By Bob W Kirkpatrick

I wanted to die. It was a done deal, what with the doctors telling me I only had six months left anyway. I had a cancer that they couldn't treat but were trying chemotherapy anyway. All it did was make me feel worse.I spent my days and nights laying in bed, alternately sleeping and waking with only serious pain for companionship. Pain was a better friend than my care giver; which is to say that while the pain was always there, my care giver was only there when she had to be. My lucky draw gave me someone who always did the minimum. I had the cancer, but she claimed a list of her own personal troubles and believed she was more entitled to concern and attention than I.

There's something that happens to a lot of people who take chemotherapy and it's called chemo-brain. Thoughts are scrambled in a lightweight muddle akin to dementia but not as bad. Memories are often distorted or lost and this colored my perceptions with depression and insecurity. The minimalist approach to care left me feeling worse and worse about myself, adding unworthiness to the menu of thoughts marching through my mind. The lack of attention to me was interpreted as evidence of my low value. If I'd have had more strength and a touch more presence of mind, I would have offed myself and felt nothing more than relief as I faded away.

Poor care is, sad to say, a common thing. Especially here in America where we have such busy lives and see ourselves so important that we Twitter our every move and describe our greatness on Facebook. We are the best at stepping away from people of disability while declaring in clear politically correct tones just how empathic we are to the handicapped. Meanwhile nursing homes continue to be a growth industry and many are confined to isolated rooms at home. We stack our elderly and chronically ill like cord wood for someone else to worry about or, alternatively, when budgets are low, in an isolated room in the home. In both cases it can be ostracizing a human being from all they hold dear.

I managed to come back from that precipice, but more out of sheer luck and circumstances rather than the work of any person or group. Terminating the chemotherapy gave me a better perspective and a greater wit to view my situation. It allowed me to see that I did have value, even if it were only to myself. From there I pulled myself from the pit of despair into which I'd been cast by those who cared about me -but cared themselves more. It improved my outlook. The improvement is such that I am okay with the idea of my demise and will accept it with grace, I think, when my time arrives but I don't wish to accelerate its arrival. However, it surely caused a disconnect between myself and those I shared my sphere of existence with; after all, I was betrayed. The promises of concern, respect, and care were all swept beneath the carpet of personal convenience.

We need to take better care of those among us who suffer, because failing to do so sets a course across the proverbial slippery slope. Care in general suffers when convenience is given greater priority than the demonstration of human kindness. As we allow care to deteriorate we are setting the stage for our own discomfort and lost esteem if and when it becomes our turn to require care.

The purpose of pain control is to add quality of life to someone who's lacking in it. Without quality of life, existence easily loses its meaning in favor of the concept of a death with dignity, even if that death comes from a pistol barrel placed beneath the jaw or a plastic bag filled with helium over the head. Death of any kind can hold a great deal more allure than the emotional pain of isolation enforced by the self important thoughts of those upon whom we must rely. I know this to be true because I have experienced it.

But I was lucky. Circumstance smiled upon me and led me away from the abyss, perhaps so that I could explain just how much that human contact can mean to those with little to look forward to. Just as the tiniest of sleights can take a severe toll on the sensitive feelings of the suffering, the tiniest kindnesses can have tremendous positive impact as well.

By Bob W Kirkpatrick

I'm a junkie. I didn't start out to be one, it just happened. I don't skulk through back alleys and share needles with society's human effluence, but all the same I have a monkey on my back. It takes a measure of control over myself away from me, because a halt to my use of narcotics will result in withdrawal symptoms, some of which can be fatal. That puts the morphine I take in the driver's seat whether I like it or not.

I'm a cancer patient. I was diagnosed with non-secretory Multiple Myeloma two years ago after years of hospital ER visits for extreme chest or lower back pain. The chest pains were always blamed on my smoking habit, and my back pains were blamed on strain. It turned out that bone marrow cancer was the culprit, and it was found when a doctor finally went beyond a cursory inspection and ordered a CAT scan and a bone marrow biopsy. It's kind of funny; all those years I had physicians intimate that I was trying to get pain killers for a little mental recreation, and they went out of their way to make sure that didn't happen. Now that I have been diagnosed, the medical community can't seem to satisfy itself that it's given me enough medication for pain.

