Day and night are a natural rhythm of life. For millenia before the electric light was developed people had to live largely by the natural cycles of light and dark. It is to be expected therefore that the human body has used these cycles in ways that encourage health and that varying from them too far might have negative consequences. It seems that this is the case. Sleep disorders, depression and even ageing and cancer are some of the conditions that are affected by poor "light hygiene".

Each person has a master biological clock which regulates the production and release of melatonin from the pineal gland. Melatonin helps us sleep and more is produced at night than during the day time. It also has two other very important roles. Melatonin is part of the serotonin pathway - this is one of the "feel-good" hormones and a lack of it is known to contribute to depression and seasonal affective disorder. Melatonin also contributes to a well-functioning immune system and it has a recognized role in controlling at least some cancers and reducing the impact of ageing.

Melatonin is a particularly strong antioxidant, it reduces cancer's ability to grow and it stimulates the immune system to increase its ability to deal with cancers and infections. It has been subject to a huge range of animal and human studies with the knowledge of its usefulness in inhibiting cancer going back more than 30 years.

So you can see it is a very desirable hormone. Unfortunately modern society does not have good "light hygiene" which encourages substantial melatonin production - in fact, just the opposite.

Culturally in the western world it is considered more socially desirable to be a person who likes to party well into the night, than to be a person who enjoys getting up at dawn. Nowadays it is much more common for city people to spend most of their work day indoors regardless of the time of the year. Heating in winter and air conditioning in the summer also contribute to our indoor lifestyles.

We also have a medically induced fear of being out in the sun because of the risk of skin cancer. We have been strongly encouraged to stay out of the sun. [However do note that far more people die from low vitamin D caused cancers and heart disease than ever die from skin cancer. We get most of our vitamin D from the sun.]

In addition to the social desirability of staying indoors a many people routinely wear dark glasses when they venture outside in the sun which prevents the eyes from getting the strong dose of light we need to maximize the production of melatonin at night.

Perhaps it is time to rethink our lives. Here we have a natural treatment for cancer, depression and ageing - one that the body produces on its own as long as we give it the raw ingredients - and most of us do not even know about it.

Our body needs regular bright light. Even the winter light of those places closer to the poles often have greater light than we have inside. Our body also needs regular darkness, deep darkness of the kind that occurs when there is no moon.

Our bodies do learn to adapt to the environment we live in. However it appears that adaptation is only possible up to a point.

It might be useful to go out in the middle of the day regularly to get some bright sunlight, both to increase melatonin and vitamin D levels (vitamin D is another natural anticancer agent). Think also of going to sleep earlier in the evening and waking up at dawn - nature and natural cycles can have great health benefits.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Denz-Penhey

Cancer is a well known human disease. Mention is contained in medical records that have survived over the centuries. However at no previous time does it appear to have been as common as is now the case in our modern society when it may be anticipated that approximately one in four of us will suffer from it. Most of us will know from the number of our immediate contacts with friends and relatives who are suffering, that this is not an extreme prediction but is possibly an underestimation, should the momentum continue.

The public perception of cancer is that it is the most frightening condition of ill health causing much pain and prolonged suffering, both from the condition itself and from the methods of treatment which are currently employed, and that it often results in death. So it is understandable that cancer assumes such a dominant place in our list of modern anxieties. However, our fears tend to reduce our inclination to consciously focus upon all that is involved regarding this complex disease which proves to be the scourge of our modern era and which can manifest in any one of the hundred or so known types of tumours and malignant growths.

Let us learn more about what it is.

THE PATHOLOGY OF CANCER
Excerpts from an essay by Dr Michael Parsons

"Definitions of cancer are unsatisfactory. Two key concepts, however, are those of malignancy and neoplasia. Malignancy we shall discuss. Neoplasia, or abnormal new growth of tissue, may be understood from Willis' definition of a tumour as "an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which caused the change."

"Now we must look at the features which distinguish benign and malignant growths."....

