HealthCare

Closing In on the Cancer Vaccine After long frustration, researchers are finally learning how to enlist the immune system to destroy tumors. More than a century ago doctors noticed a curious coincidence: Cancer patients' tumors sometimes shriveled after the patients contracted bacterial infections. That inspired the idea of cancer vaccines, which would stir the body's immune system to attack tumor cells as if they were germs, replicating what seemed to have happened in the lucky patients. Unlike the familiar preventive shots we get to ward off the measles, flu, and other infectious ills, cancer vaccines would.

PROSTATE CANCER, Issues and statistics THE BIG NEWS in prostate cancer doesn't concern advances in surgery, medications or radiation therapy, although those are all out there for men. Rather, it's the quandary over when and if to start PSA blood tests to screen for the disease and what to do about the tumors that early detection uncovers.Already a can of worms for men and their doctors, these decisions took on a new urgency last month when results from two major studies showed that routine PSA blood...

Cancer calendar: Fundraisers, info PHILADELPHIA Sandy Sprint: Annual 5K walk/run, hosted by the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, to raise awareness about ovarian cancer & support research to find a cure, Saturday, Fairmount Park; www.sandyovarian.org.Relay For Life: Fun-filled overnight event to celebrate survivorship & raise money for research & programs for the American Cancer Society. Most events held in May or June. For dates & locations in your area, visit...

Cancer Update Last month's global report on cancer estimates that approximately 45 percent of colon cancer cases and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States are preventable through making changes in our diet, physical activity and weight maintenance.The overall message of the report, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention, published by World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, is that society and individuals need to make public health, and cancer.

Among the estimated 22,300 Canadian women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, the problem is magnified by a poor understanding

MRIs urged in breast cancer detection Women who are at high risk for breast cancer should be screened with MRI in addition to mammograms, according to new guidelines from the American Cancer Society.In addition, top researchers recommended Tuesday that anyone recently diagnosed with cancer in one breast should have magnetic resonance imaging to make sure she's not harboring an invisible tumor in the other. Their study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that more than 3 percent of new breast.

: Local services offered to breast cancer patients [Letters] With October -- Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- just behind us, I would like to offer readers some facts about what Collier County offers breast cancer patients and their families through the local American Cancer Society efforts: Reach to Recovery: one-on-one visitation program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients,
conducted by trained breast cancer survivors

American Cancer Society funds more cancer research than any other organization in the world except for the federal government. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 10,700 cases were diagnosed in children in the U.S. last year, compared with 1.4 million cases in adults. Overall, children's cancers are also easier to treat than adult cancers. About 80 percent of kids with cancer will be cured. One promising trend is an ability to pinpoint precisely, for some types of cancer, what has gone wrong in the DNA,...

Support Systems IF IT SEEMS THAT everyone you know has breast cancer or is close to someone who does, it's not your imagination: One out of eight women will be affected by the disease. So even if you're not the one being diagnosed, it's very likely that someone close to you — a friend, a family member, or even the woman who serves up your morning latte — could use your support. But in the face of such a serious disease, it's hard to know... P

Many types of breast cancer, and not all are fatal, Failure to understand different forms of disease leads women to exaggerate chances of dying of it In medical circles, it's called "cancer hysteria."It's that moment of dread when a person has just been informed that they have cancer.As they leave the doctor's office numbed with shock, they will likely have forgotten every shred of information just given to them

Ginseng - Americans cash in on ancient Chinese cure-all It's said to pep you up, calm you down and cure everything from indigestion to infertility. It's ginseng, a small plant that's big business.Last year the American farm-grown variety of the aromatic root brought nearly $50 million into Wisconsin, where it is a leading cash crop.Ginseng's mystique dates back at least 5,000 years. Chinese Emperor Shen-ung praised its healing powers in a book on herbal medicine.

Spa taps into B.C.'s gold mine of ginseng root The terry slippers and the soothing sound of water rolling down the marble-walled entranceway of Sunmore Ginseng Spa are meant as a respite for the tour-bus crowd on their long trek from Vancouver to Canada's famed Banff and Lake Louise.So is the Chinese tea house in this odd oasis of calm on the industrial-park outskirts of this British Columbia ranching community.And the tour buses have been coming - packed with about 85,000 tourists a year, most of them Asians

TAGGING OF GINSENG AIMS TO DISCOURAGE WOULD-BE POACHERS HIGHLANDS - In an attempt to stymie poachers, the U.S. Forest Service is using dye and microchips to tag wild ginseng in areas where it is illegal to collect the plant.Federal and state officials, worried that the medicinal plant may be harvested out of existence, have in recent years stepped up their efforts against ginseng thieves.This is the first time the U.S. Forest Service has used a marking program, which has proved successful in nabbing poachers along the Blue Ridge Parkway..

