Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Mesothelioma: Beware the Dangers of Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops in the thin tissue layer coating many of your organs. The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 2,000-3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.


There are three types of mesothelioma cancer. Each is classified based on where it occurs in your body:

· Pleural malignant mesothelioma occurs in the tissue around your lungs. It is the most common form of the disease.

· Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the tissue around your abdomen.
· Pericardial mesothelioma occurs in the tissue around your heart.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma…

The symptoms of mesothelioma vary based on the region of your body affected by the cancer. The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include:

· Shortness of breath

· Painful breathing

· Painful coughing

· Chest pain near the rib cage

· Lumps of tissue under your chest skin

· Weight loss

· Dry cough

The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are:



· Abdominal pain

· Abdominal swelling

· Change in bowel habits (frequent diarrhea or constipation)

· Lumps of tissue in abdomen

· Weight loss

· Nausea

· Vomiting

Causes of Mesothelioma


The primary cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a harmful fiber used as insulation. People who have a high exposure to asbestos are at greatest risk of developing mesothelioma. This exposure most commonly occurs in the workplace. Frequently, blue collar jobs in mines, ship yards, manufacturing facilities, construction sites, and railway facilities place people at greatest risk of asbestos exposure.



If asbestos dust is breathed or swallowed, the fibers can settle in your lungs or stomach, resulting in an irritation that ultimately causes mesothelioma. People with very high levels of exposure to asbestos are at greater risk of contracting mesothelioma than people with lower levels of exposure. It can take as long as 30 to 40 years for the disease to develop.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Over the years, many lawsuits have been filed and won on behalf of people exposed to asbestos at work. If you have been diagnosed with this rare cancer, you should consult an experienced mesothelioma attorney at once to see if you have a valid claim.

It is important to choose an attorney who specializes in mesothelioma claims. This is a highly complex area of the law, and you should not trust your case to someone lacking the proper experience. Several factors complicate many of these claims, including:

· The long delay between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma

· The widespread use of asbestos in many common products

· The ability to develop mesothelioma from second-hand exposure to asbestos

These factors can often make it difficult to prove precisely where you were exposed to this dangerous fiber. You will need a lawyer who can skillfully work with these factors and still help you receive the compensation you deserve.

If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, you are most likely looking at a lifetime of pain, medical expenses, and lost earning capacity. You should be compensated for your injuries. Why trust your mesothelioma claim to someone who is not an expert?

tags:Asbestos,cancer,mesothelioma,mesothelioma lawyers,cancer treatment,cancer reserach

Join ADAO in lighting a candle in memory of those lost to mesothelioma

Organization (ADAO) will continue a longstanding tradition of lighting a candle in memory of those loved ones lost to mesothelioma. This is actually the first of two candlelighting ceremonies. The second will be held Monday, January 4, 2010, in honor of all the mesothelioma “warriors” still battling and conquering this devastating disease….



You are invited to add the name of your loved one to ADAO’s master list, either in memory or in honor of someone you love. This project is conducted in conjunction with the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR). View the list, or email acor@AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org to add a name to the list.


Linda Reinstein, ADAO’s co-founder, says, “Since founding ADAO in March 2004, thanks to the efforts for our all-volunteer organization, we have grown beyond our initial expectations. Our passion and commitment to preventing asbestos exposure, offering support and resources and remaining unwaveringly committed to banning asbestos and funding research for a cure has gained momentum and recognition on The Hill. You have been heard! Thank you for your continued supTags: asbestos, mesotheliomaport of ADAO, ‘the voice of the victims,’ as together, change is possible.”

Please join the mesothelioma community on Monday and light your candle in memory of those whose battle has sadly ended, and make plans to celebrate the life of a meso warrior on January 4.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Reasons for Pain


•We generally say pain is due to an injury or health problem, but that is only the superficial cause. The real cause is based on a complex set of interactions within our body involving our brain, the nervous system, and other functions


•Regardless of whether you’re suffering from back pain, headaches, or other types of pain, understanding the way pain is determined can help give you a better perspective of what’s happening in your body.

•CORALadvantage Joint Health and Calcium Magnesium promote joint and bone health while reducing pain.