"Benign tumours grow from the centre, expanding the periphery evenly. As this happens the surrounding tissue is compressed and a fibrous capsule forms, so the boundary of these tumours is clearly defined and the tumour cells remain within it; they do not penetrate the capsule to invade the tissue beyond it. "

"The opposite features appear in malignancy. Here the growth is irregular throughout the tumour and there is a lot of mitosis to be seen. Areas at the centre tend to die off as the patchy peripheral growth outstrips the blood supply, causing necrosis and haemorrhage, features not found in benign tumours. This pattern of growth, with the lack of fibrous capsule, gives the tumour an irregular, ill-defined margin. How clearly demarcated the edge of the lump is can be an important clinical point: in lumps in the breast for example, it is a cardinal feature in differentiating the benign form the malignant. But the most crucial difference between the two is that malignant cells are invasive. This means that they move out beyond the apparent boundary of the tumour, infiltrating between cells of the surrounding tissue and set up new foci of tumour growth. This is what makes malignant growths locally destructive and gives them their ability to metastasize to distant sites."

DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER

A disturbance of cells can occur anywhere in the body so cancer is capable of affecting any part from more superficial skin growths, to the deep seated tumours in the lungs, abdomen or brain. Many of the general symptoms of cancer offer a means of early detection and indicate a need for further tests to ascertain whether the condition is benign or malignant. Various methods are used.

SYMPTOMS OF CANCER can include any of the following -
Low Vitality
Unexplained or sudden weight loss
Lymphatic swelling or lumps appearing in the neck, under the arms or in the groin
Lumps in the breast, abdomen or any part of the body
Bowel habits changing with constipation of diarrhea
Neurological symptoms such as numbness, paralysis, loss of sight or hearing
Changes in the appearance of a mole or the skin
A persistent sore or ulcer that will not heal
Breathlessness
Excessive perspiration
Urinary problems
Nausea and vomiting
Bleeding
Severe headaches
Chronic insomnia
Severe depression
Decreased immunity
Personality and behavioural changes
Persistent pain

It may be advisable that we know something of the range of symptoms that could reflect cancer but are more often than not, an indication of mere temporary ailments.

However, for personal health care it is always best to avoid extreme reactions to any symptom you may be experiencing, until consultation with your doctor.

Prevention of any disease is always best and it is generally within our capability of self-help. Our 'homework' remains that we are faithful to the best mental and physical fitness programme we know.



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A refreshing thought about curing cancer comes from the Medical Correspondent of The Times

"The body's natural defence mechanisms are just as capable of destroying cancer cells as they are of dealing with bacterial infections, and effective treatment of cancers should take account of that potential."

For too long cancer has seemed to us to be associated with symptoms so terrible that there seems little hope once the condition is diagnosed. But if we can break free from the knowledge of the present treatment methods that are terrible for those who have to experience chemotherapy and surgical procedures, and reconsider cancer in the light of all other physical diseases,we will find that there other methods of treatment than those which are failing us today.

Generally we look for causes any ailment as well as seeking relief. In the case of cancer, we know of a host of carcinogenic factors in our environment that are directly responsible.

We realise that to avoid all these causes that involve many toxic chemicals that were not a problem in earlier times but are now incorporated as necessities in our modern life, that we will only be able to compromise. We will never be totally free of toxic agencies in the air of our cities and countryside as long as industry, air travel, motor cars and our addiction to electronics and technology continues to create pollution. Nor will we be able to drink pure water until we have ceased putting chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride into the water.

We may know that the causes of cancer range beyond environmental influences, to include our personal habits, some of which, like smoking, are directly related to cancer. The most obvious examples are smoking and lung cancer, carbonated drinks and alcohol to stomach and liver cancer, mobile phones to brain cancers and suppressant deodorants to breast cancer.

But these are physical factors. There are others that involve our respiration and need for health cells to have adequate oxygen, exercise that keeps circulation able to provide nutrients, natural nutrition to provide all natures building blocks, adequate sleep and rest and many other disciplines that a naturopath will focus upon.

