Cancer Blog

When we are young, fit and healthy — how many of us would ever believe that perhaps … yes, perhaps … that the next few minutes, hours, or days, that “this good fortune” may just reverse? We all see many people dying or seriously ill, but how many ever “believe” that this may happen to us too? Most people will think that it happened to “them” but it will not happen to me. But suppose that this happens to us, would we ask: Why me? What bad things have I committed to deserve this? And say: God is not fair!

Today, there is a concept in psychology that says there may be something good in something bad that had happened. To know the good, we just need to search for it or experience it. How can this be? I believe that as we are lying on our back in the hospital bed staring at the empty ceiling, that is the time when we begin to realize that we are vulnerable, when life is severely at stake, and perhaps when our money or wealth that we had been accumulating may not mean much anymore. Perhaps this is also the time we begin to ask: where am I going from here?

Though I have not suffered serious illness before, my association with thousands of cancer patients have taught me to empathize with their plight. At times it is heart breaking. I often ask: why must cancer strike this young and innocent child? Why must it happen to a mother and then now, her daughter? Why is life so cruel? I find no answer except to accept that that is the way life is.

In early 2006, we asked cancer patients to write down their answers to this question: Have you experienced any other significant changes in your life as a result of your cancer experience?

Here are some of their answers:

Patient 1: Yes, unlike before, now I only do short term planning. I started to wind up risky business to regain peace of mind and reduce stress. My aim is to enjoy the remaining part of my life — to relax and stay happy. I now concentrate on getting more knowledge on alternative medicine, nutrition and health which I believe to be the missing link to my healing journey.

With the knowledge that I have gained I discovered that other people knew so little about taking care of their health and when they are very sick or told that they have cancer, they thought that their doctors can tell them what to do. This is what that leads them to their downfall.

With the knowledge that I gained I also give help and advice to other sick people — to encourage them, give them hope and teach them to decide what to do. I felt very pleased when I have given them hope. I wish I could give help and hope to more people.

Patient 2: I experienced significant changes in my life as a result of my cancer experience. Positively, my cancer has caused me to stop and think, to pray and know God better. During the period when I was recovering from the painful effects of radiation to my mouth and neck areas, I was unable to talk very much; even a sip of water was painful. The only person I can talk to then was God who provided all the consolation and blessings. On the negative side, the permanent damage caused by radiation to my physical self, has caused me to be socially less active significantly affecting relationships with friends and relatives. The change in my diet to one of only vegetables, fruits and fish is a tall order and my discipline in doing so has made me more reclusive and domesticated. Although I believe that it has helped me in my overall health, I do not quite like the present lifestyle that I have been compelled to live by. I would have preferred my previous lifestyle where I am socially more active and very flexible.

Patient 3: I am a Christian, believing that everything that God has allowed to happen in my life has a purpose. Since I was diagnosed with cancer, I was at first very confused and sad as of why it should happen to me. But I can only do what I can control and surrender the rest to God. Since then I really experience the real meaning of knowing how much He loves me and make me worthy in His eyes. Ephesians 3:17-19. What things happened, it is our reaction that matters the most: either I can cry, question and blame God or any other reason for the situation. Or I still can cry but ask God to help me and direct me the best way to handle the situation. I chose to do the latter. It has been a real soul searching, tremendous learning journey on health aspects and resetting my priority in life.

Patient 4: My cancer has helped me to focus on living rather than dying. It has also helped me change and cope with stress as well as my relationship with others. It has also helped me learn to be thankful for the daily blessings.

Patient 5: I have become very negative emotionally and am not receptive to people who try to help me. I always think that I am going to surely die of cancer and nothing can help me. I do not want to exercise or try anything that other people recommend, e.g. meditation. I always feel scared that the ‘end’ will come very soon.

Patient 6: Life has given me a new dimension and life gives hope in every sense. Many things have a greater clarity and I feel a sense of purpose for the years ahead as they impact on our children and grandchildren — they need us, so the target is to stay alive! We are in God’s hands.

