by Life Credit Company | Aug 19, 2016 | Quality of Life & Emotional Support
After a cancer diagnosis, most patients aren’t likely thinking about what they’re going to have for dinner — but research suggests that it should be a priority, as proper nutrition can provide a wealth of assistance for cancer patients. Why is Nutrition Important? Cancer patients face many challenges in properly nourishing their bodies. Treatments like chemo or radiation may leave them feeling too sick to eat, the disease can wage war on a patient’s energy that can steal their appetite and they may even grapple with side effects like mouth sores that make eating difficult. According to the National Cancer Institute, many cancer patients face anorexia and cachexia, or wasting, after a diagnosis. Despite all those obstacles, good nutrition is vital to recovery. Many patients suffer from a lack of calories and proteins, both of which are important to building up the immune system and fighting off disease. NCI also cautions that some cancer treatments are more effective when the patient is well-nourished, and good nutrition has been shown to prolong patients’ lives. Resources for Nutrition Finding out what to eat, how much of it to eat and even when to eat it is no easy task, especially when dealing with health challenges. Luckily, there are a number of online resources that offer assistance for cancer patients looking to get their nutrition on track. The NCI has a helpful guide, Nutrition in Cancer Care, that offers comprehensive information about nutrition. Here, patients can find tips on which cancer drugs interact with which foods, how certain treatments may impact nutrition and which foods are best to combat certain symptoms. It... read more
by Life Credit Company | Aug 11, 2016 | Cancer Research & News
Even after cancer patients reach the important stage of remission, they are advised to stay vigilant to maintain their health. How they continue to monitor themselves is an important question, one that is being helped by a new web application: SIMBA. What is SIMBA? The Surveillance Imaging Modalities for Breast Cancer Assessment is a decision aid that provides support for cancer patients trying to decide the best way to prevent recurrence. The app is specifically designed for breast-cancer survivors, who are faced with the choice of getting regular mammograms or MRIs to monitor their breast health. There are pros and cons to both approaches, and SIMBA walks patients through all of them. Users are asked to put in specific information about their cancer history and their current health, and SIMBA then outlines what a mammogram would provide versus an MRI, in addition to offering other health tips. The program doesn’t necessarily recommend one approach over the other but rather lays out all the options, with specifics tailored to the user’s individual health history, to help them make informed decisions. What Women Want SIMBA was created by Group Health Research Institute and the Artefact Group, who wanted their product to reflect what breast-cancer patients wanted to see in such a program and offer support for cancer patients. To achieve that, they worked closely with women who had survived breast cancer and incorporated their opinions into the app’s development. The women advised that it should contain few graphics, especially stock photos of smiling women that are popular on other cancer resources, they said. Instead, they wanted it to focus on the... read more
by Life Credit Company | Aug 5, 2016 | Quality of Life & Emotional Support
Many of us have likely made a New Year’s resolution or pre-summer pledge at one time to hit the gym, running trails or swimming pool more often — plans that often fall by the wayside to work and school schedules or family obligations. But fulfilling that promise can be a life-altering decision, especially for people facing a cancer diagnosis. New research has found that exercise can provide help for cancer patients who are struggling with depression and anxiety. While much of the interventions that exist for patients focus on physical ailments, exercise targets patients’ mental health — with impressive results. What can exercise do? According to researchers at Edith Cowan University in Australia, just 2.5 hours of physical exercise a week can greatly reduce a cancer patient’s depression and anxiety. The university’s recent study looked at 32 cancer patients suffering from depression, a common affliction after a cancer diagnosis. Some of the participants worked out at home, others used a gym and the third group didn’t exercise at all. The last group saw no improvement, and in some cases a worsening, of their depression, but all of the patients who exercised reported a positive effect. The type of exercise didn’t seem to have much of an effect, the researchers found. Any moderate exercise, even walking the dog, was a help for cancer patients — an important finding, as some patients may be scared away from the idea of exercise, which they may equate with running on a treadmill or lifting heavy weights. “All types of exercise showed a benefit in terms of mental health,” Dr. Greg Levin told the... read more
