| Part 6: One woman’s story: Contemplating chemotherapy
Editor's note: The Montana Standard has asked health and fitness correspondent, Paula J. McGarvey who was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2007 to share her own story. This is a continuation of stories Paula has shared with our readers over the last several months. The other stories have also been reposted online and are available at http://www.mtstandard.com/healthfitness/.By Paula J. McGarvey for The Montana Standard Jan. 17, 2008 Today I received the last of eight scheduled chemotherapy treatments. Since early October I have gone to the local cancer center religiously every two weeks. There, I would be hooked up to an IV and infused with toxic drugs, whose mission was to seek out and destroy any rogue cancer cells that dared to linger in my body after surgery.I haven't felt such a sense of accomplishment and relief since giving birth to my first child after 17 hours of labor one summer evening back in 1993.
NIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan
National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate mental retardation and associated medical problems. The plan sets research goals for the next 10 years that build upon earlier research advances fostered by the NIH."Through the years, the NIH research effort has led to increased understanding of Down syndrome," said Elias Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health. "We are now poised to capitalize on these advances and improve the health of people with Down syndrome."Down syndrome occurs in 1 out of every 800 births in the United States. Down syndrome most frequently results from an extra copy of chromosome 21 in the body's cells.
Dodgy 'docs' swallow bitter pill
DODGY "doctors" who make false claims about curing cancer or who fleece vulnerable patients with high-priced but worthless treatments will now face tough penalties. The State Government is cracking down on unregistered health practitioners such as massage and reiki therapists, counsellors, naturopaths and herbalists following concerns some were preying on sick people. The move comes after a NSW coroner recommended charges be laid against the parents of nine-month-old Gloria Thomas who died of an infection after being treated with homeopathic remedies. And with 60 per cent of the Australian population now dabbling with alternative medicine, the rate of complaints in NSW is on the rise and the number of protests to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) regarding alternative health providers has risen 17 per cent in four years.
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