Physical pain has been experienced by all people in some place, at some time. While some of these experiences are from injury or illness, others do not have a cause we can immediately identify. Understanding acute or chronic pain can help improve our choices of how to manage that pain.



The Physical Cause of Pain



We generally say pain is due to an injury or health problem, but that is only the superficial cause. The real cause is based on a complex set of interactions within our body involving our brain, the nervous system, and other functions. So how do our bodies sense pain?



Most of us think of the nervous system as consisting of only our brain and spine, but the system is quite a bit more complex. In fact, the receptors of the nervous system are placed throughout our entire body, and these are connected so that their signals can be transmitted back to the brain where they are then processed. The fibers of our nervous system receive information from the cells, then send messages to the brain and to the muscles of our body. There is a constant highway of messages running throughout the body at all times.





For example, imagine you hit your leg on a table. Although the pain seems to come immediately, that’s only because you mentally anticipate that the injury will result in the feeling of pain. The real sensation of physical pain comes a bit later, but it seems immediate. What happens in your body, after the incident, is that the cells or tissues of the injured area will immediately release chemicals that heighten the sensitivity of the nerve endings affected. After the nerve endings have been stimulated, they will begin sending impulses through the fibers in your body, reaching your spine and moving up your spinal cord into your brain at alarming speed. The brain then determines that the impulses should be translated as reactions thus causing you to feel the pain. So, the brain has to tell the body how to respond to the painful injury. It sends out dozens of messages to the muscles in your body which spawn reactions such as rubbing the area and maybe even reacting with a desire to verbally cry out.



Common Pain Types



There are other types of pain that are common, but which have harder direct causes to identify. The two most commonly cited causes of pain are back aches and headaches. This may be due to the back being a larger area and involving many muscles that the body uses all the time. Headaches are often related to more than one factor as the brain is involved in every facet of every move and thought your body makes.



Back pain can actually initially generate from any number of problems that can send nerve cells into high gear. One of the most common of these problems is back strain. This can happen when you impart some type of physical action that is too strenous on those back muscles and ligaments. The stress can also involve the discs in your spine. Normally, discs help act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine, but if they move out of place or rupture, they can attribute to a serious amount of pain. This pain can be magnified if the disc ends up pressing down on a nerve. Back pain can involve over use of the muscles through lifting, exercise or just moving in the wrong way. Arthritis can also be a common cause of pain, especially in people who are older or who have had numerous back injuries, which allow for the inflammation of the joints to occur. Inflammation sends signals to the brain to be processed, just as if an actual injury had taken place.


Second to back pain are headaches. The most common type of headache is tension induced. While science is unsure of the specific causes of these headaches, the belief is that the source of the pain involves the muscles which cover the skull. When these tense up or spasm, the result is a stream of electrical messages through those nerve cells which alert the brain that pain is being registered in the head region. Headaches may be generated by environmental factors, extreme temperature changes, and even your sensory intake which play a large role in how your nervous system reacts and ultimately sends your brain the message which gets interpreted into pain or discomfort.




Regardless of whether you’re suffering from back pain, headaches, or other types of pain, understanding the way pain is determined can help give you a better perspective of what’s happening in your body.



If you’re interested in natural supplements for pain and inflammation relief, check out other products like CORALadvantage Joint Health and Calcium Magnesium which promote joint and bone health while reducing pain.

Using Natural Pain Relievers


CORALadvantage Joint Health and Calcium Magnesium promote joint and bone health while reducing pain.


When you’re in pain, your first tendency may be to rush to the medicine cabinet for some product like aspirin or ibuprofen. If your pain is chronic, your physician might even have to write you a prescription for stronger painkillers. What you may not know is that there are alternatives to eliminating that pain. Below are some of the so-called natural pain relievers you should try before risking addiction and other serious side effects associated with artificial pain medication.



Acute Muscle or Arthritis Pain



If you’ve pulled a muscle or you’re suffering from a temporary arthritic flare-up, there is a good natural remedy that you can use to quell the pain: Capsaicin. Capsaicin is the ingredient that gives pepper their spicy heat. If you think about the effects that heat has on your mouth, it’s no surprise that it can do some amazing things with pain by actually making nerve reception in the skin less sensitive.





