I have a friend who has cancer and she says she’s going through chemotherapy. But what is chemotherapy and how does it act? She says she gets sick from it.
Chemotherapy is a generic term to describe any drug used to treat cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 100 chemotherapy drugs used today. The specific chemotherapy drugs that are utilized on an individual basis are selected based on the type of cancer and how much cancer is in the body. Chemotherapy can be used for many different reasons related to cancer including: keeping the cancer from spreading, slowing the cancer’s growth, killing cancer cells that may spread to other parts of the body, relieving symptoms such as pain or blockages caused by cancer and curing cancer.
Chemotherapy acts by killing cancer cells. Specifically, chemotherapy drugs target and kill any cell that’s growing fast, even if it’s not a cancer cell. Therefore, some normal healthy cells that grow quickly such as hair, skin, and cells in the stomach and intestines can be damaged, which can cause side effects. However, most normal non-cancerous cells can repair themselves over time. Because chemotherapy drugs are very strong and affect fast-growing cells as mentioned above, they can and often do cause side effects including but not limited to: nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting, hair loss, bone marrow changes, mouth and skin changes, memory changes, and emotional changes. Many of these side effects can be treated, so I recommend talking with your doctor about strategies for minimizing any side effects if present.
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How worried do we need to be about touching things like railings, doorknobs, tables and menus? Are people too skittish or should we be carrying wipes everywhere?
Indeed, there are countless bacteria, viruses, and other germs that occur naturally in the environment all around us including on common surfaces we touch every day. Because some of these germs can be spread from person-to-person by touching various surfaces and then interacting with other people, the most important thing we can all do is to wash our hands appropriately throughout the day and especially after doing certain activities or when around individuals who are more prone to infection such as the elderly, infants and children, and those in the nursing home or hospital.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are recommendations for when and how to wash your hands to prevent spreading germs. You should wash your hands before, during and after preparing food; before eating food; before and after caring for someone who is sick; before and after treating a cut or wound; after using the toilet; after changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet; after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; after touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste; after handling pet food or pet treats; and after touching garbage. The process of washing your hands should including wetting your hands first with clean running water, then lather your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails and scrub for at least 20 seconds, then rinse with clean running water. If water or soap are not available, the next best thing to use is hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is not as effective as hand washing when hands are visibly dirty or greasy but is better than no hand hygiene.
Are probiotics good for you? Do they work?
Probiotics are bacteria that naturally live in the body and help it work well. Some people call probiotics “good” or “friendly” bacteria. In their natural form in the body, probiotics work by helping defend the body from infections caused by other bacteria or germs by keeping the growth and spread of other bacteria at bay. Probiotics get into your body on their own, so you can get benefits without doing or taking anything extra. However, some people take probiotics in pill form as a marketed supplement.
Current evidence suggests that probiotics in their natural form in the body does help the body but there is no good evidence that taking probiotics in pill form does any good or has any added benefit. Therefore, the general recommendation is that you should not take probiotics as a supplement unless you talk to your doctor first about whether or not they may benefit you as an individual.
Probiotic supplements, like all supplements, are not regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the way standard medicines are, which means the companies that make these supplements don’t have to prove that the ingredients listed on the label are actually in the bottle. Moreover, there is a small chance probiotic supplements could do harm. In particular, people with weak immune systems (for example, people on chemotherapy for cancer treatment) should be extra careful because taking probiotic supplements could put them at risk for developing an infection.
Is there really a drug that lengthens your eyelashes? Will that harm you in some way?
Indeed, there is a medication in the form of an eye drop currently on the market for treatment of hypotrichosis of the eyelashes, which is defined as a loss or reduction of growth of the eyelashes. Interestingly, this medication was initially used for the treatment of glaucoma (increased pressure inside the eye) and as a side effect, some individuals noticed their eyelashes had increased growth.
This reported side effect led to further studies to document the effectiveness of this medication for treating eyelash hypotrichosis. The majority of randomized studies done over a 16-week period showed no benefit of this medication for eyelash hypotrichosis. However, a non-randomized, prospective study of 44 individuals did report benefit of this medication for eyelash hypotrichosis with a longer course of therapy showing that after being treated for two years, complete or moderate eyelash regrowth occurred in about 25 percent of individuals and no growth was seen in the 10 patients not using the medication.
Side effects with use of this medication for eyelash hypotrichosis can include eyelid reddening and discoloration, discoloration of the skin around the eye, and other eye-related symptoms such as dry-eye, eye irritation, and others. This medication should not be prescribed for individuals without eyelash hypotrichosis who simply desire an increase in the length of their eyelashes as all medications do have potential side effects that could result in the medication causing more overall harm than good.
