Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
I recently read this article, which states that children undergoing leukemia treatment generally have lower than average marks in school, particularly those who underwent cranial radiation. This was not because they missed school from being in a hospital -- they were provided with education whether at home or in the hospital. Still, the results are a relief to researchers because the majority of children who had undergone treatment did complete their basic education, albeit with a bit more difficulty than their healthy peers.
What do you think about this? I'm no education expert, but I think it's important that kids with leukemia should have some sort of extra educational help available to them -- maybe a tutoring program that can help them in the learning process. Afterall, they've gone through enough with their illness -- they shouldn't have to suffer through the humiliation of falling behind in class too.
You should think about protecting your pets from secondhand smoke. According to researchers at Oklahoma State University, secondhand smoke has been determined cancer-causing for household pets, such as dogs, cats, and birds
"There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets," says Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, an Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian. "Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds."
The news about smoking just keeps getting worse and worse. When we will get the hint?
The universe is made of stories, not atoms. -- Muriel Rukeyser
Our cancer stories may be stories of our own or of our loved ones. Of beating cancer. Of loss and grief. Of finding new meaning in life after a cancer diagnosis. Or maybe not finding any meaning in it all. Of realizing just how strong we really are, whether we knew it or not.
I wrote about my experience of losing someone I loved to cancer here.
Some of us share our stories with the world through blogs or books or poetry or music or film or art or activism. Some of us may write our stories in personal journals. Some of us recite them in our heads and hold them in our hearts.
If you've paid attention to the recent furor around the use of artificial colors in all kinds of processed foods and drinks, you're probably ready to yank those products out of your kitchen for good. That it, if you can find suitable replacements.
The neat thing about most organic foods is that most do not use any artificial colors or flavors -- they are more of a "true" taste of what the product should be, instead of using cancer-causing chemicals to flavor and color foods to make them appeal to the eye and taste buds. But remember, those looks and tastes can be completely fake.
Why not spend a little of this weekend going through your pantry and seeing how many foods in there have artificial colors? They're easy to spot, with most ingredient labels using words like "FD&C" and "Blue Lake" or "Yellow Lake" (whatever "Lake means, I don't know).
Today, think about donating your hair. I know the thought of giving up your precious locks is scary, but it can make the difference in someone's life -- particularly if that someone is a cancer patient who had part ways with vanity long ago to save their life. Interested? Check out this post from The Beauty Brains on how and where you can donate your hair.
Here's the catch: Most hair donations need to be between 8 and 10 inches long, and often (but not always,) it need to be virgin hair -- hair that is not coloured or chemically treated. But if you fit the bill, you can make a world of difference.
Now I advise everyone to take all food-related recommendations with a grain of salt, because what first may appear healthy may not be in the long run -- and what is once deemed unhealthy may one day turn into a health food, like coffee.
Now, here's something new to think about:
It turns out the average mushroom may have healing powers. A new study out of Tufts University found that white button mushrooms help boost the body's natural immunity against tumors and viruses.
I'm a huge believer in the power of foods to battle the ravages of cancer among other things. In a household I know of that contains a cancer survivor, the family gets together one time a week to have dinner around the dinner table. Sounds typical, right?
The only difference here is that everyone must eat several pieces of fresh fruit for dinner. No vegetables (those come on a different night) and no drinks besides water. Just fruit.
Amazingly, the kids in this family acclimated to the one-fruit-night pretty fast, and now they actually enjoy it. I thought it was a rather unique way to express the importance of fresh fruits on one's diet. After all, many believe that blueberries are one of the most potent anti-cancer foods there is. Why not get in the habit of eating them?
So, my thought for the day is: What would prevent someone from taking action against a disease that could kill them? Religious beliefs? Lack of knowledge about the disease? Lack of money? And if you found out you were at a high-than-normal risk for breast cancer, would you act right before it had the chance to get to you, or would you take your chances?
Jill Sklar was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a debilitating gastrointestinal condition, when she was twenty. Jill set out to investigate how others who have survived the diagnosis and treatment of a chronic life altering illness perceived themselves -- and the effect of that illness on their life.
The Five Gifts of Illness: A Reconsideration is the result of Jill's investigation. She interviewed over one hundred individuals who had suffered a wide variety of illnesses. Sklar discovered that five gifts emerged as common denominators among the survivors. Those five gifts form the heart of this book.
What do you think is the best way to choose an experienced and quality surgeon? Some researchers think it's by reputation. That's how I got mine. A friend told me who he'd use if his wife or mother developed breast cancer and then more and more people began recommending the same surgeon. It seemed logical I'd use him too. And I'm glad I did.
A study published in the January 20 Journal of Clinical Oncology reveals that women who actively choose their surgeons by reputation are more likely to be treated by experienced surgeons in hospitals with comprehensive cancer programs. Reputation even beat out accepting referrals from other doctors or health plans.
Hank Dunn, a nursing home and hospice chaplain for over twenty years, writes about letting go in his book, "Hard Choices for Loving People."