GINSENG PRICES SOAR, PROMPTING FEARS PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Ginseng? KA-CHING!The wild root revered in Southeast Asia is fetching up to $500 a pound this year for the best grades, more than twice last year's wholesale price."It's higher this year than it's ever been," said Tim Brown, manager of Wilcox Natural Products in Pikeville.That has some worried about the future of Panax quinquefolium, the five-fingered plant Appalachians call "green... Purchase Complete Article, of 600 words 55. Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) - November 30, 1995 GINSENG PRICES SOAR, PROMPTING FEARS PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Ginseng? KA-CHING!The wild root revered in Southeast Asia is fetching up to $500 a pound this year for the best grades, more than twice last year's wholesale price."It's higher this year than it's ever been," said Tim Brown, manager of Wilcox Natural Products in Pikeville.That has some worried about the future of Panax quinquefolium

Ginseng finds market in Far East China looks to Georgia for new supply of herb SUCHES, Ga. - Doyle Helton has as unlikely a garden and crop as any gardener in Georgia. He farms ginseng.On the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains and under the white pines and poplars that tower over 100 feet high, the 62-year-old mountain man cultivates the perennial native herb.From here, the highest community in the state at 3,741 feet, Helton will take his ginseng to Hiawassee, the first leg on a long trip to China.For centuries Oriental countries, especially China, have.

GINSENG DIGGERS ROOT FOR HIGHER PRICES A large yellow wooden sign marks Ferguson's Store, just outside Natural Bridge."We buy raw furs, hides, ginseng, scrap metal," it reads.Inside, dried ginseng hangs from nails in the concrete-block walls, and ginseng ginger ale is kept cold inside a cooler.

Ginseng tea can boost your energy, ginseng gum can boost your libido. Ginseng can even sharpen the mind, or so the claim goes.Since herbal supplements have gone mainstream in the past decade, ginseng consistently has been one of the most popular, with reported sales of more than $62-million a year.But a new study suggests that may be money down the drain.Researchers in Oregon and Michigan examined the mood-boosting..

There's a new cash crop in Clark County that one official says could become important to the economy of Southwest Washington.The crop is ginseng, a slow-growing root used as an ingredient in consumer products ranging from gum to iced tea, as well as the mystical potion in nutritional supplements popular in Asia.Quality ginseng root commands a high market price, making it a potential good source of income for small landowners, says Charles Brun, horticulturist for...

Rooted in tradition Ginseng gatherers fretting over proposed ban CISCO, Ga. - As both folk medicine and an export to Asia, ginseng is an autumn tradition in Appalachia dating to pioneer days. The root, prized for its purported health benefits, is still harvested for export to Chinese and Korean markets that seem to favor American ginseng - Panax quinquefolium - over varieties grown in those countries. However, ginseng gatherers are worried because the U.S. Forest Service is considering a temporary harvest ban in the Chattahoochee National Forest to determine...

Ah, the Tonic of Ginseng! Especially a $65,000 Sprig! A roadside restaurant here was abuzz one recent morning with talk of a $65,000 ginseng plant.The restaurant's only customers, a small group of ginseng seekers, had assembled for a breakfast of tofu soup before driving off to a nearby mountain that they planned to scour for the sought-after plant. Armies of ginseng seekers forage in South Korea's thickly forested mountains where wild ginseng is sometimes found; as mountains are regarded as holy places.

EXPERT ROOTS FOR GINSENG AT BOONVILLE One billion people can't be wrong, an expert on ginseng told 30 potential north country ginseng growers Wednesday night.The root - exotic and expensive, mystical and medicinal - is said to boost virility and desire. The Chinese have used it for millenia, and, as Cooperative Extension agent Robert L. Beyfuss said, It's hard to believe there's nothing to it. There are a heck of a lot more Chinese than there are...

Getting to the root of ginseng For more than 3,000 years, the root of the perennial herb ginseng has been a key element in Asian medicine. It has also found its way into the kitchen.There are two varieties: panax, or Asian ginseng, and panax quinquefolius, American ginseng.In Asian culture, it's believed that Asian ginseng has a heating effect of "yang," while American ginseng has a cooling effect of "yin."The proper use of both is believed to bring... Purchase Complete Article, of 277 words 46. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News - December 22, 2003 South Korean Ginseng Products Firm Considers Thailand Dec. 22 South Korea's Il Hwa Co, the world's top producer of ginseng-based products, is pondering a 320-million-baht investment to set up a plant in Thailand

REMOVAL OF OVARIES, BREASTS MAY CUT RISK of breast cancer.Some, burdened with genes that mark them as profoundly high-risk, live with the feeling that it's not a matter of if cancer will strike, but when.Women who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations face a 50 percent to 85 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 10 percent to 40 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer.About 10 percent of all breast cancers in women younger than 40 are found in those with the mutations.