The type of cancer I have causes severe bone deterioration and also generates tumors called plasmacytomas. Both the deterioration and the tumors are incredibly painful. It takes a serious pain killer to dull the agonies, but no medication can actually eliminate the pain (which is a great motivator to continue taking the narcotics they give me). Dulling the pain is the best I can hope for because using too much of the pain killer has disquieting symptoms --ranging from uncomfortable dizziness up to outright overdose. As with much in life, moderation and compromise is key.

Like many who become addicted, for me it started out with codeine in gradually greater doses, and then a jump to morphine sulfate when the weaker medications no longer did the job. Over time, the body accustoms itself to the medication, building tolerance. So it takes more and more of the drug to maintain its effectiveness. But then, that's how everyone becomes a junkie: it sneaks up on you. In my case, I knew addiction was coming because I knew that the pain wouldn't stop until I died. It also implied that I would need to employ caution in my use of the pain killers.

Pain elicits fear. Which is to say that anyone who feels pain doesn't want to feel it again. Knowing that the body builds tolerance for the pain medications motivates me to want to delay the point at which it becomes ineffective. That entails a trade-off, exchanging a little more pain in the present in order to maintain my pain at that level for a longer period of time than I might otherwise. It's a tightrope act where the rope is made of eggshells to walk on. I have seen other people who feel chronic pain do all they can to eliminate all of the pain, and I watched them speed through the graduation to higher dosing only to be left with greater pain that's more difficult to control. So in essence, one needs to embrace some pain in order to feel less of it overall. It requires a "big picture" perspective; looking at the short term only sets the stage for greater, less manageable pain later on. It is fearing the greater pain later that moderates my seeking comfort today. I believe that it's better to suffer an ache today than an agony tomorrow.

Dealing with pain is a personal matter because people react to pain differently. Pain threshold is extremely personal and for that reason I don't have much respect for the 1 to 10 pain scale used by so many in medicine today. For me, my pain is logarithmic in the way it rises. My pain scale goes 1, 2, 3, 7, 11... I have experienced cancer pain severe enough to beg those about me to bypass any attempt to comfort me and just put me down. The 1 to 10 scale doesn't appear to me to include that super level of pain. Instead it merely associates agony with a happy face whose smile is upside down and has tears coming from the eyes. I think of that as meaningless; they should have a photo of Jack Kevorkian at level 10 instead. It is the patient and not the doctor who should determine the appropriate medication dosage because an unhappy face character allows for a lot of room for error.

We patients must walk a compromising line that balances the efficacy of our drugs with our personal tolerance for pain. So for me, moderation and compromise is key. Pain being the strong motivator it is can urge its victim to try and eliminate their painful condition, with the problems doing so might create later dismissed as irrelevant. Moderation can sometimes be a difficult row to hoe.

By Owen Jones

Most individuals have a nebulous concept that eating meat is bad for you and that eating vegetables will stop you from acquiring some significant diseases such as cancer. Not everybody believes this, yet still there is an under current or popular conviction that it is so.

It certainly is the case that you will consume less animal fat if you are a vegetarian. However, even vegetarians normally eat some animal fats when they eat shop-bought cakes or meals in restaurants. There are basically two schools of ideology on dietary fat.

The traditional view is that decreasing saturated fats is good for you yet there is the Atkins Diet idea that saturated fats will not hurt you but carbohydrates will. Regrettably, the average guy in the street who does not have a medical degree just has to go with his or her best judgment and hope for the best. After all, if the experts can not agree on what is healthy and what is not good for us, what chance do we have of knowing?

It is almost certainly quite true that eating less saturated fat and eating more fibre-rich vegetables and fruit is a good notion, yet there is no real necessity to cut out meat all together. Some studies in Europe have suggested that vegetarians are up to 40% less to be expected to develop cancer than meat-eaters.

