Cancer

What does pain foretell? A reflective piece on what chronic pain means to triple negative cancer survivor Geetha Paniker that is beautiful and cathartic. It is one thing to feel empathy for others, but something totally different to be in pain. Each person's own pain is most difficult until one goes through chronic pain day in and day out or an illness that calls for sheer grit to go through it. Chronic pain is pain that continues for weeks, months and even years. The experience of acute pain…

London based Parul Banka has published a book in which she openly narrates her encounter with breast cancer. During her journey, she learnt that talking about cancer in the open enables us to choose – awareness over ignorance, courage over fear and empathy over judgement. Here she validates her viewpoint. My name is Parul Banka. I was diagnosed with an aggressive grade III (the fastest growing type) breast cancer in September 2012. The entire drill of cancer treatment - chemotherapy, surgery…

Sixty-five year old Saroj Arya recounts her triumph over Stage III ovarian cancer and says she pumped every cell in her body with positive energy and spirit to help her heal and get back on her feet speedily. In 2016, at 65, a strange turn of events caught me off guard. I was due for a knee surgery as I had osteoarthritis and was in constant pain. I had confirmed the day for the surgery with the doctor. But last minute I got it cancelled. At that time my bladder was acting up. I would get an…

Oral health is not limited to your teeth alone. Mouth ulcers or sores can develop inside the mouth, cheeks, lips and tongue that can be extremely painful. Dr Shail Jaggi informs us on causes and symptoms of mouth ulcers and offers some advice on how to keep our mouth healthy, hygienic and problem free. All of us have at some point experienced oral sores in the mouth. These are generally very unpleasant and extremely painful and will persist for a couple of days. These sores are called ulcers.…

Nearly 72,000 women die in India every year due to cervical cancer. If it goes undetected and untreated, cervical cancer can be life-threatening. We share with you the personal accounts of two cervical cancer survivors and how they have become staunch advocates of the HPV vaccine, starting with their own family and daughters. A specific type of virus called human papilloma virus (HPV) causes almost all of the cases of cervical cancer. Your doctor can screen for this virus and precancerous cells…

Read the motivational story of Vinita Menon, a cancer survivor, who drew huge inspiration and strength from world champion Lance Armstrong’s battle against cancer, and supportive family and friends. In a vivid narration, she recounts how she caught the bull by the horns and kept her world intact. It was a warm afternoon in March 2011, my Sports Science and Nutrition students had just finished their exams .We were saying our goodbyes. I looked at the vast expanse of the sea, the waves gently…

Cervical cancer kills one Indian woman every 7 minutes. Mridu Gupta, Chief Operations Officer, CAPED - Cancer Awareness, Prevention and Early Detection Trust, urges every woman to go for regular cervical cancer screening tests and recommends the HPV vaccine for their daughters. January was World Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. But nobody is really aware of the fact and nobody really cares. Its only another cancer in a long list of cancers, isn’t it? No. It isn’t. And you should care. Very much…

Post-Menopause is tied to long-term health problems if wholesome food intake and regular physical activity is not practiced. Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju shares tips on what to eat and importance of exercise. Menopause is a natural biological process. It is the time when a woman stops menstruating. The hormones estrogen and progesterone production will be low and the ovaries no longer produce eggs. In women, estrogen is mainly produced in the ovaries. It is also produced in fat cells and…

Adveka Foundation, one of the first organizations in India to work primarily with caregivers, hands out tips on self-care and emotional management and how to prevent stress and burnout. The growing burden of chronic diseases and health care has given rise to a new community that is rapidly gaining in number and significance: The Caregivers. Caregivers provide support and assistance to individuals suffering from a health issue and those unable to look after themselves. They could either be…

On International Childhood Cancer Day, Poonam Bagai, Founder Chairman of Cankids...Kidscan, a family support group for children suffering from cancer and their families, talks at length about how hard it is to tackle the medical and emotional wellbeing of a child who learns to grapple with reality through various stages of his treatment.  1. What are the objectives of Cankids? CanKids...KidsCan is a National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India & YANA (You are not Alone) -…