Monday, October 10, 2011

Steve Jobs, RIP, Quotes, Medical Analysis. Something went wrong with care? And a contradiction?

Steve Jobs died at 56 years old last week from complications of pancreatic cancer. Steve was the charismatic pioneer and innovative co-founder of Apple who transformed personal use of technology as well as entire industries with products such as the iPod, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh computer and the iTunes music store.

Steve's premature passing was clearly a profound tragedy but we can use it to take to heart some of the wisdom he lived his life by and possibly improve our own life.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Steve that truly hit home as to some of the central reasons why we are on this planet.

Remember he was born out of wedlock, put up for adoption, dropped out of college, fired from the company he founded, and still, he changed the world.

What's your excuse?

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

What Did Steve Jobs Die From?
Pancreatic cancer is one of the faster spreading cancers; only about 4 percent of patients can expect to survive five years after their diagnosis. Each year, about 44,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S., and 37,000 people die of the disease.

His cancer was detected during an abdominal scan in October 2003, as Fortune magazine reported in a 2008 cover story.

It is widely believed in conventional medicine that surgery can lead to long-term survival.

Despite the expert consensus on the value of surgery, Jobs did not elect it right away.

He reportedly spent nine months on "alternative therapies," including what Fortune called "a special diet."

But when a scan showed that the original tumor had grown, he finally had it removed on July 31, 2004,

Within five years, it was clear that Jobs was not cured. In April of 2009 Jobs flew to Switzerland and underwent an experimental procedure called peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT).

This treatment apparently failed, as shortly after that he had a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. This is likely because the cancer had spread from the pancreas to his liver. Liver transplants are a well-established treatment for tumors that originate in that organ BUT it is very uncommon to remove the liver for metastatic cancer.

This is not routinely done for two primary reasons. The first is that it in no way, shape, or form addresses the original cancer, and it can easily spread to the new liver.
But more importantly, he had to be placed on large doses of drugs to suppress his immune system so he would not reject his new liver.

So the biggest issue may have been this decision to have a liver transplant and go on the anti-rejection drugs. Conventional oncologists are stating that was, perhaps, a mistake.

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i think this article contains a contradiction. At the start, Steve did rely on special diet and alternative medicine, but it did not help him.
Similar one that is being recommended at the end of article....

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