Archive for August, 2010

Lung Cancer-Non-Smokers at Risk!

August 23rd, 2010 by Peter



Most of us non-smokers feel we’ve got little to worry about when it comes to lung cancer. After all, isn’t it the disease of smokers? According to recent studies in the British Medical Journal, people who have never smoked before as well as ex-smokers, are all at risk of developing the disease. In fact, about 50,000 deaths per year can be attributed to second hand smoke and toxic fumes. Lung cancer does not limit itself to smokers.

Although rarely discussed, exposure to toxic fumes in the workplace or environmental toxins in the air contribute to a significant number of deaths from lung cancer. For example, occupational exposure to diesel motor emissions, asbestos, and paint was found to be significantly correlated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In addition, a study on smokers from Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention showed that the fumes from frying oil, meat, or barbecuing have been found to also significantly increase the risk of lung cancer. This means working in a kitchen can put you at higher risk too. These carcinogenic fumes are toxic, and daily or weekly exposure to them causes oxidative damage in the lungs as well as to our DNA.

Another surprising finding is that if your parents smoked in the house during your childhood and adolescence, your risk of lung cancer is double as an adult even if you yourself don’t smoke. Parents, think again lighting up your next cigarette! This year, lung cancer will kill about 163,500 Americans and remains the number one cause of cancer deaths taking more lives than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.

What can we do to protect ourselves?

If you are a smoker, you must make quitting a priority in your life as well as follow a nutritional and supplement program to protect your lungs. For those of you who are non-smokers or who may have smoked at some point, protecting your lungs is also very important. There are some simple things you can do to decrease your risks:

1) Eat your broccoli and arugula

Over 125 published scientific papers have shown the exceptional protective effect of the Brassica vegetables on lung cancer and other cancers. These Brassica veggies including watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli sprouts, Brussels Sprouts, arugula, and kale, have been shown to fight cancer by inhibiting carcinogenesis, excreting carcinogens via liver detoxification, inducing death of cancer cells, and inhibiting tumors! Consuming 500 grams per day (about 4 cups) can cut your risk of various cancers by up to 50%. This is exceptionally valuable research should make the NY Times front page news and be implemented as first line defense in every doctor’s office. There is nothing more powerful you can do to protect yourself against cancer than to eat your broccoli every day.

A number of other impressive studies show that green tea inhibits the growth of the human lung cancer cell line. Green tea of all flavors is known for its ability to reduce angiogenesis or blood flow to the tumor. So, making that switch from coffee to green tea may save your life.

For those of you who can’t imagine washing down your 4 cups of Brassica veggies each day with your green tea, there is a nutritional supplement named Indole Plus by Rx Vitamins containing Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C), the active ingredient within these veggies which has the cancer protective effects. Take it first thing each morning, before you are exposed to toxins and carcinogens. The active ingredient within green tea is also available by the name of EGCG Green Tea Extract.

2) Get your zinc, selenium, and vitamin C each day

Mineral tests on lung cancer patients show that they have lower levels of selenium and zinc, two critically important and protective antioxidants found in foods including Brazil Nuts, almonds, and seafood. These powerful minerals can also be obtained in a good antioxidant supplement such as Three A Day Antioxidant by DFH, which contains other lung cancer protective ingredients including EGCG green tea extract, vitamin C, and N-Acetyl Cysteine.

3) Avoid exposure to smoke or fumes in the air

If you live in a polluted city, jog near cars, work around motor emissions, or fry oils regularly, wear a protective mask. If your job requires you to be exposed to chemicals such as those found in printing companies, nail salons, dry cleaners, or paint supplies, you should also take a protective antioxidant supplement containing I3C and a mixture of fat soluble antioxidants such as those found in Ultimate Antioxidant LS by DFH.

