A Landmark Study on Palliation of Bone Mets PainWhen a primary cancer such as cancer of the breast, prostate or lung spreads to the bone (bone mets), treatment strategies become complex. In today’s world of oncology, better systemic chemotherapies can add months and even years to a patient’s life; in addition, local cancer control of […] KEEP READING
What You Should Know About CartilageOne of the most fascinating components of the human body is cartilage, an incredibly versatile material. Trying to describe cartilage is like the six blind men who try to figure out what an elephant is: “The elephant is like a pillar,” said the man who touched his leg. “Oh no! […] KEEP READING
How Stress Makes Essential Tremor WorseEssential tremor (ET) is the most common form of uncontrollable rhythmic shaking, though it is sometimes misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The involuntary trembling results from abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain (cerebellum, thalamus, and brain stem). It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from ET, though many […] KEEP READING
Lower back pain is a widespread problem. Almost everyone has it at one time or another, and it’s a frequent cause of missing work. Some estimates suggest that 85% of people have experienced temporary pain, with at least 5% suffering chronic pain. There are many causes for low back pain, most of them involving soft […] CONTINUE
The spine is a stack or column of individual bones held together in a way that permits flexible movement. Each individual bone, or vertebra, connects with the one above and below at small at small bony projection points. Where the projections meet, they form joints called facet (fuh-SET) joints. The facet joints serve some important […] CONTINUE
“How much time do I have?” is one of the hardest questions a doctor must address when a patient is diagnosed with metastatic cancer to the bone (bone mets). It is emotionally painful for the physician to witness the fear underlying the question, and to recognize how much courage it takes for the patient to […] CONTINUE
Pain is one way in which a person’s body communicates that it’s in distress. Just like an SOS signal sent from a ship or airplane, it should neither be ignored nor guessed at. About 80% of adults experience back pain at one time or another. When back pain is persistent and interferes with daily function […] CONTINUE
Advanced prostate cancer (PCa), along with breast and lung cancer, has a preference for spreading first to bone (bone mets). Bone mets differ from primary bone cancer, which is rare and begins in the bone itself. Bone mets are much more common; nine out of ten advanced PCa patients will eventually have bone mets. This […] CONTINUE
For patients and their partners who are dealing with the woman’s breast cancer, the most effective way to face the challenges and stressors is to take a “we” approach. This is especially true if the patient’s disease spreads to her bones, now adding more anxieties and fear of pain. While both patient and partner are […] CONTINUE
Did you ever break a bone? If you were a child, the doctor may have explained that while your broken limb was in a hard plaster cast, the broken bone was “knitting” itself back together. In a child’s experience, broken things like plastic toys or sticks from trees don’t put themselves back together. They need […] CONTINUE
Cancer patients who learn that their disease has spread to the bone may be tempted to give in to discouragement. However, it’s the perfect time to pluck up one’s courage and commitment. Research shows that patients themselves can take steps to help combat metastatic bone tumors (bone mets). Read http://sperlingmedicalgroup.com/2017/06/21/weight-bearing-exercise-may-reduce-bone-mets/ about an interesting study with […] CONTINUE
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, […] CONTINUE
When a solid tumor such as breast cancer spreads to the bone, it is called metastatic bone cancer or bone mets. The two most prevalent sources for bone mets are breast and prostate cancer. Lung cancer is the third most common type of cancer to spread to the bones. Both small cell lung cancer and […] CONTINUE
