cancerwife

If you haven't already heard about John Kanzius, this is worth checking out. He himself is battling Leukemia. He invented a machine that beams radiowaves at nano particles that attach to cancer cells. He's not a scientist but basically spent his life in the broadcasting industry. These nano particles (gold or carbon) act like little antennas and absorb the energy from the radio waves, thereby heating up and killing the cancer cells, but not surrounding healthy human cells. Researchers all over the world are excited about this technology.

I've been meaning to write up a short compilation of links about cell phones and the controversy surrounding them. The basic situation right now is that most academics and doctors believe there is no proven statistical link between cell phone usage and cancer.

 Here's a table that lists various principles to follow in fighting cancer, including various strategies on achieving them.

Here's a really fascinating report on topical vitamin C being used to heal Basal Cell carcinoma: Fascinating report on topical vitamin C for basal cell carcinoma. 

The more I read about Vitamin D, the more convinced I am that it is far more important for our health. I can't help thinking that getting enough sunshine might be better than taking supplements. There might be something that sunshine does that goes beyond Vitamin D3 supplementation. Then again, a lot of the reports, including an MD I consulted with say that you cannot rely on sunshine for adequate vitamin D levels. Anyway, this is something to bear in mind.

Conventional wisdom says "apply lots of suntan lotion and avoid the sun". I'm beginning to see reports that a number of suntan lotion brands don't work. I'm also seeing reports that suntan lotion may contain substances that are actually harmful to the body. Furthermore, new research is showing that people may not be getting enough sunshine.

For sure, too much sun can cause skin cancer. There is also evidence indicating a rise in tanning parlor use with an increase in skin cancers.

I came across an article today describing Rexin G. Rexin G Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation For The Treatment Of Osteosarcoma.

It's some type of nano-particle gene delivery molecule that targets metastatic cancers in general. It also claims to target primary tumors. It's currently in clinical trials for the following cancers:

IMRT is short for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. The intensity of the radiation in IMRT can be changed during treatment to spare more adjoining normal tissue than is spared during conventional radiation. Subsequently, an increased dose of radiation can be delivered to the tumor using IMRT. IMRT is a type of conformal radiation, which shapes radiation beams to closely approximate the shape of the tumor.

Honey is made by bees. Bees collect nectar, and carry it back to the hive. They regurgitate the nectar into the  cells of the honeycomb. They beat their wings to dry the nectar and excrete saliva into it. Their saliva contains enzymes that alter the nectar. Ultimately, what results is honey which possesses antibacterial properties - meaning that bacteria cannot survive in it. 

The question for cancer patients is: Does honey help against oral mucositis? I'll try to compile some relevant links to build a case for that.

Radiation-induced mucositis is a normal accompaniment of radical radiotherapy to the head and neck area. Normally, the oral mucosa has a relatively high cell-turnover rate. Exposure to ionising radiation leads to mucosal erythema, small whitish patches and ultimately results in confluent mucositis. Mucositis is a result of imbalance between cell loss and cell proliferation. The intensity of mucositis can be aggravated by chemo and/or radiation.