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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?
There might be some bad news out there for men with above or below normal birth weights -- new studies are showing that they might be at a high risk for testicular cancer than those who were born a more normal size. To be more precise, men with low birth weights were 18% more likely to develop testicular cancer than their normal-sized counterparts, and high birth weight men were 12% more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. It should be noted, however, that the findings are only try to seminoma testicular cancer, which is the most prevalent type.
Researchers are not indicating whether they believe there might be a reason to these findings. I wonder if some unhealthy habits of mothers that may have lead to low or high birth weights could be playing a role in the health of their sons later in life? What do you think?
Popular celebrities like Kate Moss and Scarlett Johansson have lent their signature style to the fight against cancer by designing charms that reflect their own character, which will be sold with the profits going to a prominent UK cancer charity. The charms are appearing on a necklace that is being sold at Wallis for about $51USD each. Moss' charm is a petite swallow, while Johansson's is a vibrant yellow and orange lilly. Other contributors include designer Christian Louboutin and comedian Catherin Tate.
I think it's great to see celebrities and designers offering their time and their good taste towards a good cause. Don't you 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.
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.
Jennifer Willey is a pretty 28-year old with a twinkle in her eye and a love of shopping and dancing. She's a much-loved daughter, friend and mum to an adorable potbellied pig named Willa. She's also embedded in a battle with Hodgkin's disease -- a battle she's been fighting since she was diagnosed in 2005. I found Jennifer's website through Alese Coco's Fight 2 Win site, and though Alese has tragically lost her battle, Jennifer is still fighting just as valiantly, and is just as determined that she will conquer cancer. I've never met her in person, but Jennifer has truly inspired me with her graciousness and her spirit. She is a survivor.
Unfortunately, Jennifer was not able to compile her thoughts for the Survivor Spotlight feature, as she's recently been admitted to the hospital. The answers below are snippets from her website:
On finding out she had cancer:
The year of 2004 came and went by so quickly. I was working full-time in human resources, was planning my wedding, and around two hours a day was spent commuting back and forth to work. I was running on adrenaline. I was tired most days, but figured it was from all the stress. My big day was October 9, 2004. It was a gorgeous day, everything turned out perfect. Soon after I noticed I was itching quite frequently, mainly on my legs. I also started having sweats. It was just about winter time, and each night I would wake up soaked. Chris thought I was losing my mind. I began to question it myself ...
Your Thyroid gland is located at the base of your neck, and like other glands, it produces hormones that keep your body going, regulating things like your metabolism and your heart rate. When someone develops a lump on their thyroid gland, often it is benign (non-cancerous) but occasionally it's malignant (cancerous) and the patient requires treatments for Thyroid Cancer. Fortunately, the prognosis is good for those with Thyroid Cancer.
Symptoms As mentioned, the most common symptom of Thyroid Cancer is the discovery of a lump at the base of your neck. Other symptoms include pain in that area, difficulty breathing, changes in voice (including horseness), difficulty swallowing and/or swollen lymph nodes. However, these symptoms can be a sign of something else -- an infection, for example -- so people should not panic if they find they have these symptoms.
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.
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.
Attention Thyroid cancer survivors and patients: the Thyroid Cancer Survivors Conference is happening this fall in San Francisco on October 19-21. The conference will be an invaluable resource for those affected by the disease, and features many experts on the disease among its panel of speakers. The sessions won't just be about the science behind the disease -- there will be talks on coping skills, healing and general well-being. Past conference attendees have lots of good things to say about the experience, which you can read for yourself here.
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.
Apparently, this is not unheard of, as people are often at risk of suicide after receiving bad news. Still, considering all the advances that are happening each day in the medical field, it's a shame that she couldn't stick around to have her hope and health restored. My thoughts go out to her family.
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?
It seems these days like killer toxins are lurking in every corner of your home, office or school. Here's another finding to fuel your paranoia -- a fire retardant used in many couches called PBDE has been linked to lots of problems, including cancer and autism in children. While PBDEs aren't used in sofas any more, chances are you have an older sofa in your house -- I know I do. What's more, a different fire retardant chemical, called Tris, is replacing PBDEs in furniture, and it's been shown to be just as deadly.
What can we do, aside from building our own furniture, to escape the onslaught of harmful toxins in our home? Or is it something we should even be concerned about in the first place?
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?
It used to be that Mononucleosis was known as the Kissing Disease. We were warned not to play spin the bottle because we could end up missing school from mono, though that was a desirable prospect to some students and we were sure to make a full recovery in a few months. But these days, kissing can lead to so much more than just mono -- this article suggests that HPV can be transmitted simply by kissing, although it's more likely to be spread through oral sex, and this can lead to cancer. Another cause of the rising numbers of cancer? It's thought that smoking cannabis is to blame for some oral cancers, although this is unsubstantiated.
What do you think -- is HPV really a 'kissing' disease?
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. 
There might be some bad news out there for men with above or below normal birth weights -- new studies are showing that 
Popular celebrities like Kate Moss and Scarlett Johansson have lent their signature style to the fight against cancer by 
I recently read this article, which states that 
Jennifer Willey is a pretty 28-year old with a twinkle in her eye and a love of shopping and dancing. She's a much-loved daughter, friend and mum to an adorable potbellied pig named Willa. She's also embedded in a battle with Hodgkin's disease -- a battle she's been fighting since she was diagnosed in 2005. I found 
Your Thyroid gland is located at the base of your neck, and like other glands, it produces hormones that keep your body going, regulating things like your metabolism and your heart rate. When someone develops a lump on their thyroid gland, often it is benign (non-cancerous) but occasionally it's malignant (cancerous) and the patient requires treatments for Thyroid Cancer. Fortunately, the prognosis is good for those with Thyroid Cancer.
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 Chicago Cubs will honour breast cancer patients in their September 22nd game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 
Attention Thyroid cancer survivors and patients: the Thyroid Cancer Survivors Conference is happening this fall in San Francisco on October 19-21. The conference will be an invaluable resource for those affected by the disease, and features many experts on the disease among its panel of speakers. The sessions won't just be about the science behind the disease -- there will be talks on coping skills, healing and general well-being. Past conference attendees have lots of good things to say about the experience, which
World-renowned artist Susan Rios is 
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, 
It seems these days like killer toxins are lurking in every corner of your home, office or school. Here's another finding to fuel your paranoia -- 
Here's an interesting story: 
It used to be that 
