Biological therapy involves using your body's immune system to fight cancer. Depending on how well your immune system is currently functioning, it can simulate it, fix it or work in conjunction with it in the fight against cancer cells. Biological Response Modifiers (BRMs) use immune-system properties like antibodies and cytokines to bolster the immune system and help improve the health of the patient, particularly when undergoing chemotherapy. Some common BRMs include:

• Interferons: Helps cancerous cells transform into normal ones
• Interleukins: Stimulates some white blood cells to attack cancerous ones
• Monclonal Antibodies: Helps your body recognize harmful cancerous cells from normal ones
• Colony Stimulating factors: Helps produce immune system cells

To find out more about Biological Therapy drugs, click here.

If living with Hepatitis C isn't trying enough, studies are showing that people living with the chronic condition are at a greater risk for developing Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, based on research done on US soldiers living with Hep C. Hep C is a disease characterized by an inflamed liver, and it has also been linked to Liver Cancer. There's no vaccine, and it's spread by an exchange of bodily fluids.

The immune system of people living with chronic Hep C is constantly taxed, and it's believed this is the reason behind the link between these two diseases. Hep C, as the article points out, affects more than four million people in the United States, and afflicts men more than women.

After a patient receives a bone marrow transplant they are watched very closely for signs of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

When a patient receives a transplant of say a heart or liver, that patient is given drugs so that the body will not reject the organs. Your body does not recognize the organs as a part of you and the immune system will attack.

With GVHD it is the same concept but with a bone marrow transplant you are getting someone else's immune system. This foreign immune system does not recognize your organs and can then attack them. GVHD can affect different parts of the body such as the skin, eyes, stomach and intestines. GVHD can sometimes be easily treated and controlled or other times can be deadly.

GVHD can be acute or chronic. It is considered acute if it occurs within the first 100 days after the transplant and chronic if it persists or develops after day 100.

This study focuses on chronic GVHD and looks to determine the natural history of the disease and assess biological factors that may predict outcomes.

San Diego Cancer Center oncologist Dr. Steven Eisenberg had the original vision for bringing laughter to cancer, and is the medical advisor for The World Laughter Tours Bringing Laughter to Cancer and Other Health Support Communities program that introduces laughter to people living with cancer, as a method of enabling greater healing. The World Laughter Tour works with groups such as Gilda's Club Worldwide and The Wellness Communities. The purposes of the program are:

• To strengthen the effectiveness of support group programs.
• To show how the proper application of laughter can create a therapeutic alliance between mind and body in order to capitalize on the role of attitudes and emotions in health and healing.
• To expand the awareness of the value of laughter and programs such as Good-Hearted Living.
• To teach life-affirming, enjoyable coping skills to support group participants.
  

Contrary to commonly-held beliefs, most laughter is not about humor -- it is about relationships between people. The causes that make us laugh differ, but laughter is universal, and is proven to bring benefit to the health and wellbeing of those who laugh. And laughter is contagious!

Laughter Yoga is a technique based on the philosophy of acting happiness. In other words, you do not need to be happy, have a sense of humor, or even have a reason to laugh in order to participate in laughter yoga. Laughter Yoga is not religious. According to the founders of Laugher Yoga, it is not a joke. "It is the very nature of life to be joyful. Research has shown that young children laugh an average of 300 to 400 times a day, versus an average of about 15 laughs for adults. Children live in their heart. They laugh for the sake of laughing. Adults live in their head. Most often than not, they fear. The human mind has rules and inhibitions."

John Cleese traveled to India to witness laughter yoga firsthand and report about his experience. Cleese, a legendary comedic talent of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame, observed that laughter is the great social connector, and that it is impossible to feel isolated when laughing with others. A feeling of connection is known to promote healing. Research has proven that cancer patients who are involved in social support systems recover better. In addition, research has proven that laughter boosts the immune system. The immune system plays a significant role in fighting cancer. And as Cleese found out, forced laughter leads to genuine laughter in the yoga of laughter.