How National Mesothelioma Day inspires litigators to fight harder for the victims

Comfort can be taken this Mesothelioma Awareness Day 2011 in the fact that many victims of mesothelioma – or their survivors – have received well-deserved compensation from those who are to blame.

Not all victims have been so compensated. But many.

Of course, were it not for the tireless efforts of personal injury law firms like Weitz & Luxenberg to see justice done on behalf of mesothelioma victims, perhaps few if any of them would see so much as a penny.

We’re proud to share with other observers of Mesothelioma Day the news that our New York-based firm has won millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for mesothelioma victims.

Victims whose cases we win use their awards in many different ways. Most commonly, the money pays for medical bills. As victims and their families know only too well, treatment costs pile up fast, and they pile up high – bills typically range from $150,000 to in excess of $1 million.

Not infrequently are victims in the position of having to pay these costs on their own because they lack insurance coverage. Or, if they do have coverage, the insurer pays only part of the costs (either because of policy limitations or payout caps that have been reached).

In any event, paying on their own usually drives victims to financial ruin – thus is compensation won through litigation an invaluable benefit.

Also, money won for victims by way of verdict or settlement is used in some instances to make up for lost wages and lost future income. Mesothelioma leaves its victims incapable of working, so most become jobless soon after being diagnosed with the horrific condition. And since mesothelioma is almost always fatal, victims usually die before their productive years reach a natural end. Cash awards serve to replenish what the victim and his or her survivors lose financially.

It’s the job of the experienced personal injury law firm with a focus on mesothelioma cases to give clients the most vigorous representation possible. Mesothelioma Day 2011 provides us at Weitz & Luxenberg a vibrant reminder of why we serve.

Reflexology involves massaging the nerve endings in the foot, of which there are about 7000 all leading to a specific part of the body.

This therapy was developed in 2300 B.C. and has been used around the world. It takes about 30-60 minutes to perform. It can help you relax which can be very helpful to mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer and asbestosis patients.

Homeopathy Treatment

Homeopathy is an unusual, yet effective cure for the symptoms of a disease.
A patient is given a herb or plant that mimics the effects of their disease, which can trick the body into fighting it off. It’s like a vaccine except you don’t necessarily need the permission of a medical professional.

Homeopathy can be used in less severe conditions such as colds.
If a patient has a cold they are given red onion skin to make their nose run and eyes water( the typical symptoms of a cold).

Lymph Drainage Therapy

Lymph Drainage Therapy is used to combat Lymphedema, a condition where swelling occurs in the limbs following chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It involves the use of massage and is typically administered 3 to 5 times a week.

Lymphedema occurs when excess lymphatic fluid is retained by the body’s lymph nodes (in the arms and legs). For cancer patients, the removal of lymph nodes during cancer surgery may change the way the lymphatic fluid flows; hence, it is often more difficult for the fluid to flow properly and build-up occurs.

Nutrition and Diet for Mesothelioma Alternative Medicine

A nutrition and diet meal plan is an important thing to the mesothelioma patients. But what are the main elements that give nutrition? Based on the simple general guidelines, protein, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and also water are the various nutrients in diet. They are simple and common, but they're important!

Protein, it helps ensure growth, repairs body tissues damaged by surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. In addition, it helps to maintain a healthy immune system. Specially for mesothelioma patients, they need additional protein during and after aggressive treatments.

Fats and carbohydrates, it helps supply the body with the majority of the daily caloric intake. But, it is not the same amount for every patients.

Vitamins and minerals, it helps to ensure growth and development, and allowing the body to use the calories from the foods that eaten.

And water, it is an essential for everything on earth. Without water, everything will becomes dehydrated. For normal people, eight glasses of water each day will be the essential. However, there might be differences to the mesothelioma patients. They must to have more water absorbing each day since they have to have their disease treatment at various stages.


Source: http://www.mesothelioma-aid.org/nutrition.htm

Nature is the Best Medicine

Omega-3: It is a fatty acid that known to reduce the size of tumors and enhance the positive effects of the chemotherapy while reducing its harmful side effects. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in most fish.

