Mental Health Blog: Cancer

Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts

February 1, 2015

More Than Two Drinks Per Day Can Increase Your Risk of Stroke

Sunday, February 01, 2015

According to a new study, drinking more than 2 alcoholic drinks each day in middle-age increases a person’s risk of stroke more than typical risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Researchers used data gathered between 1967 and 2010 from 11,644 individuals from the Swedish Twin Registry to compare the effects of heavy drinking on risk of stroke. Heavy drinking was defined as 2 or more drinks per day and light drinking as less than 0.5 drinks per day.

Results demonstrated that heavy drinking increased the risk of stroke by 34% in comparison to light drinking. The heavy drinkers were also more likely to have a stroke 5 years earlier than their counterparts, regardless of genetics or other factors. In addition, middle-aged heavy drinkers exhibited a risk of stroke comparable to individuals with high blood pressure and diabetes. Moreover, the study found that almost 30% of participants had suffered a stroke and by age 75, blood pressure and diabetes were regarded as the main cause of stroke.

“Among identical twin pairs, siblings who had a stroke drank more than their siblings who hadn't had a stroke, suggesting that mid-life drinking raises stroke risks regardless of genetics and early lifestyle.”

Not only does regular heavy drinking increase the risk of stroke, it also affects blood pressure and causes various health complications.

Effects of Alcohol:

Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:

Heart: Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:

Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle

Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat

Stroke

High blood pressure

* Research also shows that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may protect healthy adults from developing coronary heart disease.

Liver: Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:

Steatosis, or fatty liver

Alcoholic hepatitis

Fibrosis

Cirrhosis

Pancreas: Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.

Cancer: Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, including cancers of the:

Mouth

Esophagus

Throat

Liver

Breast

Immune System: Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

Brain: Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.

People who have been drinking large amounts of alcohol for long periods of time run the risk of developing serious and persistent changes in the brain. Damage may be a result of the direct effects of alcohol on the brain or may result indirectly, from a poor general health status or from severe liver disease.

Up to 80 percent of alcoholics, however, have a deficiency in thiamine, and some of these people will go on to develop serious brain disorders such as Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome (WKS). WKS is a disease that consists of two separate syndromes, a short–lived and severe condition called Wernicke’s encephalopathy and a long–lasting and debilitating condition known as Korsakoff’s psychosis.

The symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy include mental confusion, paralysis of the nerves that move the eyes (i.e., oculomotor disturbances), and difficulty with muscle coordination. For example, patients with Wernicke’s encephalopathy may be too confused to find their way out of a room or may not even be able to walk.

Approximately 80 to 90 percent of alcoholics with Wernicke’s encephalopathy also develop Korsakoff’s psychosis, a chronic and debilitating syndrome characterized by persistent learning and memory problems. Patients with Korsakoff’s psychosis are forgetful and quickly frustrated and have difficulty with walking and coordination. Although these patients have problems remembering old information (i.e., retrograde amnesia), it is their difficulty in “laying down” new information (i.e., anterograde amnesia) that is the most striking.

Heavy drinking in middle-age may increase stroke risk more than traditional factors
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Cancer Drug May Treat Schizophrenia

Saturday, July 23, 2011

In recent news, scientists have uncovered the molecular pathway involved in the onset of schizophrenia as well as a potential new treatment for the illness. By observing the effects of a cancer drug called MS-275 in mice, researchers discovered that symptoms of schizophrenia were successfully alleviated.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by disintegration of thought processes and emotional responsiveness. It is most commonly manifested as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood. Schizophrenia is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction.

Additionally, the disease is said to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have changes in both brain structure and chemistry. Studies using neuropsychological tests and brain imaging technologies such as fMRI and PET to examine functional differences in brain activity have shown that differences seem to most commonly occur in the frontal lobes, hippocampus and temporal lobes.

The greatest risk for developing schizophrenia is having a first-degree relative with the disease. Environmental factors associated with the development of schizophrenia include the living environment, drug use and prenatal stressors. Factors such as hypoxia and infection, or stress and malnutrition in the mother during fetal development, may result in a slight increase in the risk of schizophrenia later in life. A number of drugs have been associated with the development of schizophrenia including cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines.

