The results  of a large Cancer Research UK trial have set a new gold standard for treating thyroid cancer, reducing radiation doses to just one third of the current level, according to research in The new England Journal of Medicine.

The HiLo trial of 438 patients at hospitals across the UK, led by researchers at UCL (University College London), showed that giving selected patients a much lower dose of radioactive iodine taken in a single oral capsule, has similar treatment success to the current higher dose – destroying all thyroid gland cells remaining after surgery, with fewer side effects.

Currently patients have surgery to remove the entire thyroid gland and a few weeks later they take a capsule containing radioactive iodine. The iodine destroys any remaining healthy thyroid gland tissue and any potential cancer cells.  but improvements in surgery mean more of the thyroid gland is removed initially leaving fewer remaining cells to be ‘mopped up’ – so lower radiation doses are adequate and equally effective.  

Previously the higher doses of radioactive iodine meant that patients stayed in a hospital isolation unit for at least two days while the radiation left their bodies, without physical contact from family and friends. The high doses can have several side effects – the more serious occur later in life, such as a permanent dry mouth, and a small chance that a new cancer will develop.but patients taking the lower dose capsule can be treated more easily as an outpatient in hours and experience fewer side effects.

The thyroid gland makes and releases hormones and after removal patients require thyroid hormone tablets for the rest of their lives. Radioactive iodine works best when patients stop taking thyroid hormone tablets two to four weeks beforehand, but this leads to side effects such as lethargy, fatigue and weight gain, reducing patients’ quality of life and their ability to function at home and at work.

The HiLo study also showed that patients can avoid these symptoms if they continue with the thyroid tablets and are given an injection of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (Thyrogen) just before they take the low dose radioactive iodine.Lead study author, Dr Ujjal Mallick, at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, said: “We’re delighted that this study of thyroid cancer will change international approaches to treat the disease more safely, by reducing the chance of another cancer developing later in life and other side effects.

“Patients will have a much better quality of life. They’ll be treated much more quickly, which will keep the disruption to their lives to a minimum, as well as saving the NHS money.”

Amy Horton, 24, from Scarborough took part in the HiLo trial after she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2008.

Amy, who is currently studying medicine at Newcastle University, said: “It’s wonderful news that thyroid cancer patients can now be treated as outpatients. I was lucky to be on the trial and I received the lower dose of radio Iodine.

“Thankfully I didn’t experience too many side effects and was able to return to my studies almost straight away.“It was great not to have to stay at hospital or spend a long time feeling really unwell and I’m very pleased I could be part of research that means that future patients will now all have this quicker and safer treatment.”

Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, said: “This pivotal study – which is the first for thyroid cancer in the UK – heralds a vastly improved treatment for the disease.

“Being treated as an outpatient means that patients should be able to be in their home surroundings on the same day as the treatment. The lower dose of radiation and thyrogen will help them carry on with their lives as usual at work or at home quicker without requiring several days to recover.

“More than 2,100 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the UK every year – and it has the fastest rising incidence rate of the most common cancers in the UK. And we’re continuously striving to improve treatments and reduce side effects for this type of cancer.”

Note: The low dose was 1.1GBq compared with the previous higher dose of 3.7GBq. GBq is the symbol for the gigabecquerel unit of radioactivity. The patients were recruited between 2007 and 2010.

Reference: Low-dose radioiodine and thyrotropin alfa for thyroid cancer. The new England Journal of Medicine.

Contact: The Press Office, Tel: 020 3469 8300, Email: uk

Source: Cancer Research UK

Bulimia help? based in Sydney? offers assistance to bulimics and family and friends of bulimics. Michael Dayes and Emmanuelle Dayes share information drawing upon their ……

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If you are experiencing any type of digestive disorder like acid reflux? irritable bowel? chronic indigestion or heart burn? chronic constipation or diarrhea? talk to your doctor about ruling out anxiety issues as the root cause of your digestive symptoms before allowing yourself to treated for anorexia or bulimia inappropriately.

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    Yesterday’s tragedy is a reminder of how precious life isand how easily it can be taken from us.  two young people losttheir lives due to intense emotions precipitating frominterpersonal relationship issues.  we are unsure if they reachedout for help prior to this tragedy.  Though help is available, manyare too overwhelmed psychologically to reach out.  This may be dueto fear, feelings of hopelessness, psychological exhaustion,humiliation, minimization of symptoms and/or financialrestrictions.  Unfortunately, when tragedy strikes, it’s a reminderto take better care of ourselves and others in our community.