My wife and I have found our Christian faith to be a huge comfort. I have become even more positive in my outlook and take matters as they come.

Understanding cancer, particularly your own, is important. Research is a key factor to obtain more knowledge and understanding of the disease and all the options open for complementary / natural / herbal remedies; to help those less fortunate as a member of a cancer support group in France.

Patient 7: Cancer may have brought me to the lowest and scariest. I know I have climbed out of the pit and am way beyond that. Having beaten / managed cancer, I feel that I can handle much more difficult issues.

Patient 8: Definitely yes. You treasure life more, is more attentive to other people’s view, sensitivities and mood. One tends to show loving feelings towards one’s close relative, children and of course, wife. Negative meanings to life would be the disease which is the top gun for your cause of death but one has time to prepare for it, spiritually, emotionally, physically and estate-wise.

Patient 9: I feel very lonely because my husband had neglected me after I had my mastectomy. He never asked about the treatment that I had or if I was feeling any better — he never did. The feeling of worthlessness made me feel so restless.

Before my cancer he loved me very much. I don’t understand this sudden change in my husband. I hate my illness and the attitude of my husband makes me hate him too.

At present, when I am working, I do not think much of my cancer. I put it in God’s hand.

The only thing is my relationship has changed. After I had cancer, I feel very lonely. I work from 7 a.m. till 6 p.m. — eat, go to sleep and take my medication. I do the thinking and do what is required. My family does not discuss much about my cancer.

I always pray to God to guide me. I pray in silence and I take each day at a time. Dear Chris, I feel better after writing my heart out! Thanks.

Patient 10: It has basically taught me to treat the disease as a ‘gift’ or a blessing from The Almighty. My cancer has made me appreciate the value of a simple smile from my youngest daughter, not to ignore her constant invitation to have fun and play games with her. It has taught me to appreciate how important ‘little’ things are to her — like talking to her Polly dolls, and make believe games.

I cry more over the beauty of the sunset, the countless blue hue of the morning sky, the smell of freshly cut grass, and the sound of rain hitting the roof. I have wasted so much time over ‘big’ projects in the office and at work. I now realize there are so much in life that God wants me to have the opportunity to appreciate in order to glorify His creation – this is an opportunity I intend not to miss.

My cancer has also helped me discover a ‘new’ mindset — that is to make positive thinking a habit until it becomes second nature to me. I now realize that God has given me so many gifts that I have yet to unwrap, and with this new mindset, I am discovering things that I never knew before existed or I was capable of – like how to be happy when everyone else seem gloomy and miserable.

I also learn how to control anger by forgiving others who hurt me. My cancer has been a huge blessing to me.

The responses above clearly show that many people have found the “good” in the “bad”. We encourage cancer patients to look inwards and discover these “gift” within them.

Two people came to mind when I am writing this article on colorectal cancer. Let me relate their stories.

Story 1:

Mat (not real name) is a 45-year old professional who was diagnosed with Duke’s C rectum cancer. Eight of 16 lymph nodes were involved. He had an operation and subsequently underwent chemotherapy with 5-FU + leucovorin. The first chemo-treatment made his life miserable due to severe side effects. He decided to opt out of chemotherapy and came to us for help. He was started on herbs and felt real good after that.

Mat has a good friend who is a medical doctor. When his doctor-friend came to know that he had abandoned chemotherapy, he became agitated and came to see Mat and pleaded with him to continue with his chemo-treatment. According to this doctor-friend, what Mat did was wrong and he would not want to see his dearest friend die for nothing. He must go through the “proven path” of treatment. After all, to a medical doctor, herbal therapy is not definitive or scientifically proven.

