Friday 25 November 2011

Pre Determination of Risk, Building a Strong Defense Against Lung Cancer


In the ongoing fight to find a cure for lung cancer in the future, we can never lose sight of the fact that we need to constantly be looking for ways to fight it today.

There are so many things out there that can assist you in your fight with cancer, starting with proper and timely diagnoses, proper treatment choices, diet, vitamins, exercise, alternative medicine and probably the most important thing the will to live and to fight for your life.

Although there continue to be improvements in treatments and applications the end result is still the same at this point and time, lung cancer is a very aggressive and dangerous disease with an extremely high mortality rate, 1 out of every 3-cancer fatality is contributed to lung cancer. So how do we slow it down? When do we turn the corner from mourning the victims of lung cancer to reducing the risk of lung cancer? In the case of lung cancer, let me share with all of you my simple but somewhat educated thought. The best defense to protect yourself from becoming a victim of lung cancer is to take offensive measures prior to being diagnosed.

Want to be guaranteed to survive the fight? Simple avoid the fight. How do you avoid the fight? Your first step, simply take a test. Among smokers, many individuals are at a higher than average risk of developing lung cancer due to their genetic make-up. By testing with Respiragene, you will receive a personalized risk score.

With that knowledge you can see your risk level for lung cancer and make some sound decisions on how you wish your life to play out.

I want to take this time to tell you that I generally do not engage in a conversation about smoking unless someone directly asks me my opinion on the matter. Many people have fought and died to ensure that we as individuals have the right to make those type of decisions for ourselves therefore I don't feel I have the right to force my opinion on you. That being said, I will offer you the facts that I know, thoughts from my personal experience of fighting it out with lung cancer and will offer you my advice. Being the great country that it is, you have the choice to stop reading, reject my thoughts for being one of a man who has seen a little too much radiation in his time and you can completely shun the advice I offer. The wise thing, (in my opinion), would be to keep an open mind. But this isn't about my opinion; it's about your health. Here are the facts you need to know;

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable premature death in all developed and developing countries.

85% of all cases of lung cancer have been related to cigarette smoking

50% of lung cancer cases are found in ex-smokers

"The big three", Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) those are the leading three causes of death attributed directly with cigarette smoking.

It is very true that you can be a non-smoker and end up with lung cancer; sometimes life is just a crap shoot. But that would refer to 15% of lung cancer patients.

Here is my experience, I could easily be dead, right now, I am pushing three years, and roughly 80 % of people diagnosed will lose the fight within the first two years. I played host to a 6cm small cell lung cancer tumor in my right lung that wrapped itself around my esophagus in conjunction with some serious COPD issues that cost me half of my left lung. I went through chemotherapy and radiation treatments twice a day. When your treated as aggressively as I have been, it leaves its mark long after the treatments are done. Part of that tumor is still there laying in wait and I now live my life, as do other lung cancer current survivors, three months at a time. Three months between CT scans. I use the term current because the chance of me living past five years could be slim. I know this to be a fact and I accept it. For some reason that I cannot quite comprehend, I have survived, maybe a mixture of treatments combined with my own genetic makeup and doing the right things at the right time, I really don't know. I am currently one of the very fortunate. So I feel that I am in a position to offer you some advice.

Here is my advice to you, If I had the opportunity to change something in my life, I would have never started smoking or stopped smoking years before I did, instead of 6 months prior to me being diagnosed with lung cancer. Even with that, there was still a good chance that I could have ended up in the same position.

If your anything like me you were or are under the impression that when you quit smoking, you automatically reduce your risk of lung cancer, I know from experience that that is not necessarily true. Over time you can greatly reduce your chances by doing the right things. I have also already given you the fact that 50% of lung cancer occurs in ex-smokers.

You have the opportunity to test for the likelihood of lung cancer and then work with your physician on lowering that risk dramatically. My advice to you is that if you are a current smoker or an ex-smoker or if you are concerned about the health of someone you love you check into the Respiragene test.

Read the information on line, http://www.respiragene.com. Print it off, and when you talk to your Doctor give them a copy of it so they have the same information you have. Talk to your insurance company about coverage for the test since it is a preventative measure. Talk with your employer about what types of smoking cessation programs are covered under your health plan.

Take the test, make the proper adjustments in your life so that you don't have to lie awake wondering if you will see your son graduate from high school, or who will walk your daughter down the aisle at her wedding. I never dreamed that I would face those thoughts before my 40th birthday.

Then do this for me, thirty or forty years from now when your sitting around with your grandchildren reflecting on your life, thank a man by the name of Dr. Robert Young for doing the research that led to the development of the Respiragene test.




Tim Giardina is the co-founder and President of the GFLCCO as well as a current small cell lung cancer survivor. The GFLCCO is developing a World Wide network of supporters with facts and information regarding lung cancer, lung cancer treatment, proper diets and exercise and alternative medicines and treatments as well as valuable links to a deep pool of resources for patients and their families.

The primary function of the GFLCCO is to support Scientists by funding research for a cure. If you would like to learn more about the GFLCCO, need information or support or would be interested in reading more of Tim's work, please visit us at http://www.gflcco.com. We are a non profit organization that also relies on the support of others to carry on with our work, if you find our site useful, your support would be greatly appreciated.





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