Cinco Vidas

After chemotherapy treatments, you can have lingering side effects. Several, unfortunately, seem to hit the hands—things like numbness and tingling, rough skin, split nails, and even carpal tunnel syndrome.

To help you deal with these troubling symptoms, we’ve gathered a few recommendations. Whatever you may be experiencing, be sure to tell your doctor. Even if you don’t think it could be connected to your cancer treatments, it often is, and your doctor may be able to help.

Lingering Numbness & Tingling: According to Dr. V. K. Gadi, writing for Everyday Health, Taxol (paclitaxel) is associated with neuropathy (numbness), and also weakening of the reflexes. Sometimes just waiting it out will result in an improvement. Physical therapy may also help. Other survivors recommend massage, acupuncture, and supplements like vitamin B and glutamine (10 grams 2-3 times a day). Mark Stengler, MD and contributor to Daily Health News, recommends acetyl-L-carnitine, a natural substance that can have a regenerative affect on the nerves, along with a B-complex vitamin, vitamins E and C, selenium, and pycnogenol (an antioxidant). Read our other post for more natural recommendations. (more…)

It’s a nice feeling to walk out of the salon with fresh, vibrant feet decorated with that perfect shade of polish. Nothing better accessorizes a favorite pair of sandals than a great pedicure! However, recent infection breakouts compelled us to warn you again—be sure you’re frequenting only high-quality salons, especially if you have, or are in remission from, cancer. If foot spas aren’t properly cleaned and disinfected, they can harbor dangerous bacteria.

The bugs that can live in footbaths are commonly found in dirt, dust, and water supplies—but they’re nasty little critters. According to “Nails Magazine,” California has had several outbreaks where people suffered pus-filled sores all over their lower legs. (The infection had to be treated with strong antibiotics.) The breakout looked something like insect bites, or pimples, that gradually grew in size and severity. (more…)

“I finished Chemo Nov 08 but still have the pain in my feet,” says survivor Kim.

“I finished chemo in Oct 08,” says Kinden, “and still have sore feet….For me it is inside the skin, not really on the outside.”

Most of the time, sore feet are the result of a side effect called “hand-foot syndrome,” or palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE). (Read our post on PPE.) Certain types of chemotherapy drugs (like Xeloda, 5FU, Doxil, and more) cause the condition by leaking out of small blood vessels in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. The leakage results in redness, tenderness, and sometimes peeling. (more…)

Chemotherapy raises the odds of infection. As we mentioned in our post about white blood cell count, chemo taxes the immune system and makes patients more susceptible to bugs and germs everywhere.

If you’re going through treatment, be hyper-vigilant about cleanliness, and avoid crowded and busy areas that may harbor extra bacteria. Did you know one of those places is the nail spa? It’s true—spas can be teeming with germs. According to CBSnews.com, “American Idol’s” Paula Abdul suffered an infection from a manicure that caused her to lose her thumbnail—and her immune system wasn’t compromised by cancer! So if you’re dying to get a new mani this summer, take a few precautions to keep yourself well. (more…)

Did you know that your soaps and shampoos could be endangering your health? Although cancer patients may believe that by keeping themselves clean they’re keeping germs at bay, the majority of household and cosmetic soaps on the market contain dangerous petroleums and petroleum by-products (like paraffin gel or petroleum jelly), which can have severely negative effects on overall health.

Contributing author to HealthTruthRevealed.com Greg Ciola explains the danger petroleum can present in the work place (as well as in our bathroom cabinets): “Auto mechanics are warned that long-term exposure to petroleum products can cause skin cancer and other skin maladies… (more…)

Ladies, now that you’re going through chemotherapy, you may be working extra hard on your appearance…especially if your hair has fallen out. Having pretty nails is a great way to look put together, but how many of us like the smelly fumes and toxic chemicals in the polish?

That sharp odor comes from a mix of alcohol, solvents and resins that gives polish its ability to adhere to the nail, deliver the pigment, and resist chipping and peeling. Unfortunately, with repeated exposure, several of these ingredients are highly toxic as well as pungent, especially to sensitive and compromised nails. But since treatment may be leaving your nails brittle and discolored, you’ll probably want to cover up with nail polish. Is there an alternative?
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Have you heard the news? Eco-friendly—or “green”—is the hip way to be. Faced with a global-warming crisis, we’re all into sustainability…until it comes to our bodies, it seems. We recycle and use energy-efficient light bulbs, maybe even buy veggies at organic markets, but when it comes to the toxins we’re slathering on our skin, we tend to be much more “chemical-friendly.”

We’ve covered in other posts the dangers of toxic ingredients in skin-care and cosmetic products (especially if you’re going through treatment). Buying organic is one of the easiest ways to reduce your toxic overload. “But they’re so expensive,” you may say. (more…)

Even small things like buttoning your shirt can be difficult when you suffer from this syndrome.

As if chemotherapy isn’t bad enough, we now have to deal with irritated hands and feet? It can get so bad that we may not be able to button our own shirts, open up a jar or successfully maintain our daily tasks. (more…)

So you’re going through chemotherapy or radiation. What can you do about your nails during treatment?

“The reason nails are affected is identical to the reason hair is affected,” reports the Breastcaresite.com. “Cancerous tumors are made up of rapidly dividing cells, which chemotherapy targets. But rapidly dividing cells are also crucial to the formation of hair and nails, and chemotherapy is unable to distinguish these ‘good’ cells from the cancerous ones that it seeks to destroy.” (more…)