Cancer...the word is becoming all to common in today's society. Honestly, ask yourself how many individuals do you know that have or have been affected by cancer. In my world, that number is all too high given the number of clients that come in and out of our doors and that's not including those individuals that I am not aware of. I think the last estimate that I read was 3-4 out of 10 individuals are affected by cancer in some fashion. That is 30-40%, which may be a low estimate.
A couple of weeks ago, I had to report to my doctor for my yearly cancer re-evaluation. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2006 and have been in remission since then. This would be year number 6 in remission if all went well. Those affected by cancer directly know what it is like going in for this annual or bi-annual examination. The fear, the worry, the sleepless nights the week before wondering what the findings would be. I have to admit that I do have one advantage in that I am able to evaluate myself throughout the year if I felt a problem was present. I had no problems the year prior and all my own testing was normal. I had no reason to fret, but yet I still did. Sitting in the lobby of the doctor's office was difficult as well as the time spent waiting in the exam room. The triage nurse had commented that my blood pressure was slightly elevated. Gee...I wonder why?
The funny thing is that I soon found peace as I was awaiting the doctor. How? I realized that we literally create what we fear. I changed my mindset and focused on a good outcome, which I knew was reality. The peace then followed and soon I was scheduling my next yearly exam with a clean checkup.
When I was diagnosed in 2006, it was a traumatic event for everyone involved in my life. I look at my diagnosis as a positive turning point in my life, which interestingly enough I am not alone in feeling this way. Many cancer patients report that their cancer diagnosis was a "wake up" call and a life changing event, resulting in positive outcomes on different levels. Out of everything bad comes something good. My change was that I realized how much emphasis I was placing on work and so little on my family. I realized how the stress in my life was impacting me physically and mentally. I realized that a change was in order. My diagnosis also led me to the development of our Cur-OST line of products, which were based on a formula that I developed to aid in my own recovery. We learn so much throughout our lives and I am just pleased to share what I have learned with others.
The topic of cancer is its own blog and too lengthy to get into here. There are a few interesting points that I'd like to make if possible. I encounter several individuals (humans) with cancer as they come in with their pets or horses. The one thing that I have noted with the majority of them is that their doctors are not discussing the importance of their overall health in their recovery. This includes diet, reducing environmental stressors as well as exercise. The patients literally feed off of every word their doctors says and follow their instructions explicitly. Too much is known about the influences of stress, poor health and poor diet on cancer development to ignore. The patients are exposed to deadly chemotherapy and radiation, but little is done to aid in that patient's recovery. It is sad to me to hear the patient's stories as they visit our clinic and my words of advice are often ignored. In end, no matter what your illness or diagnosis...I firmly believe that you have to be your own advocate in your treatment. Research your condition until you are exhausted. Investigate the treatments, their side effects as well as success rates. Look into alternative therapies and consider all your options.
We owe it to ourselves as well as those in our family to do everything possible to ensure our optimal health. I just recently discussed this topic with a client that was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. I visited his farm to care for his horses and noted that he was not the individual I had remembered from the fall. He was winded and overall tired, not to mention pale. We discussed his condition and the fact that his doctors had attempted various treatments with no results. In the end, I believe he felt he was left with no options to improve his condition. He had made the comment that his doctors didn't seem to care or offer any suggestions. That is a tough pill for me to swallow as a caregiver myself.
I hope and pray that cancer has not affected you, but if it has, think things through. Do you have thoughts on cancer?? I'd love to hear them. Email me!
More thoughts on cancer to follow...
Yours in health.
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
tschelldvm@gmail.com
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Everyday Inflammation
If you watch the nightly news at all here recently, I am sure that you have heard the latest research findings behind the protective benefits of aspirin not only against cardiovascular disease but cancer as well. The findings that various NSAIDs, aspirin included, actually decrease the incidence of cancer have been around in human research for a while now but here recently have just made the national news. Not sure why this is, but it seems that research findings actually take a while to make it the status of public knowledge. A shame actually, as many could have possibly benefited over the past few years. In any case, the question comes as to how aspirin could decrease the incidence of various cancers?
