Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

January 13th, 2008

These walks are fun and exciting. The provide public awareness for breast cancer and also help raise money. Nine walks are scheduled for 2008 in 9 US cities.

You can choose to walk a half marathon or a full marathon on the first day. Everyone can walk a marathon on the second day. over-night camping, meals and snacks will be provided.

This is a great opportunity to meet a wonderful group of people, get some healthy exercise and raise money for the fight against breast cancer. Each walker is expected to raise at least $1800.

Do you know someone who is a volunteer walker? You can make a donation to them here. The money raised will allow medically under-insured women and men to receive the screening, support, and treatment they require.

Following is a list of the 2008 walks listed by city.

Boston May 17 - 18, 2008
Charlotte October 25 - 26, 2008
Chicago May 31 - June 1, 2008
Houston April 12 - 13, 2008
Los Angeles September 13 - 14, 2008
New York October 4 - 5, 2008
Rocky Mountains June 28 - 29, 2008
San Francisco July 12 - 13, 2008
Washington, DC May 3 - 4, 2008

There is a registration fee for participants. You can register online. After completing your registration you will receive a training T-shirt, training packet, and be assigned to a coach.

U.S. Cancer Death Rates Are Found to Be Falling

January 12th, 2008

Published: October 15, 2007

New York Yimes

Death rates from cancer have been dropping by an average of 2.1 percent a year recently in the United States, a near doubling of decreases that began in 1993, researchers are reporting.

Read the rest……

These Cancer Survivors Are Entrepreneurs

January 12th, 2008

Being diagnosed with cancer can be devastating. It can also propel you to new heights. It can motivate you to do and accomplish things you only dreamed about. To own your own business is a dream most people have entertained. Few act on it. These cancer survivors did

Building Businesses Out Of Adversity:

Chad McComsey, a 26-year-old graphic designer was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. Not wanting to dwell on the negative side of his cancer he decided to start a t-shirt design business as a way to stay focused on something positive. Chad believed that starting a business would be a good way to help with the financial costs of cancer treatment. His story is truly inspiring. Visit his site here http://www.endureonline.com/about

Barb Gunselman is another cancer survivor’s success story that will inspire you . Barb is a breast cancer survivor. She was completely bald from chemotherapy and she hated wearing wigs. She wanted something that would stay put and make her feel a little more feminine and possibly distract from her obvious illness. She made herself a bandanna with Swarovski crystals all over it. She got so many compliments that she kept making them. That was the beginning of her very successful business. http://www.bellabandanas.com.

Vincene “Vinnie” Parrinello’s says her battle with that cancer “was the indispensable step in her path to business success” She was a 31-year-old pediatric nurse, married and with two children, when she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 1989. Six years later (1995) Vinnie started her business, Hope Aesthetics. Vinnie has been featured in magazines such as Oprah and People. She’s come a long way since the depths of her cancer treatment ordeal 17 years ago. Visit her site at, http://www.hopeskincare.com.

Sheril Cohen was frustrated by the loss of her own waist-long She uncomfortable shopping for a wig in public. So she started a service business that brings the wig-shopping into homes of women dealing with hair loss from cancer and other diseases. Sheril’s business, called “Girl on the Go,” brings a selection of wigs right to her clients’ front doors. A stylist also usually comes along, who actually cuts the hair to match her clients’ current haircut, Visit her site at www.girlonthego.biz.

John Fink, the administrator of this blog was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in 2005. When I was discharged from the hospital following surgery I was sent to a rehabilitation (Nursing Home) center. My oncologist declared me permanently and totally disabled. I looked for a business which would allow me to work from home. I found one with a company and product that significantly helped in my cancer recovery.
http://www.TimeToEarnWhatYoureWorth.com

 

Are You Getting Enough Oxygen

January 11th, 2008

Several years ago I was taken to the hospital with horrific stomach pain.
Within an hour of arriving at the hospital, I was in the operating room having
my gall bladder taken out. That is no longer a major surgical procedure inasmuch
as it is done with just a couple if small incisions. Normally you go home the
next day. I was there for 9 days.

The problem was they couldn’t get my oxygen up to a safe level. When I left the
hospital I didn’t give much thought about having to breathe with oxygen tubes in
my nose while I was in the hospital. I thought it was a minor and temporary
condition.

A few years later I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Again, the hospital had
to keep me hooked up to oxygen through out my treatment. When I returned home
after 32 consecutive days in the hospital my surgical wounds would not heal. I
had the Visiting Nurses coming to my house twice a day for about a year. The
nurse tested my oxygen level and expressed concern.

