“Discover Current Trends in Curcumin and Breast Cancer Treatment” plus 1 more |
| Discover Current Trends in Curcumin and Breast Cancer Treatment Posted: 02 Sep 2009 11:47 AM PDT Research into curcumin and breast cancer treatment has thrown up some fascinating and potentially useful results. Many of the discoveries regarding curcumin and breast cancer treatment have relied on animal models and test tube studies. None has yet reached clinical trial stage although a preliminary trial has been done. Curcumin (CC) has been found to inhibit the growth of cells of cancer of the breast grown in cell cultures in the laboratory. These include hormone-dependent, hormone-independent and multidrug-resistant cells The compound also showed anticancer activity against mouse breast tumor cells. In female rats, CC also showed a protective effect against chemically induced mammary cancer i.e. if the animals were given it prior, they developed less malignancies. An early clinical trial has been reported where a topical application of a CC ointment was made in seven patients with cancer of the breast. The results showed that 71% of the patients had a positive response measured as a reduction in the size of lesions, less pain, less itching and reduced exudates. One of the challenges that needs to be overcome if curcumin and breast cancer treatment is to progress to practical use is the low absorption: very little of the compound crosses the boundary from the digestive system to the blood stream. One solution is the concurrent use of piperine which increases absorption by 2000%. Another is the use of enteric coating which reputable manufacturers use to ensure that nutrient-containing supplements are delivered to the upper intestine rather than be destroyed by the acidic stomach enzymes. Although we cannot declare that a cure has been found, these are promising results regarding the future of this treatment. One can therefore recommend taking CC more as a preventative rather than a cure. The best way to take it would be as part of a multi-nutrient supplement containing a range of other healthy components. This ensures that all the ingredients work harmoniously together to provide the best effect. Such a supplement would also include critical components that are essential for the functioning of some nutrients so for example piperine to aid in absorption. It would also include other malignancy-protective nutrients like lycopene and resveratrol. Now that you know a lot more about the direction that curcumin and breast cancer treatment is taking, your curiosity may have been aroused. If you would like to know more about the multi-ingredient supplement that I take that contains curcumin and helps protect against malignancy and premature aging, then please visit my website.  |
| Breast Self Examination Saves Lives! Posted: 02 Sep 2009 11:26 AM PDT There are many reasons why breast self-examination is so important. 1.) It is often said "knowledge is power" and this is one instance where such a statement is absolutely true. Breast cancer affects one in eight woman ... it is crucial that every women take the time to learn about the facts relating to breast self-examination that can dramatically impact their lives whether it be the benefits of BSE or an understanding of other preventive measures. Not only will you benefit from early detection should you have a problem, you will also gain a "piece of mind". Although this benefit cannot be measured directly, we do know that chronic stress and anxiety is not good for anyone and does play a role in many chronic health problems. 2.) Breast self examination, promotes awareness about breast cancer as well as other less serious breast conditions (cysts etc.). Women are not doing exams because of their concerns about what they may find when the findings may not ultimately be a serious concern. The anxiety is real and understandable. However, after your "first" baseline self- examination... regular breast self-examinations can help one become familiar with the findings and changes unique to their exam. This leads to a level of control over your health that can be empowering and make you want to share what you have learned with others. 3.) Early detection does save lives and as one who has witnessed this time and again I cannot stress enough the importance of breast self-examination. I have been a part of so many wonderful stories relating to breast cancer detection as are many clinicians who deal with breast cancer diagnosis in their practice. There is nothing more rewarding than to see patients each year whose lives have benefited from early detection as a result of findings noted on an examination. This includes those findings noted by the patient who have come in unscheduled for an evaluation as well as those detected on a routine annual examination or as an incidental finding (noted in the patient story below) as part of an unscheduled exam. For me, some of the most impressionable experiences have been the incidental findings during an unscheduled examination. I will end with one of these most memorable experiences as a physician. One that encompasses much of what is stated about breast cancer and the concerns that can delay detection and favorable outcomes. As a physician, I am very fortunate to have experiences like this, which emphasizes the importance of breast exams to my patients and reminds myself (if I was to ever to have a doubt) of its importance. During a preoperative examination for a hysterectomy I noted a lump (incidentally) in a 33 year old woman. When I asked her about it and whether she was aware of it, she told me she had been aware of it for a while and was too worried to have it checked out (please think about this: she did not mention to me at the time of this exam which most would think would be an optimal time to address such a concern). She is a wonderful person, intelligent and hard-working and I had known her for some time due to other gynecologic problems (requiring the hysterectomy). The lump was cancer and fortunately did not involve lymph nodes and she is considered cured. Needless to say, there are patients such as this that physicians never forget and I always liked to see her for routine follow-up knowing that I had impacted her life the way I did. One only has to think of how this scenario could have been different if the lump was not detected on this routine preoperative exam and later presented advanced and incurable. From the patients perspective, think of how this women might have been reassured by the fact that her doctor didn't notice anything (knowing it was there) and thus concluding to herself that it must have been nothing. I cannot stress enough that an annual exam or any office exam is only one arbitrary moment in time. A breast exam done by your clinician is no more powerful and in many ways less so than what you can do for yourself as you will be aware of the relative changes and your baseline examination. Unfortunately, most individuals are not involved with such powerful experiences about the importance of breast self exam until it is no longer about prevention . Instead the conversation becomes one about staging and intervention and the hope for a cure.  |
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