Nursing care of a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Every year a very large number of children in the world suffer from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and for years there has been a steady increase in the number of new cases. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia accounts for 75% of leukemia cases in the world. Lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer disease that originates in B or T cell lymphocytes, which expansion takes place in blood and in the bone marrow. The etiology of the disease is not fully understood because it consists of several factors conditioning its formation. The most important element is the early detection and taking actions resulting in effective disease control through treatment and care of the patient. The nursing process should allow the patient to be involved in and accept the ongoing cancer process, and medical personnel, family and specialists in such fields as psychology and psychiatry should participate

Anti-neoplastic properties of plants – can nature help to cure cancer?

Nowadays cancers are predominant cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. Therefore, the greatest challenge for clinical oncology is to reduce the prevalence of these diseases. What gains rising interest are natural substances derived from plants, which have both chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties. The task is demanding since the mechanisms underlying antitumor activity of plants-derived natural substances are complex and diverse. Several natural substances are already the components of international protocols of multi-drug chemotherapy. Nevertheless, cooperation between botanists, pharmacologists and clinical oncologists is essential to achieve further improvement in this field

The assessment of the level of knowledge and the use of plant-derived preparations among people reporting to the Rehabilitation Clinic in Lublin

The use of plant-derived compounds in medicine arouses more and more interest. Most plants contain numerous active ingredients that may have therapeutic effects on the human body. For many years, herbs have been used as medicinal agents. However, it is necessary to learn about the chemical content of the plant as well as how they work on the human body. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of preparations containing plant extracts and the assessment of respondents’ knowledge about plant resources with medicinal properties. The study group consisted of people who visited the Rehabilitation Department in Lublin. Respondents voluntarily filled out the questionnaire consisting of 21 questions. 33 persons were examined in total. More than 77% of those who participated in the study have ever applied preparations of plant origin. More than half rated their level of knowledge about medicinal plants as small. Respondents gained knowledge about data on herbs and herbal supplements from several sources. None of the respondents considers preparations containing plant extracts as fully safe for the body and no one would use it without consulting a doctor first. The majority of respondents (over 63%) rated the effectiveness of the plant-derived compounds as good. Over 90% of respondents noticed positive effects of the use of plant supplements. Most respondents did not use compounds of plant origin which might slow down the body’s aging process or improve memory and concentration. However, more than half of the respondents applied preparations containing sedative plant extracts. As seen in the studies and the discussion above, the prevalence of the use of plant-derived compounds among respondents is relatively large. Respondents do not have sufficient knowledge of these substances. Almost all respondents notice the positive impact of plant compounds on the body. There is a need for educational campaigns among society to enrich the knowledge on the use of herbal medicine and its side effects in details