I discovered that an insufficient level of oxygen in the blood is called
hypoxia. It prevents the blood from being adequately oxygenated. If the
condition worsens to the total absence of oxygen it is called anoxia. This
condition is serious; it kills healthy cels and can cause death. You don’t have
to have a medical degree to know that without oxygen, you die. Try seeing how
long you can hold your breath.

I could not understand why my oxygen level kept dropping down. I mean I was
breathing and air contains oxygen. I was drinking water (H20). That’s one part
oxygen isn’t it? So I did some research. The air we breathe today has far more
pollutants than the air people breathed before the birth of the industrial
revolution. The water we drink is not as pure as the water our ancestors drank.

Ed McCabe, author of “Flood Your Body with Oxygen” brings this into clear focus,
“By breathing, eating, and living, we are constantly taking unnatural non-food
substances into our bodies. We can’t help it! Preservatives, colorings,
flavorings, hydrogenated oils, artificial chemicals, smog, etc., day-in and
day-out, over and over, pile up inside our cells and body fluids. Because of
this piling up of toxic waste within us, we prematurely age, and become fertile
breeding grounds for bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and every manner of
disease-causing microorganism, which unnecessarily causes us to age, suffer, and
die, way too early.”

I discovered, from my personal experience and from my research that we may not
be getting enough oxygen. I also discovered that oxygen is a nutrient. I
discovered that my oxygen deficiency was a factor in my cancer.

Here are some of the things my research revealed:

The planet’s quality of oxygen is declining. Researchers have documented that
the oxygen in today’s environment is as much as one-third less than in ancient
times.

Dr. W. Spencer Way writes in the Journal of the American Association of
Physicians, Insufficient oxygen means insufficient biological energy that can
result in anything from mild fatigue to life-threatening disease.

Dr. Otto Warburg, recipient of two Nobel prizes in Medicine, referred to oxygen
as A vital cell detoxifier, and pointed to oxygen deficiency as the underlying
cause of degenerative diseases, and ultimately the death of the cell.

Thankfully the world’s population is becoming aware of the health hazards we are
breathing. We are making progress with alternative energy, hybrid cars, and
fewer chemicals in many of the products we consume. We need to do our part in
protecting the environment.

Equally importantly, we need to be conscious of our own oxygen level. Talk with
you health care provider and be certain you are getting you sufficient supply of
vitamins, minerals and nutrients including oxygen. Remember, Oxygen is a
nutrient.

Oxygen And Cancer

January 10th, 2008

Ed McCabe offers the following insights in his book “Flood Your Body with Oxygen”

“Our bodies were designed to function on nearly twice as much oxygen than is available in today’s everyday atmosphere. Deep core ice drillings reveal ancient atmosphere levels were up to 38 to 50 percent oxygen, yet today’s atmosphere is only 20.9 percent oxygen, and even less in the cities, especially where the smog is so thick you can see it.

By breathing, eating, and living, we are constantly taking unnatural non-food substances into our bodies. We can’t help it! Preservatives, colorings, flavorings, hydrogenated oils, artificial chemicals, smog, etc., day-in and day-out, over and over, pile up inside our cells and body fluids. Because of this piling up of toxic waste within us, we prematurely age, and become fertile breeding grounds for bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and every manner of disease-causing microorganism, which unnecessarily causes us to age, suffer, and die, way too early. But we CAN do something about it.

Here’s the first great secret of oxygen therapies: The only way the disease-causing pollution and trash can ever LEAVE our bodies is to first be combined with oxygen, in other words, oxidized!

Without enough oxygen, the body simply can’t take out the inner garbage, and the pollution and waste stay within us, causing organ and function breakdown, as in digestive problems, arthritis, tiredness, depression, premature aging, and the pain and disfiguration of all the diseases!

Remember, in today’s environment we only have HALF the oxygen that we are designed to run on in order to be in perfect health. By living in an oxygen deficient environment, and not feeding our cells the proper oxygen and nutrients needed for cleaning out toxins and wastes, our body fluids and blood can become dirty and toxic. And when you consider you are two thirds (usually over 100 pounds of) water, and that your body water is filthy from pollution while every cell floats in it, you can see exactly why we get sick and tired. In today’s toxic world, everyone can benefit greatly from increased oxygenation.”

Find out how to get a FREE Health Test Kit
that you can test yourself and your loved ones at home.
This simple test could save your life!


*First Name
*Last Name
*E-mail
*Telephone #

Chemobrain

January 10th, 2008

After finally completing extensive chemotherapy treatment and enduring the many complications as a result of that treatment, I found that I was physically and mentally exhausted. I wasn’t too surprised at that. After all, I went through a lot in my battle with cancer. One of my hospital stays lasted 32 consecutive days during which I lost 60 lbs.

