Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Cold Caps For Chemotherapy

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Cold Caps For Chemotherapy: October is National Breast Cancer Cancer Awareness Month.  One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.Octo...

Cold Caps For Chemotherapy

October is National Breast Cancer Cancer Awareness Month.  One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

I remember a friend who was battling breast cancer and my mom loosing her locks when she was battling lung cancer both sharing the lost of their hair.

For women being treated for this disease the most difficult thing about chemotherapy is losing their hair.  Hair for many women is a great part of who they are.  Lost of hair immediately may sent out the signal something is wrong long before you are ready to share your cancer diagnosis . 

When the treatment kills cancer cells, it kills healthy hair cells right along with it, reports CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen.

But for many women that doesn't happen. There is a technique called cold caps used for decades in Europe, But almost unknown in the U.S.But for many women that doesn’t have to happen. 

The cold cap is chilled with dry ice to 30 below. As it warms, a new one is strapped on tightly every 20 to 30 minutes.  This goes on for 8 hours "It's not really pain.  It is an overall feeling of just I want this off my head, "Wolff said.  In the most recent study, roughly 66 percent of women kept more than half of their.

Doctor have different ideas about why it works.  One theory is that it constricts blood flow, keeping the chemo from reaching the scalp.  Another is that it freezes  many of the hair follicles and the chemo is simply shut out.

“Is it working?” Petersen asked.

“It is working. I have the majority of my hair. The oncologist told me this morning that I would have been completely bald had I had not used the cold cap,” Wolff said.

She gets moral support from her husband – CBS News’ Barry Petersen. Yes, they are together on this journey.

“Why is maintaining your hair important to a woman?” Petersen asked.

“I think it gives you a sense of control. It gives you a piece of dignity,” Wolff said

It doesn’t work for all chemo drugs, or for cancers carried through the blood like leukemia. There are concerns that blocking the chemotherapy could let cancer spread to the scalp, but doctors don’t believe it’s likely.

“Our opinion is that the risks are very, very small, if any,” said Dr. Tessa Cigler, an oncologist at New York’s Weill Cornell Breast Cancer Center.  

Cigler sees a positive impact from the caps.

“I think some of it is a look-good-feel-good” effect for patients, she said.

The other effect she’s noticed is on doctors and how they respond to women who still have their hair.

“We’ve been surprised at how our interactions are a little bit different,” Cigler said, adding that it’s in a “more positive” sense.  

Using these caps can cost a patient several thousand dollars out-of-pocket; they are rented by the month.

Another version called DigniCap circulates coolant through one cap. It received FDA approval last December, but it’s far less available since it must be leased by hospitals. Users then pay by the treatment.

Neither of the options is reimbursed by insurance.

That’s why Bethany Hornthal in San Francisco helped found the non-profit “Hair to Stay,” to help women who can’t afford the cold caps. The organization has offset the costs for more than 170 women.

“I think that insurance needs to step in here and to level the playing field,” Hornthal said.

In New Jersey, Susan Melchione demonstrated the DigniCap for us. She decided it was worth the cost.

“I can go out and just be who I am and not have the breast cancer define me,” Melchione said.

“What does that mean, not have the breast cancer define me?” Petersen asked.

“Not live the cancer, but live going through the struggle or the treatment of it, and coming out the other end and being fine,” Melchione said.

All the women we spoke to for this story, doctors and patients, stressed the importance of awareness. While there can be hefty out-of-pocket costs, women can’t make the choice to save their hair without knowing about the treatment option – and most doctors are not talking about it. 

Petersen said he is happy to report that his wife had her last chemo four months ago, and she was able to keep her hair.

Retrieve 10/22/2016

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cold-cap-treatment-breast-cancer-chemotherapy-women-keep-their-hair/

http://www.polarcoldcaps.com/?gclid=CNKc4OeK788CFcNZhgodDcsPsA

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: October 19, 2016 TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESC...

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs:


  October 19, 2016
 TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESC...:   October 19, 2016  TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS OCTOBER 22, 2016 [New York NY] – On Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m....

  October 19, 2016
 TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS OCTOBER 22, 2016

[New York NY] – On Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the [local agency] and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 12th opportunity in six years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your pills for disposal at local disposal site .  (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

During both my Mother and Husband illness I found it inconsiderable that after their death I had costly medication, that I could not be used or easily dispose of.  Cancer medication and pain pill are very costly as much as 3600 or more a month even when my husband was in the hospital they would not administer his medication they would ask me for his pills.  In the end I had a bag of pill someone else who could not afford medication could use.

Last April, Americans turned in 447 tons (over 893,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners.  Overall, in its 11 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 6.4 million pounds—about 3,200 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 22 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website (For more information)

https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/NTBI/ntbi-pub.pub?_flowExecutionKey=_c61FD13BD-1E48-4A5D-CD21-9192EBE2414F_k038D9851-C57E-E8B4-BC61-8DB

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is most common cancer among American women. Getting  mammograms regularly can lower the risk of dying...

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is most common cancer among American women. Getting  mammograms regularly can lower the risk of dying...

