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Advice & Tips
Preventive Measures
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Advice And Tips


(Extracted from the book “My Tryst with Cancer” authored by Amritha Madhavan and edited by K.S. Madhavan)
The Trust is providing assistance in cancer cure and appeals to the cancer patients not to be deterred and nonplussed on discovery of cancer disease but follow the advice and tips given in the following paragraphs.

1. “Do not be afraid of cancer”

First step in tackling cancer is to remove the fear associated with it. In fact most of the cancer patients did not know that it is Cancer until it became large enough or unbearable enough to be noticed. What was your mental and psychological condition when you did not know that you had cancer? Has it not changed dramatically since the news was heard? Are you not deeply affected just by the news?

Why worry now?

If the cancer did not draw your attention through symptoms, you would have been still a normal person but for the pain and related problems. Once the symptoms have been identified as cancer, all the fear, dread and emotional upheaval take full control of your mind and body, and you get extremely weak. The news of cancer creates enormous mental stress (as if a bomb has fallen on the house).
Let us tackle the weakening effect of the "Tyranny of Information about Cancer" first, and then we shall tackle the cancer itself.
It has been found that many cancer Patients have lived long and happily with cancer (unknowingly though) until the dreaded day arrived, that of discovery of their affliction with cancer, which pronounced their death sentence.
Do not accept this Death Sentence!
You will have to resolve that you will tackle cancer with all the power in you and with all the goodwill and prayers of your kith and kin in order to be able to overcome this problem.

2. “Suspect cancer when nothing is traceable in case of sustained health problem”

When one finds nothing wrong in case of a sustained health problem he/she tries to forget about the matter and sleeps on it. This could be dangerous.
Doggedly pursue until the root cause of the problem, its basic reason is identified. Check and Recheck whether it is correctly identified.

3. Cancer can attack people with no carcinogenic exposures also.

Though cancer is more likely to attack one with carcinogenic habits, it can afflict anyone irrespective age, sex, habits, etc.
The real pre-disposition to cancer, if any, is yet to be identified.

4. Resting with one biopsy or a limited number in a limited area could be a major mistake.

Sometimes biopsies can be negative though there is cancer due to sampling errors / difficulties.
No conclusions should be made that cancer is absent, based on limited number of biopsies. Combine specific diagnostic tools, like cancer markers with above for the final diagnosis. On the other hand, positive biopsies are conclusive.

5. Cancer can also recede rarely without treatment.

Non-specific symptoms, leading to the suspicion of cancer, do recede after attacking once. One should not rule out the possibility that cancer itself does recede without treatment. But the reasons are yet to be found out.

6. Certain types of cancer may not be identified even after full testing.

With all the advancements in Scanning with CT Scans, MRI etc., the best way to know if there is cancer in the abdominal region - stomach, intestines, ovaries, liver, pancreas, etc. - is to look inside through LAPAROSCOPIC examination, or by opening the abdominal wall, or endoscopic examination.
Even with laparoscopy or examination of region duly opened up, certain types of cancer may not be spotted or detected early.

7. Aggressive chemotherapy / surgery should be resorted to only with greatest care and preparation.

To decide on a set of life threatening courses of action - total surgical removal of organs critical for bodily functions plus most aggressive Chemotherapy - without checking, counterchecking and reviewing could be an inexcusable mistake
Do not jump into any treatment in a hurry.
Let a panel of doctors consisting of Surgeons, Oncologists, Chemotherapists, Radiotherapists and Microbiologists debate the pros and cons of various alternative courses of action and decide on the action plan.
Oncologists should be extremely cautious in administering the later courses of chemotherapy as they can be life threatening.
Only a team of doctors should take decisions regarding the later courses of chemotherapy, after ensuring that the treatment would not push the patient over the precipice.

8. Alternative approaches.

Sometimes starting the treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, followed by surgery would be better than first surgery and then chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

9. Chemotherapy sometimes can lead to Metastasis.

Aggressive chemotherapy can also contribute to cancer moving to newer areas, with aggressive growth, as immunity is totally destroyed.

10. Prepare the patient psychologically.

Oncologists should undertake any action only after preparing the patient well for it psychologically as well as physically.

11. Use Alternative / Complementary Therapies.

Work with single-minded devotion to establish conclusively whether alternative systems could cure cancer.
If not, atleast establish how far they can mitigate the sufferings of patients and prolong their lives.

12. Use Yoga Therapy & Nutrition in all cases as complements.

Yoga Therapy improves the condition of patients with close to 100% certainty in Quality of Life improvement. Also proper Nutrition & Diet Control is a must for control and speedy recovery.