding an antibody to human IL-2 that works in the same way.

This research is published in an Early Edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published online on October 20, 2008.

In addition to Sherman and Surh, study co-authors were Gregory Verdeil, Ph.D., and Kristi Marquardt of The Scripps Research Institute.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Journal reference:

1. Verdeil et al. Adjuvants targeting innate and adaptive immunity synergize to enhance tumor immunotherapy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 17, 2008; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805054105

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By Dr. Donna Schwontkowski

Medical philosophy is vastly different than all natural herbal therapy. Medical doctors are aggressive in their attack on cancer and try to burn the cancer out, cut it out, or kill it with potent drugs. Herbal philosophy is based on the support of the body’s natural defenses and working with the body until any illness is gone. Both philosophies have their triumphs and challenges. In many people’s minds, the big question is where do all natural Chinese herbs fit into the grand scheme of cancer treatment?

Why Not Mix Both Philosophies?

Many alternative health practitioners and even medical physicians now have decided that both philosophies can be incorporated together and result in a more successful outcome for patients with cancer, especially those on chemotherapy treatment. In the last few decades, clinical research studies have proven that it is indeed possible to  combine medical therapy with all natural Chinese herbs.

For example, synthetic IL-2 is often used as a treatment modality by the medical profession for patients with colorectal cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, and kidney cancer. The chemotherapy drug is extremely toxic and can cause serious side effects. The herb Astragalus was given to patients with colorectal cancer. When researchers and doctors combined their efforts and administered the all natural Chinese herb Astragalus to patients receiving synthetic IL-2, the white blood cells of patients became faster and more efficient. The drug’s effectiveness was enhanced, proving that a chemotherapy natural solution mixture could work, that all natural Chinese herbs do indeed have a place in chemotherapy treatment.

Studies show that Astragalus helps in cancer cases by increasing killer cells. Astragalus also helps offset immune damage from numerous drugs. Astragalus protects the immune system, increases the metabolic rate and increases energy levels. All these functions can only aid a chemotherapy patient.

Researchers frequently comment on the use of Astragalus to alleviate the toxic side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. In the peer-reviewed journal, Carcinogenesis, June of 2007, researchers M.M. Tin et al reported that Astragalus inhibited cell growth and promoted the death of cancer cells. They also found that Astragalus reduced the size of tumors without causing death and without causing a drop in body weight in studies on mice. The researchers concluded that Astragalus could be an effective chemotherapeutic agent in colon cancer treatment and used as an adjuvant in combination with other orthodox chemotherapeutic drugs to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy compounds.

In another study, patients with small cell lung cancer used traditional chemotherapeutic drugs like vincristine, cyclophosphamide and carmustine and researchers added the all natural Chinese herbs ginseng and Astragalus to the therapy. The survival rate increased to as long as 17 years in some of the patients! Again, this proved that a chemotherapy natural solution mixture of treatment could work.

Glycyrrhiza glabra, of licorice, is also another Chinese herb that activates immune cells in human subjects. The Journal of Phytotherapy Research reported on a study in August 2006 where immune cell function was enhanced within 24 hours of ingesting licorice and also Astragalus and Echinacea. CD4 and CD8 T cell counts increased and continued for at least seven days. When the all natural Chinese herbs licorice and Astragalus along with Echinacea were used together, another immune cell function was improved, that of CD69 expression.

There are plenty of other studies that show that all natural Chinese herbs can be used as a chemotherapy natural solution. What we are seeing is that using the chemotherapy drugs by themselves can almost assure one of toxic side effects to come, but using them with the all natural Chinese herbs, the chemotherapy treatment can be endured better and with a higher quality of life.

For more info on herbs that help chemotherapy fatigue and other side effects, see http://www.immuneenhance.com

For more info on articles on health, see http://www.drdonna.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Donna_Schwontkowski http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Place-of-All-Natural-Chinese-Herbs-in-Cancer-Treatment&id=1070074

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Secondary Benefits

• Regulates blood cell counts
• Boosts energy
• Activates NK cells
• Stimulates macrophages
• Relieves fatigue

The cells that are usually affected include bone marrow blood cells, cells of hair follicles, cells lining the digestive tract and cells lining the reproductive tract. Looking at this list of the cells that are usually destroyed, one can start to recognize some the ailments that cause so much suffering to people going through chemotherapy treatment. Now you understand exactly why people end up losing their hair for instance. This is as a result of the cells of hair follicles being damaged by chemotherapy.

Bone marrow cells being affected during cancer treatment is one of the most common causes of many of the side effects of chemotherapy. Bone marrow is a thick liquid in the inner part of some bones which usually produces white blood cells. This damage leads to low white blood cell counts or what doctors call neutrophil. The kind of signs and symptoms that follow include fever, sore throat, coughs, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, burning during urination, shaking chills as well as redness, swelling, pain, and warmth at the site of an injury amongst other symptoms.

