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Volume 6, Issue 8, August 2008 You have received this e-zine because you subscribed to it either on-line or by signing-up at a seminar, lecture, health expo or at our dental office. To manage your subscription, see the end of this issue. You may Pass this issue along to friends and associates - just please keep the entire message intact. Sign me up for this e-zine! Visit our Website at www.wholebodydentistry.com Feature Article Prostate Cancer - Common Treatments (Part 2)   Movie Presentation Under Our Skin The untold story of Lyme Disease. Award Winning Film. Free Viewing September 24th. Do you suffer from Lyme Disease? View the Award Winning Film "Under Our Skin" -This feature-length film garnered rave reviews from many, including ABC News calling the movie, "Emotionally charged!" and the British medical journal The Lancet, "Enthralling and powerful...should bring the arguments surrounding chronic Lyme disease to a wider international audience." A dramatic tale of microbes, medicine and money, this eye-opening film investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Join Us. Watch this full length FREE movie, Wednesday, September 24th at 6 p.m. Discussion to follow. Sponsored by Whole-Body Medicine. 5520 Park Ave. Merritt Parkway Exit 47. Seating is Limited for Reservations call: 203.371.8258. Feature Article Prostate Cancer - Common Treatments (Part 2) You have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Now, what do you do? There is no one right answer; many things need to be factored in. An important factor is your age at the time of diagnosis. In most cases, prostate cancer is very slow growing. So if you have been diagnosed with it and you are around 70 years old and the capsule around the prostate is intact, rejecting surgery and radiation may be the best approach. Most men die with prostate cancer, but not from it. On the other hand, if you are 50 when diagnosed, you may wish to be more aggressive. For the purpose of our discussion let us assume that you around 65 years old and have been having regular screenings and are diagnosed with prostate cancer confirmed by biopsy. The most common treatments are removal of the prostate gland, external beam radiation to the prostate area, radiation seed implantation, cryosurgery and hormonal therapy. Some doctors will recommend "watchful waiting" if the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate. It is only when cancer spreads that it is life threatening. Physicians will often rely on what is called the Gleason score. The pathologist will "score" the cells of the biopsy sample as they appear under a microscope. The higher the score, the more virulent the cancer and thus, it is thought, the more aggressive one should be. The word cancer is very intimidating, and the first thing I would recommend is not to panic. Look at all options so that you can make an informed decision that is right for you. I believe that regardless which treatment option a person selects it is very important that the patient be comfortable with the choice he has made. Common treatments. Below are the more traditional approaches to treating prostate cancer. Surgery-radical prostatectomy. The entire prostate gland is surgically removed. Supposedly removing the gland will remove the problem. However this is not necessarily true. It is interesting to note that PSA tests continue to be done even after prostate removal; these are done to monitor whether or not the cancer returns. I view cancer as a true systemic problem. Thus, whatever treatment you decide upon, I feel the whole person must be treated. I am not talking about chemotherapy; I am talking about other helpful methods, which I will discuss next month. If you have a low-grade cancer and are over 65 and choose to do nothing, your life expectancy will be the same as anyone else. Surgery for prostate removal is not without potential risk, the most serious two resulting complications being incontinence and impotence. Radiation-external beam radiation. Radiation is beamed through your abdomen to the prostate and often to the surrounding area. Normally the treatment is given five days per week for 6 to 8 weeks. Again, impotence and incontinence are potential side effects, along with radiation sequelae like nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, radiation burns, and insomnia. If "every cancer cell" hasn't been killed by the radiation, the cancer can come back, but you will not be able to have radiation treatment again, because too much radiation causes cancer! With external beam radiation treatment, incontinence occurs about 10% of the time and impotence 29 to 49% of the time depending on the study. Cancer can re-occur 30 to 50% of the time. The external beam radiation is used when cancer is confined to the gland, and it can be used alone or combined with surgery or medications. Brachytherapy-Internal seed radiation. Tiny radioactive seeds are placed into the prostate via small needles. This procedure is done in a few hours as an outpatient. This is a more focused treatment and there is less chance of both impotence (about 20%) and incontinence. Some prolonged urinary difficulties may occur. Recurrence is about 20%. Hormonal blockade therapy. The idea here is to stop the production of the male sex hormone, especially testosterone, which the prostate needs for growth. It is thought that testosterone feeds the cancer, thereby aiding its spread. Thus this