Taken by his friend’s sincere concern for him, Mat relented and resumed his chemotherapy. The second treatment caused just as severe side effects as before. He felt like dying. Then, he came to a realization and asked himself: “What am I doing to myself? I suffered so much undergoing a treatment which I was not sure would even help me. Why, oh why am I “killing” myself? Am I doing this to please my doctor-friend or am I doing this for myself?” Mat was awakened to this fact and decided that he would please himself over all others. He decided to stop further chemotherapy.

The decision Mat made weighed heavily on me. When he came to me, I made it explicitly clear that the decision to undergo chemotherapy or not must be entirely his own decision. I cannot make that decision for him. So, he probably had made his decision based on his own guts feeling and we have to respect that. It has been some years now and Mat is still doing alright. One might want to ask: “Would Mat survive the six or eight cycles of chemotherapy, given the fact that even the first two cycles already caused severe reactions?”

It is a standard practice or golden rule so to say, that after surgery, patients are asked to undergo chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. Sometime, when the doctor does not think chemotherapy is indicated, the patients themselves do not feel safe.

Story 2:

It was on 29 July 2001, 9.30 p.m. I was on the phone talking to a lady from England. Her Malaysian-born sister had colon cancer sometime in March 1999. She underwent an operation. The doctor in UK said that since the cancer was at its early stage (Duke’s 2), there was no need for her to do any chemotherapy. Not satisfied, she came to Singapore to see another oncologist. Since she was still young (46 years old) the oncologist recommended chemotherapy. This would be “safer” for her – preventive or insurance against possible problems later. So she underwent six cycles of chemotherapy in Singapore.

March 2000 — a scan showed a 3 cm mass in her liver. She again came to Singapore. Further investigations by doctors in Singapore showed that there was also a 1 cm mass in the lung. The doctors recommended surgery for the liver and /or the lung. However, when the doctors opened up the abdomen, they saw numerous nodules in the peritoneum. The removal of the liver-lung was abandoned. The abdomen was closed back. She underwent another eight cycles of chemotherapy. After the fourth chemotherapy the tumours decreased in size but subsequent chemotherapy did not show any further improvements. In short, chemotherapy did not achieve its intended purpose. She felt hopeless and decided to quit and returned to England.

She started on Gerson Therapy in Liverpool for five months. During that period the tumours had grown to twice their sizes. She then opted to participate in a clinical trial at one of London’s top hospitals. She was again subjected to another eight cycles of chemotherapy.

29 July 2001 — The purpose of the sister calling was to seek my help since there seems to be no other avenues left for her. Sometimes she was in pain, and she required sleeping pill.

This is the perception the world of today has with regards to cancer treatment. Chemotherapy is the answer and it must be done, otherwise you die from not doing it. With due respect, Mat’s doctor-friend believed that chemotherapy is the only key to Mat’s survival. Other ways are suspect and unreliable for lack of proof. So, Mat must go for chemotherapy or he will die. The truth is, Mat is still alive! But the lady from London, she was “emotionally a wreck ” and died not long after her sister talked to me.

Cancer in any of its forms is known to the society as a condition of adults or elder persons; still it can occur at any age even during the care-free childhood period. Children diagnosed with cancer must rapidly grow up and learn hoe to face the illness as well as their parents that will have to be able to care for them.

The most common form of malignant tumors in children is the acute lymphocyte Leukemia and it is known to affect about 2500 pediatric patients every year. The acute forms of Leukemia develop rapidly and spread to the entire body in just a few months if left untreated. Knowing how to recognize the disease seems to be most important as Leukemia can lead to death in a very short time if not treated properly.

Leukemia develops inside the bone marrow and spreads to the lymph nodes, liver, spleen and nervous system. Cancerous marrow cells produce abnormal blood cells; insufficient or inefficient red blood cells lead to anemia, a low number of white blood cells leaves the body helpless to infections, and decreased number of platelets caused bruising and bleedings. General symptoms like headaches, weakness or vomiting also occur when the cancer reaches other main organs.

