13 Şubat 2017 Pazartesi
19 Aralık 2016 Pazartesi
AA Gill’s death doesn’t mean the NHS is broken – or that private healthcare is superior | Ann Robinson
The sad death of journalist AA Gill from lung cancer has led to a barrage of criticism of the NHS. In his last piece for the Sunday Times, Gill described how his cancer had spread, despite conventional treatment, and how he was then unable to get a pioneering treatment called immunotherapy on the NHS.
Gill described asking his oncologist, Dr Conrad Lewanski, why the UK is “such a bad place to get cancer”. Lewanski replied: “It’s the nature of the health service. The key to cancer outcomes is the speed of diagnosis and treatment.” In response to the piece there have been letters and articles supporting the perception that you will be doomed if you rely on the NHS. It cannot be acceptable, writes oncologist Dr Mark Saunders, “that in a 21st-century NHS, patients must have to pay privately for a drug that can extend life”.
Gill paid for the drug Nivolumab privately; unfortunately, it wrought no miracles. Nivolumab, marketed as Opdivo, is a so-called checkpoint inhibitor, helping the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells by boosting the impact of our own T-cells. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has approved the use of this drug in advanced melanoma, but ruled that it’s not cost-effective to offer it to all patients who have the specific kind of lung cancer Gill had. Instead, Nice recommends that these patients are tested for a certain biomarker, which predicts whether they are more likely to respond to Nivolumab. Funding could come from the Cancer Drugs Fund for these patients, who make up a third of those with this type of lung cancer.
Reaction to Gill’s death has included a wave of letters and comment along the lines of: “God help me if I get cancer and have to rely on the NHS.” Many issues and arguments have been thrown into the pot along the way, including lack of funding for advanced cancer drugs, late diagnosis and poor cancer survival rates in the UK compared to some other countries. Gill himself thought delays in getting a GP appointment, rushed consultations, delayed referral and slow investigations might all play a part, although he visited a private doctor until he started treatment, so wasn’t able to present personal evidence for his view.
But he may well have been right and there is no doubt that we could do better. The five-year relative survival rate for breast cancer in England in women diagnosed up to 2007 was 79.1%, compared to 86% in Sweden. And the corresponding figures for bowel cancer were 51.3% in England compared to 62.2% in Germany.
So for those of us who live in the UK and rely on NHS care, just how bad is it to get seriously ill here? The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) produced a pithy summary of the state of UK healthcare last year. It said access to care is good, while quality of care is “uneven” and “continues to lag behind that in many other OECD countries”. We’re good at keeping people with diabetes out of hospital, but less good when it comes to asthma and respiratory diseases. UK health spending per person is slightly below the OECD average. And the main factor the summary highlights is the fact that we smoke, drink and overeat more than the OECD average. “To reduce premature mortality, more attention to tackling health risk factors – smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity” are needed, according to the report. Public Health bodies are trying, but the alcohol, sugar and tobacco lobbies are powerful brakes on change.
And what about if you get cancer? Should you board a plane as soon as you’re diagnosed? In truth, survival following diagnosis for cancer has improved in the UK over the past 10 years but we are still in the bottom third of OECD countries in five-year relative survival for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer. On the plus side, writes the OECD, “survival rates are improving at least as fast as the OECD average”.
Perhaps the solution lies in taking out private health insurance? But buyer beware: read the small print. Insurance companies pay for some treatments, not others. Say you find you have a genetic mutation that gives you at least a one in two chance of getting breast or ovarian cancer. You may want to opt for risk-reducing surgery as Angelina Jolie and Sharon Osbourne did. But you may be surprised to learn that most health insurance policies won’t cover you for any form of preventive treatment; you have to wait until you get the cancer to be treated. If you want it done, you will be able to get it on the NHS if eligible.
But why have any system at all? Why not just stow away some cash and use it to buy whatever healthcare you need directly? That would work if you have unlimited wealth, never get sick and are determined not to access modern medicine even if one of your kids gets seriously ill.
Most would agree that we do need some sort of system in place for our healthcare. And there is no system on Earth that offers the full range of treatment options as soon as they come to market. Each system in operation has pros and cons; it is tempting but daft to attribute headline figures about cancer survival rates in different countries entirely to the way they deliver healthcare.
The NHS is not the monolithic, static system some would have us believe; there is scope to deliver the evolutionary changes that we certainly need. This means adapting to the new opportunities offered by science and technology; expect to see rapid innovations in coming years in the field of genomics and artificial intelligence. And there will be more emphasis on promoting wellbeing and preventing ill-health rather than just treating disease. This can only happen if the NHS engages better with patients, carers and citizens. That’s the vision, and we’re all a part of it.
AA Gill’s death doesn’t mean the NHS is broken – or that private healthcare is superior | Ann Robinson
28 Ekim 2016 Cuma
Study: Frankincense Essential Oil Superior to Chemotherapy in Destroying Cancer Cells
What is frankincense?
Frankincense is a fragrant plant resin that comes from the Boswelllia sacra tree found across Africa and the Arabian peninsula. It’s been used for centuries as a folk medicine, largely because of its anti-inflammatory properties. The oil of frankincense has been used for thousands of years to treat and prevent disease-causing inflammation, boost immunity, and prevent dangerous infections.
Cancer Cells that Don’t Respond to Chemotherapy are Destroy by Frankincense Oil
In the latest research, scientists have demonstrated the ability of frankincense to combat cancer cells in late-stage cancer. The compound known as AKBA (acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid) is credited with many of the known benefits of the resin, including its positive effects on cancer elimination, including breast, colon, and prostate cancers. And the evidence suggests that frankincense isn’t just a supplemental treatment to go along with chemotherapy and radiation; in some cases it may actually be preferential as a replacement.