Green Tea: This is also a natural treatment for mesothelioma cancer and other cancers. A compound in green tea, inhibits an enzyme required for cancer cell growth and can kill cultured cancer cells with no ill effect on healthy cells. Drinking more than four cups of green tea a day could provide enough of the active compound to slow and prevent the growth of cancer cells, including mesothelioma cancer.

Garlic: Many studies showed that the ingredient in garlic, allyl sulfur, is effective in inhibiting or preventing cancer development, including mesothelioma cancer.

Your T-cells: the key to curing mesothelioma?

(Reprinted with permission from Mesothelioma Hope)

T-cell killing a cancer cell. (Image credit: University of New Mexico)

The most effective weapon against mesothelioma may be inside us—specifically, in our T-cells. Mesothelioma treatment often relies on chemotherapy and radiation, both of which produce unpleasant side effects, and some mesothelioma patients are too advanced in terms of the cancer or in terms of age to withstand an invasive surgery.

"Researchers have kept cancer at bay in three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia by genetically engineering the patients’ own T-cells to recognize leukemia cell antigens, then kill the cancer cells,” Tia Ghose wrote in yesterday’s The Scientist. 

In two studies published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine andScience Translational Medicine, the focus is on the T-cells’ stunning success against late-stage leukemia. Two of the patients in the study went into a complete remission, and the third had a partial response.

Remission: possible!

The treatment could potentially be developed to fight not just leukemia, but other cancers as well. Kerry Sheridan wrote for the AFP yesterday

While it remains unknown how long the treatment may keep cancer at bay, researchers were excited to see that "memory" T-cells remained months after the cancer disappeared, indicating the body is retaining some protection. 

The next step is to try the technique in two children and at least 13 adults with CD19-positive leukemia. 

They are also looking to determine whether the approach could target non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute lymphocytic leukemia, mesothelioma cancer cells, ovarian and pancreatic cancer cells.

By using the body’s own T-cells, mesothelioma treatment based off of the positive leukemia results could mean hope for meso patients who are not good candidates for surgery, or are looking for a treatment that does not cause the severe side effects anyone who has been through chemo or radiation knows all too well.

This is fantastic. Although study co-author David Porter, an oncologist at UPenn, said it is "still too early to say [the patients] have been cured," I'm celebrating anyway. 

And as one patient said in a statement to the press: "I'm healthy and still in remission. I know this may not be a permanent condition, but I decided to declare victory."

Don't forget your daily servings of fruits and vegetables!

A new study concludes antioxidants can fight mesothelioma. Antioxidants are present in fruits such as blueberries, apples, cranberries, strawberries, etc. They combat oxidative stress, which can cause tumor growth. This powerful nutrient (which can reduce aging) is rarely used because it may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs.

Meditation and its benefits

It’s important to bear in mind that there’s no such thing as a cure for mesothelioma and that treatment options such as meditation are only palliative.

There are numerous benefits to meditating. Unlike actual medical treatments, it costs absolutely nothing (unless you decide to join a meditation class.) Meditation doesn’t require you to obtain permission from your medical professional and it can be done just about anywhere at any time

One of the great benefits of meditating is that it doesn’t cost anything, you don’t need permission from your medical professional and it can be done just about anywhere at any time for as long as you choose.

Meditation has physiological, psychological and even spiritual benefits.

Physically, meditation can:

• ·       Stimulate blood flow
• ·       Lead to a state of relaxation
• ·       Relieve muscle tension
• ·       Enhance the immune system
• ·       Lower the risk of developing other illnesses such as cardiovascular disease.

Psychologically, meditation can:

• ·       Help you build self confidence
• ·       Increase levels of serotonin (the chemical which controls mood and behavior)
• ·       Increase vitality and rejuvenation.
• ·       Help you quit bad habits such as smoking and drinking too much.

Spiritually, meditation can:

• ·       Help you gain peace of mind and happiness
• ·       Help you maintain a balance of body, mind and spirit
• ·       Helps you learn how to better cope with your mesothelioma

Choose Your Diet Carefully

As always, eating healthy is the best action to prevent harmful diseases. For diseases like mesothelioma, the most important preventative care you can practice is to avoid asbestos exposure. For other diseases, a balanced diet can be preventative.