No way of prevention is known to us today as leukemia cannot be linked to any lifestyle factors. A good life expectation can only be reached if a doctor is seen immediately when symptoms occur and a proper treatment is quickly administered.

The most specific diagnose is the bone marrow biopsy when a small amount of marrow is extracted from the thighbone with a needle. The microscopic examination of the tissue can establish the presence of cancerous cells inside the bone marrow. Further analysis includes blood tests for searching changes in number and function of the three vital blood cells. In Leukemia a risen number of white cells are found together with a decreased number of red ones. Through the blood tests certain diagnose of the particular form of blood cancer can be established.

Cancer cells are dangerous as they divide very quickly and an efficient primer treatment with chemotherapy must stop their multiplication. More types of chemotherapeutics are required to kill all cancerous cells as Leukemia is known to spread very rapidly throughout the whole body. The drug therapy is a long-lasting process and can produce several side-effects such as hair loss, infections, tiredness, nausea, anorexia and vomiting. New ways of therapy are searched that should only affect the cancerous cells unlike conventional drugs. The stem cells transplantation targeting to replace the lost marrow working cellularity seems to give hopeful results.

Blood cancer can reoccur and therefore a treatment with stem cells can give more effective results. If Leukemia cannot be treated, doctors try ways of making the patient’s life with cancer easier by relieving the symptoms. About 85% of the children that have survived 5 years without cancer reoccurring are considered to have been cured.

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that originates in lymphocytes, which are cells that circulate in the lymphatic system. When this cancer affects the tonsils that are part of the lymphatic system, then it is termed as tonsil lymphoma.

As per the U.S. National Institutes of Health, lymphomas make up for about five percent of all cases of cancer in the United States. Traditionally, lymphoma is classified as Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that used to include all the other types. Modern classifications of lymphoma are much more complex and sophisticated.

The lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system and hence individuals with weakened immune system as a result of HIV infection or from certain medication are seen to have a higher incidence of lymphoma.

Cancer of the tonsil accounts for nearly 0.6% of malignant cancers in the United States every year. It is generally difficult to diagnose this disease as the symptoms are quite delayed in their onset. Lymphoma is the second most common type of tonsil malignancy and is usually manifested as a submucosal mass in an asymmetrically enlarged tonsil. Patients are usually seen with a large mass in the oropharynx, and a swollen neck mass and complain of pain and weight loss. Cigarette smoking and heavy drinking are considered the common risk factors for the disease.

Lymphoma that is limited to the tonsil is treated with radiation, whereas if the disease is widespread then it requires chemotherapy. In certain stages of lymphoma, it is advisable to have surgery for removal of the malignancy followed by chemotherapy.

It is imperative that routine follow-up care of patients with tonsil cancer is done, as the risk of developing a second primary tumor is highest in this group. Studies have shown that patients suffering from tonsil cancer have a high 30% risk of developing it a second time.

Every year in September millions of Canadians pay special tribute to a very special young man named Terry Fox. Terry was the young Canadian who after having his leg amputated because of cancer decided he would run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. That run took place in the spring and summer of 1980 and was known as the “Marathon of Hope”.

After 142 days of running 26 miles a day (a marathon a day), and after 3339 miles, Terry was forced to end his run near the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario on September 1, 1980. His cancer had returned, and this time it was in his lungs.

Several months later while still just 22 years old Terry succumbed to cancer.

Running for “Cancer Research”

The initial objective of the Marathon of Hope was to raise roughly 25 millions dollars — one dollar for every Canadian at that time. Terry’s goal was actually met before he died, due to donations and pledges made during his run and during a telethon held shortly after he was forced to end his run.

In that short spring and summer of 1980 Terry had become one of Canada’s most important and inspirational heroes, and the legacy of the “Marathon of Hope” has lived on for 25 years, increasing in its appeal and scope every year.