Dunn writes that it is a natural response to hold on tighter when faced with the thought of loss, whether it be someone or something that we love. How can we learn to let go while still enjoying life? Dunn talks about this concept of letting go and references an analogy from Sogyan Rinpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying:
There are two ways to hold on. We can grasp tightly as we would a coin in our fist. We fear we will lose it, so we hold it tight. Indeed, if we open our hand palm down the coin falls from our possession, and we feel cheated. The other way to hold on is by opening our hand palm up. The coin may sit there, or it could be blown away or shaken out of our "possession." But while it is there, we are privileged to have it. We hold on with an open hand.
One of the greater pleasures in the last three years or so has been making (and completing) the switch from chemical-laden deodorants to all-natural, un-clogging alternatives instead.
Aluminum derivatives are used in many mainstream deodorants these days, and it's hard for me to believe that closing off pores so that the body is not allowed to naturally cool itself is a good thing. It's true that sweating (and the signs of it) are embarrassing at times, but artificially shutting down sweat glands and preventing toxins from exiting the body can lead to no good. In fact, I have to wonder if this "shutting off" leads to potential cancer development (although I have no data to support this).
My advice? Try some of the mineral salt alternatives to deodorant and bypass products with an "antiperspirant" bent. After all, we were meant to perspire, not hold it all in.
This week was my turn to cover our Survivor Spotlight feature. I perhaps naively thought that I would have no trouble finding a survivor to talk to because there are so many survivors out there and it seemed that most of them were more than happy to tell their story in the hopes of helping others. But many of the women did not feel comfortable talking about it -- mainly because they didn't want to dredge up the past, to think about a time in their life that was difficult and trying, especially with a stranger. Their hesitance is understandable, but also came as a surprise to me because I assumed that most people who had bravely stared death in the face and won would make it their mission to inspire others.
On November 30, 1998 Is the day I thought I met my fate Wheeled into surgery at 12 o clock noon I realized it would be over soon.
Out of recovery, my right breast removed My family around me, my soul was soothed The doctor said everything went great I now realize it's never too late.
To regroup my thoughts, what is special to me Not a house nor money, but my family Who rallied support there by my side Looked at me with love and pride.
I think of years wasted when I thought no one cared Years alone cause I was too scared To let love live in my body and soul It took removing my breast to make me whole.
Just recently, European researchers announced that MRI scans offer a new way to detect breast cancer in its earliest form. They can even prevent cancer among high-risk women.
Better than standard mammograms, MRI can detect a nonmalignant tumor called ductal carcinoma in-situ, or DCIS. Once found, the lesion can be surgically removed before it becomes cancerous.
Think about this: It is believed that almost all breast cancer starts out as DCIS. And this: if MRI were the gold standard breast cancer screening tool, we might be able to prevent a lot more breast cancer cases than we do now. It seems researchers agree.
I recently read this article, which states that children undergoing leukemia treatment generally have lower than average marks in school, particularly those who underwent cranial radiation. This was not because they missed school from being in a hospital -- they were provided with education whether at home or in the hospital. Still, the results are a relief to researchers because the majority of children who had undergone treatment did complete their basic education, albeit with a bit more difficulty than their healthy peers. 
You should think about protecting your pets from secondhand smoke. According to researchers at Oklahoma State University, secondhand smoke has been determined cancer-causing for household pets, such as dogs, cats, and birds
The universe is made of stories, not atoms. -- Muriel Rukeyser
If you've paid attention to the recent furor around the use of 
Today, think about donating your hair. I know the thought of giving up your precious locks is scary, but it can make the difference in someone's life -- particularly if that someone is a cancer patient who had part ways with vanity long ago to save their life. Interested? Check out 
Now I advise everyone to take all food-related recommendations with a grain of salt, because what first may appear healthy may not be in the long run -- and what is once deemed unhealthy may one day turn into a health food, like coffee.
I'm a huge believer in the power of foods to battle the ravages of cancer among other things. In a household I know of that contains a cancer survivor, the family gets together one time a week to have dinner around the dinner table. Sounds typical, right?
Here's an interesting story: 
Jill Sklar was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a debilitating gastrointestinal condition, when she was twenty. Jill set out to investigate how others who have survived the diagnosis and treatment of a chronic life altering illness perceived themselves -- and the effect of that illness on their life.
What do you think is the best way to choose an experienced and quality surgeon? Some researchers think it's by reputation. That's how I got mine. A friend told me who he'd use if his wife or mother developed breast cancer and then more and more people began recommending the same surgeon. It seemed logical I'd use him too. And I'm glad I did.
Hank Dunn, a nursing home and hospice chaplain for over twenty years, writes about letting go in his book, "
One of the greater pleasures in the last three years or so has been making (and completing) the switch from chemical-laden deodorants to all-natural, un-clogging alternatives instead.
NEVER TOO LATE 
Just recently, European researchers announced that MRI scans offer a new way to detect breast cancer in its earliest form. They can even prevent cancer among high-risk women.
