All About Leukemia

If you are diagnosed with leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer, your doctor will immediately advice you to undergo treatment such as radiation therapy, stem cell therapy, biological therapy or bone marrow transplant. Most of the times a mix approach are done to treat leukemia but among the most popular forms of treatment for leukemia or any under cancer is the chemotherapy, a process in which powerful drugs are employed in an attempt to eradicate cancerous cells. While this method can be effective, it also has a number of side effects, which unfortunately can’t be prevented as it is part of the treatment process, and these are some of them.

• Hair Loss
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Infertility
• Hair loss
• Mouth sores
• Anemia, lack of sufficient red blood cells
• Difficulty eating
• “Chemo-fog” or “Chemo-brain”, when a patient is having a hard time thinking and sometimes loss of memory.

When undergoing chemotherapy, it is important to stay positive, healthy and stress free. Just focus your mind in one thing – the end result is you would be leukemia free.

The Greeks were the first to recognize the disease of cancer in a patient, albeit they had no name for it at the time.

It was only by 1845 that John Hughes Bennett officially diagnosed it in Edinburgh. The disease at the time was called “weisses blut”, or “white blood”, as many physicians of the 19th century observed an abnormally high amount of white blood cells in the blood. The name leukemia comes to us from a combination of two Greek words “leukos” and “heima”, which together also means “white blood”.

Although cancer (and in this case, leukemia) was only diagnosed at the 19th century, humans have been getting cancer for a long, long time. In fact, a mandible of an Australopithecus or homo erectus discovered in 1932 in Kenya shows clear evidence of a tumor. This tumor is a symptom of what is most likely Burkitt’s lymphoma, a common cancer of the jaw in contemporary Africa.

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One of the most common blood cancers that can affect both children and adults is known as Leukemia. People who suffer from this kind of illness may undergo different treatment and medications depending on the type of leukemia present, how advanced is it and how old is the patient who has it. The medications that will be mentioned below are just some of our suggestions based on our research, you dont need to learn Thai to know that it is better to sought the medical advice of a doctor or an expert.

The first step is undergoing Chemotherapy, which can be done through a combination of different medication. If leukemia cells are in the spinal fluid, chemotherapy will be administered directly into the fluid. Other way is through mouth, injection or intravenously. The second phase of chemotherapy for leukemia is aimed at killing any remaining cells, even if they are not detected in the bone marrow or blood work.

The second way is by getting a radiation therapy. Depending on the degree of the leukemia, radiation can be a helpful way to kill remaining cancer cells or wipe out a patient’s bone marrow before a stem cell transplant.

Third is called the Stem Cell Therapy. If leukemia can’t be cured through undergoing chemotherapy or getting a radiation, then this procedure may be used instead. Stem cell therapy is also used when a cancer returned. There are two types of stem cell therapy that can be done. The first one is using pati4ent’s own stem cells, and the second is using a cell from a matched donor.

Biological or targeted therapy is another method that can help the immune system to find a cancer cells and destroy them.

If, in any case, there is no treatment mentioned above help you in treating leukemia, then this final and last step can be your hope called Clinical Trials. Clinical trials are located through the treating oncologist, the National Cancer Institute and large teaching hospitals.

Christopher Reeve was one of the best-known champions of stem cell research, but is probably better remember for his portrayal of the all-American DC Superhero, Superman. His strong, athletic physique, his deep blue eyes, and his charisma made him an iconic figure in the movies that many actors to this day have to measure up against. It is also a little known fact that the aerodynamic movement of sweeping his arms forward as he launches into the air to fly was thought up by Reeve himself as a way of making the movement more sensible in a physics perspective.

Due to an equestrian accident, Reeve was rendered a quadriplegic for the rest of his life, and had to live out the rest of his days in a motorized wheelchair rigged with a breathing apparatus. Despite being strapped to his chair, he courageously continued to support and speak out for stem cell research as a means of finding a cure and hope for individuals who are in straits as dire as his, or are even worse off.

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Serial killers have long been a source of terror, suspense, and screams, both on-scree and in real life. It takes about three murders all done by the same person for the police to declare it a serial killing case. However, did you know that not all serial killers need daggers, chainsaws. Axes, or meat hooks to kill – and did you know that there’s one serial killer who might actually be good for you?

Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center in the heart of the University of Pennsylvania have made a discovery that might turn the search for a cure for leukemia on its head. With gene transfer therapy, certain leukemia T cells become mutated and turn into “serial killer” cells, attacking tumors and decimating them over time. The researchers believe that this breakthrough may lead to finding cures for other diseases, such as breast cancer, myeloma and melanoma.