by Life Credit Company | Jul 28, 2016 | Quality of Life & Emotional Support
Medical information, advice on symptoms, connections to support groups — resources for cancer patients abound to help them deal with a diagnosis and ensuing treatment. But what about the people who have already come out on the other side? The American Cancer Society estimates that there are more than 15 million cancer survivors alive right now — and that’s just in our own country. With advances in screening and technology, more and more people are conquering cancer and living long, healthy lives. But cancer will always be a part of their reality. What does being a survivor mean? The term “cancer survivor” can be a complex one. While it acknowledges the person’s defeat of a deadly disease, it doesn’t encompass the ongoing struggles that may exist in a life after cancer. Fear of the disease’s return is a common theme among people in remission. That’s a worry that can permeate many aspects of one’s life — and can affect interpersonal relationships, daily motivation and plans for the future. Guilt may also surface. A survivor may question the equity of his or her beating the disease, while other patients they met along their journey didn’t. Such ideas can produce feelings of shame that could threaten everything from one’s self-worth to self-esteem. There are also practical complications of being a cancer survivor. How do you resume daily tasks after a body-altering surgery? What modifications do you need to make to your diet to maintain your health? How do you tackle the mountain of hospital bills? Throughout the battle with cancer, patients are likely focused on the end game of beating the... read more
by Life Credit Company | Jul 20, 2016 | Quality of Life & Emotional Support
In the business world, networking is a common practice used to establish connections among professionals. Trading business cards and best practices is an effective way to help workers learn from others in their field. The same holds true for those in the cancer world. Networks can be a crucial support for cancer patients, who can benefit from others’ ideas and input, as well as seeing in action the simple notion that they’re not alone. Network of Loved Ones The front line of support can often be found right in patients’ own homes. Spouses, parents, children, relatives, friends and even neighbors can all play a role in a patient’s fight against cancer. A study by the National Center for Biotech Information found that patients with a strong social support system of loved ones exhibited more resilience to stress, less risk of trauma-related disorders and even lower fatality rates. The National Cancer Institute defines social support as a “network that is available in times of need to give psychological, physical and financial help.” So what does that look like? Support can be anything from a neighbor sitting with a patient during chemo treatment and lending an ear if he or she needs to talk. It could be demonstrated by kids taking over daily chores like laundry and carpooling for an ailing parent. After a grueling day of treatment, the last thing a patient should have to worry about is housework. Or, support could materialize as providing a loved one meals, helping with bills or offering other practical assistance. Social support can come in countless forms — but all actions center on... read more
by Life Credit Company | Jul 12, 2016 | Cancer Research & News
Modern technology has shown to have a surprising, yet exciting effect on providing help for cancer patients. A recent study found that a web application called MoovCare was highly effective in prolonging the lives of people with advanced lung cancer. The groundbreaking results are making waves in both the cancer-research and web-technology fields — with experts in both areas increasingly working together to offer help for cancer patients. What is MoovCare? MoovCare empowers patients to take control of their own health through self-reporting on their conditions through the medical software device. The app, created by Sivan Innovation, centers on the idea that cancer patients can prevent relapses, and elongate their life expectancy, by keeping track of a fixed set of symptoms each week. Users, or those who care for them, access the system once a week and register how they’re feeling based on 12 clinical symptoms. While most cancer patients attend frequent in-person follow-ups with their physicians, MoovCare relies on a specific algorithm that raises a red flag as soon as a change in symptoms could suggest a relapse — cutting out the wait time some patients may experience in waiting to see if their condition improves. If such an event occurs, the MoovCare team reaches out to the patient’s physician for intervention. The app is accessible on the web, as well as through a smartphone. What Does the Research Say? The French Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest conducted a study using MoovCare of 133 patients with lung cancer who were at high risk for a relapse after surgery. Most had stage III or stage IV cancer. Researchers asked... read more
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