Study Finds Quitting Smoking Helps Odds for Cancer Patients Stopping smoking even after lung cancer develops -- can lengthen patient survival, a Canadian study has found. Patients who continued to smoke during treatment were more likely to die within five years than patients who quit smoking before beginning treatment for lung cancer, the study's principal author, Dr. Gregory M. Videtic, said. Canadian study finds that stopping smoking--even after lung cancer develops--can lengthen patient survival; finds patients who continue to...

Early Detection The Goal / Ovarian cancer test in works For at least a half century, scientists pursued the early detection for ovarian cancer with dogged persistence but little payoff.No matter how scientists chased the goal, or what technology they tried, an effective test continually eluded them. Stealthy and silent, the cancer rarely makes itself known until its most difficult, and often, fatal stages.Now, two scientists are becoming emboldened as never before, and with a test nearly in hand, at least one has begun to softly but...

Breast cancer survivors: A rainy run is no sweat, Racing for a cure was the goal. Staying at home was not an option. Women get breast cancer in the rain.That pronouncement from District Attorney Lynne Abraham summed up the determination of an estimated 35,000 who congregated amid puddles at the Art Museum yesterday for the 12th Annual Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure.

Breast-cancer preventive drug offers new hope-- Millions of women at high risk for breast cancer should consider taking prescription drugs that can prevent some cases of the feared disease, even though the medicine may give them other serious medical problems, a prestigious federal panel recommended Monday. It was the second official recommendation on breast cancer in four months. Like the earlier one, on mammography screening, the statement made it clear that women can no longer rely on doctors to give them simple, one-size-fits-all...

Children and cancer: No cases are the same, Youths have varying experiences when it comes to the disease Neuroblastoma, a form of cancer, is treated using often painful techniques that can leave a patient sick and weak. But it was one of the best things ever to happen to Nikki Mosier. "To me, it wasn't cancer. It was a fun little trip to a hotel," said Nikki, who is nearly 19. "It might be too upbeat an outlook, but I would be a really different person if I never had cancer."Diagnosed at age 3, Nikki was one of the... Purchase Complete Article, of 705 words 4014. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL - June 23, 2002 CANCER-FIGHTING THERAPIES INCREASE More than 1,600 cancer cases in Lake County resulted in more than 600 deaths, according to the latest American Cancer Society figures.Persons 65 or older have 10 times the risk of cancer as those under 65.Often the treatment has been nearly as cruel as the disease.But Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach is on a mission to change the course of cancer. Why? Because von Eschenbach is the new director of the National Cancer Institute. He is also president-elect of the American Cancer Institute...

CANCER CENTER EARNS BOARD APPROVAL FOR QUALITY CARE The John Smith Jr./Dalton McMichael Cancer Center at Morehead Memorial Hospital has received approval from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.Most people don't really know what The Commission on Cancer's approval means to them as patients.It's kind of like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval for household products.That's a simplified analogy, but the approval ensures that Morehead's patients...

THE DOCTOR'S WORLD Expanding Horizons, and Expectations, in Cancer Care New findings that excite cancer researchers often ring hollow to cancer patients. The reason is that the two groups have different expectations. For researchers, an exciting development may mean that a drug undergoing early trials delays the progress of an advanced cancer for an extra month or two in 30 percent of a small group of dying patients. For patients, an exciting development means that the new drug will provide extra years of life.

Pancreatic Cancer Is Rare but Almost Always Fatal Recently, pancreatic cancer seems to have made a very public uprising, afflicting Patrick Swayze, Steve Jobs (who may have a recurrence) and, most recently, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Although relatively rare, pancreatic cancer is rising in incidence. This almost-always-fatal illness is currently the fourth-leading cause of all cancer deaths. Last year, 37,680 new cases of and 34,290 deaths from pancreatic cancer were reported in the United States.To understand the...

Early detection critical in breast cancer, Regular mammograms are best for early detection During National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, the American Cancer Society reminds women that early detection is the key to surviving breast cancer. If caught early, the breast cancer survival rate is 98 percent. If diagnosed late, the survival rate drops to 27 percent. The best way to detect breast cancer early is through regular mammograms, according to ACS.Despite continuing advances in breast cancer detection, treatment and survival rates, breast cancer is still a major...

Fighting cancer with exercise The standard weapons in the fight against cancer - surgery, chemotherapy and radiation - may soon be joined by something far simpler: exercise.New research shows that regular physical activity helps reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer and slows the advance of prostate cancer.In a few years, exercise will probably be prescribed regularly for cancer rehabilitation, said Melinda Irwin, an expert on cancer and exercise at Yale University School of Medicine.