The annual “Terry Fox Run” continues to be held annually across Canada, the US, and other countries around the world. According to current sources, the Terry Fox Run has now raised more than $400 million for cancer research.

Are we further ahead after $400 million?

For Canadians Terry Fox is the ultimate hero, and this makes it sacreligious to even suggest that all is not well with the Marathon of Hope and the “cancer research” that it fuels.

Nevertheless I suspect Terry himself would be surprised that we are not further along the road to a “cure for cancer” after raising and devoting such an amazingly large amount of money to that cause.

The amounts of money raised in the US and other countries are even more staggering, and in spite of very few tangible results to show for the “research” that is carried on, people continue to shell out money because they have been told, and continue to believe that a cure is “right around the corner.”

Is it possible that the cancer research industry may have become a cushy gravy train for the thousands of fund raisers and researchers who make their living this way?

Some critics have even suggested that the “cancer industry” has become little more than an arm of the pharmaceutical and chemical industries? (For an interesting article that offers a critical analysis of the America Cancer Society, go to American Cancer Society: The World’s Wealthiest “Nonprofit” Institution.

Legitimate questions we should be asking

At the very minimum it seems a perfectly legitimate question to ask “How much ‘cure’ has all this money bought us?”

I don’t know. But I suspect it is not a lot. I may be hopelessly behind the times, but it seems to me that most of the “cures” being practised these days are pretty much like the ones that were being used back in 1980 — surgery, chemo-therapy, and radiation.

Of course we are told that cancer cure rates have substantially improved. But these statistics are easily manipulated, and advocates of continuing the current research regime have such a vested interest in pointing to their success that their claims have to be met with at least mild scepticism.

One source that confirms this scepticism is this quote from a 1998 article called “Cancer Research — a Super Fraud?”. Commenting on the US National Cancer Program Dr.John Bailer said,

“My overall assessment is that the national cancer programme must be judged a qualified failure” Dr. John Bailer, who spent 20 years on the staff of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and was editor of its journal.  Dr. Bailer also says: “The five year survival statistics of the American Cancer Society are very misleading. They now count things that are not cancer, and, because we are able to diagnose at an earlier stage of the disease, patients falsely appear to live longer. Our whole cancer research in the past 20 years has been a total failure. More people over 30 are dying from cancer than ever before… More women with mild or benign diseases are being included in statistics and reported as being ‘cured’. When government officials point to survival figures and say they are winning the war against cancer they are using those survival rates improperly.”

Disrepectful?

To many people comments like this sound like an insult to the millions who have put their hope in a high tech cure for cancer. And many are afraid to question the status quo because of the respect we have for people like Terry Fox.

But I wonder if a 22 year old with the innocence and courage to take on the impossible task of running 5,000 miles on one leg would be happy with the way things are today.

Would Terry Fox be happy to see that some cancer society branches in the US devote only about 10% of the funds they raise to the actual delivery of cancer services? Would he understand why substantial portions of cancer society budgets go for the purchase of real estate and buildings rather than actually helping cancer victims and doing research into the causes of cancer?

Would he be pleased to learn that the boards of the major cancer organizations are filled with executives with ties to drug and chemical companies?

Would he take comfort in the fact that the well-known environmental causes of cancer are virtually ignored by researchers because these so often implicate food, chemical and drug companies?

Would he be glad that the efforts of researchers and fund raisers might actually be standing in the way of real progress in the fight against cancer because these researchers are so often in the employ of the very corporations that profit from the sale of cancer causing products?

Back in 1980 when Terry was running through Ontario he was asked by a passerby if he thought he was being used. “I want them to use me more.” was Terry’s reply.

Somehow I don’t think the current state of affairs is quite what he had in mind.