Usually because of the high risk of infections, doctors may need to delay further chemotherapy doses. These are some of the factors that cause so much suffering amongst cancer patients.

Fortunately new research and clinical trials offers some hope in greatly alleviating problems related to cancer and cancer treatment. For example natural herbal medicines have been used for hundreds of years and now regularly complement mainstream care in managing symptoms, boosting the immune system and greatly enhancing the quality of life. Actually many cancer patients going through chemotherapy have reported impressive results from natural herbal medicine in addressing the side effects of chemotherapy.

Get more information on the Side Effects Of Chemotherapy

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White blood cells are an important part of the human body’s immune system. Their count decreases due to different causes and leads to various health problems. Here is some useful information about low white blood cell count.

Blood is a liquid connective tissue, composed of plasma and different types of cells. Blood plays an important role in supplying oxygen and nutrients to all the body organs. Its two major functions are: 1. Transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide, ions, food molecules such as lipids, glucose and amino acids, hormones and wastes 2. Protection of the body against infection and foreign bodies. It consists of different types of cells such as Red Blood Cells (RBCs), White Blood Cells (WBCs) and Platelets/thrombocytes.

What are White Blood Cells?

White blood cells or leukocytes are the cells of the immune system. They protect the body against the foreign materials and infections. They are divided into two categories such as granulocytes and agranulocytes. The granulocytes are of three types such as neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils. Lymphocytes and monocytes are the agranulocytes. The normal count of white blood cells is 4,000-10,000/mm3. They have a short lifespan, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. These cells offer defensive properties to blood in order to fight against the infections and the invading foreign bodies such as bacteria and viruses. If number of leukocytes increases than the normal count, the condition is known as leukemia. If the white blood cell count is below normal, it is known as leukopenia. There may be decrease in individual leukocyte percentage, e.g. neutropenia, i.e., a decrease in number of neutrophils. The reduction of all types of white blood cells is known as panleukopenia.

Causes of Low White Blood Cell Count

An abnormal low white blood cell count is associated with a number of causes and medical conditions. Some of the causes of leukopenia are aplastic anemia, chemotherapy, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, liver diseases, spleen diseases, a deficiency of vitamins and minerals such as zinc and copper, and autoimmune diseases. Certain infections such as viral infections can cause low white blood cell count. Some of the medications including chemotherapy drugs, some of the antibiotics and immunosuppressive drugs also lead to leukopenia. Certain bone marrow diseases such as myelodysplastic syndrome or leukemia reduce the white blood cell count. Sometimes, the exact cause of leukopenia is not known, it is referred to as idiopathic.

Symptoms of Low White Blood Cell Count

When the white blood cell count is reduced, the body tends to catch the infection easily. Fever is the first indication of infection. The gastrointestinal system and bladder are the areas of potential infection. Hence, watch for the symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, rectal bleeding and urination problems. Mouth sores, sore gums or canker sores also indicate the decreased white blood cell count. Sore throat, cough, headache and sneezing are the signs of lung or sinus infection. Whenever you notice these symptoms, consult the doctor and if needed, have the blood test to determine the white cell count.

Effects of Low White Blood Cell Count

A reduction in white blood cell count leads to weakened immune system, as these cells are an integral part of the immune system. A person with low white blood cell count is at higher risk of bacterial, fungal and viral infections due to a compromised immune system. The infections of gastrointestinal system, lungs, throat and bladder are are some typical examples of low white blood cell count infections.

Treatment for Low White blood Cell Count

When you notice the symptoms of infection due to leukopenia, you should immediately consult the doctor. Complete blood count and absolute neutrophil count are the commonly recommended tests for the diagnosis of leukopenia. Sometimes, a bone marrow examination is suggested by the doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

The medications used to treat leukopenia are known as ‘growth factors’. They consist of cytokines, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce more number of white cells. Two commonly prescribed drugs are filgrastim and pegfilgrastim. Some antimicrobial medications and antibiotics are also prescribed by the doctors to treat the infections. If low white blood cell count is due to the chemotherapy drugs, it is advised to delay the chemotherapy treatment or reduce the chemotherapy dose. Have a balanced and nutritious diet.

Precautions for People with Low White Blood Cell Count

People with low white blood cell count need to take some precautions in order to minimize the risk of infection. Hands are the means of a spread of infections. Hence, wash your hands frequently with soap and plenty of water. Dry and chapped skin is more prone to infection. In order to keep your skin moisturized, use a body lotion after each wash. Try to avoid large crowds in order to avoid any contact with the infected and sick people. Stay away from the things that can cause cuts or wounds on your skin. Wear gloves and mask whenever possible. If you have any kind of wound or trauma, get it treated immediately.

