Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Medical Dosimetry—Improving the Outcome and Ultimate Recovery after Radiation Treatment


Are you currently undergoing radiation treatment? If so, you probably know that there is a whole team of radiation oncology professionals involved in your care. But you may not know that one of those professionals is a medical dosimetrist. This person is responsible for designing a radiation treatment plan that maximizes the radiation dose to your tumor site while minimizing the radiation to the surrounding healthy tissue. Your medical dosimetrist works closely with your radiation oncologist, your medical physicist and your radiation therapist to create a plan that leads to the best possible outcome for you. Your medical dosimetrist also follows your treatments closely in order to modify your plan as the radiation is administered and your body starts to respond.

Next time you are in the clinic for treatment, ask to meet your medical dosimetrist. Ask him or her to show you your treatment plan and explain it to you. You’ll gain a better understanding of your treatment process – not to mention insights into why the radiation treatment machine stops and starts when it does. The medical dosimetrist plays a key role in your treatment and ultimate recovery.

For more information about medical dosimetry, visit the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists Website at www.medicaldosimetry.org  (Under General Information, click on the “What is a Medical Dosimetrist?” link).

The American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) is the professional society for medical dosimetrists. AAMD promotes and supports the medical dosimetry profession through education, forums of professional interaction and a representative voice in the healthcare community. With more than 2,800 members worldwide, AAMD seeks to promote an ideal of professional conduct to which its members should aspire and endorses the highest standards of patient care. For more information about AAMD, visit www.medicaldosimetry.org.

Elyn

~~If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any~~

Elyn Jacobs is a breast cancer survivor, professional cancer coach, radio talk show host, speaker, and the Executive Director for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. Elyn is on the peer review board of the Natural Standard Database. Elyn empowers women to choose the path for treatment that best fits their own individual needs. She is passionate about helping others move forward into a life of health and wellbeing. Elyn lives in New York with her husband and two young boys.



Facebook @Elyn Jacobs Consulting

LinkedIn @Elyn Jacobs

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Forgiveness


Dr. Jerold Jampolsky is the founder of Attitudinal Healing, a global movement based on the healing power of forgiveness and unconditional love. He and his wife Dr. Diane Cirincione are both pioneers in the mind/body consciousness movement, tireless educators, global humanitarians and prolific authors. Their books include Love is Letting Go of Fear and many others. We are honored to welcome them to The Emerald Heart Board of Advisors. Please visit them at http://www.jerryjampolsky.com/   (links are still not working. We will fix this or move to another platform)

FORGIVENESS
THE CORNERSTONE OF ATTITUDINAL HEALING
By Jerry Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane Cirincione, Ph.D.
  

If you…imagine that you read in the newspaper tomorrow and 
heard on television and radio that a new drug had been invented 
that would take away all the anger and grievances you are holding 
on to and would bring you peace and happiness, that the drug was
free and that you could not overdose on it, wouldn’t we all rush 
out to get that drug?
  
Well, this is what forgiveness does and more. It takes your anxiety away,
dissolves fear, makes you feel secure, puts a sparkle in your eyes and
softens your eyes, removes the frowns on your forehead, takes the weight
off your shoulders, puts joy and happiness in your heart and puts a smile on
your face. Forgiveness make our load in life much lighter.

Forgiveness is the process of letting go of the painful past. It is a decision
to let go of the anger and the grievances we may be holding on to. It is
a decision to no longer suffer and to heal your mind.  Forgiveness is the key
to inner peace and happiness. Forgiveness is the process of inner healing.
It becomes easier to forgive when we no longer believe we are victims.
Forgiveness is the eraser that makes the hurtful past disappear.
  
Forgiveness is the process of healing our mind and stopping the recycling
anger and the inner wars many of us have in our mind. To have peace in
our outer world, the process of forgiveness must begin in ourselves.
Forgiveness is the most powerful force that can create a world that is
peaceful and without wars. We will truly have more peaceful relationships
when we stop telling others how to live and start practicing love and
forgiveness. 

Forgiveness does not mean agreeing or condoning a horrendous act.
Forgiveness does not have to have a form. The other person does not have to
change. The litmus paper of knowing we have truly forgiven ourselves or
another person is that we no longer see the shadows of the past in ourselves
or  others. Forgiveness means giving up all hopes for a better past.
  
Forgiveness creates a world where we do not withhold our love from anyone.
It is based on a belief system that everyone including ourselves can be
forgiven and that we benefit when we do forgive. Forgiving others can be
the first step in forgiving ourselves.      
  
When we don’t forgive it is like taking arsenic and expecting someone else to
die. When we don’t forgive we are really hurting ourselves. There is now
scientific evidence that when we do not forgive and continue to hold on to
anger, it can affect our health,....injure our immune system and affect every
organ in our body. The unforgiving mind
hides from our awareness the fact that
we imprison ourselves...
 
Editor's Note:  In my recent personal cancer healing journey, forgiveness has been at the top of my list.  Keep on forgiving. No matter what.  --Sue Memhard, Founder/Director, The Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation.

Friday, April 1, 2011

The New World of Cancer by Dr. Mark Roby, N.D.

Welcome to the new world of the Emerald Heart Blog.  This is our first entry.  We hope you'll visit often!

Dr. Mark Roby, N.D. is a miracle survivor of a rare form of liver cancer, co-founder of The Detroit Center for Attitudinal Healing, an integrative medicine cancer coach and speaker, and compassionate human being.  We have the honor of welcoming him to The Emerald Heart Advisory Board, and with his guidance have set up our Blog. Below, the most recent entry from his blog.  Please visit him online at http://www.cancercoachdrmark.com/  (we don't know why this link doesn't work and may be switching blog programs shortly).

