IgA ’ s role in maintaining and controlling bacteria in the gut
A couple of days ago, I came across a very interesting article on gut bacteria, a topic I’ve written about in the past.
The article focuses on a recent finding: our IgA helps a certain type of bacteria stick to, and become part of, our gut. This finding may not seem important, at first glance, but it could someday lead to the treatment of many diseases.
But the main message that I got from this article is that we should supplement with probiotics on a daily basis (I’ve highlighted this issue more than once).
I didn’t realize until today, in fact, that my low levels of IgA might be having a very negative...
Source: Margaret's Corner - May 8, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll IgA microbiome Source Type: blogs
9/11 firefighters have an increased risk of developing cancer, especially multiple myeloma
I have read that firefighters in general are three times more likely to get cancer because of their exposure to toxic chemicals that they inhale and that also get stuck in their clothing. But it really saddened me last week to read a recently published report about the 9/11 firefighters…
In this NBC News article, multiple myeloma is the first cancer mentioned: goo.gl/XaZJsa
The fact that so many of these brave people were being diagnosed with MGUS and MM is actually not the news of the day. I’ve been reading articles about this for years now. But, as I wrote above, there is a new study, published last week in...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 30, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll 9/11 firefighters multiple myeloma Source Type: blogs
A big win for European honeybees
The European Union has voted to expand a 2013 ban on three neonicotinoid pesticides that harm/kill bees and other pollinators. The ban is now permanent. See: goo.gl/yWyJoL
This is a major victory for science AND for common sense. I mean, even if, for some weird reason, you are NOT in favor of banning pesticides, do you really want to be eating food that has been contaminated with toxic crap that kills bees and birds?
Didn’t think so…
Incredibly, the EU vote was not unanimous, as it SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I read that four countries voted against it, namely, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary. Eight ot...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 27, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll Bayer honeybees NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES Takeda Source Type: blogs
Sexy curcumin
This morning, to help out a friend of mine, I was checking out a curcumin brand on Amazon Italy where I came across an Italian curcumin advertisement that sent me into peals of laughter.
I tried to copy and paste just the photo here on the blog, but Amazon wouldn’t let me do that, so I’ll have to give you the link to the entire ad. Sorry about that. I mean, obviously, I am NOT endorsing this product (although it may be perfectly fine…)…I just think the photo is hilarious!!!
Here’s the link: goo.gl/V19YS1
Enjoy!!! (Source: Margaret's Corner)
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 26, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll curcumin ad Source Type: blogs
Flying poop particles
Throughout the years, because of my teeny tiny immune system, I’ve become rather obsessed with washing my hands, which I do A LOT, several times a day. And, when I’m not near soap and water, I use an Italian hand sanitizer that I always have in my purse.
Public bathrooms…Sometimes you just have to use them (say, in an airport), but boyohboy, I try to be super careful. Anyway, at some point, paper towels were replaced by high tech hot air hand dryers. I was suspicious of them from the start, but I didn’t know why. I think I might have used them once or twice…that’s it.
Then, in 2011, I wa...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 23, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll bathroom pathogens hot air dryers Source Type: blogs
Bone marrow biopsies begone!
The days of painful, or very painful!, BMBs, without sedation, blablablablaetcetcetc, are almost over…or so it seems.
We may soon be able just to have a simple blood test, thanks to the work of a University of Kansas team that has developed a small plastic chip, the size of a credit card, which can yield the same information as a BMB. No pain, no discomfort. Nada. Just a blood test…
You can read all about it in this Science Daily article: goo.gl/vDymjQ
As someone who has always had painful BMBs, without sedation, I find this bit of news to be nothing short of FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffffffffffff...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 21, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll BMB bone marrow biopsy Source Type: blogs
Not just myeloma
First bit of news: I’ve had absolutely no pain in my heel. It’s as good as new. I have to admit I’m still stunned…and I wonder if a more conventional doctor, let’s say a physiotherapist, would have made the connection between my relatively new eyeglass prescription and my heel pain. I doubt it.
This makes me wonder how many similar cases there are, of people who think they have plantar fasciitis or tendonitis or, sorry for the mention! , heel spurs, but whose pain actually originated in a different part of the body, an easy-to-fix part of the body. Mind-blowing, eh?
But the reason I’m ...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 20, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll celiac disease curcumin EBV Epstein-Barr virus inflammatory bowel disease lupus multiple sclerosis rheumatoid arthritis type 1 diabetes Source Type: blogs
It isn ’ t plantar fasciitis after all …
On the recommendation of our GP, yesterday I went to one of Florence’s most famous chiropractors who is also a physiotherapist and an acupuncturist.
