People who are multiracial are one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. However, despite donor drives and new efforts to utilize social networking to increase the number of donors, they are also the most under-represented in the marrow registry.
We’ve all seen the endless television commercials in which sad and dejected people suddenly start looking happy after taking the particular pill being advertised. However, it’s just not that simple. Depression is a mood disorder that comes in different forms.
People with chronic, unrelenting pain are often told it is “all in their head” and that they should see a psychologist. Palliative care doctors can help.
When her son’s pediatrician said she had never heard of the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov), this young mom was blown away. Should she worry about entrusting her son’s care to a doctor who has never heard of this world-famous institution? Comments invited.
“Cyberchondriacs” spend hours at the computer screen, typing in symptoms, or fears, wading through the results, both accurate and inaccurate, and convincing themselves they have a certain condition. Often, they will print out reams of documentation and present themselves to their doctors, having already diagnosed their “condition” and determined a course of treatment.
A cancer diagnosis is an emotional earthquake, unleashing fear, anger, sadness, confusion and uncertainty. Depression is a condition that affects many cancer patients at one point or another. In fact, up to 1 in 4 people with cancer do have clinical depression. The good news is that clinical depression can be treated.
The March 4, 2010 New York Times included the following article which discussed the emerging profession of health navigators and patient advocates. Take a look. http://tinyurl.com/healthnavigatorNYT
Scientists have mapped specific genes that turn normal healthy cells into cancerous cells through The Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA). Researchers have now developed a more reliable scientific method to identify these genes. As this research is shared around the world, more accessible and effective cancer treatment options are being discovered. The ultimate goal of the TCGA is to create a catalogue of these “defective” genes, thereby offering increased detection, and ultimately, better prevention and treatment of cancer.
Research has shown that dark chocolate improves blood vessel functioning, thus lowering blood pressure, taking stress off your heart and helping your blood circulate more efficiently. Dark chocolate also has antioxidant qualities, which come from flavonoids found in cocoa. So on Valentine’s Day, nothing says “I love you” like some delicious, dark chocolate
The Journal of General Internal Medicine recently released ethical guidelines addressing patient, physician, and caregiver relationships. The medical community is increasingly respecting the role of caregivers and offering guidance on how to develop that relationship.
Access to investigational therapies is a highly debated topic in the medical world. Investigational therapy involves drugs that are being scientifically tested but not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Often these drugs are offered through programs such as “compassionate use programs,” and “expanded access programs” to allow seriously ill patients access…
We all have cancer cells in our bodies. The good news is that, for most of us, our body’s natural defenses know how to defeat these defective, tumor-causing cells, and they never get the chance to grow up into a full-blown cancer. Whether you’ve had cancer or not, any person who wants to improve their chances of avoiding cancer should read Dr. David Servan-Schreiber’s very important book called “Anti-Cancer – A New Way of Life.”
The words “clinical trials” can conjure up images of desperate medical experiments with little hope of success. In reality, medical advances and breakthroughs can and have resulted from clinical trials. Without them, we wouldn’t have many of the treatments we have today.
I am encouraged – most of the people I know who have had cancer have beaten their disease and become cancer survivors. They struggled through the chemotherapy, the radiation treatment, surgery, physical and emotional upheavals and come out on the other side. It is a time of celebration and elation. But then the reality of…
Cervical cancer, one of the most preventable and treatable cancers, is on the decline. New screening guidelines or not, it’s important to talk with your gynecologist and decide on a course of action that best suits you
Many of you reading this blog have experienced some type of difficult health situation, for yourselves, a friend or family member. It’s also what makes so many of us passionate about helping others through their illness. It’s why Patient Navigator exists. Since it’s the New Year, most people take some type of inventory of their…
Patient Navigator LLC highlighted in National Comprehensive Cancer Center article on cancer navigation.
The National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants sets professional goals and provides a clear voice and reasoned opinions on health care policy matters.
A parent’s struggle to decide whether or not to give her 8-month old boy the H1N1 vaccination.
If you are interested in hearing the types of things Patient Navigator can do to help you or a loved one, please listen in to this radio show. We welcome your feedback.
Local advocate serves as liaison between hospitalized father and out-of-state children. Patient Navigator was contacted by the adult daughter of an elderly man who was a patient at a top cancer hospital. She requested that our Houston-based navigator Dr. Zorrilla accompany him to his oncologist appointments in order to relay information accurately between the oncology team, her…
Joan’s problems got worse after surgery. We were contacted by a patient who sustained a complication from a neurological surgery. Patient Navigator’s Medical Director consulted various specialists on her behalf by phone and email after the patient’s doctors refused to listen to her concerns. We directed her to the specialists who would be able to…
After four years of suffering and multiple misdiagnosis, medical mystery is solved. Emma’s pain began four years ago, with a sudden, sharp pain in her neck. By the time she contacted Patient Navigator, she had spent many thousands of dollars seeking a diagnosis for the unrelenting pain and troubling symptoms that had worsened steadily over…
Starting the end-of-life conversation. Nick’s wife had been very ill with an incurable disease for five years. She had begun to ask about end-of life options, especially hospice and palliative care. Patient Navigator provided Nick and his wife with useful information that they could use to begin a family conversation. We suggested local palliative care…
