Page 10 - What Doctors Don't Tell You - AU-NZ (February-March 2020)

UPFRONT

Newtherapies Musicaseffectiveas

forcancersnot powerfulsedatives

beingresearched beforeanop

The most common—and deadliest—cancers are
not being researched by independent scientists, Patients are usually given a sedative such as a benzodiazepine
which is blocking the introduction of innovative and before undergoing a medical procedure—but listening to music
non-chemo therapies into mainstream treatment. could be just as effective.
Nonprofit research funding is not being Music had the same anxiety-reducing effects as standard sedative
allocated to the research of these cancers—and medication—but the drug can also cause side-effects like breathing
it could be because some consider the cancers problems, hostility and agitation, say researchers from the University
“embarrassing” or they have been stigmatized. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Only breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and The researchers gave 157 patients the choice of having 1 to 2
children’s cancers are getting the lion's share mg of the sedative midazolam or listening on headphones to a
of independent funding, say researchers at piece of ambient music while having a nerve block injection.
Northwestern University. The music—“Weightless” by Marconi Union—was specifically
The ‘forgotten’ cancers include colon, composed to reduce stress and anxiety in collaboration with
endometrial, liver and bile duct, cervical, ovarian, sound therapists.
pancreatic and lung cancers, and they lack support The researchers evaluated the patients' stress levels
because they are embarrassing or have been before and after the two options and found similar levels
stigmatized. of anxiety in both groups.
“Shame and discomfort with talking about our Music is being offered as a preoperative procedure
bowels and ‘private parts’ may be reducing funding in the school’s surgical center, often before outpatient
for diseases like colon or endometrial cancers,” surgery, said Veena Graff, one of the researchers.
said Suncel Kamath, one of the researchers. “Our research shows there are drug-free
His team researched 119 major nonprofit alternatives to help calm a patient,” she said.
organizations that between them made $5.98 The study was the first to test the effectiveness
billion in contributions to cancer research in of music against an intravenous sedative.
2015 and 2016—but the money wasn’t reaching RegAnesthPainMed,2019;44:796–9
research for these forgotten cancers, even though
they are often the deadliest and most common.
Independent research is vital because it can look
at alternative therapies to chemotherapy.
Most medical research is paid for by the drug
company whose drug is being tested, and so
innovative therapies aren’t being tested for their
effectiveness—and without research validation,
they aren’t being accepted into mainstream
treatment.
JNatlComprCancNetw,2019;17:849–54

Walnuts can ease

the pains of ulcerative colitis

Eating walnuts every day for several weeks before the The researchers aren’t sure
could help protect against protective effects start to kick why walnuts in particular
ulcerative colitis, a form of in, say researchers. have a protective effect,
inflammatory bowel disease, A research team from the but they contain an array
and even alleviate some of its University of Connecticut of natural compounds
worst symptoms. tested laboratory mice that and phytochemicals that
The nut protects the colon had colitis-like symptoms, earlier research has shown
during an ulcerative colitis and those fed the nut for two to be protective against
episode and speeds up repair weeks suffered less damage inflammation and colon
afterward—but you may have to the colon.Their colons also cancer.
to eat up to 25 nuts a day healed more quickly. Nutrients, 2019; 11: 1118

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