Cancer

Susmita Mitra, Director - Special Projects at Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), underlines the concerns and worries of cancer patients and emphasizes the importance of Psycho Oncology, a comparatively recent addition in cancer care, to build a positive frame of mind, ease trauma and facilitate recovery. It is well recognized that compared to any other disease, a diagnosis of cancer results in immense trauma to the patient on one hand, and his family members on the other, as they grapple…

The Choir of the Loaves and Fish, a musical ensemble of senior citizens, started by Pervin Varma with Regina Thomas in Bengaluru has been immensely therapeutic for the elderly and has helped bring loads of warmth and sunshine into their lives. Picture above: Ammachy taking a bow with Pervin Varma Imagine a group of people – all senior citizens between 65 and 96 – people who have suffered strokes or are living with cancer, arthritis, heart disease, dementia, physical disabilities, people with…

Worldwide, medical hypnosis is being increasingly accepted to ease acute and chronic pain arising from burns, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis and reduction of anxiety associated with surgery. What is hypnosis? Hypnosis is a state of increased suggestibility with constriction of peripheral awareness and increased focal concentration on task at hand. Heightened suggestibility is an essential characteristic in hypnosis. Hypnosis is like a meditative technique that encourages inner search and the…

Research has shown that hypnosis and hypnotherapy can help alleviate symptoms of many medical conditions. Read Lesli Berggren’s first-hand account of how she stood in awe as she watched her son hypnotize his agonizing pain away, without medicines. My son Nils Berggren, age fourteen, had beaten stage 4 lymphoma. However, his life threatening problems continued because of the required stem cell transplant he had received at the National University Hospital in Singapore, where we lived. We moved…

You have the Complete Blood Test in front of you and don’t now what the results mean. Dr. Shital Raval explains it in simple terms in our Health by Numbers/Medical Tests series. A CBC or complete blood test is a basic blood test which is often carried out along with a physical examination to verify and analyse various cellular components in the blood. This allows the doctor to check and confirm any suspicions and find any potential health problems. CBC test result alone may not be sufficient to…

IPCF or Indian Prostrate Cancer Foundation is going to great lengths to create awareness of this rising affliction with the slogan “Prostate Cancer is curable if detected early”. They have tied up with various organisations to help carry their message to the masses. Indian Prostate Cancer Foundation (IPCF), in association with PatientsEngage, is trying to create awareness among the vast and the quickly expanding online community about prostate cancer through various joint initiatives. IPCF is…

Mamta Goenka suffered bilateral breast cancer and naturally went through the entire gamut of treatment along with emotional turmoil and pangs of mortification. But she decided to challenge her cancer and the hair loss with her head held high. She emerged victorious and turned crusader and lymphedema management guru. Please tell us a bit about your condition : I suffered from bilateral breast cancer! When were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed with right breast cancer in 1998 and then with the left…

Rita Banik, breast cancer survivor and founder of RACE to Rein-in-Cancer, had to face this and many painful falsities and misrepresentation during her treatment. She shares some of the hurtful things that people say.  This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she emphasizes the need to increase understanding about cancer in society and importance of early detection. Breast Cancer (BC) has become a dinner talk disease.  It has been predicted that if measures are not taken right away then by…

A father-daughter duo recalls their personal trauma over the tragedy of losing their closest person to terminal cancer and struggling to help her cope with the pain. A case for respecting end of life choices of a patient and access to Palliative Care.  THE HUSBAND SPEAKS... Jayanta Sinha She is my wife, my child’s mother – the most beloved one – who passed away at the age of 49 years after a painful journey of seven long months. Smriti Kana was always a good student and aspired to be a…

Madam Soh Chin Hong, 47, fought the good fight against cancer with her husband by her side, until the end. HCA Hospice Care, Singapore shares this heartbreakingly beautiful story of a loving couple. “She was very loving, a very righteous and passionate person”, said her husband and caregiver, Mr Eric Yeo, 47. The loving couple, who have been married for 20 years, first met while they were studying in NAFA School of the Arts. Eric reminisces fondly, “She didn’t like me at the beginning…