Most people are familiar with the pink cancer awareness ribbons that symbolize breast cancer, it seems that these pink beauties are everywhere. But, did you know that there are many other kinds of cancer awareness ribbons out there that represent different kinds of cancer that affect women all around the world? You might have seen one or two different colored cancer awareness ribbon pins and not even known what they meant. Here are some of the other colors of cancer awareness ribbons so you will know what they mean the next time that you see them:

Teal – This color of cancer awareness ribbons are for ovarian cancer. While this cancer isn’t as prevalent as breast cancer, its numbers are, unfortunately, on the rise. So, when you see a teal cancer awareness ribbon or pin, you will know what they stand for.

Peach – This color of cancer awareness ribbons are for uterine cancer. This type of cancer is also not one that is mentioned much, but is a killer if not detected early enough and fought correctly.

Lavender – This color of cancer awareness ribbons are for gynecological cancer. This encompasses several different kinds of cancers, from ovarian to cervical, basically anything that has to do with the female reproductive organs falls under this category.

Teal and White – This color of cancer awareness ribbons are for cervical cancer. This cancer is hard to detect as well, unless it is screened for, but, when caught early, can be removed and treated.

All of these cancer awareness ribbons and pins are different colors to distinguish between the different types of cancer. It helps for survivors and loved ones to spread their message of hope and survival to those who may not have heard of this particular type of cancer and make sure that other women have their screenings to ensure that they catch these potentially fatal diseases early enough for treatments to be effective. So, the next time that you see different colored cancer awareness ribbon pins, be sure to ask the wearer about it and share their story with you. It might just be the motivation that you need to see your doctor and get screened or to push a friend or family member to get their screening. After all, women are more likely to push their friends and family to get in to see their doctors sooner than later. And, like the breast cancer pins and other types of cancer awareness merchandise, most of the proceeds go toward research and the search for a cure.

Diagnosis of Mesothelioma cancer is very difficult in many cases, because its symptoms can be associated with other diseases too. Hence patient’s medical history is quite important to know, since if there was an exposure to asbestos from the sick person, the risk factors for developing Mesothelioma are greater.

The doctor will order you a physical examination, including chest and abdomen x-rays, and lung function tests. A computerized tomography (CT) or a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan may be useful, along with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The CT scan allows a computer x-rays machine to create a series of detailed pictures of inner body areas. The MRI allows to obtain detailed images of areas inside the body through a powerful magnet linked to a computer.

The way to confirm a Mesothelioma diagnosis is a biopsy, in which an oncologist or a doctor specialized in diagnosing and treating cancer pathologies takes a sample of tissue from the patient to examine it under a microscope.

The biopsy may be performed in various ways. In a thoracoscopy the name of the biopsy if the cancer is in the chest the doctor makes a small cut through the patient’s chest and introduce a tube called thoracoscope to look inside and take tissue samples.

In a peritoneoscopy if the cancer is in the abdomen the doctor makes the same procedure but in the patient’s abdominal cavity to obtain tissue for examination.

The stage of the disease is important to know if cancer is metastasized to other parts of the body, and to apply the best treatment for the patient.

The disease will be ‘localized’ if the cancer is found only on the surface of the membrane, but it will be ‘advanced’ if it has spread to other parts of the body, such as lungs, abdominal organs, chest wall, lymph nodes.

Next Article: Mesothelioma Treatment

The term childhood lymphoma refers to cancers that originate in the body’s lymphatic tissues during childhood and include the lymph nodes, thymus, spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and bone marrow, as well as the lymph vessels that attach them. Although there are many types of cancer that eventually spread to parts of the lymphatic system, lymphomas are distinctive because they originate there. Statistics report that there are about 1,700 children below 20 years of age who are diagnosed with lymphoma each year in the United States. Childhood lymphomas are divided into two basic categories, Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, based on the appearance of their cancerous cells, and is the third most common type of cancer in children.

Some of the children have other nonspecific symptoms, such as fatigue, poor appetite, itching, or hives. They also show symptoms such as unexplained fever, night sweats, and weight loss.

In the United States, there are nearly 500 new cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma detected each year in children. This disease occurs generally after 3 years of age in children. NHL is more common than Hodgkin’s disease in children younger than 15 years of age.