After a year of studying the AKBA compound with ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro, we have been able to show it is effective at killing the cancer cells. Frankincense is taken by many people with no known side effects. This finding has enormous potential to be taken to a clinical trial in the future and developed into an additional treatment for ovarian cancer.
The reason for this is that frankincense shows demonstrable effectiveness in a few areas where chemotherapy isn’t all that effective, particularly with regards to ovarian cancer.
How to use Frankincense Essential Oil?
Frankincense essential oil can be diluted in a carrier oil such as jojoba oil or coconut oil, or add it to your favorite all-natural lotions or creams for topical application.
Other Benefits & Uses of Frankincense Essential Oil
-Stress Relieving Bath-Soak
-Natural Household Cleaner
-Anti-Aging & Wrinkle Fighter
-Relieve the symptoms of gout
-Stress and anxiety management
-Relieves Symptoms of Indigestion
-Natural Cold or Flu Medicine
-Reduce Swelling from Insect Bites
-Helps Relieve Inflammation and Pain
-Wound Healing and Infection Prevention
-Remove moles, skin tags, and warts
Additional Sources:
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/frankincense-and-cancer/
http://complete-health-and-happiness.com/frankincense-essential-oil-could-be-superior-to-chemotherapy-in-destroying-cancer-cells/?t=HHL
https://draxe.com/frankincense-oil-cancer/
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Study: Frankincense Essential Oil Superior to Chemotherapy in Destroying Cancer Cells
9 Eylül 2016 Cuma
Oregano Oil Superior To Prescription Antibiotics
Oregano is native to Europe but is grown on many different continents and in many different countries around the world. Oil of oregano is a natural substance that is extracted from wild oregano plants, and two key compounds found in it are carvacrol and thymol. Oregano oil is made from pressing the leaves and flowers of an oregano plant.
Did you know that oregano has eight times more antioxidants than apples and three times as much as blueberries? Antioxidants are needed to protect our body against free radical damage. They boost the immune-system naturally. Oregano Oil is the most potent antibiotic oil.
Oregano Oil is Powerful Natural Antibiotic
Oregano oil can be used instead of harmful antibiotics for a number of health concerns. The rest of the research cited is supporting the fact that oregano is more than just an antibiotic. It’s the ultimate natural antibiotic! It contains more than 50 antibacterial ingredients, is by far more useful than drugs, and has no side effects while, at the same time, fights germs that do not become resistant to it.
Carvacrol, thymol and the many other volatile compounds that can be distilled from the oregano plant inhibit the growth of bacteria, which makes them powerful alternatives to antibiotics. Oil of oregano’s medicinal potency comes from the concentration of the herb’s volatile compounds — tiny but mighty molecules found in the leaves of the plant.
Healing Properties of This Oregano Oil
Anti-fungal
Anti-bacterial
Anti-viral
Anti-parasitic
Anti-inflammatory
Antioxidant
Natural anesthetic
Antispasmodic
The Benefits of Oil of Oregano
Oregano oil is effective in treating a myriad of conditions, some of which include, colds/flu, lung conditions (asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis), arthritis, animal bites, candida, ear infections, rashes, giardia, sore throat, tuberculosis, and diarrhea just to name a few.
-It can destroy organisms that contribute to the development of skin infections and problems with digestion, urinary, bladder, and food poisoning.
-It strengthens the immune system.
-It increases the connection and flexibility of muscles.
-It improves respiratory health. Puffs of oil will help your breathing in cases of shortness of breath or pulmonary disease.
-It can be used for skin conditions like athletes foot, acne and dandruff.
-Wild oregano oil can also help cold sores, joint pain and muscle aches.
Sources:
uncleharrys, lahealthyliving, thepaleosecret, globalhealingcenter.com
Read:
Oregano Oil Superior To Prescription Antibiotics
3 Mart 2014 Pazartesi
Prisoners See Themselves as Morally Superior to Non-Prisoners
It looks that even individuals who have been incarcerated fall prey to the notion that they are greater than other folks. New analysis from the University of Southampton has located that those in prison think themselves to be kinder, much more moral, more self-controlled, and much more generous than non-prisoners.
According to the study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, prisoners also didn’t uncover themselves to be less law abiding as people outside the prison walls. In fact, they regarded as themselves equally law abiding.
According to Professor of Social and Personality Psychology and Director of the Centre for Analysis on Self and Identity at the University of Southampton Constantine Sedikides, this is 1 of the most compelling findings in assistance of self-enhancement to date.
Sedikides found it particularly exciting that the prisoners did not self-enhance by obtaining themselves to be superior in power or toughness, but as an alternative on professional-social traits. In effect, they ignored the reality that they have been in prison in order to increase their vision of themselves.
The research necessary 79 prisoners from south England to fill out a survey rating themselves in comparison to both other prisoners and regular members of the local community. The survey covered nine social traits: morality, kindness, trustworthiness, honesty, dependability, compassion, generousness, self-control, and adherence to the law.
Interestingly, the prisoners rated themselves to be superior to most neighborhood members on all traits, with the exception of adherence to the law. On that query, they rated themselves as becoming equal with the regular neighborhood member.
In accordance to Sedikides, these final results show just how sturdy the motivation toward self-enhancement is. It is psychologically critical for folks to think about themselves to be justified, no matter what the reality of their recent scenario is.
Of course, prisoners aren’t the only people who tend to enhance their self picture. Most of us do just that and put up formidable defenses towards any person who doubts us.
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Prisoners See Themselves as Morally Superior to Non-Prisoners