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Posts with tag BreastCancer
Posted Sep 14th 2007 9:55AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Fundraisers
I'm a big fan of Fat Bastard wine, which I picked up a bottle of a few years back simply because of the odd name. If you enjoy their wine too be sure to pick some up during the months of September and October because the makers will be
donating $0.25 from every bottle sold to breast cancer charities.
It might seem to be a bit of a contradiction to sell alcohol in support of cancer, but actually wine (in moderation) can help reduce to your risk of several types of cancer, not to mention heart disease. Just make sure you stick to one glass a night and enjoy the benefits of a good vintage.
I'm curious to know that you think though. Is it wrong to sell wine to raise money for breast cancer?
Posted Sep 6th 2007 2:27PM by Brian White
Filed under: Breast Cancer
A recent study made public this week concluded that black women saw more deaths when it came to breast cancer as the cause. The reason? Current hormone-based treatments that help others with the disease are less effective in black female patients.
Recent reasons for the death rate disparity had been chalked up to fewer mammograms for black women,
but this is a biological cause, plain and simple.
With this recent study's conclusion, the race to fine what biological differences exist that hinder effective hormonal treatment is sure to follow. With Estrogen in the mix as a cancer growth promoter, what else is there specific to black females playing a role here? This development will be interesting to follow.
Posted Sep 4th 2007 5:47PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Cancer events, Fundraisers, Cancer Survivors
This Chicago Cubs will honour breast cancer patients in their September 22nd game against the Pittsburgh Pirates,
CNN has reported. It's all part of the National City
Real Men Wear Pink campaign, of which legendary player Ryne Sandberg is a spokesperson for. The game will feature real breast cancer survivors from the Chicagoland area, though unfortunately, nominations for survivors were only accepted until September 1.
I think it's awesome that the men involved with sports teams are getting involved in the fight against breast cancer. It might be a disease limited to females but it's something that affects everyone in one way or another.
Posted Aug 31st 2007 3:06PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Fundraisers
World-renowned artist Susan Rios is
donating her time and artwork to a worthy cause: Breast Cancer. Her piece, called
'Feel the Hope', will be signed and sold at $49, with 100% of the profits going to breast cancer. Rios says that the painting was named by her former husband, who himself is battling cancer and is not expected to survive. The artwork and its title are meant to offer hope to those battling cancer.
Rios is a well-know painter whose work adorns the walls for the White House, as well the homes of many celebrities. I think it's great that she is offering some of her talent to the ongoing battle.
Posted Aug 30th 2007 10:50PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Research
Studies are showing that low-dose radiation treatments may increase the risk of breast cancer. This may include diagnostic chest x-rays, as well as other treatments like radiotherapy for skin conditions. The findings aren't conclusive thus far but they warrant further investigation,
according to this article. Considering the prevalence of X-rays, I think this is fairly alarming. What do you think? Are these findings worrisome, or are the studies making a big deal out of something that's probably nothing?
Posted Aug 29th 2007 2:33PM by Brian White
Filed under: Breast Cancer
If you've had breast cancer surgery, you may have heard of being hypnotized beforehand to alleviate the need for more-than-needed anesthesia. Sounds weird, but a clinical trial of 200 cancer patients showed that
hypnosis was more effective than counseling in this area.
Is this further proof that there is a strong link between mind and body? That link has always existed, contrary to main western medical practitioners (like pure scientists) who require proven evidence. The mind and body work in concert in almost every way. At least, they do in my opinion. Your mileage may vary.
In the study, 100 women underwent hypnosis for 15 minutes one hour before breast cancer surgery while a second group had counseling sessions for the same 15 minutes. Complications like more pain and more anesthesia were less prevalent in the hypnosis group.
Posted Aug 24th 2007 8:00AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Survivor Spotlight
Ruth is a vivacious, energetic woman in her 70s who is active in the community. I've met her a few times and had the privilege to discuss her cancer story with her.
How did you discover that you had breast cancer? What types of treatment were recommended?During a routine check-up, my doctor discovered a lump. He suggested a lumpectomy, but I spoke with a number of other physicians, including my brother, and they all recommended getting a full mastectomy to ensure that I wouldn't have a re-occurrence. After the surgery, the lump was examined and it was found to be highly unusual. Though it's not certain that the cancer would have come back, I don't regret getting a full mastectomy, and will recommend the same to my daughters if they develop breast cancer too. I know many women who only had a lumpectomy, and several of them have had a re-occurrence. Sadly, some of them are no longer with us.
Continue reading Survivor Spotlight: Ruth is rowing her way to victory
Posted Aug 15th 2007 4:35PM by Brian White
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Prevention
Are breast cancer rates declining? If so, it may not be due to a decrease in mammography screening. Sounds logical, right? How about a drop in postmenopausal hormone use as a possible contributor?