Some evidence suggests Capsaicin may also be useful for headache pain. You can currently purchase topical creams at the local drug store which are made from this active pepper ingredient.



Pain Prevention



If you’re worried about pain and soreness after athletics or strenuous training, you might want to take some preventative measures by supplementing your diet with two increasingly popular nutrients known as Glucosamine and Chondroitin. When taken together, they improve the body’s ability to fight off serious injuries or other pain-causing problems associated with your joins and cartilage.



Glucosamine actually encourages the growth of new cartilage while simultaneously easing the pain in your joints. Chondroitin increases the amount of fluid found in your cartilage which helps make movements more lubricated and less stressful on the body. However, these nutrients is not taken exclusively for pain relief. They are taken daily as dietary supplements.



Chronic Arthritis Pain or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome



If you have ongoing arthritic pain, such as that caused by rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis, you may want use a supplement known as Zyflamend. This supplement includes a number of different herbs like ginger and turmeric, which are known to help reduce inflammation in the body. Because many of the capsules, which can be purchased at health food stores and alternative health shops, include caffeine, you don’t want to take them before going to bed. Instead, you should only take two or three of the pills each day.




Back Pain



If you suffer from back pain like millions of other Americans, one way you may be able to reduce your dependence on over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers is fish oil supplements. Research has shown that about two-thirds of patients who suffered from back pain in part of a recent study were able to completely give up their prescription pain killers after taking fish oil every day for ten weeks. Take about 4,000 mg of fish oil every day to reduce your pain, but talk to your physician first because, in some cases, he or she might even recommend doses of up to double that amount.



Another benefit of taking fish oil is that it can help improve your heart health.



If you’re interested in natural supplements for pain and inflammation relief, check out other products like CORALadvantage Joint Health and Calcium Magnesium which promote joint and bone health while reducing pain

Top 5 Natural Migraine Treatment Methods


•Natural migraine treatment can include chiropractic care, which is very effective.


•Biofeedback can be a migraine headache cure when learned properly.

•A natural migraine cure can be eliminating trigger foods from your diet.

•One migraine cure involves changing to a low stress lifestyle.

•Icepacks and dark quiet rooms can be a natural migraine treatment to minimize symptoms.

If you struggle with stress as a cause of migraines, supplements like Ginseng Power Max 4x, Stress Assist and Zincechinacea Lozenges can help.



Using a natural migraine treatment is important to many people who suffer from this disorder. A migraine headache can become unbearable, and make the slightest sound or light excruciatingly painful. These headaches may be caused by stress, visual problems, certain medical conditions and medications, and other things. One frequent cause of migraine headaches is overexertion of the neck muscles. Your menstrual cycle can also cause a migraine headache, and these are usually referred to as a menstrual migraine. There may or may not be a migraine cure, depending on what is causing the headaches, but even if it is a medical condition that can not be cured it is possible to use natural migraine treatment to minimize the severity and frequency of these headaches. There are a number of natural migraine treatments that are safer, cheaper, and more effective than drugs used to treat these conditions.





1. Visit a Chiropractor




Chiropractic manipulations to correctly align the spine, and vertebral adjustments to relieve pressure on the spinal cord, can be a migraine headache cure and preventative. This natural migraine treatment ensures normal blood flow and nerve impulses to the brain and other parts of the area, and can minimize migraine symptoms and the frequency that they occur. Manipulation and adjustment of the spine has been used for centuries as a migraine cure, as well as to treat other conditions. This is especially true in ancient chinese medicine, and is still effectively used today by many to get rid of migraine headaches and keep them away. More than eighty percent of migraine sufferers will get relief with this method


 
 
2. Participate in a Biofeedback Program




Biofeedback training programs are not medical treatments. Instead, training sessions are used to teach you how to control your involuntary nervous system, including your heart rate, skin temperature, blood pressure, and muscles. This allows you to relax tense muscles that contribute to a migraine headache. Biofeedback can be a very effective migraine headache cure that is natural and has no harmful side effects. This natural migraine treatment will help in about seventy percent of the migraine cases, but this method is not ideal for everyone.


