Picture This

The following is from Bob Marckini's book, You Can Beat Prostate Cancer, And You Don't Need Surgery To Do It.

Picture this:
You are diagnosed with cancer.

Your doctor encourages major surgery and announces the possibility of blood loss, infection, and the high probability of impotence and incontinence.

Next,imagine you discover a treatment that involves
no invasion of your body, no blood loss, no infection,
and significantly fewer side effects, if any.

You would feel the weight of the world
Lifted from your shoulders.

That is what happens with proton patients.

I don't apologize for harping about proton beam therapy.
It offers just what this writing says.
For more information go to protonbob.com.

Have a good Thursday.
Blessings,
Rick

Study Shows Men In 40s Get PSA Test

One in five men in their 40s had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in the past year, according to recent study findings published in the Sept. 15 issue of Cancer. Additionally, the study showed that young black men are more likely than young white men to have undergone the test. While these results are encouraging for the African-American community, the study authors noted that PSA screening in this group is still below acceptable levels. The study found only about one in three black men reported having a PSA test in the past year. Other significant study findings showed obesity, higher household incomes, higher education levels, as well as heath insurance coverage and an ongoing doctor-patient relationship were contributing factors to whether one had a recent PSA test.
"Our study is the first to specifically examine PSA screening in younger men, which provides an important assessment of quality of care, especially for high-risk groups," the authors wrote.

After news by a government panel suggested that men over 75 should not get tested, this is encouraging that men in their 40s are getting tested. In my opinion, men over 75 still should get tested annually.
Have a good Wednesday.
Blessings,
Rick

Which Radiation Treatment Is Safest?

There are many options open to you when considering how best to treat your cancer. Surgery will be the treatment that a surgeon will recommend and radiation will be what a radiation oncologist recommends. That makes sense because that's what they know and it is also what they make their house, car and other payments relying on. There's nothing, on the surface, wrong with that. The problem comes when they know a better and safer way to treat cancer and they choose not to share that with the patient. To me that is a moral crime.
Take radiation for instance. It should be the goal of any radiation to deliver the highest dose to the tumor and the least dose to any healthy tissue surrounding it. With all radiation except for proton radiation, healthy tissue is radiated. Because of the physics of the proton beam, radiation goes only to the tumor and there is no exit path. With photon (x-ray) radiation, the dose continues to radiate healthy tissue on it's exit from the body.
We all know that the safest level of radiation to healthy tissue is zero, so it just stands to figure that the best way to radiate is to eliminate the chance of radiating healthy tissue.
This is only accomplished with proton beam therapy. I'm not pushing anyone to choose proton beam therapy, but I am trying to get the facts out there so people can come to their own decision as to how best to treat their cancer.
Centers are now treating 44 different types of cancer with proton beam therapy, including breast cancer. That's right, breast cancer. Why is that not being talked about on TV and newspapers?

Have a good Tuesday.
Blessings,
Rick

Sharing The Excitement Of Protons

Well, I'm back from vacationing in Tennessee and North Carolina and we had a great time. Covered 1675 miles and saw some beautiful country. Friday we visited the Biltmore House in Ashville, NC. The house, built in 1895, is 175,000 square feet and the largest private residence in America. We put an offer in on it, but still waiting to hear. Ha Ha.
On our way home yesterday afternoon, I got a call from my good friend Chuck. His experience with prostate cancer is section two of my book to be published soon. He was treated with proton beam therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Well, he and his wife Shirley were in Nashville, IN. riding their Harley and wanted to come through Bloomington, IN. where I was terated with protons and they wanted to stop and see the center. While Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute (MPRI) is much smaller in size than MD Anderson, the same great treatment for cancer is housed within its walls.
Protons is the only treatment that I have heard of where guys actually are excited about the treatment as well as taking a side trip on vacation to share in each others experience.
Little by little the word is getting out about the wonders of proton beam therapy. What puzzles me is that a cure for cancer which has basically no side effects should be big news on every street corner.
I'm doing whatever I can to educate society about the benefits of proton beam therapy and will continue to do that until something better comes along. As of yet, that something better isn't here.

Have a good Monday.
Blessings,
Rick