Breakfast: Add fruit and a few seeds or nuts to your whole grain breakfast cereal.
Lunch: Eat a big salad filled with your favorite beans and peas or other combo of vegetables. Always order lettuce and tomato, as well as other vegetables, on your sandwiches. Order whole grain bread for your sandwiches. Have a side of vegetables like cut up carrots, sauerkraut, or a piece of fruit.

Snacks: Fresh fruit and vegetables. Grab an apple or banana on your way out the door. Raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, jicama, peppers, etc. are great with a low-fat dip such as hummus. Keep trail mix made with nuts, seeds and a little dried fruit on hand.

Dinner: Add fresh or frozen vegetables to your favorite pasta sauce or rice dish. Top a baked potato with broccoli and yogurt, sautéed vegetables, or with salsa. Replace creamy pasta sauces, with sautéed vegetables or tomato sauce made with healthy olive oil.
Dessert: Choose fruit instead of a richer dessert. Or a single square of dark chocolate

Meditation

Meditation is a method of relaxing the mind that is practiced worldwide. It can help mesothelioma patients develop a calm mind and be at peace with their health conditions. Cancer patients often experience depression or anxiety due to health conditions or chemotherapy side effects. Meditation help induce a sense of peacefulness to the mind of the cancer patients. Patients can also incorporate body movements, such as yoga or stretching, but they should consult with their doctors to ensure they are physically fit for it. Like most alternative treatments, meditation does not cure cancer.

Feng Shui

Ba gua map

Feng shui is a Chinese practice that uses the laws of both Heaven and Earth to improve life by receiving positive chi. Chi means energy and there is both positive and negative chi. In nature, most chi is positive. However, as humans build houses and buildings, the positive chi might be blocked out, and negative chi might be trapped in.To avoid trapping negative chi, buildings can be constructed in alignment with the environment's chi. For buildings that already exist, practitioners of Feng Shui can adjust interior decorations to change the flow of chi.

Many people believe that by adjusting the environment according to the beliefs of Feng Shui, a person suffering from a disease may show improvement from the flow of positive chi. Sometimes increasing the flow of positive energy is as easy as adding a few plants or rearranging the furniture. (In addition to increasing the flow of chi, plants also increase the flow of oxygen!)

While people who practice Feng Shui note that it can have a positive effect on a person's health or overall wellbeing, there is no scientific evidence proving Feng Shui can cure cancer such as mesothelioma. There is no harm in trying Feng Shui as a complementary therapy along with traditional treatments. Mesothelioma patients who practiced Feng Shui have said that they feel less stress and anxiety knowing that there is a positive flow of energy. 

Massage Your Pain Away

Massage had always been a way of relaxing and relieving pain. Mesothelioma patients frequently suffer pain as a result of their disease. Thus massage therapy might be a good palliative treatment option.

Massages manipulate body tissues and blood vessels and work to increase blood flow. Oxygen supply can improve and this, in turn, can ease pains, aches and soreness.

There are various massage options available, such as the traditional Swedish massage, Shiatsu, deep tissue massage, hot stone massage, and Thai massage, among others.

Massages can be helpful in alleviating, at least temporarily, a patient’s anxiety, and stress. It induces peacefulness and balances the mind.

The patient should always consult their medical professional before starting any massage therapy.

Maintaining a Healthy Mind and Body

Yoga is a popular exercise that helps strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility. Yoga originated in India, where it was practiced more for spiritual reasons than physical reasons. As yoga spreads, it is known as an exercise that helps calm the mind and improve general health. Yoga can also help patients with cancers, such as mesothelioma.

Yoga cannot cure diseases but it is extremely helpful for patients suffering pain and discomfort. For cancer patients it is especially important to keep a healthy mind and body to battle the disease. Cancer patients often go through treatment such as chemotherapy, where the patient suffers from weakness of body and distress. Therefore, it is helpful for the patient to practice yoga where it induces relaxation of the muscle and mind. Yoga's meditative poses also help lower blood pressures, reduce stress, improve flexibility, and improve quality of sleep.

The results of practicing yoga vary from person to person. A cancer patient should consult a doctor before beginning to practice yoga. A patient should be in good physical condition and under the supervision of an experienced instructor to practice yoga.

