Facing a cancer diagnosis is a complicated and very pleasant experience, since it goes from being a person with everyday problems and concerns, to be a person with a serious disease in which life at stake.

Most people when they are diagnosed with cancer suffer a great …read the rest of this entry»

For what type of patients is indicated marijuana?
Currently there are many studies that are initiated and the strongest show that can be used when there is nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy, as an appetite stimulant for cancer and HIV patients, …read the rest of this entry»

Educated and informed will help you make the best decisions about their treatment for cancer. Get all the information you can as soon as possible regarding their evaluation, treatment and possible side effects. The earlier you know about side effects and possible treatments, the more likely they are to protect against or control them more effectively.  …read the rest of this entry»

Today I had my fifth chemotherapy treatment. Once again I saw my oncologist, Dr. Robinson—an internationally recognized cancer specialist but also a competent, caring, and humble human being. Throughout these past months, I have always felt that he respects my need to understand my cancer. This morning we discussed a few research and journal articles or news stories I had read and their relevance to my case. Occasionally, we consider new diagnostic tests for breast cancer; other days, I have suggested tests or procedures, such as a bone-density test or bone-scan evaluation, and Dr. Robinson attentively listens, sometimes agreeing with my assessment. He believes patients do better if they play an active role in their care and treatment instead of being passively involved. …read the rest of this entry»

Today I met with the radiologist to plan for treatments that will begin next week. After positioning me on a small, metal table, the doctor drew a grid on my breast and chest. …read the rest of this entry»

Prophylactic medicine is one of the most important aspects of the healing art. The word prophylactic, associated by most laypeople with condoms, derives from the Greek, meaning to guard against something in advance. Thus, vaccinations and inoculations are prophylactic. Dentists call the annual or semi-annual cleaning and check-up prophylaxis.A couple of years before I moved to Jamaica, the government had begun an anti-malaria campaign which included the occasional inspection of every toilet on the island. The result is that there hasn’t been a home-grown case of malaria in Jamaica in over 30 years now. The great success story in prophylactic medicine is smallpox, which, about ten or a dozen years ago, was completely eradicated from the face of the earth. …read the rest of this entry»

The daily papers recently carried an interesting piece about a British medical study that indicated people under stress are more likely to come down with the common cold.Since the study of about 600 subjects focused only on the virus that causes the all-too-common cold, scientists cannot extrapolate to other viruses or to bacteria. But we can make an educated guess that further studies will demonstrate that stressed people are subject also to other germs.So what’s the big deal, you might say. Why, in a column dealing with living with terminal illness, are we getting excited about colds? Simply because the new study supports and reinforces what I’ve contended many times—that one’s mental attitude has a profound effect on physical health. This is true for everyone, but has deeper implications for those of us with serious illnesses. …read the rest of this entry»

We have often discussed hope in this column. We who have terminal illnesses need hope—hope that our ailments can be cured or ameliorated or at least that we can maintain ourselves in comfort and dignity and without too much pain—and hope in a life that has a quality to it.We’ve also discussed in this space the ways in which we can take charge of our lives and the methods of maintaining and fostering hope, like using good medical doctors, hospitals that provide qualified and caring nursing, support groups, a loving and nurturing environment, positive thinking, hypnosis, acupuncture and so on. The list is long. …read the rest of this entry»

Time was when I wouldn’t have accepted any medical or health advice from anyone except an M.D. or an R.N. But I’ve grown too old and seen too much, and even learned from my experiences, to hang onto such conservative positions.Many friends with serious back ailments that the medical profession couldn’t help turned to chiropractors and found permanent relief. In recent years I’ve come to learn the potency of hypnosis to control mind and body and just a few months ago I opted to control my own high blood pressure with hypnosis rather than medication, with immediate and continuing success. …read the rest of this entry»

Bernie Siegel sees his role as a doctor as half of a healing team. The other half is the patient. And they are both students, learning from each other.This may not be the usual model of doctor-patient relationships, but Bernie Siegel doesn’t fit the ordinary doctor mold either. Communication in both directions between doctor and patient is an essential part of the process, he insists. The doctor must be both technically proficient and a good listener. He is not dealing with a symptom, but a whole human person. If a patient cannot communicate with his physician, he should change doctors, Siegel says.In Love, Medicine & Miracles Siegel describes the transformation that he underwent in the late 70s. He changed the way he practiced medicine, he wrote, becoming less a technician and more of a counsellor and teacher. He began to see his patients as part of the team. …read the rest of this entry»