    How can you help?  once you’re aware of the issues you candiscuss your concerns with the individual, if it doesn’t put you indanger.  In addition, if the individual is not safe to talk to,call law enforcement.  often times, family and friends have theirhands tied, because they can’t make someone get help.  Theindividual has to want change and engage in treatment themselves. Your responsibility is to take these concerns seriously and contactothers for assistance.  it may seem like you’re getting tooinvolved or paranoid that you may get him/her into legal trouble. Nonetheless, some type of intervention must take place.

    Mental health treatment can range from meeting with a counseloronce a week (for an hour) to inpatient psychiatric services.  Whensomeone you know presents homicidal and/or suicidal ideation youneed to call law enforcement ASAP.  They may take them to theemergency room, or you can if you’re not in danger.  a designatedexaminer will evaluate them to see if inpatient services arewarranted.  This may involve a voluntary or involuntarycommitment.

    below are some red flag (warning signs) to look for withinyourself and your relationships:

    1. Is my partner abusive? 

    Is he/she: critical of you and your abilities, overprotectiveor extremely jealous, threatening to hurt you, your kids or pets,have sudden bursts of anger, destroying your property, denying youaccess to family/friends or money, forcing you to have sex when youdon’t want to, humiliating you in front of others, minimizing theirproblems and behaviors, instilling guilt in you in order tomaintain control, discounting your feelings, having to be with youall of the time, following you or showing up uninvited, usingintimidation or manipulation to control you, threateningsuicide/homicide to control you, or physically abusing you, yourchildren or pets?  Remember it doesn’t take physical abuse toconstitute “domestic violence;” it’s often mental abusealone.

    2. am I abusive?

    Do you:  tell your partner who they can talk to or hang outwith, criticize or humiliate partner alone or in front of others,try to make your partner feel guilty, force partner into sex orother things they don’t want to do, follow your partner when theyare not with you, feel preoccupied with jealousy, obsess about yourpartner having affairs, threaten to hurt or kill partner, theirchildren or pets, prevent partner from being independent, feelextremely vulnerable and paranoid and that you have to be incontrol of partner, call partner names in an effort to destroytheir self esteem, spit, hit, punch, kick, rape partner, blamepartner for everything, have difficulty taking responsibility foryour actions, have an explosive temper, have issues with theopposite gender, threaten to hurt or kill yourself if partnerleaves you, damage or destroy your partner’s property, feel a senseof relief after you’ve exploded, do things to scare/intimidate yourpartner, or threaten partner if they should tell anyone about theabuse?

    3. Symptoms indicative of mental health concerns:

    Depressed mood most of the day, lack of interest or pleasure inmost activities, need to numb out, substance abuse, insomnia orhypersomnia (excessive sleep), agitation, intense anger or urges toexplode violently, restlessness, inability to think or concentrate,abnormal irritability or excessive speech, significant highs andlows in emotional states, intense anger or feelings of wanting tohurt others or self, racing thoughts, obsessions or preoccupations,delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, feeling like everyone isagainst you, detachment from self and others, fear of a shortenedfuture, recurrent recollections of a traumatic event,preoccupations with past and/or future, preoccupations withrevenge, feelings of being inadequate or less important thanothers, or an inability to function at home, work and inrelationships.

    For more information you can visit the Bannock County DomesticViolence and Sexual Assault Task Force website:bannockcounty.us/dv/index.html

    the bottom line here is that life can become extremelydifficult.  Strong emotions can be debilitating on personal andinterpersonal levels.  help is available and our community isfortunate to have highly skilled mental health professionals herelocally.  Costs depend on the following:  if you’re a victim ofviolence, if you’re a veteran, if you have insurance, or if you’reon Social Security (or have Medicaid). 

    If you or someone you know is suffering from violence and/ormental health issues that impair their ability to function at home,work or in relationships, please call one of the numbersprovided: 

    • A-Z Family Services: 478-9822

    • Family Services Alliance: 232-0742

    • Center Counseling: 237-1711

    • Center for new Directions: 282-2454

    • Psychological Assessment Specialists: 233-0150

    • ISU Psychology Clinic: 282-2129

    • Adult Mental Health: 234-7900

    • new Generations: 478-9551

    • Mental Wellness Center: 478-9081

    • Behavioral Health Unit at Portneuf: 239-1620

    For more information please contact Cassia Wheelock LPC,NCC, Sixth District Domestic Violence Court Coordinator at236-7421

Copyright 2011 Idaho State Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

In typical cases of anorexia, which is the family and friends of the person and not the anorexic who recognize the fact that they are in physical danger with its relentless pursuit of weight loss.