Natural ways to relieve mesothelioma pain

When a person has mesothelioma, often they are hospitalized because of the intense pain and suffering caused by the disease itself. Still other pain (discomfort, nausea, assorted health problems) come as a result of chemotherapy treatments and radiation treatments.

Someone who is in pain because of their cancer (and cancer treatments) can take alternative treatment along with the medical treatment they are already getting--i.e., complementary medicine.

These forms vary because some involve the interaction of your senses with the world as the primary source of wellness,as with meditation and aromatherapy, and some are administered by doctors or other professionals, as with acupuncture andTranscutaneous electrical stimulation.

Acupuncture is the concept of releasing impurities by the insertion of a needle into a acupuncture point. Acupuncture is based off ancient Chinese medicine to increase the flow of Qi (in this case, blood). Modern medicine has determined that acupuncture increases the micro-circulation and the oxygenation of tissues improving their overall function.

On the other hand, there is transcutaneous electrical stimulation that uses the electricity from an object to stimulate the nerves. Typically two electrodes are attached to the patient's bare skin, and electric currents(non-lethal) surge through the body providing relaxation of nerves, which in turn causes the pain to decrease.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy concept of using the bodies' own immune system to defend and differentiate cancer cells from normal cells. The body already produces BRM's (Biological Response Modifiers) but to increase effectiveness of these BRM's are reproduced in the lab increasing the count so BRM's wont have to work as hard to fight cancerous cells. The results are mixed and BRM's MAY:

-Enhance the immune system to fight cancer cell growth.
-Eliminate, regulate, or suppress body responses that permit cancer growth.
-Make cancer cells more susceptible to destruction by the immune system.
-Alter cancer cell’s growth patterns to behave like normal cells.
-Block or reverse the process that changes a normal cell into a cancer cell.
-Prevent a cancer cell from spreading to other sites.

Tea For Treatment

According to Purdue University researchers, Dorothy Morre and D. James Morre, green tea contains the compound EGCg, an enzyme that can kill cultured cancer cells without harming healthy cells. This discovery offers the first scientific evidence to explain precisely how this compound works within a cell to ward off many  types of cancer, such as mesothelioma.

"Our research shows that green tea leaves are rich in this anti-cancer compound, with concentrations high enough to reduce anti-cancer effects in the body," says Dorothy Morre. Drinking more than four cups of green tea a day could provide enough of the active compound to slow and prevent the growth of cancer cells.

Lycopene in tomatoes fights prostate, lung, and stomach cancer

Tomatoes can do more than liven up a salad or sandwich--they are strong antioxidants.

Good news for African American men at risk of prostate cancer (a cancer for which asbestos exposure is a risk factor): a tomato a day may keep the tumors away.


Cancer Prevention Research published a study ("Antioxidant Effects of Lycopene in African American Men with Prostate Cancer or Benign Prostate Hyperplasia: A Randomized, Controlled Trial") led by Richard van Breemen of the University of Chicago. The research team found that lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes their red hue, could help prevent prostate cancer in African American men.

Lycopene is a known antioxidant. Other studies have shown that diets rich in tomatoes (and other sources of lycopene) may lower the risk of certain cancers, especially cancers of the prostate, lung and stomach. 

"We're not setting out to treat cancer, but to prevent it, and we're hoping to do so with lycopene."

--Richard van Breemen

Lycopene gives tomatoes and other fruits/ vegetables their distinctive red color.

According to van Breemen, this study was the first of its kind to focus exclusively on African American men, who are at a higher risk than other American men for prostate cancer. One hundred and five African American men, ranging from the age of 50 to 83, all of whom had abnormalities of the prostate, were recruited from two Chicago veterans' hospitals for the study.

According to the University of Chicago, each day, half of the participants "received two gel capsules containing 30 milligrams of lycopene, while the other half received placebo capsules that contained only soybean oil." The lycopene approximated the amount a person would digest daily by eating foods that use tomato sauce, such as pasta with sauce and pizza, van Breemen said. 

The lycopene in the pills was the amount in pizza or pasta with tomato sauce.