Thanks much, Dr. Mark. May you be blessed with healing Light!
--Sue
____________________________________________________
Dear Fellow Seekers,

In the Winter of 2002, I collapsed after a three mile run. I woke up the next morning in a medical center and was told that I had cancer all over my liver. One week later my physicians told me that I had one of the rarest sarcomas in the world. After visiting a myriad of cancer centers around the country, the prognosis was the same, "NO HOPE OF SURVIVAL".

Today I am still standing healthy and doling out hope to others. Please take my hand and together we will help others continue their journey through the circle of life. God working through thousands of individuals has performed many miracles during my survival.

When all the odds are all stacked against you, continue to say:

"It's possible."
"There is a way."
"Never give up."


Building Your Personal Survival Team / New World of Cancer

( God is in Everything I See ) - A Course In Miracles

There is a scene in the movie " The Twin Towers " (part of the Lord in The Rings Trilogy ), that every cancer patient needs to examine. In the movie, the majority of middle earth has been taken over by Saramon ( The evil one ). Gandolf the wizard and Aragon have rescued King Theoden from Saramons evil spell and are trying to warn him of impending doom to him and his people. The King is stubborn and suggests that he and his countrymen can fight this battle on their own. In the castle, Aragon pleads with him many times and begs the king to send out riders to bring reinforcements in from surrounding lands. Again and again, the king stubbornly refuses and lets his ego put him and his kingdom in grave danger.

After I recovered from the shock of my rare diagnosis, I realized that I was the one that would have spearhead my journey of survival. Everywhere I had gone in the midwest, I was given the same two words, " No hope ". Moreover when I went to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the reponse was the same. I even recall a conversation thst I had at a major cancer center in the midwest,after my return from Houston. The chemo was not working and my scans were getting worse. I asked the oncologist, could he please help me to find an agent that could help slow down the sarcoma. He looked at me and said........" Mark, what are you doing here? We just saw you 8 weeks ago". I said to him..." Doctor...I need your help. Im dying and want to live. Please help me. Is there a chemo. or agent that could stave this off or keep it at Bay? ". He looked at me and seemed upset. "Im wondering why you keep coming back" he said. "There is nothing more we can do, we told you that last time".
This physician seemed actually perplexed as to why I returned. His affect seemed depressed and angry.This conversation took place at one of the most well known major cancer centers in the midwest. This is a center at which they had seen a significant amount of sarcoma patients and did research. I walked away very sullen and in shock. I could not believe what I had just heard.

Cancer is a very formidable, intelligent opponent. It is a very complicated, sophisticated disease. Oftentimes, the most brillant medical, scientific minds in the workd cannot impede it's progression. Cancer cells and tumors can adapt and change at will. One of the biggest mistakes that a patient with and advanced or rare tumor can make is to assume that one oncolocist can lead them to safety. The majority of cancer patients I have talked to over the past 30 years have no idea what they are up against. The large majority of oncologists that I went to for help (over 25) told me in various ways that they did not know what to do with me. Some were nice about it, others were downright rude. Buiding your own survival team is Imperative if you are facing a rare or advanced cancer.

Lead Researcher

Cancer therapies and strategies are changing at a rapid pace. I feel personally that it is important to mount a three pronged attack when one hears that word," cancer". In order to survive, it's essential that you (the cancer patient), or someone you trust, take the lead and start gaining some expertise in understanding your diagnosis. The large majority of cancer patients and their families do not do this. The biggest mistake you can make, is to assume that your clinician or oncologist will understand everything that it will take to keep you alive. They may do their best, but you cannot make that assumption.

Most of the clinicians I spoke to, told me to eat anything I wanted to , to gain weight. They also told me to stay away from all natural medicines and supplements. They literally said that my natural protocols would increase my demise. When I walked out of these cancer centers, I did just the opposite. I stuck to my alkaline diet, my enemas, and my natural supplements that I carefully had researched.

The majority of chemotherapy offices across the United States that I visited were offering myself snd other patients a large array of soda pop, candy, sweets, and salted snacks that had a multitude of preservatives in them. They were also offering patients a supplement called, Boost, which has a very high sugar content. These type of foods are typical of the western diet, whick has been associated with inflammation. It would behoove clinicians to think twice before they advise patients to eat anything they want. There are many studies to back me up., including the ones published by the Life Extention Foundation and The New york Times. I have found that it's best to combine both conventional and holistic approaches to improve survival rates. Both sides need to understand the tremendous amount of lives that can be saved , combining these two sciences. My survival is proof of this. There are a number of providers in each state to help you do this.

Studies have shown that patients who are assertive and proactive have much better survival outcomes than those who don't. It's important for you or your lead researcher to gain knowledge concerning these topics:

* Tumor grade (Histologic grade)
* Staging system (which grade and why)
* Pathology report
* Five year survival stats and prognosis
* Clinical studies and trials
* Stem cell research
* Radiation Therapies
* Interventional Radiology options
* Targeted therapy options
* Cutting edge surgical options
* Genotyping

Holistic Theraputic Options

* Anti-Cancer/Alkaline Diet
* Herbal Adjuncts
* Vitamin Therapies
* Alkaline Water
* Intravenous vitamin therapies (in between chemo sessions)
* Guided Imagery
* Prayer and meditation

Cancer Patients Listen:
Each week, I listen to and talk with fellow survivors and individuals who are fighting for their very lives. Thousands and thousands of people I did not know came to my aid when I called out for help. God sent me armies of angels and people who gave me guidance and support when I was about to go over the cliff. I have seen Miracle upon Miracle since my diagnosis. Please don't give up. There is a way through this dark cavern. Take God's hand and he will lead you to safety.