treatment is not used to kill the cancer but rather to halt or slow it down. Various methods are employed to lower the testosterone; these include castration, drugs or estrogen. The question, I think that needs to be asked is, "If testosterone increases prostate cancer, then why don't teenagers, with raging testosterone, get prostate cancer?" In fact, a Swedish study has shown that the risk of prostate cancer was actually lower in men with high testosterone levels. Some of the side effects of this therapy include loss of libido, fatigue, weakness, osteoporosis, joint pains, poor memory and mood swings. This therapy is usually combined with a prostatectomy or radiation. Cryosurgery. Both the normal prostate tissue and the cancerous tissue are frozen. A probe with liquid nitrogen circulating through it is used and the tissue is cooled to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Again, the major complications are impotence, urinary obstruction and incontinence. RFA-radio frequency ablation.. Radio waves "cook" the tumor via a tiny probe inserted into the prostate. This works on tumors of less than 3 cm. The risk of incontinence and impotence is fairly low. HIFU-high intensity focused ultrasound. Very focused pulses of ultrasound destroy the prostate cancer and spare the surrounding nerves, so the incidence of incontinence (1%) and impotence (10-15%) are low. The cancer recurrence rate here is about 20%. This procedure works by raising the temperature of the focused ultrasound beam, which is pinpoint in size, to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The high temperature destroys the targeted cells. The prostate cancer survival rates vary greatly depending upon the stage at which the cancer was diagnosed, and upon the treatment used. For instance, external beam radiation therapy, which is usually used adjunctively to improve the success rate of other therapies, has a five-year success rate of 84% to 86% if done on a patient with a low-risk level of prostate cancer; 26% to 60% for someone with a moderate level; and 19% to 25% for those in a high level category. Prostatectomy has a success rate of 76% to 98% for those considered at low risk; 60% to 76% for moderate risk patients; and 30% to 70% for those at high risk. The large differences in success vary upon the study and just complicates matters as you try to decide upon the treatment that you feel is best for you. Of course, I feel that treatment outcomes will be enhanced by natural, whole body treatments. Early detection is the best way to insure survival. Dr. Robert Bard, a radiologist in New York City, who uses the 3-D ultrasound with color Doppler has told me that when he picks up a low-grade cancer and has his patients take certain supplements, he finds that 80% of the time there is resolution of the cancer or no progression. Naturally in a newsletter such as this, I can't go into great depth; I just wanted to present an overview of the standard treatments. Next month, I will discuss alternative and complementary approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer. © 2008, Mark A. Breiner, DDS The information presented is for educational purposes only. You should consult a qualified health practitioner for diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Mark Breiner's book, Whole-Body Dentistry, is available on-line at www.wholebodydentistry.com or by phone at 1.800.BOOKLOG (800.266.5564). About Dr. Mark Breiner: Whole Body News Update expert, Mark A. Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT, is a leading authority and pioneer in the field of holistic dentistry. He is the author of the popular consumer education book, Whole-Body Dentistry, a guide to the "dental connection" to whole-body wellness. With more than 30 years experience, Dr. Breiner has helped patients from across the US and other countries attain a higher overall level of dental health and general well-being. Dr. Breiner is a past President of The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. He is in private practice in Trumbull, Connecticut. "Whole-Body Dentistry is more than whether your teeth are healthy; it's whether you are healthy!" - Dr. Robert C. Atkins, M.D. Attention Meeting Planners: Need an expert to talk about dentistry and whole-body health for your group or organization? Dr. Breiner, a popular speaker, addresses both lay and professional audiences. Call 203.371.0300 or send an e-mail inquiry to DoctorBreiner@wholebodydentistry.com Yes, you may pass this e-zine along to family, friends, or associates that you feel may benefit from this information. Just please keep the entire issue intact. If you are interested in using this article in your publication, please contact DoctorBreiner@wholebodydentistry.com for reprint permission. Whole Body News Update is your free monthly e-zine to stay up-to-date on many dental health issues as well as other important alternative health topics; featuring articles, interviews with experts, actual patient stories, Q&A on holistic health topics, with emphasis on the "Dental-Whole-Body Health Connection". This e-zine is designed to help you become a knowledgeable participant in your health care choices. If you would like to offer feedback or suggestions for future topics for this e-zine please e-mail Dr. Breiner at DoctorBreiner@wholebodydentistry.com To learn more about Dr. Breiner and Whole-Body Dentistry, visit www.wholebodydentistry.com © Copyright 2008 Mark A. Breiner, D.D.S. All Rights Reserved.