By Reshma Jirage
Published: 6/27/2008

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By Nicholas Mulcahy, HealthDay  -

Breast cancer patients who develop anemia during chemotherapy face almost three times the risk of a recurrence in the same area of the affected breast, new research suggests.

The Austrian study was a re-analysis of information from a clinical trial that took place in the 1990s. Importantly, the findings also indicated that anemia did alter overall survival or significantly increase the risk of cancer occurring in a patient’s other breast or spreading elsewhere in the body. Anemia, a common side effect of chemotherapy, is a low red blood cell count that can cause fatigue and reduced quality of life.

“This study is definitely not aimed at changing current practice,” said study author Dr. Peter Dubsky, of the Medical University of Vienna. “This is a retrospective analysis that has yielded quite controversial data. The conclusion from our study is aimed at experimental and clinical oncologic research. Anemia is associated with a high likelihood of tumor hypoxia [too little oxygen in the blood].”

The chemotherapy used in the study was a combination of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF). The problems of anemia and related local recurrence are probably not limited to just this form of chemotherapy, noted Dr. Douglas Yee, director of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. “I think this effect would be seen with any chemotherapy.”

CMF is no longer commonly used in the treatment of breast cancer and has been replaced by other forms of chemotherapy such as taxanes, added Dr. Barry C. Lembersky, a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Also, there is a trend in breast cancer treatment to use chemotherapy less often, he said.

“Nowadays, there is a more selective use of chemotherapy, which tends to be used when a tumor is not stimulated by estrogen, lymph nodes are involved, or the genetic/clinical profile is suited for chemotherapy,” he explained.

In the Austrian study, CMF therapy was used as an additional treatment in 424 patients who were premenopausal and who underwent surgery as their main treatment for early-stage breast cancer. All had estrogen receptor-positive malignancies. The findings were published in the April 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

The surgery was either a breast-conserving lumpectomy, which required additional radiation, or a modified radical mastectomy, for which radiation was optional. The radiation was given in the middle of chemotherapy treatment process, which is now an outdated method, Yee noted. “We tend not to do this kind of sandwich technique anymore,” he explained.

After an average follow-up of 61 months, 39 local relapses occurred among the 424 women: 6.9 percent in patients without anemia and 19.5 percent in patients with anemia. The five-year rates of local relapse were 8.2 percent among patients without anemia and 19.6 percent among patients with anemia.

In addition to anemia, two other factors — an older age at diagnosis and positive lymph node status — significantly increased the risk of a local recurrence of breast cancer. According to an analysis of the range of factors examined in the study, patients with anemia had a 2.96-fold increased relative risk of a local recurrence.

Since the Austrian research was conducted, the treatment of anemia in breast cancer patients has become controversial, Lembersky noted.

“Erythropoietin-stimulating agents are indicated for use by the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] when red blood cell counts are too low,” he said. “However, there is now controversy about their use due to the possible increase in tumor growth in breast cancer.”

Dubsky agreed.

“I am sure you are aware of the recent pitfalls in the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs),” he said. “Given this context, we should start discussing anemia more in the context of tumor hypoxia and look for targets that are distinct from erythropoiesis.”

More informationHere’s more on the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.

content by:

SOURCES: Peter Dubsky, M.D., Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Douglas Yee, M.D., director, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Minneapolis; Barry C. Lembersky, M.D., clinical associate professor, medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; April 1, 2008, Clinical Cancer Research

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ScienceDaily — Using Chinese herbs either alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy may help protect a breast cancer patient’s bone marrow and immune system, as well as improving the woman’s overall quality of life.

Sixty per cent of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience a range of significant short term side effects. These include nausea, vomiting and fatigue, as well as inflammation of the gut lining, decreased numbers of red and white blood cells and decreased numbers of blood platelets.

Chinese medicinal herbs include mixtures of herbal compounds or extracts from herbs, and they are prescribed to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy. This Cochrane Systematic Review set out to see if there is conventional evidence indicating that these medicines are safe and whether there is evidence that the medicines are effective.

The researchers identified seven randomised studies involving 542 patients with breast cancer. By analysing these data, the researchers concluded that there was no evidence that the Chinese medicinal herbal treatment caused harm, and some evidence that it might reduce side effects.

“Further trials are needed before the effects of traditional Chinese medicines for people with breast cancer can be evaluated with any real confidence,” says Assistant Professor Jing Li, who works at the Chinese Cochrane Centre in Chengdu, China.

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