 
 
3. Change Your Diet




Choosing the right diet is important for a natural migraine headache cure. Certain foods, and chemicals in foods, may cause migraine headaches or make them worse. Find out what foods trigger your symptoms, and eliminate them completely from your diet. There are a large number of foods that can affect this condition, and the foods which bother you may be completely different than what bothers other people with a migraine headache. Common culprits can include caffeine, chocolate, cured and processed foods, and many others.




 
4. Switch to a Lower Stress Lifestyle




Stress is a common cause of migraine headaches, and stress causes tension in your body which makes your neck muscles tense, and this is another common migraine cause. Getting enough sleep, exercising more, and eliminating stressful things from your life can help you prevent migraines before they even start. This natural migraine treatment adds the benefit of making your entire body fit and healthy


5. An Icepack, a Bed and a Dark Quiet Room



This migraine cure is very common, and is also an old remedy. Place the icepack at the base of your neck and hairline, making sure to use a cloth between your skin and the ice. Lay down on a bed in a dark quiet room, and try to go to sleep. The icepack will help slow down the throbbing and pain, and the dark quiet room lets your senses rest. If you can nap that is even better, because many migraine sufferers report that sleeping makes the migraine go away.



Stress can play a large role in the development of migraines. For many people stress is an everyday part of life. If you’re interested in natural ways to help combat stress which will help combat migraines, there are some natural supplements that can help. Ginseng Power Max 4x, Stress Assist and Zincechinacea Lozenges can help you remain calm and hopefully help you avoid migraines.

Migraine Headache – Maybe It Is Time to Change Your Diet?


Migraine Headache – Maybe It Is Time to Change Your Diet?



A migraine headache is a neurological syndrome characterized by such symptoms as severe pain, nausea, a pounding in the head or skull-splitting feeling, and sensitivity to light.
Changing your diet to avoid a potential trigger food can be a step toward preventing future migraines.
If you’re not eating a good diet, Take One Multiple and Trace Minerals can help you get all the nutrients you need.
A migraine headache is a neurological syndrome characterized by such symptoms as severe pain, nausea, a pounding in the head or skull-splitting feeling, and sensitivity to light. These intense headaches have become more common in the last 20 years and can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or race. It may be difficult to believe, but some foods can actually trigger a migraine. Changing your diet to avoid a potential trigger food can be a step toward preventing future migraines. Doctors have devised a migraine diet to help patients predisposed to this medical condition avoid trigger foods that may cause migraines.
Foods that should be excluded from a migraine diet will depend on the individual, and understanding some common food triggers can help you pinpoint which triggers could contribute to a migraine headache. Scientists and medical practitioners believe that migraines are the result of a combination of vascular and chemical changes in the brain, and that food triggers may cause these changes to occur.
Some foods that seem to have migraine triggers are those such as cured meats like bacon, ham, pepperoni, and salami. These foods contain high amounts of nitrates, which can cause a reaction in the brain that may cause a migraine.
Another food that may be good to avoid is chocolate. Chocolate contains caffeine, theobromine, and phenylethylamine. It also causes your body to release norepinephrine, which constricts blood flow in the brain by narrowing arteries and veins.
Aged or otherwise strong cheeses can be another common food trigger for migraine headaches, and may need to be removed from your diet.
Caffeine is another trigger, so coffee, tea, and caffeinated soft drinks should be avoided if possible. This leads to a double-edged treatment, however, because caffeine withdrawal can also cause a migraine headache. If you drink large amounts of coffee or other caffeinated beverages, try to cut down slowly over time.
Alcoholic beverages, especially red wine, should also be considered for elimination from your diet if you suffer from migraine headaches. Alcoholic drinks contain histamine, which can cause or exacerbate a migraine headache. Other common foods to take out of your migraine headache diet include hot dogs, lunch meats, citrus fruits, pickles, yogurt, sour cream, pork, seafood, and chicken livers, though the list could on and on. It is better to determine which foods affect you, and then eliminate them one by one from your migraine headache diet.
Many common food triggers for migraine sufferers have something in common: they contain large amounts of amines, such as tyramine, histamine, phenylethylamine and octopamine. Many scientists believe that intolerance for these food components are what can act as a cause of the food trigger and a subsequent migraine headache. Changing your diet to exclude any food triggers that are specific to your migraine headache condition can help you minimize both the frequency and the severity of your migraine headaches, overall improving your life function. It is also important to exercise regularly, get restful sleep, and drink plenty of fluids. Not getting adequate exercise, dealing with consistent and high stress and dehydration can all cause migraine headaches.
Perhaps your migraine diet is being caused by a lack of proper nutrients in your diet. Don’t worry, there are ways that you can give your body everything it needs without having to eat the foods you don’t like. Check out products like Take One Multiple and Trace Minerals which are natural supplements to help you get all the nutrients you need.

