World Lung Cancer Day has been observed on August 1st for a number of years now to bring awareness to this specific disease and for funding efforts needed to provide people with cutting edge treatments.
As our seasons change and the infectious germs or “cooties” as Dr. Milligan refers to them, are abound, it's important to know signs, symptoms, and integrative medicine treatment options from your primary care physicians to Sage Point Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Clinic in beautiful Venice, FL.
There are early signs of lung cancer and symptoms to watch out for:
*nagging and persistent cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time
*coughing up blood in sputum
*persistent chest pain
*shortness of breath
*unexplained weight loss
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancer worldwide. 1 in 5 deaths are from lung cancer. Lung cancer is a collection of abnormal cells within the lungs. They have the ability to grow into a tumor and travel to other areas of the body. Lung cancer type is determined by how these cells look under a microscope. There are 2 types of cancer cells, small cell and non- small cell. Non-small cell accounts for 85% of cases whereas small cell only 10-15%. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among both men and women. As a matter of fact more people die more from lung cancer compared to those with colon, prostate, or breast cancer combined. That's a staggering number and thought to wrap your head around. Let’s get down to the number one cause of this disease.
Causes
Smoking is the number 1 cause in 87% of cases. Although most lung cancers are due to smoking, there are environmental risk factors, indoor and outdoor pollution, and exposure to chemicals such as radon and asbestos. The numbers of those that have died from lung cancer though is most impressive and something that most people don't really think about as they share their second hand smoke all around other children, pets, and sensitive populations. In the United States, every year, 16,000-24,000 men and women who never smoked a day in their lives, lose them to this disease.
Once lung cancer is suspected based on signs and symptoms that match the disease, a sample of the tissue is usually collected. Staging of the disease is then determined by a CT, MRI, or a PET scan.
Treatments
Traditional treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Targeted therapies or photodynamic therapies using light targeted frequency, and immunotherapy treatments are being used more and more as well as radio frequency ablations, for those individuals who cannot tolerate surgery well.
How does Sage Point Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine enhance treatment outcomes? First give us a call to set up a consultation with Dr. Milligan. She will go over your health history, your current treatment regime and she will tailor a treatment program that will best support your recovery.
There are many ways acupuncture has been used for centuries for people going through the effects of chemotherapy and radiation, insomnia, and digestive issues to name a few. Ozone therapy is also used in our clinic to help those with allergies, long Covid, and many other upper respiratory ailments of the lungs. We can be the bridge to gap conventional medicine with an alternative, and integrative approach.
Give us a call at (941) 451-8154 to find out how we can support your journey today.
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