Together with Stem Cell Research, this could be the start of taking leaps and bounds forward in the field of Medicine.

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First, the happy news. You start noticing changes in your body, and piece by piece, the puzzle begins to create a complete picture. The slightly elevated body temperature, the frequent tiredness, the spotting, and sensitivity to very subtle smells. You realize Aunt Flo has failed to pay a visit, and this prompts you to grab pregnancy tests. All signs point to the inevitable – congratulations, you’re having a baby!

But what if you also have leukemia?

Leukemia in the middle of a pregnancy is very rare, as it only usually happens to one out of ten-thousand pregnant women. This may seem inherently alarming, but rest assured. Leukemia can be treated as far as the first trimester of the pregnancy without affecting the baby. In fact, you can also elect to get treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemias at the very last trimester. It’s best to consult your doctor about this for your peace of mind.

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Stem cells for transplant are sourced from the patient himself, or from a donor. Peripheral blood stem cells are collected through a process called apheresis, where the blood is taken from the donor through a needle in one arm, then is placed in a machine that separates the white blood cells from the red blood cells. Only the white blood cells are needed by the patient, so the red blood cells are returned to the donor. Daily injections of Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor helps the transplanted stem cells to move to the peripheral circulation.

Umbilical cord blood can be taken from a new born’s umbilical cord if the parents allow it. This is then frozen and stored for future use.

When a family member has been stricken with Leukaemia, it can be heartbreaking fact to accept for the patient’s loved ones. It is a time to set differences aside, mend fences, and provide strong emotional support not only to the patient, but to his or her relatives and friends who have been greatly affected. Emotional support can come in many forms. It could be a kind word, a dearly-missed phone call, or even time spent together in understanding silence. It could be cheer and laughter brought into the hospital ward, and sometimes, it could be a delicious home-cooked meal. However, what can be served to a patient should he or she ask for dessert?

For times like these, blackstrap molasses kills two birds with one stone. Not only are these types of molasses intensely flavorful, they also provide plenty of vitamins and minerals to fortify a body fighting off disease. Try using it in making treacle, or even simply spreading it on some toast for a sweet treat.

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1) Gene Krupa – Krupa was an American jazz musician who played the drums in big jazz bands from 1927 to the end of the swing era in the 1940′s. He was best known for his wild, high-energy, flamboyant style of playing, and often ended a piece drenched in sweat, wearing a huge grin.

2) Marie Curie – Born in the year 1867, Marie Curie and her husband Pierre were a husband-wife team that made great discoveries and advancements in the field of radiology. Marie Sklodowska, as she was called before marriage, was a shy and retiring lady, but had boundless energy, a razor-sharp mind, and an unshakeable singlemindedness. In her studies in Paris for a teacher’s diploma, she met Pierre Currie. She had originally planned to return home to Poland after her studies, but she found an intellectual kinship in this 35-year-old man, eight years her senior. The kinship developed into deeper feelings, they married, discovered Radium and Polonium, and had a daughter named Irène.

3) Hergé – born in 1907, Goeorges Prosper Remi was soon to be known all over the world as Hergé. He penned the wild and suspenseful adventures of Tintin, and excited the imaginations of comic book lovers everywhere.

4) Nora Ephron – a vivacious, stylish, and creative scriptwriter, she wrote the lines for the movies when Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle. She died on June 26, 2012 from pneumonia, a complication that stemmed from her leukemia.

5) Colonel Sanders – Colonel Harland David Sanders was down on his luck – his wife had left him and gave away all their property, his father-in-law hated him, and he himself couldn’t hold down a job. He began cooking meals that consisted of country hams, steaks, and chicken. Since he didn’t have a restaurant of his own, he served his customers in his living quarters next to his service station. He perfected his “secret recipe” by using a pressure fryer, thus cutting half the time of pan-frying chicken. To this day, Colonel sanders remains the face of his franchise, KFC.

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In Ayurveda, Leukemia is viewed as an imbalance which results from the failure of the digestive system. The food is not ingested and broken down properly. This creates a poisonous slime which circulates in the body and kills the healthy parts in it. To remedy this, the three elements of vata, pitta and kapha present in the body must be rebalanced. This can be done through a balanced diet. Eating raw fruit and vegetables purifies the toxins in the digestive system. Also, a relaxed lifestyle will do wonders, along with proper sleep and exercise. By doing these, the toxins will be removed, the balance restored and positive energies are freer to heal the body.