|
|
|
Prostate Cancer Statistics |
|
|
|
Prostate Cancer Statistics
Prostate cancer is really not about statistics. In my practice I have come to experience increasingly improved survival rates. As survival has vastly improved I've come to realize that health is also about quality of life, about using cancer as an opportunity for growth and improvement in life quality. In addition, it is clear that patients do clinically better when they are able to embrace this realization.
Leading national cancer organizations report that "Americans' risk of getting and dying from cancer continues to decline and survival rates for many cancers continue to improve." The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2001" finds "overall observed cancer incidence rates dropped 0.5 percent per year from 1991 to 2001, while death rates from all cancers combined dropped 1.1 percent per year from 1993 to 2001." New data also reflected progress in prevention, early detection, and treatment.
When we face a significant health challenge, especially if it's challenge such as cancer it creates a shake up in our system. Things that used to bother and upset us are pushed to the sidelines and are no longer important. We now face the issue of life and death and the possibility of departing form this human life.
Upon the diagnosis of cancer we become very vulnerable. We peel off a lot of the defenses, a lot of the unnecessary layers that seem to melt away as we face the biggest crisis of our life. In this process we now start searching for medical choices. What to do. Is it surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy? Are there life style changes? What supplements, herbs, diets and others can we integrate to our regimen. We are bombarded by information from our family, friends and neighbors as they all try to help. We also enter the conventional oncology system where fear, prediction of how long we are going to live and pressure (gentle or blunt) is put on us. All of this can quite quickly cover-up the vulnerability, the exposure, the ability to look deeper and clearer and gain a better understanding of life, of who we are. The opening, the window of opportunity can be gone quite quickly as we succumb to the fear and pressure.
This opening is where wisdom can be found. When we peel, when we slow down, when we take off the masks, we can get in touch with our core. The goal of integrative medicine in general, and especially with cancer, is to nourish both of these from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of our lives, no matter what the "medical outcome" is. If we engage in the path of knowledge and wisdom, there is no possible outcome but a successful outcome, regardless of the success of a procedure or treatment. Such an approach will naturally allow us to respond better to treatment regimens and help to prolong our life while enhancing the quality of life.
LIFESTYLE:
Suggestions for men with a family history of prostate cancer without evident disease or patients with non-detectable PSA (prostate specific antigen) for over one year after successful treatment of prostate cancer.
Lifestyle change suggestions for men wishing to optimize their health status, whether they have prostate cancer or who just want to achieve potential longevity.
- Stress management - High sympathetic outflow will negatively effect the immune system. Chronic inflammatory states (emotional and physical) have a negative effect on cancer prognosis. There are many techniques for stress management. Examples include guided imagery and relaxation techniques, meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, walking in nature, breathing exercises and others. Find WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, NOT WHAT WORKS FOR YOUR DOCTOR OR INSTRUCTOR.
- Regular exercise- the best exercise is simple walking. Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi-Gong are excellent additions.
- Good hydration- drink enough and drink good quality water.
- Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption.
- Try to stay away from environmental pollutants, especially xeno-estrogens and heavy metals.
DIET:
There are many recommended diets and unfortunately none of them are appropriate for everybody. However, they all have certain principles in common:
- Avoid refined sugars, soft drinks, deep fried foods, and highly processed foods.
- Try to eat organic as much as possible.
- Make sure to have enough vegetables and fiber in your diet.
|
|
|