Anorexia is not satisfied with the amount of weight to lose, even when they become dangerously thin or emaciated and in the denial of the physical damage was caused by their disorder. This can be very frustrating, and break the hearts of loved ones who surround them, but anorexia can be treated successfully and recognition of signs and symptoms that you may seek professional help needed to gain control of this disorder.

Recognizing the differences between healthy diet and anorexia

Anorexia often develops when a person begins the process of normal diet to lose weight and get fit. Once you begin to lose weight that triggers the desire to continue to lose more, even after reaching a normal weight or underweight each time. Recognizing the difference between normal diet and anorexia is essential in the capture of this disease in its early stages.

The main difference between a normal diet and anorexia is the reasoning behind the desire to lose weight. normal diet is based on people’s desire to improve their overall health and appearance.

In the anorexic desire to lose weight is usually based on the feeling that you can achieve happiness by losing weight. The purpose of the normal diet is to take the weight in a healthy manner, while anorexics they will do whatever it takes to lose weight and ignore health concerns.

Notable Signs and symptoms

Anorexics tend to lose weight quickly, and even become known weight are going to deny that to lose weight. even after having underweight often times making statements that are “fat” or point out specific areas of your body they believe is “too fat.” They also have an obsession frequently check your weight and become extremely distressed with any weight gain.

Also obsessed with food by examining labels the amount of calories and grams of fat, and weigh and measure everything you eat. Become obsessed with their body image often see in a mirror and express dissatisfaction with their weight or body image in general.

Anorexia is a disorder that requires medical treatment because they do not go away by itself, and the best chance of successful treatment of this disorder is detected in its early stages. if you recognize any of these symptoms in a loved one or friend, you must try to get professional help immediately.

Her day might begin at 2 or 3 in the morning, when her 9-year-old autistic daughter, Ashlyn, wakes up next to her. And from that moment on, Jackie Polvado’s life is a full-out sprint.

“Ashlyn still sleeps with me because it’s the only way we can get any sleep. but I’ve been up day and night, like when my daughter was up for 48 hours, screaming,” said Polvado of Keller, Texas.

“It’s exhausting, and there’s no end in sight.”

for families with children with autism spectrum disorders — a range of developmental disabilities that cause social, communication and behavioral problems — each day can be emotionally overwhelming, stress-filled and isolating.

Family and friends shy away. the child’s behavior can leave parents prisoners, trapped at home. if they venture out, passers-by stare, wondering why the child isn’t under control.

“Sometimes, the parents think they’re admitting failure when they ask for help,” said Shanel Tarrant-Simone, the single mother of twin 10-year-old autistic sons. “‘I’m the parent; I should know how to deal with it.’

“But no parent is equipped to do this.”

And while neither of these moms could imagine hurting their children, they can begin to understand the hopelessness Saiqa Akhter may have felt when she allegedly killed her two children in Irving, Texas, last month, or how overwhelmed a single mother in New York was to kill her 12-year-old autistic son and then herself.

“People on Facebook were very quick to say, ‘Oh my God, how could she do this?’ but I say, how did she get to that point?” said Tarrant-Simone of Frisco, Texas. “The isolation and hopelessness — I’ve felt them.”

still, nothing can excuse what these women did, Polvado said.

“The resources are there — there aren’t enough of them, and they cost money, but there is help,” she said.

but day in, day out, many families with autistic children say they struggle on alone.

“We don’t have other friends coming and offering to babysit our children,” said Clay Boatright of Plano, Texas, with wife Carole the parents of three daughters, including autistic 10-year-old twins. “They don’t have friends inviting them over for sleepovers. what we have is people saying, ‘Wow, that must be tough.’”

Cases on the rise

unfortunately, the number of Autism Spectrum Disorder cases is soaring. Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say almost 1percent of children have autism or another ASD. Diagnoses in Texas increased 400 percent in the past 10 years, a trend that has officials searching for ways to teach affected students — and pay for it with the state facing a budget shortfall of up to $18 billion.

Dr. Catherine Karni, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and medical director of the outpatient clinic at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, said some of the increase can be explained by a broader definition of the autism spectrum, which includes Asperger’s syndrome, Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder.

“So you have severely autistic children and others with something that doesn’t show the full symptoms of autism,” Dr. Karni said. “You have more people.”

more awareness of autism and better diagnostic tools also increase the numbers.

“But most likely, there is an increase in prevalence. We don’t know how much, or why. We believe there is a genetic component — all the research points to that, and this tends to aggregate in families,” she said.

Some speculate that environmental pollution can be a contributor. others blame childhood immunizations, though research hasn’t shown any clear correlation, Dr. Karni said. Certain metals that used to be a part of vaccines have been removed, but cases of autism continue to increase.