Muriel lights Melts

  https://www.etsy.com/listing/470655894/muriel-lights 

                          +`           

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is most common cancer among American women. Getting  mammograms regularly can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that if you are 50 to 74 years old, be sure to have a screening mammogram every two years. If you are 40 to 49 years old, talk to your doctor about when to start and how often to get a screening mammogram.

Are you worried about the cost? CDC offers free or low-cost mammograms. 

What Are the Symptoms?

There are different symptoms of breast cancer, and some people have no symptoms at all. Symptoms can include any change in the size or the shape of the breast, pain in any area of the breast, nipple discharge other than breast milk (including blood), and a new lump in the breast or underarm. If you have any signs that worry you, see your doctor right away.

How Can I Lower My Risk?

The main factor that influence your risk for breast cancer include being a woman, being older (most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older), and having changes in your beast cancer genes  (BRCA1 and BRCA2). Most women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors and no history of the disease in their families. There are things you can do to can help lower breast cancer risk. The Know BRCA tool can help you assess your risk of having changes in your BRCA genes.

Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. Talk to your doctor about which breast cancer screening tests are right for you, and when you should have them.

CDC’s Bring Your Brave campaign provides information about breast cancer to women younger than age 45 by sharing real stories about young women whose lives have been affected by breast cancer.

Fast Facts About Breast Cancer

• Each year in the United States, more than 200,000 women get breast cancer and more than 40,000 women die from the disease.
• Men also get breast cancer, but it is not very common. Less than 1% of breast cancers occur in men.
• Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects  younger. About 10% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age.                       

Reference October 13,  2016        

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/breastcancerawareness/

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Liver Cancer Month

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: Liver Cancer Month: Cancer  is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the liver, it is called  liver cancer.  Each yea...

Liver Cancer Month

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the liver, it is called liver cancer. Each year in the United States, about 21,000 men and 8,000 women get liver cancer, and about 16,000 men and 8,000 women die from the disease. The percentage of Americans who get liver cancer has been rising for several decades.

To lower your risk for liver cancer, get vaccinated against Hepatitis B, get tested for Hepatitis C, and don’t drink too much alcohol.

What Is the Liver?

The liver is the largest organ in the human body, located on the upper right side of the body, behind the lower ribs. The liver does many jobs, including—

• Storing nutrients.
• Removing waste products and worn-out cells from the blood.
• Filtering and processing chemicals in food, alcohol, and medications.
• Producing bile, a solution that helps digest fats and eliminate waste products.

What Causes Liver Cancer?

Many liver cancer cases are related to the hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus. More than 4 million people are living with chronic Hepatitis B or chronic Hepatitis C in the United States. Most people don’t know they have the virus.

Other behaviors and conditions that increase risk for getting liver cancer are—

• Heavy alcohol
• Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver, which can also be caused by hepatitis and alcohol use).
• Obesity.
• Diabetes.
• Having hemochromatosis, a condition where the body takes up and stores more iron than it needs.
• Eating foods that have aflatoxin (a fungus that can grow on foods, such as grains and nuts that have not been stored properly

What Are the Symptoms of Liver Cancer?

In its early stages, liver cancer may not have symptoms that can be seen or felt. However, as the cancer grows larger, people may notice one or more of these common symptoms. It’s important to remember that these symptoms could also be caused by other health conditions. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor.

Liver cancer symptoms may include—

• Discomfort in the upper abdomen on the right side.
• A swollen abdomen.
• A hard lump on the right side just below the rib cage.
• Pain near the right shoulder blade or in the back.
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).
• Easy bruising or bleeding.
• Unusual tiredness.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Loss of appetite.
• Weight loss for no known reason.

How Can I Reduce My Risk for Liver Cancer?

Get vaccinated against Hepatitis B infection. The Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all infants at birth and for adults who may be at increased risk.You can lower your risk of getting liver cancer in the following ways—

• Get tested for Hepatitis C, and get treated if you have it.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol.

Statistics

In the United States in 2013 (the most recent year numbers are available)—

• 21,143 men and 8,330 women were diagnosed with liver cancer.*
• 16,300 men and 7,732 women died from liver cancer.*
• Among men, Asian/Pacific Islander men had the highest rates of getting liver cancer (19.1 per 100,000 men), followed by Hispanic† men (19.0), black men (17.0), American Indian/Alaska Native men (12.8), and white men (10.8).
• Among women, Hispanic† women had the highest rates of getting liver cancer (7.5 per 100,000 women), followed by Asian/Pacific Islander women (6.8), American Indian/Alaska Native women (6.1), black women (5.3), and white women (3.9).
• Among Asian/Pacific Islander men, liver cancer was the fourth most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death.
• Among Asian/Pacific Islander women, liver cancer was the tenth most common cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer death.

*Incidence counts cover about 99% of the U.S. population; death counts cover about 100% of the U.S. population. Use caution when comparing incidence and death counts.

†Hispanic origin is not mutually exclusive from race categories (white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native)

Data source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2013 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2016. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.