Although there are no lifestyle factors that have been definitely linked to childhood lymphomas, children who have received either chemotherapy or radiation treatments for other types of cancer are at a greater risk of developing lymphoma. The first important step in the diagnosis of the enlarged lymph node is a biopsy that involves the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the body.

Treatment of childhood lymphoma is largely determined by staging, a way to classify patients as per the spread of the disease at the time of diagnosis.

There are four stages of lymphoma, ranging from Stage I to Stage IV. This stage at diagnosis guides medical professionals deciding the type of therapy and helps doctors in prognosis. Treatment involves radiation, chemotherapy or both, depending on the type and stage of the cancer as well as the age and health of the child.

Mesothelioma treatment options vary according to the age and over-all health of the patient, and the extent of the disease. Treatment options are often determined by the intensity of damage caused by the tumor. There are three staging systems currently in use for pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma is not staged.

There are a number of treatment options available to mesothelioma patients. The treatments can be roughly categorized into traditional or conventional treatment, alternative methods, new treatment approaches and miscellaneous treatment. Nine out of ten cancer patients will find relief by using a combination of medications.

Traditional treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Age, contributing health problems, or advanced stage of tumor may make aggressive treatment impossible. In such conditions, alternative system is used. These specific treatments are not generally used or approved by medical doctors. New treatment approaches are research studies used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are safe and effective.

Tri-modality therapy combines surgery with radiation and chemotherapy. Photodynamic therapy is a highly experimental treatment using a drug that causes cells to become light sensitive. Immunotherapy, hemotherapy, intra-pleural interferon gamma therapy are some of the miscellaneous therapies. Gene therapy is an important tool under research. Almita is a newly approved drug. Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is another technique that allows for radiation doses to be delivered to very complex shapes or to tumors with nearby normal structures.

Alternative medicinal systems like homeopathy have developed certain drugs which improve the immune system of the body to counter mesothelioma. Specific diet supplements and metabolic therapy are also recommended. Complementary methods like sticking to a vegetarian diet, exercise, vitamins, herbal remedies, or stress management can sometimes help a mesothelioma patient.

Treatment options for physical pain accompanying mesothelioma vary. Palliative care is a specialized form of care that alleviates pain and other symptoms. The type of pain treatment, using drugs, is called pharmacological therapy. Non-pharmacological therapies, those that do not rely primarily on medication to achieve effect, include therapeutic exercise and cognitive behavioral techniques such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation. Other alternative approaches include acupuncture and massage therapy.

1000 years ago in Europe pre-Christian tribes originally had a Goddess culture - a matriarchy where the earth and nature and their cycles and secrets were revered. In pre-industrial societies illness was not seen as a ‘random assault from outside’ but as a deeply significant life event integral to the sufferer’s whole being - spiritual, moral, physical and life course - past, present and future. Dis-ease was interpreted as packed with moral, spiritual and religious messages as one of the many ways through which ‘God revealed his will to mankind’. Other philosophies of medicine such as Ayurvedic or Tibetan think similarly, in these, dis-ease has a karmic aspect.

Around the tenth century in Europe - after the so called ‘Dark Ages’ - women, the original stewards of the land (men did ‘animal husbandry’), were dispossessed of it by the new patriarchies of the Church and State. This male hierarchy hid the things they were most afraid of, namely the fact that it is women who hold the key to the processes and powers of life. They took them as their own, decreeing laws about how we should behave to impose control and inventing ‘original sin’. Allied to this there came a prolonged persecution of women, especially any of those involved in healing. Some sources estimate about 5 - 9 million women were destroyed across Europe during this persecution. Essentially the role of women as healers and midwives was discouraged and ‘home-making’ and its many associated skills is still regarded as a ‘worthless’ career according to our primarily fiscal values based on GDP.