“According to the World Health Organization, 90% of people with untreated schizophrenia are in developing countries. Current treatments for schizophrenia include both psychological treatments such as psychotherapy, counselling or cognitive behaviour therapy and/or medication. However, many of the antipsychotic drugs or major tranquillisers used to treat or manage the illness have very bad side-effects.”

Schizophrenia is said to affect about 24 million people worldwide.

Medications prescribed to treat schizophrenia include:

Typical side effects include:

Professor Peter Giese at King's College London discovered that individuals with schizophrenia had a reduction in the enzyme activator called p35. By manipulating the level of this enzyme in mice, the researchers were able to mirror typical cognitive impairments found in those with schizophrenia. Consequently, human post-mortem brains revealed that schizophrenic patients had approximately 50% less p35 in their brains.

That being said, the brain requires, among other things, the activation of a protein call Cdk5 to assist in proper development and this protein can only be activated in the presence of the p35 enzyme.

Therefore, by manipulating the level of p35 enzyme in mice, researchers noted that “the mice showed a reduction in synaptic proteins -- important in maintaining neural connections -- and displayed symptoms associated with schizophrenia, including learning impairments and inability to react to sensory stimuli.”

Subsequently, Professor Giese and his research team noticed that the reduction of the p35 enzyme altered molecules in the brain that are targeted by the cancer drug MS-275. To their delight, the molecular changes were corrected and the schizophrenic symptoms were alleviated by this drug.

With any luck, more research will prove that this drug is more beneficial than current medications with intolerable side-effects.

Cancer Drugs May Help Treatment of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Mental Health Medications

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Paxil Reduces Benefits of Cancer Treating Drugs

Saturday, February 20, 2010

A study in the British Medical Journal found that paroxetine, better known as paxil, decreases the benefits of the cancer treating drug tamoxifen. In addition, they found an increased risk of death in breast cancer patients the longer both drugs were taken concurrently.

Tamoxifen is a popular breast cancer treatment that can be taken for up to five years to prevent a recurrence. Conversely, paroxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant that is typically used to treat major depression, obsessive-compulsive, panic,social anxiety, and generalized anxiety.

Paroxetine has revealed promise for easing the hot flashes that can occur after cancer treatment. However, this anti-depressant has been known to have side effects such as nausea, somnolence, and sexual problems. This medication is also associated with significant weight gain and adult suicide.

Researchers studied the health records of 2,430 women taking tamoxifen between the years 1993 and 2005. They discovered that roughly 25% or 630 of these women were also taking paroxetine. Of the 1,074 women that died during this period, 374 of them died from breast cancer according to Ontario's cancer registry.

“Tamoxifen is an extremely important drug for breast cancer," said Dr. David Juurlink, a co-author of the study and a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto. Paroxetine "takes that benefit away by interfering with the body's normal handling of tamoxifen. Specifically, researchers concluded that paroxetine blocks or inhibits an enzyme called cytochrome P450 2D6, which is needed to metabolize tamoxifen into its active form.

Although the evidence suggests that this anti-depressant must be stopped, researchers caution against abruptly ceasing treatment with paroxetine because of withdrawal effects and worsening of depressive symptoms.

Interestingly, the study did not find any increased risk of death among the smaller sample of women taking tamoxifen combined with some other SSRI, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and venlafaxine (Effexor). However, this smaller sample size may confound the study’s conclusiveness; however it does suggest that attractive alternatives exist.

Furthermore, there are always unanswered questions when it comes to research that focus on health records as several variables are unknown and uncontrolled. That being said, the slightest risk identified should be enough to stop using this medication, especially when there are equally effective substitutes.

Also, in recent news…

“In the first Paxil birth defect trial that resulted in a $2.5 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline in October 2009, the infant, Lyam Kilker, was born with three heart defects; an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect, and an interrupted aortic arch, after his mother took Paxil while pregnant.”