Although we don’t know our individual genetic risk for developing lung cancer, and we can’t readily quit our toxic jobs or turn back the clock on our exposure to cigarette smoke, we can take some very effective and simple steps to protect ourselves and dramatically reduce our risk for lung cancer, the number one cause of cancer deaths. http://www.RockwellNutrition.com

Tags: , , Cancer   Add a comment

Lung Cancer Symptoms

August 13th, 2010 by Peter



The early symptoms of lung cancer resemble the symptoms of other common illnesses. As such, it can be difficult to diagnose lung cancer until it is too late. Also confounding the problem, at least 25 percent of the people that are diagnosed with lung cancer have no symptoms at all.

Therefore, when you get a physical exam, the doctor typically checks the potential lung cancer symptoms against the patient background and considers the age, occupational exposure, family history and smoking history to determine if the symptoms are actually the result of lung cancer.

For example, an 18 female who does not smoke probably does not have lung cancer, whereas a 60 year male who smoked for 40 years might be suffering from lung cancer.

The first symptom that most people notice is a persistent cough, and it is noted about 80 percent of the time that people have symptoms. Many people refer to this as the smokers cough. Lung cancer affects the cells lining the airways, and the nerve endings in the airways detect any foreign substance and try to dislodge it in an effort to keep the airways clean. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer who never complain of coughing most likely have tumors located in the smaller passageways that do not get as irritated.

The second most common symptom is coughing up blood. When the tumor gets larger, it tends to bleed, resulting in the patient coughing up bloody mucous. If this is noticed, then you should get a physical exam as soon as possible to determine the cause of the discharge.

The third most common symptom is wheezing. This is caused by the airways being blocked by the tumor. Sometimes the wheezing is loud enough to be heard when the patient is breathing, other times the doctor will detect the wheezing when listen to the breathing.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should inform your doctor and have it checked out as soon as possible. The earlier that lung cancer is detected the better chances are that the patient will survive.

Tags: , , Cancer   Add a comment

Lung Cancer Prognosis

August 13th, 2010 by Peter



Prognosis deals with predicting about the way a disease spreads and its possible outcomes. Prognosis includes chances of recovery from the disease too. These are two aspects for prognosis of any disease. When a patient approaches a doctor with symptoms of lung cancer, the patient is advised to go through some tests to confirm detection. After analyzing the test results, doctors are able to ascertain the stage to which cancer has reached. Every stage has a specified course of treatment.

There are many questions that come up during and after the prognosis. The patient would first like to know if the disease is curable. Cancer detected in early stages is usually curable. The third and fourth stage cancers are a major concern. If cancer has grown to other parts of the body it almost is incurable. There is however a chance to increase life expectancy, if detected in early stages. Doctors informs their patient abut the stage cancer has reached and whether it is life threatening. The treatment is a long process with radiation or chemotherapy as part of treatment. Prognosis continues to change at every stage of treatment.

Doctors generally inform their patient about possible complications during course of treatment. They also inform patients about treatment required for such complications. Doctors also communicate the survival chances to the patient if necessary. The severity of the disease and possible time frame for treatment has to be considered by the patient.

Many of lung cancer centers have an in house support groups to help patients cope up with the disease. They also help them by counseling on their individual cases and explaining exact outcome of the disease.

It is advisable to remember that prognosis is just a prediction and can change during the course of treatment. Doctors inform patients about the stage and treatment of the disease to help them deal with it and be prepared for all eventualities.

Tags: , , Cancer   Add a comment

Bronchogenic Carcinoma

August 10th, 2010 by Peter

Another name for lung cancer is Bronchogenic Carcinoma. Lung cancer is actually one of the most common of al the cancers in the world. It is also one of the leading cancer deaths among men and women int he Unietd States. Yes, cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. The more cigarettes a person smoks everyday, the more that person is putting himself or herself at risk to lung cancer. SOme other causes of cancer are high levels of pollution, asbestos exposure and radiation. Taking these risks in mind, one should take utmost care not to expose himself or herself directly or indirectly to the causes of lung cancer.

General   Add a comment