I told him (and another female doctor who was there taking notes) my heel pain story. He asked me a few questions and then declared: “It’s not plantar fasciitis.” I was stunned. So what is it?, I asked.
He gave me an exhaustive and detailed explanation, which, unfortunately, I remember only in bits and pieces. But here’s the gist: my heel pain turned out to be merely the final step of a series of events that began when I got new eyeglasses back in...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 17, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll cat allergy eyeglasses heel pain Source Type: blogs
Disappointing andrographolide
I received my blood test results yesterday afternoon. I’m not pleased at all. In fact, after comparing these results to my previous ones, I went into a bit of a funk and decided to take the rest of the day off…
When Stefano got home from work and heard about the tests, he admitted that he, too, was disappointed, but he added, “you’ll figure out something. You always have.”
My no. 1 fan…!!!
Okay, here goes. The main negative is that my total IgG shot up quite a bit. It had been going down pretty much steadily since 2013 (when it also shot up unexpectedly), but yesterday’s r...
Source: Margaret's Corner - April 11, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll andrographolide smoldering myeloma Source Type: blogs
#DeleteFacebook … my thoughts …
Since I have both a personal profile AND a (public) Page for my blog on Facebook, I can’t ignore the recent unsettling revelations concerning Cambridge Analytica’s harvesting of personal data from millioooooooons of FB accounts…And, while NOTHING would have changed the way I voted in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, I still find these revelations rather disturbing. I mean, I don’t want my data to be used by ANY entity for ANY reason…
I’m relieved that I never fell for any alluring quizzes and tests, which would have given some of those entities access not only to my own personal dat...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 29, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll #deletefacebook cambridge analytica Source Type: blogs
A high school senior determines that chemically modified curcumin can inhibit pancreatic cell growth
Just read an interesting tidbit. But first, I have to remark that this generation of U.S. high school students is really something…(and I’m not referring solely to their science projects…)…
At any rate, a senior at Hampton Bays High School came in third place at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair in mid March for her discovery that chemically modified curcumin blocked pancreatic cancer cells from growing…and killed them (apoptosis). Based on her project, perhaps someday (!) this modified curcumin could be used to strengthen conventional treatments for pancreatic cancer. You can read ...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 26, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll Sydney Caldwell; Long Island Science and Engineering Fair; chemically modified curcumin Source Type: blogs
Plantar fasciitis
When I got out of bed on Friday morning, I felt a sharp pain under my right foot, near the heel. Oooh, that hurt! It got slightly better as I hobbled downstairs and into the kitchen to feed the cats and make myself a cappuccino. The more I hobbled/walked, the less the bottom of my heel seemed to hurt.
By mid morning I seemed to be okay and so, as planned, I took the bus into the center of Florence where I had lunch with some relatives, took them around Florence, and showed them the sights…I’ve always enjoyed seeing my beautiful Florence through the eyes of people who don’t live here. It’s always lot...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll plantar fascitis Source Type: blogs
Plantar fascitis
When I got out of bed on Friday morning, I felt a sharp pain under my right foot, near the heel. Oooh, that hurt! It got slightly better as I hobbled downstairs and into the kitchen to feed the cats and make myself a cappuccino. The more I hobbled/walked, the less the bottom of my heel seemed to hurt.
By mid morning I seemed to be okay and so, as planned, I took the bus into the center of Florence where I had lunch with some relatives, took them around Florence, and showed them the sights…I’ve always enjoyed seeing my beautiful Florence through the eyes of people who don’t live here. It’s always lot...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll plantar fascitis Source Type: blogs
Drinking plastic
I just read a BBC article about a new study showing that the bottled water of major brands (Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Pepsi…) is contaminated by microparticles of plastic. Here’s the link : goo.gl/fCPQp6.
Just a few years ago I discovered that Italians are the major consumers of bottled water in Europe…We’re talking, more than 10 BILLION liters of bottled water per year.
That means that every single Italian drinks about 208 liters of bottled water per year…Now, if you exclude those of us–and there are quite a few by now–who do NOT buy bottled water, that adds up to A LOT of bottles,...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 16, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll bottled water tap water Source Type: blogs
My NON post
When I first began blogging, in March of 2007, a more experienced blogger informed me that I had to publish a post every day in order for my blog to be visible on Google and not be deemed “inactive.” If I stopped writing and publishing, even for ONE day, he added, my blog be more difficult to find on the search engines, meaning that I’d lose my readership. He talked about blogging as though it were a competition.
Well, I didn’t care about competing with other bloggers and/or becoming THE most popular myeloma blogger (!), but I did want to reach and possibly help as many people as possible, so I tried very hard ...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 13, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll blogging shingles Source Type: blogs