Top 10 Terrible Mistakes Made By Surgeons

Top 10 Terrible Mistakes Made By Surgeons

Surgical mistakes happen more commonly than people think
One in every three thousand surgeries will result in something being left in the body of the patient
Here are the most bizarre stories we have been able to dig out
To promote overall health, check out products like Echinacea/Goldenseal w/Org. Alcohol and Astragalus Organic so you can possibly avoid terrible surgeries like these..
1. Alex Mitchell of Massachusetts sued his surgeons after an Adept Med Fish was found still in his body after a routine hernia operation. The device is a foot long, and is made to protect the internal organs during the suturing phase. Mitchell suffered from severe pain, nausea, and vomiting, and had to have a second operation to remove the medical equipment. Jurors awarded Mr. Mitchell two hundred and eighty thousand dollars for his pain and suffering.
2. In Texas, a department of corrections inmate named Antonio Garcia had emergency surgery. After the surgery, six years to be exact, the man realized that he had a surgical needle still inside of him when he had a routine x-ray and the needle was visible on the film. A lawsuit was filed against Dr. Presley, who was the surgeon, and the hospital where the surgery took place.
3. In South Carolina, in the year 2004, pair of surgical scissors was left in a thirty eight year old woman after she underwent a hysterectomy. Experiencing pain, the woman went back to the doctor and then to the Emergency Room several times before ER doctors ordered an Ultrasound and CAT scan for her abdomen, and that is when the scissors became apparent. After undergoing surgery to have the object removed, she recovered just fine and the persistent pain stopped.
4. A forty one year old forklift driver named Robert Maxwell underwent bowel surgery at Skyline Medical Center, and kept experiencing severe pain and nausea for three weeks after the surgery. He finally went to the emergency room because the pain became unbearable, and doctors there discovered a piece of medicated gauze that had been left behind during his surgery.
5. A woman in Wisconsin underwent abdominal surgery for her appendix, and had severe discomfort for weeks afterwards. The pain started to dull down, and would come and go over the next few months. It was not until the woman went through an airport metal detector and scanner did anyone realized that she still had a large surgical clamp in her chest.
6. Daryoush Mazarei had lower abdominal surgery and did not recover well afterwards. He complained to the doctors and hospital about severe pain, and was told at one point to see a psychiatrist because his pain was mental. After a CAT scan, a ten inch steel retractor was found lodged in his abdomen and surgically removed.
7. Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland faced a lawsuit because of several items left behind after her surgery. The woman had surgery for a benign tumor, and the surgeon left behind pieces of plastic, sponges, and gauze, which was discovered six years later. The woman’s complaints of pain had been brushed aside by the doctor and hospital in the time since the surgery.
8. One woman in New York had a broken surgical scissor blade left in her abdomen that was not discovered for sixteen months after the surgery. The blade was accidently discovered after a car accident when the woman was given x-rays for a possible broken hip. The lawsuit was settled for one hundred thousand dollars.
9. At Jacobi Hospital in New York, a thirty eight year old woman had a cesarean section and surgeons left a laparotomy pad inside her abdomen. The mistake was discovered two years later when a sonogram was ordered for a pregnancy that the woman had. Surgery was required to remove the pad and this caused even more pain and scarring in her abdomen.
10. One surgical mistake which was settled for one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars involves a seventy two year old woman who had cardiac bypass surgery, and the surgeon left a surgical sponge behind her sternum which had to be surgically removed. This caused her to have an extended nine day hospital stay and extreme pain and suffering.
Sure, there’s nothing you can do about putting yourself at risk of surgeons making any mistakes while operating on you, except maybe not going to these doctors, but you can do your best to take care of your body. To promote overall health, check out products like Echinacea/Goldenseal w/Org. Alcohol and Astragalus Organic.