The researchers wanted to see if lycopene would rise in the blood and prostate tissue, and if raised lycopene blood levels could lower markers of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress injures the body's cells, while antioxidants help cells heal from the damage. It is a factor in cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and in the natural aging process.

Compared to the placebo group, the men who took the lycopene showed a significant increase of the antioxidant in their blood, van Breemen said. Though the men in the study were all over the age of fifty, it is never too late to start using preventative and natural medicine. 

Preventative medicine is incredibly important. For any male readers out there, take the doctor's advice and have a bowl of gazpacho, some bruschetta, spaghetti with red sauce, or even a slice of pizza (blot the grease, please). It just may save you trouble up the road.

New Mesothelioma Treatment Can Be Found in the Spice Rack (by Rachel S.)

(Reprinted from another site and another author--thanks to Rachel for giving me permission to reprint this! Check it out at the original site.)

Recent studies suggest that turmeric, the yellow spice derived from the Curcuma longa root (related to ginger, if you want a mental picture), has the ability to fight cancers like mesothelioma. The Toronto Sun reports that "these abilities could be the result of a transformation in the active compound in the spice, curcumin, by bacteria found in the intestinal flora."


Curcumin is a polyphenol. According to Wikipedia, "polyphenols are a structural class of natural, synthetic, and semisynthetic organic chemicals characterized by the presence of large multiples of phenol units. Polyphenols are generally divided into hydrolyzable tannins and phenylpropanoids, such as lignins, flavonoids, and condensed tannins.


"Tannin chemistry originated in the importance of tannic acid to the tanning industry; lignins to the chemistry of soil and plant structure; and flavonoids to the chemistry of plant secondary metabolites for plant defense, and flower color." Curcumin is where turmeric gets its signature yellow color. [I added in images, not from original article. See below!]

Turmeric has been a large part of Ayurveda, or Ayurvedic medicine, in Indian culture for at least 4,000 years. It is used in cooking as an ingredient in curry, and used in Ayurvedic medicine (which the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine describes as a whole medicine system).


Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine practitioners have used turmeric to aid in digestion and liver function, relieve arthritis pain, and help menstruation function regularly. Recent studies say that the spice can also be used to prevent cancers like mesothelioma.


The Toronto Sun reports that Indians, who are the world's "largest consumers of turmeric, are much less frequently diagnosed (up to 20 times less) by many types of cancer (prostate, colon, breast). A collection of nearly 4,000 scientific studies showed that the active compound in turmeric, curcumin, is the compound of vegetable origin with the most powerful cancer-fighting ability against cells from a wide variety of human tumors."


Curcumin is the most powerful anti-inflammatory compound of vegetable origin, which may explain how the powerful little polyphenol slows the progression of cancer cells. Research suggests that if you combine turmeric with black pepper, your intestines will absorb the spices even better, maximizing their antioxidant potential.


So the lesson here, it seems, is that ancient medicine should not be overlooked when it comes to seeking mesothelioma medical breakthroughs, and that it never hurts to spice up your life--with ancient herbs and spices.

(turmeric chicken soup! So it's doubly good for you. :) )

Alternative medicine works for woman with stage IV cancer for over 4 years

(Sarto Schickel and Sun Hee Lee, alternative cancer treatment advocates)

Sun Hee Lee has survived well past the one year given to most cancer patients diagnosed in stage IV. Survived and thrived, in fact--Mrs. Lee will be  participating in a run/ walk to raise money for ovarian cancer this Sunday, Jenice Armstrong reports in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Ms. Lee, of West Philadelphia, "has been defying the odds since being diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer in 2007. By the time doctors discovered the reasons for her nagging cough and swollen abdomen, the cancer had spread to her chest cavity."

The one-year survival rate for most patients diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer is 17 percent. But four years after Ms. Lee's stage IV cancer diagnosis, "she's pushing on, combining elements of the controversial Gerson Therapy, which claims to cure cancer and other ailments, and a macrobiotic diet, which emphasizes whole grains and fresh vegetables to promote good health."

