Did you know the number one symptom of lung cancer is a persistent cough? Other symptoms include bouts of wheezing, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, blood-streaked sputum, and a hoarse voice.

Did you know 28 percent of all cancer deaths are due to lung cancer and that it's the number one killer among both men and women?

Did you know that Hookahs -- used to inhale tobacco through a water pipe -- let in the same cancer-causing substances as cigarettes and are just as harmful as smoking, despite the fact that many people believe they are safer?

Now you know.

Source: WebMD: the Magazine, March/April 2007

Back in 2002, photographs of a somewhat plump Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in many popular magazines. At the time, Curtis was just two years into pursuing sobriety and had gained upwards of 20 pounds. It appeared Curtis was flaunting her new look, perhaps even giving the public permission to be happy in their own skin. Not a bad thing, right?

It was a bad idea, says Curtis who now regrets communicating to the masses that letting yourself go is OK. Because it's not. Now fit and trim -- not skinny, just trim -- Curtis says in the July 2007 issue of Ladies Home Journal, "So I think what some people took from those photos was: Love yourself, no matter what. And the problem with this is: What if what you're doing is unhealthy?"

"And the problem is that how many of us are killing ourselves every day? Who here has high blood pressure and is still eating salt and French fries? Who has been told that her liver is enlarged and unless she stops drinking she's gonna end up with liver disease and/or need a liver transplant? We create senseless acts of violence against ourselves every day. And we live in this amnesia that we're not."

The latest edition of People Magazine has an interview with Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's wife Ann. While she writes about being diagnosed with MS, she remarks, ' I thought, 'Couldn't I just have cancer and die?' Her remarks are raising some eyebrows among cancer specialists and survivors, including Leroy Sievers, who writes this powerful response, and I can see why.

Since when did cancer become a quick way to die? Cancer is something the goes on for years, that slowly destroys your body and chips away at your spirit piece by piece. During my dad's time with cancer, he was depressed, constantly ill and in pain and unable to eat more than a bit of soup every day. He needed major amounts of pain medication just to get through the day. He tried to enjoy his last few months with his family but he couldn't because he was too sick to do anything. And while I'm sure MS isn't a walk in the park either, does that sound like a more desirable illness? Hardly.

What are your thoughts on this?

When I describe the cancerous lump I found in my breast almost three Novembers ago, I explain that it felt like a hard, frozen green pea. The port used for chemotherapy infusions and sewn under the skin near my collarbone? It looked like a bottle cap popping up for all to see. My kids called it a stone. I had to numb my skin prior to treatments -- the needle inserted into the center of the port was just too big and painful. I slathered on my numbing lotion prior to each dose of drugs. Imagine the size of a quarter. I used twice this much. I was wimpy.

There's something about visual descriptions that help us remember some of the more important things in life. Here's a good one:

According to Jeffrey Dover, MD and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, we must not skimp when we apply sunscreen. How do we know if we are cutting ourselves short? We should be using a shot-glass full of sun protection to cover our bodies. Anything less is not enough.

I just read this in the latest issue of The Oprah Magazine (July 2007):

"I have come to believe . . . that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal, and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood." - Audre Lorde

If I could have said this beautiful sentiment on my own, I would have. But I didn't, so I'll borrow it and profess that this is exactly how I feel.

Apparently the movie In the Land of Women is playing somewhere in the United States -- it was released on April 20 -- but I can't seem to find it in my area. I want to find it, though, because it stars actress Meg Ryan as Sarah Hardwicke, a woman rediscovering herself as she recovers from breast cancer.

Breast cancer is not the main theme in this movie. It's mostly about a successful writer, played by The O.C.'s Adam Brody, who loses a girl, moves to a new town to care for his grandmother, and finds a new girl. Her mom is Sarah Hardwicke.

I learned about this movie just today while reading an interview with Meg Ryan in the May 2007 issue of Redbook.

I just saw a powerful American Cancer Society (ACS) public service announcement in a magazine. A picture of a young woman fills most of the page and this woman, shown holding a framed photograph of another young woman, looks solemn. The words that accompany the photo capture the sadness in her eyes:

My sister accidentally killed herself.

These are the words that follow:

She died of skin cancer.

Most people think skin cancer happens to other people, according the ACS. Yet it's the most common of all cancers. And left undetected, skin cancer can be fatal. It is also curable -- if caught early.

I'm no cook. And I'll never claim a recipe is my own. Anyone who likes my taco salad should thank my friend Kim and her mom Kathy. My turkey meatballs: all credit goes to my brother-in-law's mom. The brownies I once whipped up and now have given up: kudos to Betty Crocker. And this recipe I'm about to share comes straight from the pages of the May 2007 issue of Family Circle magazine. It's such a simple recipe -- takes five minutes tops. I probably could have invented it on my own. But I didn't.

Go With The Grain

Top 1 cup whole-grain cereal with:

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup each strawberries and raspberries
1 cup 1% milk

I've said it before. Every time I go running I feel like I'm crushing cancer with each and every step I pound onto the pavement. It's exhilarating, knowing I'm doing something good for my body and my soul, knowing every day I run is one more day I've survived a nasty disease. Apparently, others agree.

