Oregon senator Robert Kruse is sponsoring Oregon Senate Bill 777 which aims to reduce the number of ailments medical marijuana can be used for as well creating stricter criteria regarding it’s use with ailments that would remain allowable. Additionally it would require patients to have a doctor verify their illness & eligibility every six months. Continue reading “Oregon Bill Threatens To Restrict Patient Access To Medical Marijuana” »
Researchers at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan have some interesting results from studying man’s best friend’s ability to help sniff out colon cancer. Researchers wanted to verify how accurate at detecting cancer was “Marine”, an 8 year old Black Lab who has been training since 2005 to become a cancer sniffing dog. The researchers compared breath and watery stool samples from people with known cancer against a control group that did not have cancer. The tests ran as such, Marine(the dog) would take a sniff of a known cancer sample and then have to find the corresponding sample at various stations the researchers had setup. When she found the station she felt matched the scent of the cancer she would lie down in front of it & an assistant would note down which sample the dog chose. Continue reading “Dogs May Be More Accurate At Detecting Colon Cancer Than Some Tests” »
Debbie DeAngelo of GoErie.com wrote an article highlighting some interesting things about ovarian cancer which routinely goes undetected due to misinterpreting warning symptoms. I will have to admit that the symptoms are rather vague and could be hard to decipher as being related to ovarian cancer, especially for someone with a chronic digestive disease like Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Crohn’s Disease.
Some symptoms too look out for are:
“…abdominal bloating, increased abdominal size and urinary urgency.”
as well as:
“…feeling full after a small meal, unexplained weight loss, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue and abnormal uterine bleeding.”
Factors that could put you at risk are:
…[a] personal history of breast cancer, family history of breast, uterine, ovarian or colorectal cancer, certain breast cancer genes and use of fertility drugs, especially without achieving pregnancy.
On Sept 2nd, 2010 the Today show ran a segment on Gentrie McKall Hansen, a girl, who recently was diagnosed with Gastroparesis & underwent surgery for an Enterra neuro-stimulator implant. I am glad Gastroparesis is getting some national attention. Her story highlights major issues with our medical system here in the United States. So many things are written off as being “in your head” or mental problems. We’re starting to have a problem with “fast food” doctors, who do not truly care about or listen to their patients or possibly are under immense pressure to push patients in & out the door. I think another story that highlights this is Michael Douglas’ recent diagnosis of stage 4 throat cancer, even though he had been trying to find the reason for his sore throat and ear ache for months, no one caught his cancer early until now. It makes me angry, isn’t the United States supposedly the best healthcare system in the world?