What are the different Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Cancer is due to the excessive and uncontrolled growth of cells. Most times they evade the space of organs or tissues and hence there is potential danger to life. The growth is not stopped naturally and treatment is suggested with chemotherapy. After removing a cancerous tissue from the body, chemotherapy is suggested as a means for effective therapy. A single drug or combination of drugs is suggested by cancer specialists at cancer center, depending on the reports, observation and view point of an oncologist. Cells that are multiplying have to be stopped and hence chemotherapy is administered orally or through the intravenous procedure. Essentially, chemo therapy has side effects which can be tolerated with proper counseling, life style changes and a positive attitude.

The procedure of chemotherapy has some side effects

After administering chemotherapy, through intravenous procedure or oral procedure, an oncologist will supervise the case and suggest the sessions. The drugs used for thwarting the cancer cells are effective but it comes with side effects which can be treated with a few changes. The cell growth is stopped by also cutting the supply of blood to the part. Lowering the cell growth is also looked into as part of the treatment. Oncology is a vast study on cancer and triggering cell suicide or apoptosis is suggested. The side effects are mentioned here below.

What are Clinical Trials and its Phases

As a cancer patient, you may keep looking for new treatment options and drugs that are more effective. In order to formulate such drugs and treatments, researchers undertake extensive research and keep testing the new formulations until they are able to find the best cure. The new drugs are first researched under controlled lab condition, then they are tested upon animals and lastly on humans. Clinical trials are the last and most important step as the effectiveness and side effects of the drug are tested at this stage.

Phases of Clinical Trials

Clinical trial takes place in phases over a span of several years. Controlled groups are studied at every stage to determine the effectiveness of the drug. Cancer center lists the following phases of a typical cancer clinical trial;

• Phase I: The earliest stage of a trial, phase I recruits less people for study. The trial is usually open to all type of cancer patients. Only 20-30 people are required at this stage. This phase is required to determine the safe dosage, the side effects and how the body reacts and copes with the drug. It also studies what the drug/ treatment does to the tumor.

Advanced Medical Techniques Help Sports Injuries to Heal Faster

Injury is a part of a sports person’s life. Several joints like ankles, knee, elbow and shoulder are prone to injuries, which can upset the careers of many deserving sports people. Earlier the medical help was very limited and it involved a simple first aid technique or a basic injection to treat their pain. Bed rest too was a routine advice to treat pain. But now there is a lot of improvement with new age technology, diagnosis and method. The approach towards sports related injuries is a dedicated one and it includes the efforts of many doctors who are now providing specialized treatment and looking into ways of minimal rehab phase so that they can perform well. The efforts of sports doctors and their method is also getting popular

The need for a dedicated medical system for sports persons

Earlier a simple painkiller or an ice pack was the most common method to treat an injury. But with advancement there are better systems now available for people to get back on the track soon. Previously, the sports person went about with their injuries with minimal techniques, support, and would continue their sports activity. This caused more stress to the key joints like knee, wrist and shoulder. The trauma also affected the functioning and hence this hampered the performance. Many times, it cost them their career.

Avoiding Back Complications After Surgery with Robotic Help

The technical expertise used in spine surgery brings more precision. With the help of research, specialized acumen and computerization, surgeries are now attaining more accuracy and patients are experiencing speedy recovery. It is quite common for a patient to have presumptions about a surgery. Though a marginal amount of people report ineffectiveness after a surgery this can surely be one major reason for people to avoid an operation. Sometimes it is about luck or some fault, which can cause more traumas. To avoid the same, technical help is desired and now Robots are being looked upon for treating spinal problems. This also brings more support to the team of orthopedic surgeons.


Spine Assist – A robotic assistance for surgeries

It is now getting common for doctors to conduct surgeries with very little invasion. Prof Moshe Shoham was a pioneer to bring the virtues of robotic assistance in spinal surgeries with the Spine Assist system. The Technion institute has to be lauded for this major innovation. Orthopedicians are now more confident while conducting the surgeries as there is a lot of precision here. The entire procedure is done based on the customized anatomy of the patient. There is now more demand for this type of surgery. At the Haifa Technion Israel institute of Technology, this innovation is appreciated. The marketing and popularity is also due to Mazor Robotics.

Alternative knee treatment with stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy

New advancement in medical science which has brought a ray of hope in lives of many patients is stem cell therapy. Nowadays apart from being a part of most treatments, stem cells are now being used as an efficient alternative to knee replacement surgery. Patients who are too apprehensive of surgical procedures are now willingly opting for stem cell treatment.

