Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer is cancer of the esophagus

Glands in the lining of the esophagus produce mucus, which keeps the passageway moist and makes swallowing easier.

The esophagus is located just behind the trachea (windpipe). In an adult, the esophagus is about 10 inches (25 cm) long.

Esophageal Cancer is a disease that affects cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand any type of cancer, it is helpful to know about normal cells and what happens when they become cancerous.

The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide, and produce more cells when they are needed. This process keeps the body healthy and functioning properly. Sometimes, however, cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed. The mass of extra cells forms a growth or tumor.

Tumors can be benign or malignant...

• Benign tumors are not cancer. They usually can be removed and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Most important, benign tumors are rarely a threat to life.
  
  
• Malignant tumors are cancer. Cells in malignant tumors are abnormal and divide without control or order. These cancer cells can invade and destroy the tissue around them.

This process, called metastasis, is how cancer spreads from the original (primary) tumor to form new (secondary) tumors in other parts of the body.

Cancer that begins in the esophagus (also called esophageal cancer) is divided into two major types, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, depending on the type of cells that are malignant.

Squamous cell carcinomas arise in squamous cells that line the esophagus. These cancers usually occur in the upper and middle part of the esophagus.

Adenocarcinomas usually develop in the glandular tissue in the lower part of the esophagus. The treatment is similar for both types of esophageal cancer.

If the cancer spreads outside the esophagus, it often goes to the lymph nodes first. (Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are part of the body's immune system.)

Esophageal cancer can also spread to almost any other part of the body, including the liver, lungs, brain, and bones.


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Esophageal Cancer Symptoms...

Early esophageal cancer symptoms usually are not apparent. However, as the cancer grows, symptoms of esophageal cancer may include:

• difficulty in swallowing often including pain.
  
• rapid and severe weight loss
  
• pain in the throat or back, behind the breastbone or between the shoulder blades
  
• hoarseness and/or chronic cough
  
• bouts of vomiting
  
• coughing up blood
  
• aspiration Pneumonia
  
• chest pain

These symptoms are not exlusive to esophageal cancer or any other condition. However, when they are apparent, it is important to contact your primary care physician.

Diagnosing Esophageal Cancer...

To help find the cause of esophageal cancer symptoms, the doctor evaluates a person's medical history and performs a physical exam.

The doctor usually orders a chest x-ray and other diagnostic tests.

These tests may include the following:

• An esophagram: A series of x-rays of the esophagus. The patient drinks a liquid containing barium, which coats the inside of the esophagus. The barium makes any changes in the shape of the esophagus show up on the x-rays.
  
  
• An endoscopy: An examination of the inside of the esophagus using a thin lighted tube called an endoscope. An anesthetic (substance that causes loss of feeling or awareness) is usually used during this procedure.

If an abnormal area is found, the doctor can collect cells and tissue through the endoscope for examination under a microscope. This is called a biopsy. A biopsy can show cancer, tissue changes that may lead to cancer, or other conditions.

Esophageal cancer staging...

If the diagnosis is esophageal cancer, the doctor needs to learn the stage of disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body.

Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.

Listed below are descriptions of the four stages of esophageal cancer.

• Stage I. The cancer is found only in the top layers of cells lining the esophagus.
  
  
• Stage II. The cancer involves deeper layers of the lining of the esophagus, or it has spread to nearby lymph nodes. The cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
  
  
• Stage III. The cancer has invaded more deeply into the wall of the esophagus or has spread to tissues or lymph nodes near the esophagus. It has not spread to other parts of the body.
  
  
• Stage IV. The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Testimonials...

"I had problems with acid reflux for many years. I was eating Tums and Rolaids daily to alleviate the burning in my esophagus.

I actually had to have my esophagus stretched out because the acid backing up into my esophagus caused scar tissue which made swallowing very difficult.

My Doctor prescribed one of those anti-acid medicines, which I took for a few days. While taking this medicine I felt like I wasn’t digesting my food, and my body felt out of balance. I really didn’t know what to do, but knew I had to do something.