When a patriarchy takes over a matriarchy as a fundamental paradigm shift, one of the main things that happens is that ‘healing’ and ’spirituality’ are separated out as an instrument of control. The world of spirit and physic were separated and became even more so during the great male ‘Age of Reason’ that began with Descartes and continued with Newton, the tail-end of which many are presently clinging to in desperation and a degree of applied self-interest.

Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a central influence on the 17th century revolution that began modern science and philosophy. His ‘Method of Doubt’ was published in 1637: “I resolved to reject as false everything in which I could imagine the least doubt, in order to see if there afterwards remained anything that was entirely indubitable”.

The philosophy of ‘Cartesian dualism’ became part of our science, where the mind and the body are seen as essentially separate. The ‘self’, the conscious being that is ‘me’ was seen as essentially non-physical. Misguidedly (it was not Descartes intention) this philosophy contributed to the mechanistic and rational philosophy of the universe adopted by our culture. Descartes was one of the first people to suggest that phenomena could be understood by breaking them down into constituent parts and examining each minutely. His view of the human body as a machine functioning within a mechanistic universe took prevalence within the ‘Age of Reason’.

“Consider the human body as a machine. My thought compares a sick man and an ill-made clock with my idea of a healthy man and a well made clock”.

This attention to analytical detail is still at the heart of our scientific research methodologies. As a result Western medicine has produced ‘World saving’ vaccines and antibiotics. It has created drugs and surgical techniques that do utterly amazing things. It has virtually eliminated all the serious communicable diseases (in the First World) such as leprosy, plague, tuberculosis, tetanus, syphilis, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, meningitis, polio, septicaemia. There are very few women dying in childbirth compared to the past. Western medicine has been, and is, a triumph in the face of these problems which worried us back then the way cancer and heart disease worry us today. Even the big medical problems of the of 1930’s and 40’s have literally vanished.

The age of infectious disease has given way to the age of chronic disorders. The major killers today are heart and vascular disease, chronic degenerative diseases and cancer, largely incurable and increasing in incidence. The strategies that worked so well for all but eliminating acute infectious diseases just don’t seem to work for chronic and degenerative conditions.

“The prevalence of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency syndrome, HIV and a host of other debilitating conditions is increasing. Conventional biomedicine - so strikingly successful in the treatment of overwhelming infections, surgical and medical emergencies and congenital defects, has been unable to stem the tide of these conditions”. James Gordon M.D., Washington, D.C.

Even during the time of Sir Isaac Newton the human body was viewed as an intricate biological machine. The Universe was an orderly, predictable but divine mechanism, a ‘grand clockwork’. Although hundreds of years have passed, Western scientific medicine still holds the same basic philosophy, but are more sophisticated in studying biological mechanisms at a molecular level.

The first Newtonian approaches were essentially surgical. The body was seen as if it were a complex plumbing system. If it went wrong the offending piece was removed or bypassed. These days instead of using knives, drugs are often used to do more or less the same things.

Humans though are far more than walking sacks of chemicals. The animating life-force central to other medical systems is an energy that is not addressed by modern scientific methodology and there are no Western medical models that explain what it is and what it does. It is misguided by the concept that all illnesses are cured by physically repairing or eliminating abnormal cells. This is partly due to a conflict between ‘Western’ and ‘Eastern’ philosophies and has its roots in the division of science and religion along with the destruction of folk medicine in both U.S. and Europe.

Cancer cannot be treated effectively under a philosophy of reductionism. Scientific cancer research has failed to find a cure because it is looking in the wrong places with the wrong tools. Cancer needs to be understood as a ‘whole’ disease in relation to each individual’s experience and the culture of which they are part. It has multiple causes that vary with each patient. The strategies that worked so well for tackling acute infectious diseases are inappropriate for dealing with chronic and degenerative conditions. Cancer patients can be at best increasingly ‘patched up’ by orthodox treatments but at spiralling health care costs.