Antidepressant interferes with breast-cancer drug
Paroxetine
Paxil Birth Defect Trial - Battle of the Experts

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Tanorexia: The Tanning Junkies

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Can one actually become dependent on tanning? Is it really possible to become addicted to using tanning beds? Tanorexia gets its name from similar characteristic pathologies such as those seen in other mental illnesses like substance abuse and body image disorders.

A study performed by Fox Chase Cancer Center examined this phenomena and discovered that "25% of those surveyed reported symptoms of tanning dependence, including symptoms similar to alcohol and drug-addicted individuals". This finding was revealed by using a modified version of a traditional substance abuse and dependence questionnaire that was administered to 400 students and other volunteers at Virginia Commonwealth University. The survey measured such items as tolerance to tanning, withdrawal symptoms, difficulty controlling tanning behaviour in spite of the knowledge of its negative consequences. Some of the questions included:

Do you think you need to spend more and more time in the sun to maintain your perfect tan?

Do you continue tanning so your tan will not fade?

Does this [your belief that tanning can cause skin cancer] keep you from spending time in the sun or going to tanning beds?

The study investigated the participants’ level of intentional and incidental sun exposure, tanning booth use, and chemical sunless tanner usage as well as other health related habits like smoking and exercise.

Research confirmed that 27% of those studied were classified as dependent on tanning, 40% had used tanning booths and the mean age of onset for tanning booth use was only 17 years old. In addition, sun tanners and indoor tanners during the winter were found to be more closely linked to tanorexia than those who are solely indoor tanners. Most intriguing is that those found to be dependent on tanning were more likely to be either thin or smokers, suggesting probable links to risk taking behaviours. This discovery provides a new avenue for further research and development. It also confirms the wideheld belief that tanorexia really is an addiction.

Some Startling facts about skin cancer:

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer.

Skin cancer accounts for half of all types of cancers.

Over 1 million new cases are diagnosed yearly in the U.S.

90% of all skin cancers are associated with ultraviolet radiation

Using a tanning bed once a month or more can increase your risk of skin cancer by more than half.

Addicted To Tanning Beds? 'Tanorexia' Common Among University Students
Tanorexics - Ellie Harrison

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Extreme Stress in the First Trimester Associated with Schizophrenia

Friday, February 08, 2008

There already exists much evidence of low birth weights and pre-maturity among newborns of mothers that suffer stressful life events during pregnancy. "Chemicals released by the mother’s brain in response to stress may have an effect on the fetus’ developing brain. These effects may be strongest in early pregnancy, when protective barriers between the mother and fetus are not fully constructed."

Schizophrenia is believed to commence during early brain development; however environmental factors during a pregnancy may influence the risk of developing schizophrenia.

A study conducted by Ali S. Khashan of the University of Manchester suggests a likelihood of developing schizophrenia when a child’s mother experiences a stressful event during the first trimester of pregnancy.

The subjects in this study consisted of 1.38 million Danish births occurring between 1973 and 1995. A national registry was used to verify relatives of the mothers that either passed away or received a diagnosis of cancer, heart attack or stroke during the course of their pregnancy. Khashan found that during their pregnancies, the mothers of 21,987 children were exposed to the death of a relative, mothers of 14, 206 children were exposed to a relative receiving a diagnosis of cancer, heart attack or stroke, and most striking, 7,331 children observed had eventually developed schizophrenia.

Results illustrated a 67% greater risk of developing schizophrenia or other disorders when exposed to the death of a relative during the first trimester. Six months prior to pregnancy or any other time during the pregnancy held no significance in the development of schizophrenia. As well, the significance appeared only in those without a family history of mental illness.

Although, the study only assesses risk and is not suggesting any concrete findings, it would have been more informative to have knowledge the schizophrenics’ age at the end of the study in order to rule out any possible association with societal changes or social upheavals. Also, research on a more global perspective would certainly have supported the validity of the study. Overall however, this does provide a decent starting point for future research.

Article

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