Think about this:

A new Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure magazine advertisement features a close-up shot of the bottom of a running shoe. Woven into the tread on the bottom of the shoe are these words:

Every step resounds with the satisfying crunch of breast cancer being stomped into oblivion.

This is exactly how I feel.

I'm not a fan of juice and have never been one to offer it to my little boys. There's just too much sugar swirling around in the beverage to make it an appealing choice for me.

Despite its sugar content, however, there are certain health benefits one might gain from drinking juice -- especially a specific type of apple juice.

Think about this:

Next time you're in the market for apple juice, try the cloudy, unclarified variety. Recent research indicates it has four times the concentration of anti-cancer polyphenols as the clear juice most people drink.

Source: Family Circle, April 2007

Chances are, someone you love has breast cancer. And if not now, one day this is likely to be true -- because one in eight women will develop an invasive form of the disease at some point during her lifetime.

If and when it happens to you, when you find yourself saying, Someone I love has breast cancer, one of the first things you'll consider is how you might help. It's a natural feeling -- the urge to reach out -- and I've got an idea for you if you find yourself searching for the right way to brighten the day for that someone you love.

Think about this:

How about honoring your loved one in a special Ladies' Home Journal website photo gallery? Simply find a photograph that candidly captures the essence of your special someone, why you love her, and how she is surviving the disease.

To submit by e-mail, send your photo digitally in JPEG format to lhj.breastcancer@meredith.com. Type "breast cancer" in the subject line, and include the following information:

Her Name:
Her Age:
Where she lives (City, State):
What LHJ should know about her:
Your Name:
Your Address:
Your Phone Number:
Your e-mail address:

To submit by mail, include the same information and a copy of your photograph. Mail to:

Ladies' Home Journal/Breast Cancer Photo Gallery, 125 Park Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Deadline: July 11, 2007

This week, CBS News, the Washington Post, NY Times and USA Today shed a glaring light on people living with cancer. And Newsweek put the Livestrong wristband on its cover.

Pick up the April 9, 2007 issue of Newsweek to read the story How I live with Cancer.

Jonathan took the call on his cell phone at the Starbucks in New York's Penn Station...It was from a doctor I barely knew telling me that a CT scan-ordered after three weeks of worsening stomach pain-showed a large mass in my abdomen, with what she said was "considerable lymph node involvement." I rubbed my eyes and sensed the truth instantly: cancer, and not one that had been detected early. I was 46 years old and had not spent a night in the hospital since I was born. Nonsmoker. No junk food beyond the occasional barbecue potato chips. Jogged a couple of times a week. I was not remotely ready for this.

Later on in the article Johnathan tells his readers:

I have cancer, it's going to be bad, but I'll live until I'm 90. Probably not, but I turn 50 this year and, full of hope, recall that great line from "The Shawshank Redemption": "You can get busy living, or get busy dying." For me, it's no contest.

Time to test your smarts -- about sleep, sun, food, and alcohol.

Just read the following questions, pick an option and then scroll down to determine if you really know what's best for your health.

• Is it healthier to sleep an extra hour or force yourself out of bed in the morning to exercise?

• Is it healthier to spend 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen or two hours in the sun wearing SPF 30?

• Is it better to have a second glass of wine at dinner or a sinful dessert?

Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer recurrence has the disease once again dominating newspapers, magazines, television programs, and conversations.

Just two days ago, I heard a run-down of facts about breast cancer. They were shared to raise awareness, and while I was already aware of most of them, it's still quite sobering to hear some of the statistics that surround a disease that lands in the laps of more than 200,000 American women every year.

Think about these -- three powerful truths that happen to stick in my mind at this very moment:

The highest risk of breast cancer belongs to those older than 60.

Nearly 85 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

And tragically, every three minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

There are four pages in the March 2007 Reader's Digest featuring amazing discoveries, devices, tests, and cures. And many of the snippets of information are -- yes -- somehow linked to cancer.

Think about this:

• A new ultrasound technique lets radiologists distinguish between malignant and benign breast lesions. Using elasticity imaging, researchers accurately identified harmless and cancerous lesions in almost all of the 80 cases studied. If results can be reproduced in a large trial, this technique could significantly reduce the number of breast biopsies required.

• Scientists seeking new treatment for diseases can use an online tool developed by researchers at MIT and Harvard. The Connectivity Map matches diseases with compatible drugs, based on the genetic profiles of both. So far, about 160 drugs and compounds are cataloged, and a few new uses for existing drugs have already been suggested. Eventually, all FDA-approved drugs will be included.

• For those who sometimes forget to take their pills, a new device -- that can be preloaded with up to 100 doses of medication -- could one day be implanted in the body and programmed to administer drugs via wireless signals. This device, successful in tests using dogs, was designed to deliver medicines that are less effective when taken orally.

Sometimes it seems cancer's grip is tightening. Other times, in the war against this pesky disease, it seems we are on the verge of something really great.