My oncologist says it is fine to have one CT scan per year now. We are doing well and there is no need for unnecessary radiation in my body. She said there is a recent study that too many X-rays can increase one's chance of secondary cancers. The magic number "they've" come up with is 15 in a lifetime, then, look out. I've counted 8 scans with cancer alone. Don't know how many I had before and predict 5-6 more in follow up. Not too worried, however, because I am already at increased risk for secondary cancers from radiation therapy. Although, "increased risk" is an ambiguous phrase. At any rate, I am happy to be cutting down to one per year.
Happy Holidays to all!
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Candace Kuchinski
Dennis and I wanted to share a little about the amazing person battling this scary disease:
Candace lives in South Thomaston, ME with Dennis and their black lab Sadie. We moved around a lot, so she experienced life in various parts of northern and southern California as well as Rhode Island before the family finally settled in Maine.
Candace attended the University of New Hampshire where she majored in Zoology. An elective class in photography her Senior year revealed her true passion, so Candace continued her photographic studies in Maine.
Along with photography, she is an avid snow boarder and sailor and has a deep love of all things canine. So much so, that she started her own dog walking, pet sitting business in 2005.
Candace has always had a great attitude and exuberance for living. She loves the outdoors and being with friends and family. She also loves a good laugh and is not afraid to be a goofball.
As a sister, she has been such a support throughout the years and the many moves. We never fought growing up and always looked out for each other. I feel so privileged to have such a wonderful person in my life – and you should, too!
Dennis has told me that my sister is “the most beautiful woman in the world” and he always asks me if I know how much he loves my sister. To see them together is a real treat because you can see the absolute joy they get from each other. I am glad sis has such a strong and loving person in her life.
Candace lives in South Thomaston, ME with Dennis and their black lab Sadie. We moved around a lot, so she experienced life in various parts of northern and southern California as well as Rhode Island before the family finally settled in Maine.
Candace attended the University of New Hampshire where she majored in Zoology. An elective class in photography her Senior year revealed her true passion, so Candace continued her photographic studies in Maine.
Along with photography, she is an avid snow boarder and sailor and has a deep love of all things canine. So much so, that she started her own dog walking, pet sitting business in 2005.
Candace has always had a great attitude and exuberance for living. She loves the outdoors and being with friends and family. She also loves a good laugh and is not afraid to be a goofball.
As a sister, she has been such a support throughout the years and the many moves. We never fought growing up and always looked out for each other. I feel so privileged to have such a wonderful person in my life – and you should, too!
Dennis has told me that my sister is “the most beautiful woman in the world” and he always asks me if I know how much he loves my sister. To see them together is a real treat because you can see the absolute joy they get from each other. I am glad sis has such a strong and loving person in her life.
2 comments:
Glad to hear things are going well! I am a cancer survivor and I work for ChiliTechnology. The ChiliPad is a great invention for people who have medical conditions that make them too hot to sleep - it's a cooling mattress pad. You can set any temp. you want down to 46 degrees. It also heats - if you need that. Unlike the electric blanket it keeps the electromagnetic field far away from the body - so doesn't increase your risk of cancer or get in the way of healing. It really helped me during chemo when I was getting sweats and chills.
Jovanovic D et al
.
The idea that antidepressants might be effective for cancer was first explored fifty years ago, and ample proof has emerged. To verify, access Medline or Pubmed, and enter “antidepressants” and “cancer.” With patience, you may retrieve more than seventy studies showing that antidepressants destroy cancer cells, inhibit their proliferation, convert multidrug resistant cells to chemotherapy sensitive, protect nonmalignant cells from damage by ionizing radiation and chemotherapy toxicity, and target the mitochondria of cancer cells, while sparing those of healthy ones. Antidepressants can arrest cancer even in advanced stages, occasionally reverse it, significantly extend life, and have shown much promise in malignancies often resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. In 1998, Brenda Penninx showed that at age 70, people who are chronically depressed have an increased risk of cancer of 88%, and an increased risk of dying of it of 50%.
Paradigm shifts may not become medical revolutions unless widely disseminated, so as to bypass vested interests. This one could do wonders for people, and for health economics. I have contributed five reviews to the advance.
Lieb, J. “Antidepressants, eicosanoids and the prevention and treatment of cancer.” Plefa (2001) 65(5&6), 233-239
Lieb, J. “Antidepressants, prostaglandins and the prevention and treatment of
cancer.” Medical Hypotheses (2007) 684-689
Lieb, J.”The multifaceted value of antidepressants in cancer therapeutics.” Editorial comment. European Journal of Cancer 44 (2) 2008 172-174
Lieb, J.”Defeating cancer with antidepressants.” Ecancermedicalscience. DOI 10.3332/eCMS.2008.88
Lieb, J.”The remarkable anticancer properties of antidepressants.” DOI.10.3332/eCMS.LTR.149
An impressive clinical study
.Two groups of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were analyzed and compared: Group A-26 patients (12 treated with chemotherapy –CT, 14 with best supportive care BSC), all receiving 10mg/day of Mianserin and Group B-26 patients with comparable corresponding characteristics, who were treated with chemotherapy.
An objective clinical response to chemotherapy was observed in five patients receiving Mianserin, and only two patients who did not receive it. Median survival time for Mianserin patients was also significantly better. A surprising fact emerged in 2 patients with adenocarcinoma: one with local tumor recurrence and diffuse bone metastases, evidently stable with no further progression for 37 months, the other with metastases in the upper mediastinal lymph nodes, with no further progression for 26 months. Symptom control (pain, dyspnea, and emotional functioning) were significantly better in Mianserin Group A. Antidepressants are highly specific and humans variable, thus some of the non responders may well have responded to alternatives to Mianserin.
Jovanovic D, et al: Mianserin therapy in advanced lung cancer patients. 8th Central European Lung Cancer Conference. Vienna 2002. Internal Process Division, Monduzzi Editore 2002; 339-343
Julian Lieb, M.D
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