That's the conclusion of a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. This, to me, is an interesting development if true. I'm not sure what other factors were looked at in the study, however. Was this correlation backed by valid statistical data? I may have to go further with this one, with a possible update later.
The study mentions that postmenopausal hormone treatments have
declined in use since 2002 -- and that the risk of breast cancer has dropped along with it in the U.S. Hmm, hot flashes or an increased risk of breast cancer. Weird choice there.
Posted Aug 14th 2007 4:33PM by Brian White
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Research
Actually and intentionally creating cancer cells sounds like an odd proposition to me, but that's what is being done by Harvard medical scientists. Why? Well, they are trying to initiate tumors --
breast cancer stem cells to be exact -- in mice to determine how to detect cancer stem cells early and effectively.
With cancer stem cells being very rare, knowing about them very early and with precision would be quite a boon to the breast cancer testing field. Outside of petri dish experiments, researching cancerous stem cells inside mammals has been a very unexplored area of oncology -- until now.
Posted Aug 12th 2007 6:35PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Environment, Vitamins and nutrients
Though spending time in the sun is generally considered a bad thing as far as skin cancer goes, it can help
prevent breast cancer.
A study shows that women who stay inside more often are at a high risk for breast cancer than those who spend time outside. What's more, breast cancer is less prevalent closer to the equator, where sunlight is more common. The key ingredient is the valuable Vitamin D that exposure to the sun provides, though I would be interested to know if it makes a difference whether people get natural vitamin D from the sunlight or if similar health benefits could be derived simply from staying inside and taking vitamin D supplements. I tend to think that people who get outside are generally healthier overall than those who are housebound.
This isn't the green light to spend your days cooking your skin under the hot sun in the hopes of achieving that golden brown glow, though. While sunlight in important, it's also important to take precautions in the sunlight, like covering up and wearing sunscreen.
Posted Aug 7th 2007 3:00PM by Heather Craven
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Prevention, Celebrity cancer diagnosis, Celebrity news
Robin Roberts is recovering nicely from her breast cancer surgery last Friday. She says she feels quite sore but believes that much of her success came from the many thoughts and prayers from fans everywhere.
The
Good Morning America host
recently announced her breast cancer on the air after discovering a lump in her breast last month. She hoped that by going public with her diagnosis more women would be inspired to perform monthly self check on themselves.
Roberts is currently at home with her family while she recovers from her surgery. She will soon receive test results that will determine the rest of her treatment, but she remains hopeful and optimistic that she will soon be back at work in America's living rooms.
Posted Jul 31st 2007 11:30AM by Heather Craven
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Celebrity cancer diagnosis, Celebrity news, Surgery
Robin Roberts of
Good Morning America has shared some deeply personal news with readers and viewers alike: she has cancer. While preparing for a tribute show for her colleague and friend, Joel Seigel, the hostess discovered she had
a lump in her breast.
After visiting her doctor and getting a biopsy, her worst fear was confirmed. She is in the early stages of breast cancer. Her immediate thoughts were, "This can't be. I am a young, healthy woman."
Roberts is tackling the issue head on. By sharing her story with the public, she is setting a stellar example of facing her fears head on. She will soon be undergoing surgery and follow up treatments and her prognosis is very good. To send Roberts your support, click
here.
Posted Jul 28th 2007 6:50PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Breast Cancer
According to a study in the July 24 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute,
multiple mammogram reading improve detection rates, according to a study in The Netherlands. Lucien Duijm, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues studied whether adding readings by two technicians to the standard exam by two radiologists would improve detection rates and accuracy.
The breast cancer detection rate increased 6.8%, and only slightly increased the number of false positives.
An editorial in the same journal by Joann Elmore M.D. and James Brenner M.D. cautions on the taking these results and generalizing to other countries, as screening programs vary widely.
Posted Jul 27th 2007 11:20AM by Brian White
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Drug
It's estimated that nearly 180,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Outside of lung cancer, it's the leading cause of cancer-related death in U.S. women. Out of the 180,000 who are diagnosed, 40,000 will die from breast cancer.
Those stats are hard to read, and may make many scurry for information on how to prevent breast cancer. Performing self-checks and making the decision to have mammograms (which are questionable to some) are the results of such thinking. Anything that makes women more proactive to determining if they have breast cancer signs is a good thing.
What about menopausal or post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a cause? HRT is a common treatment for dealing with menopausal symptoms (which can be quite disruptive to life), but if it can
contribute to the potential for developing breast cancer, what course of action can be taken? A recent study detailed that breast cancer cases dropped with a decline of estrogen-progestin (HRT) treatments, and increased when these treatments were more plentiful. Is this a cause for concern? Hard to say, but it raised my eyebrow.
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Here's an interesting story: 
