There are many things we tend to write off as normal signs of getting older. The aches and pain, the slow-but-steady weight gain, feeling cold all the time, getting the occasional sniffles. Sometimes I wonder if these are things I should pay more attention to, but I tend to cast that thought out of my mind because going to the doctor is inconvenient. And usually, ignoring symptoms is ok, but there are some that, according to the Mayo Clinic, you should never ignore, including:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Persistent fever
• Shortness of breath
• Unexplained changes in bowel habits
• Mental status changes
  
• Severe headaches
• Loss of vision, movement or speaking control, even if it's short-term
• Flashes of light
• Feeling full after eating little
• Hot, red or swollen joints

I definitely agree that these should be cause for alarm. My dad started to exhibit several of these symptoms a few months before he passed away, but explain them away as normal aging. Don't make the same mistake.

Peppermint is an excellent source of manganese, vitamin C and vitamin A, carotenoids, and beta-carotene. Vitamin C, the main water-soluble antioxidant in the body is needed to decrease levels of free radicals that can cause damage to cells and decrease the risk of cancer. Peppermint is probably most famous for its use in our favorite white and red candy at Christmas time but it is gaining popularity to drink in teas to help decrease nausea.

A cup of fresh mint tea can help to soothe your stomach. If you are nauseous from cancer treatments try drinking peppermint tea. Another useful thing I found to work is to keep a small bottle of peppermint oil in your pocket and rub it on your wrist for smelling when you feel the queasy stomach coming on.

Whenever possible, choose fresh mint over the dried form of the herb since it is superior in flavor. The leaves of fresh mint should look vibrant and be a rich green color. They should be free from dark spots or yellowing. To store fresh mint leaves, carefully wrap them in a damp paper towel and place inside of a loosely closed plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator, where it should keep fresh for several days.

Recipe for a perfect cup of peppermint tea.
1 ounce fresh peppermint leaves
1 pint boiling water
Honey

Place the peppermint leaves in a cup and pour in boiling water. Cover the cup with a saucer and let it stand for 10 minutes. Scoop out the leaves with a spoon and add a little honey if you like it sweet.

Liver cancer experts attribute the rise in HCC, a highly aggressive cancer sometimes called hepatoma, to an increase decades ago in chronic infection with hepititis C & B and also chronic alcohol consumption. Worldwide liver cancer affects 700,000 people with 18,000 Americans diagnosed in 2006 and over 19,000 estimated to be diagnosed in 2007. The increase of this disease in the United States has doubled in one decade and over 16,000 people are estimated to die from the disease this year.

The rise in the United States is expected to increase. There are now 1.4 million people in the United States infected with HBV and 4 million are infected with HCV. Growing evidence suggests two other diseases now increasingly common in the United States to have significant risk factors for primary liver cancer. Diabetes and obesity.

HCC typically does not have any symptoms until its later stages which makes it difficult to diagnose. Traditional chemo does not treat the disease with much success and liver transplants or resection surgeries are needed. One reason why donors are very important in fighting this disease. When signs and symptoms do arise they might include weight loss, fatigue, pain in the upper right abdomen that may extend to the back and shoulder, feeling full after small meals, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, nausea, loss of appetite, and jaundice.

David Foster was diagnosed with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in April 2005. Translation: stage four kidney cancer and the sixth deadliest form of cancer. Not a great disease to acquire. Also not the end of the world. Just ask David who is busy working as a National Strategic Advisor in Augusta, Georgia, headlining within the independent magazine community, hanging out with dog Gracie, and documenting his journey in a blog he calls David Foster's Kicking Kidney Cancer's Arse.

He's no wimp, this guy. Just read his June 23 post, titled May kill me, but it ain't gonna beat me. He didn't let that hard-nosed kid Jerry whip him when he was eight -- he smacked him so hard in the lunchroom, Jerry was left stumbling and bleeding -- and he won't let cancer bully him either. Still, David admits: he is sick. He explains it all in a post he calls Mr. Foster, are you really sick?

David got an e-mail one day. It read, Mr. Foster, are you really sick? I read your blog and you don't sound sick.

Telling your doctor or nurse about pain is not a sign of weakness and you should not accept pain as a normal part of having cancer. You have a right as a cancer patient who is experiencing pain to ask for pain relief. When you are free of pain, you can sleep and eat better, enjoy the company of those around you, and can continue on with work and hobbies.

If your doctor suggests no other options to reduce your pain after discussing it with him, then ask to see a pain specialist or ask your doctor to consult with a pain specialist which may be an oncologist, anesthesiologist, neurologist, or neurosurgeon.

Use a pain scale when talking with your doctor. For example, your pain might be 5 on a scale of 0 to 10. Other important factors you should discuss with your doctor include ...

I've always heard the use of herbs and supplements and alternative therapies can be a potentially dangerous pursuit when combined with cancer treatment. But this may not be entirely true.