Stem cells are mesenchymal cells of one’s body which when implanted or infused into the affected joint or area produce many changes and give rise to proliferation of more and more active cells.

When can I take a stem cell treatment?

Before taking up the treatment you must consult your orthopedic specialist about the procedure and consequences. You may be advised a stem cell therapy if you have recently suffered a knee injury, knees are painful, tendon or ligament strain, mild joint deformity or suffering from osteoarthritis which damages the cartilage and restricts everyday chores.

Chiropractic treatment for neck care

What is chiropractic therapy?

Our neck is subjected to most problems due to the lifestyle followed in this modern era which entails long working hours, stressful driving and hunching at the work stations. Hence, quite a lot of people experience various problems seek chiropractic treatment for neck care.

Chiropractic therapy is recently evolved alternative treatment which deals with balance between spine and nervous system without the intervention of surgery. The chiropractic uses only hands to make many therapeutic adjustments in the body like mobilization, manipulations, shiatsu, massage or acupressure etc to relieve the patient from any discomfort, pain and muscular spasms.

Which neck conditions treated with chiropractic approach?

•     Cervical sprain
•     Facet joint syndrome
•     Whiplash injuries
•     Degenerative joint problems
•     Cervical disc injuries that do not need a surgery.
•     Pinched nerves
•     Ligament strains
•     Repetitive stress injuries causing discomfort again and again.
•     Headaches

Urinary incontinence in males

A brief about incontinence

Incontinence is a common problem occurring in males over 45-50 years of age. The patient loses normal control over urine passage and keeps voiding urine in small amounts in frequent intervals. Incontinence could be of any type depending upon the root cause and can result as overflow, urge, stress and functional incontinence.

 What are the pre disposing factors for incontinence?

•          Loss of bladder control due to spinal cord injuries.
•          Prostate gland enlargement.
•          Extensive infections of urinary tract.
•          Ageing problems causing brain disorders and mental confusions.
•          Neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonism etc.
•          Tumors of brain and spinal cord.
•          Excess intoxication of alcohol.
•          Intake of certain medications which relax the bladder sphincter and cause urine loss.

Effective ayurvedic treatments for painful diabetic neuropathy

What produces pain in diabetic patients?

Diabetes being a common problem in both men and women is known to cause quite a few complications. One of them is painful diabetic neuropathy, which is mainly a disorder of nerves. As nerves are not healed under the presence of excessive glucose and toxins, they are not able to transmit impulses from one to another from the level of spinal cord and brain. As a result, pain, tingling and burning is felt in hands, feet or legs. Ayurveda puts the fire element of the body in place which is the prime reason for neuropathy.

Ayurvedic diagnostic methods

a)      Patient’s history:

Physical making, attitude, age, sex, family history and current medical problems including history of previous surgery are noted at the first attempt. This is the first step to detailed diagnosis to comprehend imbalance of functional elements.

b)      Pulse rate:

 Disturbed elements of the body like water, fire or air are checked as the doctors notes the pulse rate which could be feeble, fast or normal.

Body builders now taking electrical muscle stimulations

Importance of our musculature

One of the most important tissues of the body is our muscles which are structured in a way to provide maximum benefits to the body. These are the connecting tissues between two consecutive bones which form a joint and are responsible for plenty of activities. 

For an activity to take place like bending of knee joint, the muscle receptors send a signal to brain which sends the motor signal to the muscle to contract efficiently. The muscle start constricting just like a wave rolling and a planned coordinated activity takes place. 

There are slow twitch red fibers and fast twitch white fibers in the muscle. The red fibers contract first, conserve energy and get exhausted soon. The white fibers are strong and manage the excess load and thus act more as reserve. Hence, it is actually impossible to activate all muscle fibers simultaneously.

Use of electrical muscle stimulators for body building

What is the normal functioning of our muscles?

As soon as we plan an activity, a stimulus is sent to the brain and brain sends an impulse to contract the muscle fiber.  As the muscle contracts, a wave rolls through it and a co ordinate forceful movement takes place.

Single group of muscle fibers get easily exhausted, hence body has adopted strategies to provide a longer endurance. The energy efficient ‘red’ or slow twitch fibers are used first during a voluntary contraction, but they are not very powerful. After this, strong ‘white’ or fast twitch fibers take over to handle the overload. There are some white fibers are left by the muscle to act as reserve to meet more demands hence, it is relatively impossible to willingly contract all fibers simultaneously.