Still further in examining the complex influences that create this particular disease is the subtle psychological one, that has been demonstrated to have a strong and somewhat mysterious power to maintain health and to heal disease. The psychiatrist Dr Ainslie Meares was one in Australia who made us aware of the important of relaxation and meditation and the part they play, with his patients cured of cancer by attention to these practices.

It would be wise to consider that in the treatment of cancer, once it has developed, that there are many choices.

The orthodox advice is to come under the care of specialist oncologists who prescribe drugs and chemicals.

Through the many unorthodox or alternative treatments we must seek for those that are based upon sound values and natural health principles. It was once prohibited for an alternative therapist to claim to heal. It was totally the province of the medical establishment which relied upon the pharmaceutical companies' products.

Things have improved for cancer patients who are now free to seek a cure as they wish.
Information on the internet helps us in our exploration.

Sally Wilson supports a philosophy that looks to Nature as the ultimate Intelligence that directs us towards a lifestyle promising happiness as we learn to live according to natural laws to experience a natural, vital state of health.Our interests and studies of all natural sciences offer particular benefit to women who guide them in selection of the courses of action in personal care and self discipline as well as in caring for the welfare of families. Many of Sally Wilson's articles are written to inform and encourage women.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sally_Wilson

Cancer is a well known and devastating disease that plagues western society in particular. There is no acknowledged orthodox medical programme for its prevention and no guarantee that any remedial methods will result in a cure. It is understandable that many of us are nervous about contracting the disease ourselves.

All fear will create a degree of anxiety. Conscious fears can be relatively easy to dissolve through reasoning. Other fears can deeply affect our subconscious attitudes and affect our mental health with the power to disturb our peace of mind. We may not even be aware of them. But they will all contribute to any anxiety state we may suffer. The known law that we tend to attract what we fear provides us with stimulus to overcome fear of any kind.

However as the only way to cope with a recognized fear is to face it and in this case, learn what you can about cancer, to be better informed and therefore better able to cope.

We know that although cancers are known back over the centuries, it has never been evident to the extent it is now in the environment of modern industry and technology. The list of known carcinogens continues to grow as all the artificially produced chemicals, plastics and material of all kinds that surround us in city life and even in rural conditions spoil our natural clean environment. So we know that avoiding these polluting factors will take us a step towards prevention.

As to the study of treatment methods, we must observe the current ones used by the medical profession and these involve chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. We must also study the methods used in other cultures and healing systems, many of which appeal to those who choose to avoid the more invasive methods.

Until recently it was not easy to have access to eastern medicine. Its methods are now becoming valued not only for their effective use amongst the millions who live in Asia and SE Asian communities but that they often succeed in the west, where other methods fail. Cancer is just one of the many diseases treated by herbs, acupuncture, and natural traditional techniques.

Scientists are realizing through research into psychosomatic medicine, how deeply the mind is involved in physical disease. Relaxation, meditation and prayer are no longer looked upon as questionable but of real value in reducing anxiety, by offering a means of attaining helpful and positive states of mind and consciousness.

We cannot do better than to take whatever preventative steps we can by building vital health and fitness of mind and body. We should also become familiar with all the modalities that claim to offer a cure, should we ourselves, or our loved ones, contract cancer.

Most of all, once we are satisfied that we have a healthy perspective and accurate information about the subject, and have determined our own attitudes, we must find a way to reduce any anxiety and direct our minds into positive channels.

Sally Wilson supports a philosophy that looks to Nature as the ultimate Intelligence that directs us towards a lifestyle promising happiness as we learn to live according to natural laws to experience a natural, vital state of health.Our interests and studies of all natural sciences offer particular benefit to women who guide them in selection of the courses of action in personal care and self discipline as well as in caring for the welfare of families. Many of Sally Wilson's articles are written to inform and encourage women.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sally_Wilson