With the causes unclear, there is no cure. “We have different treatments. We have behavioral treatments. We use medications in psychiatry that might help with specific symptoms,” Dr. Karni said. “But they don’t cure autism.”

Improvement possible

Early diagnosis and treatment are currently the best ways to bring improvements, Dr. Karni said.

“Our clinic goes down to 12 months of age, because the earlier the diagnosis and intervention, the better the result,” she said.

“It’s a small window of opportunity — a child’s first five years — because of the plasticity of the brain at that age,” she said. “After the fifth year, the results are not as good.”

but getting an early diagnosis can be difficult.

Tarrant-Simone’s sons were born prematurely, but were home within 11 days and showed all the normal signs of progress except for speaking.

“At 12 months, it just wasn’t coming along,” she said. but when she pointed it out to their pediatrician, she was told, “They’re boys; they’re preemies.”

“You’re a mom — you know something is wrong with the child,” she said, “but they were doing all this other stuff — smiling, laughing, interacting with each other. so a lot of the concerns I raised were just swept under the rug.”

Polvado’s daughter was social, too, and developmentally advanced. she had no problems with language. “Her first word was ‘cat,’” her mom said. but there were mild signs at an early age — she hated the sound of laughter, even as an infant.

“Then it was a slow progression,” Polvado said. “She started obsessing on eating only certain foods. And her language was slowing down. it wasn’t functional. she could say ‘cat,’ ‘dog,’ ‘shoe,’ but she would never say ‘juice’ because she was thirsty.

“I knew something was wrong and asked my pediatrician about it, and he said don’t worry about it. Everyone said nothing was wrong.”

the American Academy of Pediatrics has worked over the last few years to educate pediatricians on ASDs, Dr. Karni said.

“Obviously, a child who doesn’t talk may have other things, too, so it isn’t easy to make this diagnosis,” she said. “The important thing is to send the child to specialists. Pediatricians need to have their antenna up and refer these cases.”

but if that doesn’t happen, she said, parents need to find services on their own.

Learning life skills

Even if the diagnosis comes too late for early intervention, some parents believe that appropriate kinds of education can provide the life skills their children need.

“As kids are diagnosed and progress through the school system, we need to identify what their true skills and talents are,” Boatright said. “What are their strengths? what do they like to do? how can that be enhanced and made marketable?”

the need for proper programs is a national issue that needs immediate attention, said Rita Shreffler of Nixa, Mo., executive director of the National Autism Association.

“Almost 1 percent of the kids in this country have autism,” she said, “so what do we do?

“A study a few years back said the lifetime cost of care for individuals who need round-the-clock help is $3.2million,” she said. “I don’t think people realize that 1 in 110 children or even more have an ASD, and they’re coming of age. so it’s important that we find treatment.

“Otherwise, this will fall to the taxpayers, at $3.2 million each.”

Naturally, the future hangs most heavily on the parents of autistic kids.

Will there be a cure someday? who will care for their child when they are gone? can the child find friendship, happiness?

“I have a motto in my life: There’s no such thing as false hope,” said Polvado, who with her husband, Lamarque, publishes a magazine called Connections Kids to provide a list of available services. “I hope for the best. I hope Ashlyn will recover and find her dream job, get married and have children. That’s always going to be my hope.

“Then, of course, there’s reality. the reality is we may not achieve that. so we take it day-by-day, hour-by-hour. I’m hoping for recovery, I’m working for recovery. but if in 10 years she can function but needs assistance, I’m OK with that.

“I just want Ashlyn to be happy and healthy.”

By the numbers

·Roughly 1 percent of children in the United States — 1 in 110 — have an autism spectrum disorder, with developmental disabilities running from slight to severe.

·ASDs occur in children of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but disorders are four to five times more likely in boys than girls.

·Studies of identical twins show that if one has an ASD, the other will be affected 60 percent to 96 percent of the time. in nonidentical twins, if one has an ASD, the other is affected 0 percent to 24 percent of the time.

·Parents who have a child with an ASD have a 2percent to 8percent chance of having another affected child.

·a 2009 report showed that 41percent of children with an ASD also had an intellectual disability — an IQ of 70 or below.

·about 40 percent of children with an ASD don’t talk at all, and an additional 25 percent to 30 percent have some words at 12 to 18 months of age and then lose them. others may speak, but not until later in childhood.

·On average, medical expenses for someone with an ASD are about five times higher than for those without an ASD.

— Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionRESOURCES Many websites offer information on ASDs, from support groups and service providers to age-specific information that could help indicate whether a child has a disorder. U.S. Centers for Disease Control: cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html Autism Society of America: autism-society.org First Signs: firstsigns.org