Furthermore, studies into breast cancer rates around the world suggest that there is less breast cancer in countries where they eat less meat like China and other eastern countries, whereas in Japan, where the American presence has had the result that more people eat a la American, the rate of breast cancer is eight times higher.

This tends to insinuate that the American diet of plenty of saturated fat and processed meat like hamburgers and hot dogs is responsible for increased rates of cancer.

It is also said that meat and dairy products contribute to the development of a number of kinds of cancer including breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancers. Colon cancer appears to be the most affected by a high consumption of meat and dairy with one report stating that it can increase the danger by an enormous 300%.

One recognized difficulty for adults with drinking milk is that it can increase the body's levels of oestrogen which is the 'female' hormone. This can produce breasts in overweight men and increase the risk of breast cancer in both sexes.

It has been reported that one study into cancer in premenopausal women showed that those who consumed meat had a thirty-odd percent more risk of getting cancer. Eating dairy products has been linked with ovarian cancer, because it appears that breaking down lactose damages the ovaries in some way.

There is a similar trend in men. Men who eat meat every day have a higher danger of prostate cancer, some say up to three times as high and drinking milk might double the risk too. Those men who do not eat vegetables at all or very infrequently quadruple their likelihood of prostate cancer.

It is very difficult to know what to do, because various studies by different bodies reveal different findings. If you do not know who to follow, it seems best to attempt to follow a balanced diet in which fruit and vegetables make up the majority of the bulk and calories.

By Alan Wighton

When a close friend and neighbour was diagnosed with cancer and not given a very bright future, she came to me for assistance to help her overcome the problem. This is the approach we took to beat the disease. We long knew that orthodox treatments were not very effective as a cancer cure as they were only treating the symptoms of the problem and also none of their treatments would stop the cancer from returning or spreading. Cancer is one in which lifestyle factors, especially diet, play an important role.

Our neighbour made three important changes to her lifestyle and they were with the food she ate, the many chemicals she had been using, many of them in personal care products and she also started exercising. These changes were designed to strengthen her immune system. Cancer is simply a disease of a weak immune system which because it had been weakened through the way we now live, especially with our wrong food choices, allows normal body cells to mutate or change and become cancerous. The obvious way and the safest way to become cancer free is to strengthen the immune system and only natural living can do that.

Why is food so important to a cancer patient? Processed food is now a big part of our diet and any food item that's been processed has lost its nutritional value and that is just one of the reasons why there is so much cancer now. Processed food is nutritional deprived because of its processing, but freshly grown food is medicine we take when we're well, in order to build up our reserves of immunity and resilience to diseases such as cancer.

Why aren't we told about this by our health professional? Cancer today is big business and our doctors and oncologists are only taught treatments that are money oriented. No one can make vast profits out of food as it's a natural product and can't be patented unlike drugs. With drugs, the manufacturer themselves can control the price while they hold the patent on those drugs which removes any competition.

Today we spend billions of dollars in treating cancer yet we spent little promoting the consumption of freshly grown fruit and vegetables, food that our medical system should know are beneficial in both preventing and reversing cancer. Also we don't have cancer prevention except being told not to smoke or get sunburnt and that's why there is so much of it now.

The diet which was used to overcome cancer was freshly grown and "in season" fruit for breakfast. That is the perfect food to start the day. Lunch at midday was always a fresh salad and there is plenty to choose from there. It was highly recommended that garlic and beetroot be part of that. For the evening meal, the options could be something cooked and that could be either pumpkin soup or lightly steamed fresh vegetables and boiled potatoes.

Strict diets similar to this are the same as used by all natural cancer clinics today and they have far higher success rates than our current system of toxic treatments. What this diet does is to correct the reasons why the cancer first grew and when you do that the body will self-heal through the immune system.

The body can mend itself when injured, this we know and it's through the immune system but it can also recover from cancer using this same system. This protective and repair system is incredibly powerful.