I was more concerned with my mental deterioration than with my physical exhaustion. For almost two years after my treatment my mind was constantly in a fog I had great difficulty concentrating, focusing and remembering things. I honestly thought I had Alzheimer’s disease. I jokingly used to say, “I have chemobrain”. I don’t know where I picked up that term but I thought it was a non-medical vernacular term.

Some time later, I discovered it is a real medical condition. A recent UCLA study shows that chemotherapy causes changes to the brain’s metabolism and blood flow that can linger at least 10 years after treatment. According to that study, chemotherapy patients experience disrupted thought processes and confusion.

Hospitals and cancer organizations are unanimous in recognizing chemobrain as a very real medical condition. Recently oncologist Dr Patricia Ganz received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct a five year study on chemo brain.

Researchers from New York’s University of Rochester found several types of key brain cells were highly vulnerable to the drugs used in chemotherapy. According to Dr Mark Noble of the University of Rochester, “This is the first study that puts chemo brain on a sound scientific footing.”

From the Science Daily, Cancer survivors, take note. The mental fog and forgetfulness of “chemo brain” are no figment of your imagination.”

Now that we recognize that chemobrain is very real medical condition, what can we do about it? Here are some suggestions:

Establish routines.
Use a daily planner
Exercise your brain. Read, get a hobby, do volunteer work Take some courses.,
Get sufficient rest and sleep.
Don’t dwell on your chemobrain symptoms.
Be absolutely certain that you are getting a sufficient amount of oxygen.
Talk about it to family, friends, and your healthcare team about your chemobrain symptoms..
Remember, you are not dim-witted or nuts; you have a real side-effect to chemotherapy.

Researchers are also looking at different medications as possible treatments for chemobrain.

Personally, I’m not waiting for them to come up with a medicine to treat the side effects of another medicine. From my research and personal experience in overcoming chemobrain, I discovered the following things are working for me:

Exercise. Its a known fact that exercise can improve you mood, increase your energy and help your concentration.

A healthy diet.

Certain vitamins and supplements.

Supporting A Cancer Patient

January 10th, 2008

I have never enjoyed visiting people in the hospital. Or even in their home when they were sick. That’s not a good thing for an ordained minister. When I was the pastor of a church, visiting the sick was not my most enjoyable task. However, it is something we all should do, even if it is not the most enjoyable activity.

Do you know someone who is undergoing cancer treatment? Visit them. They will appreciate it. Maybe you have a family member who has been diagnosed with cancer. Research has proven that individuals do better physically, mentally and emotionally if they have the support and the company of friends and family.

The following suggestions should help you be the supportive person for your loved one or even a casual friend who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Your first fear is, “What shall I say?” You actually don’t have to say anything. Or at least not very much. Your first job is to listen. This is difficult when you are with someone you care about who is facing a life-threatening illness.

It is imperative to listen without offering unrealistic expectations. Miracles do happen. I am one of them. No one, not even my doctors expected me to love. I felt so hopeless that I called hospice in. The only bright spots in my day were the visits of my friends and family. I think those visits were as much a factor in my recovery as the chemotherapy treatments, my surgeries and the 38 radiation treatments I endured.

Most of my visitors refrained from telling me how good I looked and promising me that I would be my “old self” in no time. Yeah right. With tubes up my nose and extending from my arm I resented what I perceived as false hope. I am not saying that you should not provide words of encouragements and hope. Just be careful not to promise things your loved one my not have the capacity to believe right now.

It is common human behavior to say “Oh, you’re going to be just fine”. Just sitting with someone who is sick and not feeling very hopeful can be the most significant contribution that you will make to your loved one’s well-being.

Stay in touch. Cancer treatment and recovery can be a long drawn out process. Cancer patients often think that “people don’t call or visit any more” Checking in regularly over the long haul is tremendously helpful.

Are You A Health Nut?

January 10th, 2008

Prior to getting cancer I did not pay any attention to preventive health issues. Nutrition was a boring subject. I did not eat vegetables. I did not eat fish. I did not drink milk. I did not have an exercise program. I did not take any nutritional supplements. Guess what? I do now! I am beginning to be a health nut.

Is it crazy to be a Health Nut? Or is it crazy not to be a health nut? Click here to find out.

I guess an important lesson I learned having overcome cancer, is that it isn’t crazy to be a health nut. I now have a Safe, Easy, Achievable, and Healthy Diet. Its the Mediterranean diet, also Known As The Cancer Diet. It Is Currently One Of The Most Respected Diets Known Today. Learn more by clicking here.