Articles Tagged ‘breast cancer’

Articles & Studies | By November 14, 2009 | By Jennifer Gibson, PharmD | 3 Comments

Cancer – To Screen or Not to Screen?

Articles and Studies Category I once treated a patient who was in her 90s. She was less than 5 feet tall and had never weighed more than 90 pounds. But, she was tough as nails and had lived a great life. I came to advocate for her when the internist at the skilled nursing facility in which she lived insisted that she have a mammogram. She had already been diagnosed with breast cancer in her 70s, but was healthier than anyone else her age now. She knew that even if she did receive another diagnosis of breast cancer at this stage in her life, it would probably not be treated and it almost certainly would not shorten her life. She refused the mammogram, much to the dismay of the healthcare providers that treated her like a checklist of tests and screenings and medications. She lived to be well over 100 years old, without her mammogram. Read more →

Breast Cancer – Catching it Early | October 21, 2008 | 3 Comments

I write this article in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. Most of us know someone within our close social circle who has been through this terrible ordeal. This is not surprising, as the National Cancer Institute estimates that there were about 2.4 million women breast cancer survivors in 2004, with a 3.5% increase annually in the incidence of breast cancer. Unfortunately, this means more deaths in 2008 and 2009, unless women respond to the pleas for regular screening so that the disease may be detected early. Read more →

Research on Psychology and Cancer: Still in its Infancy? | April 18, 2008 | 2 Comments

How do thoughts, emotions and social environment influence people diagnosed with breast cancer?

A report by Falagas and his colleagues looked at and compared 46 studies investigating psychological and social factors that affect breast cancer survival rates. The results are not entirely conclusive. The most promising parameters associated with better breast cancer prognosis were social support, minimizing and to some degree being married. Read more →

Are Insurance Copayments Unethical? | March 04, 2008 | 0 Comments

Mammograms are recommended for all women over the age of 45 as a breast cancer screening tool. Some insurance and Medicare plans provide full coverage for these tests because they are deemed necessary and beneficial. Other plans apply co-pays to mammograms, and other similar medical interventions, despite the prevalent medical opinion that they are both necessary and beneficial to the health of the patient. Read more →

Spirituality and Mental Health, Part II of IV: Spiritually Integrative Neurology | November 21, 2007 | 5 Comments

In this article, we’ll look at some active ingredients of spirituality that are supported by research. Since they turned out to be God-optional, I’ll call this SIN (spiritually integrative neurology).

Active vs. Passive: Locus of Control in Spirituality

To understand spirituality and health, we must recognize the difference between active and passive spiritual attitudes. Locus of control has been known to be an important factor in health for a long time. Read more →