Inflammation is actually thought to be at the root of the aspirin intervention. The concept of inflammation being a major component of many forms of cancer has been known for a while now. It appears that many types of cancer have an up regulation of pro-inflammatory proteins or cytokines, that help to encourage the right conditions that foster cancer promotion and progression. The concept of inflammation is also tied into cardiovascular disease as well as strokes, thus the benefits of aspirin.
This brings up the whole concept of inflammation, how it comes to be and how it impacts us and our animals overall. Inflammation is a very complicated topic and beyond the scope of this blog, but is an ongoing process in our bodes as well as that of our animal companions. Inflammation is the result of exercise, the process of breathing, diet, environmental influences, various medications as well as even the mindset. The overall point is that this process exists to varying degrees in individuals and animals, but needs to be monitored and controlled.
In our veterinary patients, the inflammatory condition is rampant from my point of view and manifests in various problems ranging from repetitive injuries, to skin conditions, diabetes or insulin resistance, arthritis, laminitis as well as ocular problems. Unfortunately, monitoring the process of inflammation is difficult and does not have a parameter that can be monitored routinely. Various research studies have parameters that are measured, but these are not easily tested in the real world of medicine. At our practice, we can monitor oxidative stress levels, lactate levels as well as insulin levels in various patients to gain a better perspective of inflammation.
In the end, we have to assume that inflammation may be present in a chronic form in many of our patients, especially if there is a chronic disease that we are treating. The question of treatment then comes into play, which raises the point about aspirin. Many NSAID medications have shown potential to decrease the incidence of inflammation to varying degrees. The problem with most NSAIDs is that there are potential side effects and they are not for every patient due to interactions with certain exisiting medical conditions. Given this, we must rely more on diet and herbal therapy from my perspective. Research has shown the ability of various herbs; including curcumin, boswellia and ashwaghanda to both reduce inflammation and the incidence of certain cancers, all with minimal to no side effects.
The take home point is that many of today's diseases are linked with chronic inflammation and thus potentially treatable or at least manageable. As the saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
Food for thought.
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
Inflammation is actually thought to be at the root of the aspirin intervention. The concept of inflammation being a major component of many forms of cancer has been known for a while now. It appears that many types of cancer have an up regulation of pro-inflammatory proteins or cytokines, that help to encourage the right conditions that foster cancer promotion and progression. The concept of inflammation is also tied into cardiovascular disease as well as strokes, thus the benefits of aspirin.
This brings up the whole concept of inflammation, how it comes to be and how it impacts us and our animals overall. Inflammation is a very complicated topic and beyond the scope of this blog, but is an ongoing process in our bodes as well as that of our animal companions. Inflammation is the result of exercise, the process of breathing, diet, environmental influences, various medications as well as even the mindset. The overall point is that this process exists to varying degrees in individuals and animals, but needs to be monitored and controlled.
In our veterinary patients, the inflammatory condition is rampant from my point of view and manifests in various problems ranging from repetitive injuries, to skin conditions, diabetes or insulin resistance, arthritis, laminitis as well as ocular problems. Unfortunately, monitoring the process of inflammation is difficult and does not have a parameter that can be monitored routinely. Various research studies have parameters that are measured, but these are not easily tested in the real world of medicine. At our practice, we can monitor oxidative stress levels, lactate levels as well as insulin levels in various patients to gain a better perspective of inflammation.
In the end, we have to assume that inflammation may be present in a chronic form in many of our patients, especially if there is a chronic disease that we are treating. The question of treatment then comes into play, which raises the point about aspirin. Many NSAID medications have shown potential to decrease the incidence of inflammation to varying degrees. The problem with most NSAIDs is that there are potential side effects and they are not for every patient due to interactions with certain exisiting medical conditions. Given this, we must rely more on diet and herbal therapy from my perspective. Research has shown the ability of various herbs; including curcumin, boswellia and ashwaghanda to both reduce inflammation and the incidence of certain cancers, all with minimal to no side effects.
