Tag Archives: cancer

Gold Spheres – Cancer’s Silver Bullet?

tiny gold balls white background

It is the nature of my anxiety to manifest in what I lovingly call a cancerphobia.

Because of this, I listen a little more intently when scientists bring up a potential treatment – something that destroys those evil cells without taking out all the good ones.

Yesterday, as I pumped my arm and caught up on the February issue of Smithsonian, I came across a new hopeful glimmer (literally, sort of) in the “Phenomenon” section. In a nutshell, doctors are experimenting with injecting gold covered, spherical nanoparticles into cancerous tumors, blasting the spheres with near-infrared light, and letting those nanoparticles contaminate the tumor with heat.

Learn the rest in the Smithsonian article, “How Doctors Are Harnessing the Power of Gold to Fight Cancer.”

I mean, aren’t modern science and medicine amazing? Better, they find a trial that seems almost artful, bringing in the most sought after metal in history to possibly save us from the scourge of our time. That’s poetry, m’dears.

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Cancer: It Doesn’t Have to Be This Bleak

woman xray magnifying glass study

Yup, I have a cancer-phobia. For reasons logical and panic-based, I worry about this disease destroying my life and the lives of those I love.

I make a point of not reading a lot of cancer focused articles. So many of them are based in sensation and fear, and I simply don’t have time for that kind of anxiety.

This BBC piece on the predicted global wave of cancer, however, seems important. Bottom line: No one can fully erase their risk of getting this pervasive illness. But there is so much each person can do to create favorable odds. One estimate says that half – HALF – of all cases could be prevented.

A lofty goal, and a worthy one.

Personally, I have little patience for cancer and the current medical approach. I imagine the society of 500 years from now viewing it the way we view leeches and bleeding. Please take a glance at this article, and consider making at least one change for the better.

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Master Drug to Kill Cancer?

cancer cells

I have a cancer phobia.

Really, to some degree, everyone does. I mean, who wants cancer? No one. And who’s afraid of getting cancer because a hefty percentage of the people they know/knew have/had it? Everyone.

But I think dwell on it a little more than the average 31 year old. It might be because it took two of my grandparents, my father, my mother-in-law and countless others I’ve known. It might be because I’m prone to a little health anxiety. It’s probably both and more.

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Sugar: Poison? Regulation? Hmmm…

teaspoon of sugar

I’ve been hearing a lot about sugar in the news and on talk shows lately. I think it might be because of this study.

The conversation has sort of centered around the whole concept of regulating sugar the way we do alcohol and tobacco, and considering it a toxic substance. I realize that sounds kind of crazy. But when someone says that sugar is poison, I suppose they’re right, to a degree. Alcohol, tobacco and sugar can all kill you… it just generally takes a while.

Here’s how I understand it. We like the taste of sugar because it’s sweet. In evolutionary terms, this is because sweet things found in nature are typically not poisonous, and are therefore safe to eat. And just like fat and salt, sugar can do some good things for our bodies.

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Happy New Year!

happy new year hatHello 2012!

I am truly hoping for a more predictable year than 2011, which was 12 months of emotional roller coasters, major life changes and new territory.

It was my first full year of being in my 30s. We also passed the one year anniversary of the loss of my mother-in-law and the 15th anniversary of the death of my father.

I marked a year of vegetarianism, and my husband met me at pescetarianism just after that milestone.

We found out we were having a baby… three days after I quit my job to be a freelance writer.

I learned a lot about my health and the way I perceive it. I’m ending 2011 as a very healthy person who happens to be six and a half months pregnant, but for a lot of the year, I was convinced such a thing was impossible. There are a few reasons for this:

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