By Jonathon Masters

Do you know that some cancer pain can be controlled and eliminated in a permanent way? Many cancer patients suffer from terrible pain, and there is a lot of physical and mental discomfort, which they undergo. For instance, the combined effects of drugs and chemotherapy make the human body very weak and this could result in a lot of pain. There are a number of traditional and alternative methods, though, which can be used to ease the pain.

Cancer pain can be both chronic and acute. And depending on the condition, there are various simple tips which can help in alleviating the pain.

1. If you suffer from acute cancer pain, you would need to consult the physician who may be able to prescribe medicines to ease the pain. Depending on the severity of the cancer and the stage of treatment, the levels of pain could differ. Many cancer patients get injections to help cure the condition. The best way to get a soothing effect on related swelling while easing pain may be the application of aloe vera on affected areas.

2. As cancer pain is not just caused due to physical conditions alone, as there are mental reasons too, it is advisable to try massaging therapy, which has been found to reduce the pain and swelling.

3. Exercises have been found to be very effective in pain management, as your body feels relaxed due to endorphins released during exercising.

4. Meditation and stress management techniques are also very effective in treating cancer pain. Many patients also suffer from depression and anxiety, and meditation can help to reduce the emotional stress which accompanies the pain. Another alternative form of treatment would be hypnosis.

5. You may also need to identify the trigger that causes the pain, as this can help in eliminating the causes. Alternative forms of pain management would be the best option as there are various side effects which can accompany medicines. You could also become addicted to the medicines, which could cause more harm than good. These are simple but effective tips, which would go a long way in reducing cancer pain.

By Janet Jacobsen

When the chemo and radiation treatment I received for recurrent uterine cancer failed to completely eliminate my tumor nearly 6 months ago, the doctors said there was nothing else they could do and I thought I was a goner. I have since been doing various alternative treatments and I'm feeling healthy and strong -- I am still here. However, I know that I am living on borrowed time; and I also know that my situation is not grave...it's gravy! Faced with possible imminent death, I am fully appreciating and tasting each moment and experiencing that time has magically slowed and expanded. As I'm immersed in the present and savoring it, I'm finding that this present is the gift that keeps on giving.

My husband Tom told me that his father lived with that grateful attitude each and every day, ever since an incident that happened when he was a young man serving in World War II. One day during the war, he generously gave up his foxhole to another man and sought shelter elsewhere. The man in the foxhole was killed by an artillery shell. After that Tom's father believed that there was nothing to worry about because from then on life was a gift, it was all gravy.

I'm feeling that too. I feel wide awake, happy to be alive, and wanting to learn all that I can while I'm still here on schoolhouse Earth. I also feel a great lessening of the fear that had gripped me when I first learned that I had cancer. I have accepted that I might die, and have come to a place of peace with it all. I know that I can do this. I can face whatever happens. I can feel whatever feelings come up. I don't want to die, but I've accepted that I'm doing everything I can and if my number is up then it's up. When the time comes, I can see myself going peacefully, knowing that it is my time to go, and believing that where I go from here is the next great adventure. In the meantime, I am making the most of this borrowed time.

The late great John Lennon wrote a song called "Borrowed Time" (included on his last album) which was inspired by a life-changing sailing adventure he had in the spring of 1980. He had been in a creative dry spell for five years and was feeling depressed. He decided to shake up his life by sailing with a crew on a sailboat from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda. Not long into the journey a severe storm with 20-foot waves and 65 mile an hour winds rendered everyone on board seasick, except John. He was an inexperienced sailor and felt terrified, but he was the only one who was well enough to sail the boat.

He recounted in a Playboy interview a few months after the incident how he steered the boat for 6 hours, keeping it on course, while persistent waves washed over him, smashing him in the face, knocking him to his knees at times. Though he was frightened, he said, "Once I accepted the reality of the situation, something greater than me took over and all of a sudden I lost my fear. I actually began to enjoy the experience and I started to shout out old sea shanties in the face of the storm, screaming at the thundering sky."