I stopped taking the medicine my Dr. had prescribed for me and went back to eating Rolaids.

I am not recommending this to anyone else! Please work together with your Dr. and discuss this with them.

I made all of the dietary changes recommended by my Dr. and things got a little better, but I was still eating Rolaids.

Then I discovered Young Living Essential Oils. I had heard from other people with problems similar to mine that by using YL Peppermint Oil and YL Lemon Oil daily, they had been able to greatly support their digestive systems.

I started drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning with a few drops of peppermint oil and a few drops of lemon oil in it. Doing this has helped me support my digestive system to such a degree that I don’t ever have to use Rolaids anymore!

Now I also drink a small glass of YL Peppermint water after a meal to support my digestive system.

I continue to watch what I eat and do not eat a couple of hours before going to sleep. My digestive system hasn’t been this healthy for years, and as a result, I feel GREAT!

Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils have changed my life!"

"Every time I eat spicy or rich food late at night I will undoubtedly wake up in the middle of the night with heartburn.

When that happens, a couple of drops of peppermit oil rubbed around my stomach, esophagus and intestinal area, and also inhaling the oil from my hands helps. It only takes a couple of minutes when the heartburn is gone and I can go back to sleep."

"I was looking for an alternative to taking 'Prevacid' every day of the week. I was told by the physicians to stay away from peppermint or wintergreen. So, I did.

Then along with a diet change nothing worked.

I started taking peppermint oil in hot water 3 times a day. I then lowered it to twice a day (morning and night). At the same time, every night I rubbed the oil on my stomach in the area of the esophagus and stomach. I also rubbed lemon oil on the bottom of my feet. I did this for about 2 days and the choking sensation (a symptom of GERD) went away, then on the third day the burping went away.

Now, I only take the peppermint oil with hot water if I feel the symptoms. I am amazed!

Once again the MD had no idea about what would help and Essential Oils helped."

"When I started with Young Living, I knew that they had therapeutic-grade essential oils, but I didn't fully understand the dynamics of what the oils are capable of.

I originally joined because I was impressed with their Wolfberry juice blend, which is also known as 'Berry Young Juice'. I liked the fact that they had some very substantial scientific data to back their claims about this berry that I had never heard of.

Now, back to the reason I am writing this testimonial.

My son and I were experiencing some nausea one evening due to having a 'bug'. I called my mentor/upline, and asked her what she would recommend for my stomach problems. She knew that I had recieved the 'Essential 7' kit through a promotional that the company was having when I signed on as a distributor. She suggested using two of the seven oils. Peppermint on my stomach, and lemon on the bottoms of my feet.

That sounded interesting, and I was game for anything at this point.

Well, much to our surprise, we both had relief in about 10 minutes. I was impressed, but I still didn't 'get it'.

About a month later I was having severe stomach acid reflux. I took 'Zantac' in the morning, thinking this would take care of the problem. I didn't think about using the oils because I was used to using over the counter meds for this type of illness.

Well, I continued to have acid reflux all day, and it was starting to affect my throat. Even after the 'Zantac'. If you have read any health reports lately about acid reflux, then you know that this isn't a good thing since the constant exposure to acid erodes the esophagus, and can lead to much more severe problems.

When I was getting ready for bed that evening, I thought to try Pat's recommendation again with the peppermint, and the lemon oils on my feet, and my stomach.

I laid down to read before I went to sleep, and was anxious to see if this remedy would work with this problem since I was feeling very uncomfortable. Low and behold, about 20 minutes later, I felt a significant reduction in the burning sensation, enough so that I was able to go to sleep, and sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

I remember as I drifted off to sleep, 'I am definitely going to have to send my testimonial in. This is just too good to be true.' You can be sure that I am going to attend some of the seminars so that I can learn more about these wonderful oils, and how to use them on myself, my family, and my pets!

The older I get, the more I realize that it pays to educate yourself, and to be willing to use the best there is in order to achieve and maintain good health. There are other oils out there, but there aren't any as good as the Young Living ones. These oils are truly remarkable, and I can't say enough about the support I get from the company."



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