A meeting in Eveleth, Minnesota will be held to figure out what is causing the high rate of mesothelioma, the lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Hopes are that a survey conducted by the University of Minnesota will study 1200 taconite workers and 800 of their spouses. Dr. Jeff Mandel of U of M will be mailing letters to invite people from the area to participate in the study. Letters will be sent to people regardless of whether they are suspected to have contracted mesothelioma or not. This will provide a random sample of the workers.

Participants in the study will get an x-ray, blood test, and breathing test to screen for mesothelioma.

Get more mesothelioma information.

Yesterday, The Union Tribune in San Diego published an article addressing the use of alternative medicine for cancer patients. At this point herbal and dietary supplements haven’t been tested enough to say whether they can help or harm an individual working to prevent or treat cancer. Below you will see a number of different forms of alternative medicine. First, techniques that are believed by scientists to ease the symptoms one would face while battling cancer; second, techniques that are not considered to be helpful and possibly even harmful; and finally, forms of treatment that offer a risk of hormone or drug interaction.

Alternative Medicine That Can Ease Symptoms           

• Massages
• Mind-Body Techniques- Includes meditation, hypnosis, different relaxation    techniques, behavioral therapy, bio feedback , and guided imagery.
• Ginger Capsules- Used to work against nausea brought on by chemotherapy.
• Yoga and Tai Chi
• Music and Art Therapy
• Acupuncture- Deals with certain types of nausea, pain, dry mouth and hotflashes.

 Alternative Options That Do Not Help And Could Cause Harm

•  High doses of vitamin E, A, and possibly C
• Laetrile
• Chaparral
• Shark Cartilage
• Pau D’arco
• PC-SPES- a herbal concoction for prostate health

Alternative Options That Offer a Risk of Drug or Hormone Interaction

• St. John’s Wort- Lowers the effectiveness of many medications.
•  Fish oil, garlic, ginger,gingko, and feverfew- All bring on the risk of bleeding.
• Magnesium and thiazide- Does not react well with cisplastin and similar cancer drugs.
• Red clover, dong quai, licorice- Offer a hormonal risk for women.
• Folic Acid- Interferes with the cancer drug methotrexate.

 All of the above information came from SignOnSanDiego.Com, Society for Integrative Oncology, American Dietetic Association, various federal agency Web sites, and AP interviews.

64-Year old Geoffrey Bradshaw should be heading into retirement, but unfortunately doesn’t have much to look forward to, as doctors have told him he’ll spend his retirement suffering through the last few months of his life with mesothelioma.

To make a bad situation worse, Bradshaw could potentially miss out on any compensation because his former employer does not have any records of their insurance provider.

“The word bitter is not strong enough to describe how I feel. Getting compensation is extremely important. Elizabeth, my wife hasn’t asked for this. We’ve only been married eight years, but she was basically told she will have to bury her husband in nine months’ time. You feel robbed, as though you have lost that part of your life together. I know throwing money at this wouldn’t make any difference, but what it can do is make my wife’s life easier to manage”, said Bradshaw.

Seeking out compensation is extremely important when you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. The compensation received can help to cover medical treatments, cost of caregivers, offset the financial hardships a family may have when a spouse or child is forced to stop working to care for a loved one, and unfortunately it can help to pay for funeral arrangements as well. 

Geoffrey Bradshaw’s situation shows that mesothelioma can affect everyone involved not just the person suffering from the disease.

“It has knocked me for six, but this affects the whole family.” 

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma it is important to seek out compensation.

A new technology has been announced that potentially could make it easier and faster to diagnose mesothelioma. Michael Harbut, M.D., co-director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers (NCVAC) announced that radiographic approaches to diagnose can aid in the detection of mesothelioma.

"Radiographic approaches developed by Carmen Endress, M.D., FACR, Associate Professor of Radiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine and radiologist at the NCVAC, allow us to visualize lesions caused by asbestos exposure in three dimensional detail and often at a much earlier stage than that of the current standard radiographic techniques," said Harbut.

There are several benefits to this new diagnostic approach. The primary benefit of this approach is the possibility of earlier detection of mesothelioma, thus allowing earlier and better treatment. Secondly, it could provide better differentiation between patients with scarring on the lungs and other diseases. Thirdly, it can provide assistance in determining why some people who have thickening on the covering of the lungs have extreme amounts of pain. Finally, this approach could potentially increase success in the overall diagnosis and treatment of asbestos-related diseases.

Dr. Endress, creator of the radiographic approach, said, "It’s my sincere hope that with this new approach and enhanced technology we will help reduce the death rate caused by asbestos-related diseases, reduce the suffering by patients and their loved ones, and make a significant contribution to medicine."

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF) honored a couple with the foundations annual Volunteer of the Year Award. Craig and Shelly Kozicki share the honors for their relentless dedication to finding and funding new treatments for mesothelioma.

In July of 1998 Craig was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He was even told to g home and get his affairs in order because he only had a few months to live. Craig refused to go home just to die. Over the next 11 years he would push the boundaries of mesothelioma treatment as he tried a number of experimental treatments.

While Craig was being treated his wife Shelly did not rest. Shelly was beating down the doors of legislators working to bring awareness and funding to the fight against mesothelioma. Shelly didn’t stop at writing letters to government officials she even went out and raised money on her own as well. Her first $100,000 raised went to a grant that has funded a National Cancer Institute study that has produced antibodies to battle a protein that is central in mesothelioma.

MARF generally waits till June to give this award but unfortunately it looks like Craig’s incredible fight against mesothelioma is coming to an end, and the foundation wanted the couple to know how much they are loved and appreciated.