SOME BREAST CANCER STATISTICS Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.As women age, their risk for breast cancer increases. Three-quarters of all breast cancers occur in women over age 50.The most common sign or symptom of breast cancer is a lump or thickening that does not go away or seem to change. Most lumps in the breast are not cancerous - four out of five are from other causes.Early detection of breast cancer gives a woman her best chances for survival.

STEADY PROGRESS AGAINST BREAST CANCER The American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, applauds the Tribune`s recent coverage of issues surrounding breast cancer. Barbara Brotman`s March 3 story raises important questions about progress against the disease. Fortunately, we do have some of the answers. U.S. breast cancer incidence has been increasing at a rate of 3 percent per year over the last decade. While a portion of this increase is due to progress in detecting tumors in earlier stages, early

GETTING A BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS biopsies under scrutiny The skill of the pathologist studying the specimen is a crucial element A diagnosis of breast cancer is devastating news, and each year it is conveyed to more than 200,000 women - and about 3,000 men - in the United States.But while life's priorities change in the face of unfavorable health news, some experts say it is a time when patients should be at their most vigilant, understanding what their options are, whether to seek a second opinion, and having a firm handle on what is meant by the phrase:

Gene therapy cancer tests in humans seen in 2003 Cancer treatments that work in animals often fail in people. Still, the researchers at Northwestern University and several other centers say they're encouraged by how the therapy boosted the immune systems in the mice, helping to kill cancer cells. The treatment cured 70 percent of the mice with melanoma cancer and 80 percent of those with prostate cancer. There was zero survival among mice that had the same cancers but did not get the treatment.

Cancer a deadly foe since the Stone Age, Humanity waged a futile battle against a barely understood disease until scientists began to confront the enemy We tend to think of cancer as a modern scourge fought with high-tech machinery but it has taken lives virtually since people lived in caves.Malignant tumours have been found in neolithic bones, in Egyptian mummies and in the skeletons of pre-Columbian aboriginals in ancient Peru.Written records ranging from Egyptian papyri to ancient East Indian manuscripts have descriptions of malignant tumours. Paleopathologists have identified bone tumours in a prehistoric skeleton in Japan

FIGHTING CANCER TAKES A TEAM FAMILY, FRIENDS PLAY KEY ROLE, DR. JOYCE BROTHERS SAYS Cancer survivors and their families gathered yesterday to celebrate life. About 400 people met at Lehigh University's Iacocca Hall for the eighth annual Cancer Survivors Day.Dr. Joyce Brothers, psychologist and NBC Radio personality, was the featured speaker. Brothers stressed the role of personal education in fighting cancer."Never stop learning about your disease and ways of handling your disease. Patients owe that to themselves,"

New research findings suggest that two plant derivatives may help to lessen the affects of stroke, according to the Southern California University of Health Sciences in Whittier. Over a period of six months, the school, researchers at SCU and the University of Southern California administered guggul and ashwagandha plant derivatives to laboratory rats, which later fared better than their untreated counterparts after experiencing a stroke, said Dr. Betsy Singh, who heads the SCU...

BABAICHAI TRADING (is into organic farming and supply of medicinal and flower seeds, essential and aromatic oils) Babichai Trading Corporation is into organic farming and supply of medicinal and flower seeds, essential and aromatic oils and lemongrass tea cut. The company is also involved in contract farming. The company's headquarters is located in Ajmer, Rajasthan. In medicinal seeds, BTC supplies ashwagandha, sonamukhi, coleus, jatropha, aloe vera, safed musli, pamarosa and lemon grass. In flower seeds, it supplies African marigold seed and gladiolus bulbs. In essential and aromatic oils,...

Are plants seed of sexual health? Let's talk sex.Long before the little blue pill, there was maca.And Horny Goat Weed, catuaba and ashwagandha - plant aphrodisiacs that people in far-flung parts of the world have used for hundreds of years in the belief such substances improved their sex lives.In tea, capsule and food form, these and other plant remedies may be poised to start a sexual revolution here, and Chris Kilham is taking up the charge.Kilham, 52, is the explorer-in-residence at the...

Experts promote 'hot plants' for a drooping libido Herbal remedies as sex boosters are the fastest-growing category in the supplement business.Let's talk sex.Long before the little blue pill, there was maca.And Horny Goat Weed, catuaba and ashwagandha - plant aphrodisiacs that people in far-flung parts of the world have used for hundreds of years in the belief such substances improved their sex lives.In tea, capsule and food form, these and other plant remedies may be poised to start a sexual revolution here