Think about this:

Using Chinese herbs alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy may help protect a breast cancer patient's bone marrow and immune system. It may also improve the overall quality of life for women, say researchers at the Chinese Cochrane Centre in Chengdu, China.

It is well known that women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer experience significant short term side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, inflammation of the gut lining, decreased numbers of red and white blood cells, and decreased numbers of blood platelets. Those is search of some relief may wish to give Chinese medicinal herbs a try.

Researchers say there is conventional evidence indicating that these medicines are safe and effective. Still, "further trials are needed before the effects of traditional Chinese medicines for people with breast cancer can be evaluated with any real confidence," says one professor involved in this area of study.

Delayed nausea from chemotherapy in cancer patients frequently is managed by recurrent administration of high dose corticosteroids, resulting in undesirable side effects including weight gain, growth retardation and increased risk for infections. According to the NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, there have been many studies on acupuncture's potential usefulness showing promising results in aiding adult postoperative patients and chemotherapy patients with nausea, vomiting and headaches. The National Center For Complementary And Alternative Medicine offers a lot of facts on acupuncture and other alternative treatments and therapies.

To many patients acupuncture relaxes them and helps relieve stress and to some it energizes them. It is safe and most people feel no pain or very minimal pain as the hair thin needles are inserted. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996. Finding an acupuncture practitioner is as easy as getting a referral from your health care practitioners. More medical doctors themselves are getting training to do acupuncture. Be sure to check their credentials for licensing and training. A good thing to know is that acupuncture is becoming one of those alternative therapies that are more commonly covered by insurance so be sure to check your insurance coverage.

I just heard someone say that time doesn't heal all wounds -- it just makes them worse. I guess it depends on the wound. I imagine losing a child is one wound that never really heals. But I've found that my cancer wounds -- both physical and emotional -- have healed with time. And a trip down memory lane proves it.

Two years ago I wrote about my wounds, fresh and raw and painful, on my Breast Cancer blog.

Confession
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005

Zofran (Ondansetron) tablets are used to prevent nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. I remember Zofran costing about $30 a tablet back in 2002 when I was receiving chemotherapy. I was lucky I had insurance that covered the high cost of the drugs I needed. Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic versions of Zofran.

Gary j. Buehler, director, Office of General Drugs, says "This approval will result in significant savings for the American public. Generic drugs are safe and effective alternatives to brand name drugs and undergo a thorough scientific and regulatory review".

Generic drugs usually cost a fraction of the price of the brand-name drugs.

If you live near the Philadelphia area you can attend Living Beyond Breast Cancer's next networking meeting called Nutrition for the New Year: Managing Weight and Nutrition Through Diagnosis and Beyond.

The event will be held on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, from 6:00 p.m to 8:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott West in West Conshohocken. Debra Demille, an oncology nutrition counselor at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital will discuss the benefits of adequate nutrition during and beyond treatment and will answer questions about nutrition and fitness.

Ms. Demille will help women understand how to use eating strategies and exercise to maintain weight and well-being during treatment, manage side effects and reclaim their bodies after treatment. She also will discuss nutritional needs of families affected by breast cancer, strategies for adopting healthier eating habits, healthful eating and workout tips to reduce the risk of developing a new or recurrent breast cancer.

Contacts for the event: Janine Guglielmino or Anna Shaffer. Email janine@ibbc.org or anna@ibbc.org.

Leroy Sievers has many titles. He's a journalist and a commentator and even a blogger. He's a cancer patient too. And while he accepts cancer patient as one of his working titles, he never would have said this title dominates all others in his life. He is, after all, more than cancer.

On his December 4 NPR podcast and My Cancer blog entry, Sievers reports about a host on a radio call-in show who recently asked him if cancer overshadows everything else in his life.

"No," he answered, recalling the first time he had cancer. He was treated with surgery and moved on. Cancer didn't overshadow anything. But that cancer was different than the cancer now invading his lungs, spine, and brain. And after a bit of thought, Sievers thinks he may have been too quick with his radio response.

This cancer is not a drive-by-disease, he says. It's grabbed him -- and is holding on. It has changed his entire life. He can no longer do everything he once did. And not a day goes by without a reminder of cancer. The treatment, the nausea, the tingling in his hands. Cancer is with him all the time, lurking in the shadows.

Whether he gets the pleasure of remission or the disappointment of a set-back, Sievers realizes he will always be a cancer patient. He realizes that cancer does in fact overshadow everything else in his life.

Previous posts about the cancer journey of Leroy Sievers are as follows:

Journalist Leroy Sievers adjusts to newfound hope
War journalist now witnessing his own cancer death
NPR Leroy Sievers blogs My Cancer

Nabilone, known as Cesamet, a synthetic imitation of an active ingredient found in marijuana, has been shown successful in treating cancer patients experiencing nausea, pain, anxiety and depression, according to University of Toronto researchers who conducted a study on the effectiveness of the synthetic drug.

