Human beings are made of body, mind and spirit.
Of these, spirit is primary,
for it connects us to the source of everything,
the eternal field of consciousness."
and that....
"Each of us is here to discover our true Self...
that essentially we are spiritual beings
who have taken manifestation in physical form...
that we're not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences
that we're spiritual beings that have occasional human experiences. "...
I believe Chopra said it best. .So, knowing now that we are spirit incarnated on earth to discover our true Self through our physical form, and knowing that Spirit does not die, then we can understand that death is nothing to fear because it is then really only a transition and a 'return to home', A return to the God of his/her understanding. Do you ever think about dying? What do you think when a loved one is dying? Did he/she suffer ? Think about your life. How we live our lives here and how we think about ourselves and our life can be liberating and empowering. If you were to die tomorrow, can you say that you lived a full life and that you impacted positively on the lives of those around you? Has a parent impacted their children and how their children raise their own children? Would there be any regrets of things left unsaid or undone? Although I do not always like to discuss death with anyone let alone family--it is my occupation--my God chosen profession. If I am able to be of service to another human being in times of undue or untimely stress, then I shall be present. If I could comfort in any way to ease the pain, then I shall be present. If I could just be present without uttering a word, then I shall be present. Those that finally have the chance to end their suffering, we should rejoice and be rest assured he/she would not have wanted to live in misery, without the ability to speak, touch, see, hear nor converse . May the God of your understanding comfort you . Personally for years I held onto an image of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a parent and failed at my duty as a son and as a physician. This image haunted me for years. I had no one to discuss it with. It was my demon or skeleton in the closet. Years later, I had the insight as a sober man, son and physician to let this image go. It was very liberating and empowering. It allowed me to move forward , mentally, physically and spiritually. Time heals everything…
" It is actually our imperfections that connect us to one another as human beings and make us who we are."Rarely do I ever put an article on my blog. However the topic on antioxidant use and cancer still remains controversial today. There are risks and benefits. I want patients to be informed. I do know that a patient should make his/her own decisions but all the 'cards' should be laid out on the table. There are numerous studies to the benefits of accupucture, meditation, energy medicine, herbs, supplements, the correct diet, exercise and yoga in supporting cancer. This article is from the American Botanical Council.
Date: 10-15-2010 HC#051046-410
Re: The Controversial Benefits and Risks of Antioxidant Use during Cancer Treatment
Ladas E, Kelly KM. The antioxidant debate. Explore. March-April 2010;6(2):75-85.
There is a vigorous debate in oncology over the use of antioxidants concomitantly with chemotherapy and/or radiation. Estimates of patients who use antioxidants to enhance anti-cancer activity of conventional therapy or to minimize adverse side effects range from 13%-87%, yet there is little information on effects of such supplementation and an apparently significant potential for harm in some situations, according to the authors.
One issue is that some types of chemotherapy (e.g., anthracyclines, platinum-containing complexes, and alkylating agents), as well as radiation therapy, exert anti-cancer effects at least in part through generation of free radicals, intended to attack cancer cells. If antioxidants protect cancerous cells as well as normal ones from free radicals, they could reduce treatment efficacy.
On the other hand, antioxidants have many different mechanisms of action which may result in varying risks. Similarly, not all chemotherapy agents rely on free radicals, thus may be less susceptible to antioxidant interference. Plasma antioxidant levels are lowered in both chemotherapy and radiation therapy and in conditioning regimens prior to stem cell transplants. Some studies suggest that an antioxidant-poor diet underlies many diseases, including cancer. Adjunctively, antioxidants may protect normal cells and allow lower doses of chemotherapy drugs to be used. Antioxidants used properly during cancer treatment may themselves exert anti-cancer effects, as well as mitigate unwanted side effects.
Of the two main types of antioxidants, enzymatic and non-enzymatic, most non-enzymatic compounds are obtained orally. Normal dietary levels of antioxidants should not interfere with cancer therapy. Bioavailability of antioxidants varies with source, mode of administration, and form. Genetic variation in humans also complicates studies of antioxidant use during cancer therapy, as well as the success of free radical-reliant therapies.
Few clinical trials have addressed antioxidants as anti-cancer agents. A systematic review found six studies of antioxidants’ effect on cancer reoccurrence and survival rates. Two reported a survival benefit with antioxidant use; one reported short-term, but no long-term, benefit. Three found no benefit. Of single antioxidant supplements studied, oral vitamin C produced no survival benefit in two double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs); however, more recent studies found that levels toxic to some cancer cell lines can be achieved with intravenous vitamin C. Adjunctively, intravenous vitamin C was found useful in a phase II study of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Melatonin, an endogenous antioxidant hormone, stimulates apoptosis, reduces tumor growth factors and endothelial growth factor, and is anti-inflammatory. A systematic review suggests that melatonin may improve survival in solid tumor cases. Adjunctively, adding melatonin to interferon in 22 patients with progressive metastatic renal cell carcinoma was associated with remission in seven and stable disease in nine more. Positive results were also seen when melatonin was added to irinotecan in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Combinations of antioxidants have been examined in some studies. While no RCTs have reported significant benefits to date from any combination, a study is underway in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, using vitamin C, vitamin E, β-carotene, and vitamin A, exploring reports of prolonged remission with this combination.
Several studies, but few RCTs, have examined use of antioxidants for supportive care. Cachexia is often seen in cancer treatment, associated with depleted intracellular glutathione (GSH) and increased oxidative stress. Supplementation with a GSH-repleting agent or precursor, or with antioxidants, may prevent or relieve this cancer-related wasting condition. Cardiomyopathy, neurotoxicity, and ototoxicity leading to hearing loss are adverse side effects of particular chemotherapies that may be alleviated with antioxidant supplementation; however, studies so far are inconclusive. In women being treated for ovarian cancer, antioxidant supplementation produced higher neutrophil counts and fewer adverse side effects. Vitamins C and E improved plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels in women with resectable breast cancer.
There are now a few antioxidant pharmaceuticals specifically protective against chemotherapeutic damage. These agents benefit from the evidence of preclinical studies and clinical trials that have not yet been performed on most antioxidant supplements.
Even in radiation, which produces its anti-cancer effects largely by generating free radicals, antioxidants may play a positive role. Small trials have examined supplementation to prevent proctitis, tissue induration, and mucositis associated with radiation, with mixed, but encouraging, results. In female childhood cancer survivors who had received pelvic radiation, supplementation reduced fibroatrophic uterine lesions. A survival benefit was found with vitamin E and pentoxifylline supplementation in patients with stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. However, in a large study of head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation, supplementation with vitamin E and β-carotene was associated with less severe acute adverse side effects, but increased risk of lung cancer, leading to the early discontinuation of β-carotene.
The authors conclude that the combination of vitamin E and β-carotene should not be used with radiation therapy, and that antioxidants should be used only with caution with chemotherapy, pending additional research. They critique the lack of cohesion or comparability of studies so far and suggest a focused antioxidant-cancer treatment research agenda.
—Mariann Garner-Wizard
Until tomorrow...
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