The take home point is that many of today's diseases are linked with chronic inflammation and thus potentially treatable or at least manageable. As the saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
Food for thought.
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thoughts
After recently attending a nationally known equine event over the past week, I have become very aware of several things. First, as a veterinarian, one develops an "eye" for horses in terms of overall health as well as lameness. In many instances this past weekend during the event, I was stunned at the obvious stress that these equine competitors were displaying. It was readily noted just in their mannerisms from the eyes to the ears as well as hearing in the background, several horses kicking at their stall walls and vocalizing frequently. I am not sure if this behavior was recognized by the owner, rider or even the groom, but it was obvious that nothing was being done to improve the situation for the animal aside from a brief walk around the premises. Now, you have to realize that I was at this event not as an onsite veterinarian, but one representing our Cur-OST line of products. During many instances of talking with interested riders and owners, I was continually amazed at the amount of, as well as the dependance on usage of various prescription medications. One in particular is a common and well known injectable joint medication. Many of the horses owners had commented to me that this medication was being injected at least once weekly if not twice weekly. This truly blows my mind in more ways than one. This medication, when first introduced, was to the best of my knowledge meant to be injected at the most every other month for in need horses after an induction protocol. To be injected on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis signals a real problem to me with that particular animal. This concerns me as the end result of stress are inflammation, not to mention a deterioration in overall health. Its logical, really. Look at how stress impacts human health, contributing to cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer....the list goes on and on. Everyone experiences the jitters, but the level of stress that these guys were under is unhealthy.
While at this same event, I was a spectator at a laminitis research event, in which the investors were being informed of how research dollars were being invested and what was being accomplished. What was obvious, but not new to me as a veterinarian, was that the research money was not being spent wisely. They were discussing the development of research models and inevitably how there would be patient variation in terms of causes in the real world. They were focusing on models, when in fact they should be studying the patient themselves. As a result of these models, pharmaceuticals are being developed which inevitably impact only a small percentage of patients and really don't change the course of the disease. I have been a veterinarian for over 16 years and the bottom line is that despite this research, the treatment for laminitis has not changed since my days in vet school.
We need a more logical approach to diseases such as laminitis and one that implements what research has already shown us. Inflammation and oxidative stress are huge factors that are being ignored. The inflammatory process is very complex and no one prescription medication can address it completely. Then on the other arm of the problem, we have oxidative stress, which is not evaluated or treated. Stress has been shown in human research to contribute heavily to inflammation, not to mention contributing to oxidative stress. The irony is that no matter how much research is completed, the bottom line is that the solution is not in pharmaceuticals, but more so in nature. Nature, in the form of herbs, addresses both inflammation and oxidative stress with no side effects. Food for thought.
Be healthy and wise,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
While at this same event, I was a spectator at a laminitis research event, in which the investors were being informed of how research dollars were being invested and what was being accomplished. What was obvious, but not new to me as a veterinarian, was that the research money was not being spent wisely. They were discussing the development of research models and inevitably how there would be patient variation in terms of causes in the real world. They were focusing on models, when in fact they should be studying the patient themselves. As a result of these models, pharmaceuticals are being developed which inevitably impact only a small percentage of patients and really don't change the course of the disease. I have been a veterinarian for over 16 years and the bottom line is that despite this research, the treatment for laminitis has not changed since my days in vet school.
We need a more logical approach to diseases such as laminitis and one that implements what research has already shown us. Inflammation and oxidative stress are huge factors that are being ignored. The inflammatory process is very complex and no one prescription medication can address it completely. Then on the other arm of the problem, we have oxidative stress, which is not evaluated or treated. Stress has been shown in human research to contribute heavily to inflammation, not to mention contributing to oxidative stress. The irony is that no matter how much research is completed, the bottom line is that the solution is not in pharmaceuticals, but more so in nature. Nature, in the form of herbs, addresses both inflammation and oxidative stress with no side effects. Food for thought.
Be healthy and wise,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
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