During the study of 139 participants, a survey was conducted to rate how well the synthetic drug alleviated the adverse side-effects most commonly associated with chemotherapy. According to the study, cancer patients who were prescribed Cesamet indicated less pain, anxiety and depression.

A prescription drug approved for cancer patients who do not respond to traditional anti-nausea treatments, lead investigator Dr. Vincent Maida stated, "This is not a pot pill and has absolutely no street value."

The trouble with the synthetic drug, which is legal, is the stigma attached to marijuana use in general, even on the part of some physicians, who are said to be hesitant to prescribe a version of marijuana even if it is not marijuana. In our modern society, marijuana is sometimes associated with counter-culture populations, addiction and even as a gateway to more addictive drugs.

I would say I just do not get it when it comes to the denial of making cancer treatment for a cancer patient a little easier, but The Scientific American published a brief history of marijuana that brings us from ancient China to the present with, "In 1937 the U.S. Congress, against the advice of the American Medical Association, passed the Marijuana Tax Act, effectively banning use of the drug by making it expensive and difficult to obtain. Ever since, marijuana has remained one of the most controversial drugs in American society. Despite efforts to change its status, it remains federally classified as a Schedule 1 drug, along with heroin and LSD, considered dangerous and without utility."

As anyone who has undergone the grueling ordeal of chemotherapy can tell you, getting high is the last thing on their mind. However, alleviating the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy is critical.

Other medical marijuana-related posts include:

• Montel Williams: poster child for pot
  
• Medical marijuana pot pill approved for chemotherapy
• Breast cancer has made me a criminal patient story
• FDA rejects medical marijuana use
• Guru of Ganja: medical marijuana advocate faces new pot charges

Called a special edition with a bedside manner, Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects For Dummies, is a free book made available to cancer patients and their caregivers with advice and tips on managing the side effects of chemotherapy such as hair loss, nausea, and weakness.

According to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, who is offering the book to those interested in receiving a copy, research indicates that while the use of current anti-nausea and vomiting treatments decreases the frequency and severity of side effects, 60 percent of patients still suffer from nausea and vomiting.

The aim of Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects For Dummies is to offer information about nutrition, meditation, support groups and other techniques that might help during treatment.

Written by a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a supportive care nurse, physician and a cancer survivor, you can order your free copy of Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects For Dummies online here.

In a Phase III trial involving 878 lung cancer patients, the drug bevacizumab, known as Avastin, increased the overall survival rate to 35 percent when combined with the chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and carboplatin. Patients who were given paclitaxel and carboplatin without Avastin had a 15 percent chance of responding to treatment.

Two months ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved Avastin as a first-line treatment for patients with inoperable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer. Avastin works by stopping the formation of blood vessels that feed oxygen and nutrients needed for tumor growth. Because the drug is a targeted therapy, in that it leaves healthy tissue alone while going after cancer cells, some of the traditional side-effects from conventional chemotherapy, such as hair loss, nausea, or vomiting, are avoided.

According to Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Chief of Hematology/Oncology's Dr. Joan Schiller, "Twenty years ago, we thought no treatment could help patients with advanced lung cancer. Ten years ago, we found that chemotherapy could improve survival of these patients. Now, we are finding out that this very unique drug called Avastin can also help improve survival even more. Avastin is the first of this very exciting family of drugs to be approved for lung cancer, and there are several other drugs of this type under development which may prove to work even better."

Chemotherapy can upset the digestive system. It can cause nausea and vomiting -- although I never did throw up during my own chemotherapy, thanks to medication for these side effects. Chemotherapy can diminish overall feelings of wellness and can cause sore gums and mouth sores and dry mouths. Clearly, chemotherapy can ruin an appetite.

But patients receiving chemotherapy need to eat. And they need to drink. They need to maintain nutrition and energy and strength during a physically taxing time. And so the challenge facing many entrenched in chemotherapy is how to eat when the act of chewing, swallowing, and digesting food is so completely unappetizing.

Barbara Curtis shares in a chapter of Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul a recipe that made a difference for her sister during her worst days of chemotherapy.

Her recipe -- for chemo popsicles -- includes essential ingredients. Fruit and tofu provide phytochemicals, protein, and liquids for depleted bodies. The cool popsicle soothes sore mouths and settles stomachs. And the ease of putting together this simple snack is nothing short of tempting.

My advice -- save this recipe. And savor it too.

Chemo Popsicles

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, one 8-ounce glass
Frozen mangoes, 1/4 package, or 1 cup frozen berries
1/4 square tofu, medium firmness
One banana
Add passionfruit juice or other fruit juices for flavor

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend to liquify. Add more juice if mixture is too thick -- it should be as thick as a smoothie. Pour blended mixture into Tupperware or plastic popsicle molds and freeze.