Armstrong points out that what Ms. Lee has been doing with alternative treatment (also known as complementary medicine) "hasn't been proved scientifically, " adding that "the idea that a coffee enema has health benefits that could help someone with cancer sounds like quackery." (The coffee enema was a noted part of mesothelioma patient Steve McQueen's unorthodox treatments.) But Sun Hee Lee and her husband Sarto Schickel believe that the holistic cancer treatments have helped her.

What makes these treatments complementary is that Lee did underwent surgery and chemotherapy "in addition to the unconventional practices she adopted on her own."

In an email to Jenice Armstrong, Mr. Schickel explained his beliefs about Gerson therapy: "While more research is certainly a positive, there is a lot that folks can be doing in addition to their conventional medical treatment in their own homes. This is stuff which is a perfect complement to conventional medicine and is the stuff that my wife did, in addition to conventional medicine, in order to get her remarkable results to date."

We wish Ms. Lee best of luck in the run/walk in Philadelphia this Sunday, and the best to her and her husband in their fight against cancer.

Soy increases radiation therapy's ability to kill cancer cells

According to a Wayne State University study in this month's issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, a naturally occurring component in soybeans improves the effectiveness in radiation therapy.

Thoracic oncology is the study of cancers that occur in the chest cavity, so this would include lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and pleural mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lung).

The component researchers have been studying are soy isoflavones. According to the recent study, soy isoflavones stop cancer cells' DNA from repairing themselves, and the soy isoflavones can accomplish this while protecting normal tissue in the same area.

In a news release from Wayne State University, Dr. Gilda Hillman says:

"To improve radiotherapy for lung cancer, we are studying the potential of natural non-toxic components of soybeans, called soy isoflavones, to augment the effect of radiation against the tumor cells and at the same time protect normal lung cells against radiation injury." 

Dr. Hillman, an associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Wayne State University's School of Medicine and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, led the team of researchers in the soy-radiation study. Dr Hillman explained:

"These natural soy isoflavones can sensitize cancer cells to the effects of radiotherapy by inhibiting the survival mechanisms that cancer cells activate to protect themselves. At the same time, soy isoflavones can also act as antioxidants, which protect normal tissues against unintended damage from the radiotherapy."

Dr. Hillman and the rest of the team found that non-small cell lung cancer cells that were treated with soy isoflavones before radiation showed more DNA damage and less repair activity than cells that received only radiation. Damaging cancer cells' ability to repair themselves is what many chemotherapy drugs aim to do.

The Wayne State researchers used a formulation consisting of the three main isoflavones found in soybeans, including genistein, daidzein and glycitein. (pictured below)

Previous research demonstrated that pure genistein showed antitumor activity in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. Hillman's study showed that the mixture of soy isoflavones had an even greater antitumor effect than pure genistein.  The university's news release noted that 

the soy mixture also is consistent with the soy isoflavone pills used in clinical studies, which have proven to be safe.

If you are currently undergoing radiation therapy for pleural mesothelioma or any other thoracic cancer, ask your oncologist about soy isoflavones. If you integrate alternative, natural and complementary mesothelioma treatments with your standard treatments, it is important  to keep your doctors informed about every drug you take, including vitamins and supplements.

Welcome to Mesothelioma Alternative Medicine

Welcome to Mesothelioma Alternative Medicine. I made this blog to provide information about alternative medicine used in the treatment of mesothelioma, but also to

• share news stories about developments in alternative (holistic, herbal, experimental, nontraditional, etc.) medicine, and to 

• provide a forum for discussion and the sharing of first-hand or second-hand experiences with mesothelioma alternative medicine. 

This blog is devoted to alternative treatment options for mesothelioma first and foremost, but related topics--like alternative medicine for related cancers, such as lung cancer, or asbestosis, a disease that often precedes or accompanies mesothelioma--are a priority, too.

Stories of experience with mesothelioma alternative medicine are welcome. Studies and research are conducted on mesothelioma patients, not merely on tumors. The tumors exist inside a person, and affect the complicated systems of the human body. Alternative medicine emphasizes the person as a whole, and takes a person's experience of cancer treatment into account. 

Share your story, or the story of a friend who has gone through alternative mesothelioma treatments. Your opinion of a new (or old) treatment method is valid, valuable, and helpful to others. I will update regularly, so if you have a related topic you'd like to see covered, let me know!