He had stepped up to the challenge, faced his fear, faced death, and came through it invigorated and enlivened. When he got to Bermuda he said that because of his experience at sea he felt centered and tuned into the cosmos and was inspired to write the beautiful songs for his Double Fantasy album, which eventually won the Grammy for album of the year.

After that incident John realized that he was living on borrowed time and said, "come to think of it, that's what we all are doing, even though most of us don't like to face it." He was killed just 6 months after that great awakening and brilliant outpouring of creativity, but those 6 months were richly imbued with vivid aliveness and appreciation for the fragility and preciousness of life. That's what I'm feeling about my life.

I believe that when someone, such as John Lennon, dies at an early age, it is a great waker-upper for people, it's a lovely parting gift, reminding us that this earth life is finite and let's go for it, let's prioritize, let's live fully while we are alive.

As John said, we are ALL living on borrowed time. It's all gravy. How about you? Are you fully tasting and savoring the gravy? Are you creating seeming catastrophes that are actually blessings in disguise, enhancing the flavor of your life, making it more delicious, exciting and purposeful? Here's to a life fully lived and savored!

By Jan Hasak

Give credit where credit is due. Children are much smarter than we imagine. They watch us like hawks, absorbing our thoughts without necessarily expressing themselves. As a cancer survivor and mother of three boys, I offer tips on interacting with your children when you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer:

1. Be up front about the cancer. My husband informed them of my breast cancer diagnosis as soon as they got home from school.

2. Give the children lots of physical affection and tell them at least once a day that you love them. Hugs, kisses, or less embarrassing pats on the back go a long way to ease tension and worry.

3. Be with the children as much as you can. Because I was a working mother, I didn't see much of my children until I got home after a busy day. With a cancer diagnosis I had no idea how much time I had left to be with my sons. So I made sure I volunteered for every field trip possible. I missed those trips only if I had a chemo or radiation day. My employer was very sympathetic and by that point I had many vacation days built up. We also made the most of our weekends: together we watched movies, read books, bicycled around our community and played board and card games.

4. Be open to questions about the cancer and give age-appropriate answers. My youngest boy asked me if cancer was contagious. I was able to reassure him that I could not give him cancer the way I could give him a cold or stomach flu. At four, he understood me in those simple terms.

5. Laugh together. Therapeutic humor is catching, in a good kind of way. It's the one alternative therapy to which no one objects. We always laughed at our cockatiel's antics and at the two mutts we owned who howled at sirens and balked at swimming. We also got a kick out of watching Abbott and Costello classics, as well as the slapstick humor of the Three Stooges. And the movie "Patch Adams" was a huge hit with our family.

6. Ask their teachers to report to you any unusual behavior that they observe with your children. My boys didn't express much angst about my condition. Two of them acted up in school, but I attributed it to "boys-will-be-boys" antics. But one never knows.

7. If you can afford it and it is appropriate, get tested for any genetic predisposition to your cancer. At my oncologist's urging I was recently tested for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations because of the relatively young age at which I was diagnosed and because of my recurrence. I felt I owed to my children the knowledge of their propensity to inherit the genetic mutation. As I suspected, I tested negative, but I was glad to be able to reassure my boys.

8. Write letters to the children that they can open later. I wrote a letter to my three-year-old after I was diagnosed and gave it to him to read when he was 18. He loved discovering what impressed me most about him at that age, and I'm sure he was touched by the sentiment expressed.

9. Check out from the library, buy or create your own children's book about what it's like to have cancer. One mom in my support group wrote and illustrated her own personal book so that her sons would understand at their level what was happening in their mother's world.

10. Write in a journal any thoughts and musings you have about your children's emotions at the time so you have a record. They may be interested later in your thought process and share with you how your cancer diagnosis and treatment affected them.

11. Be prepared for surprises later on! I recently discovered from a radio interviewer how deeply my cancer had affected one of my sons. He was encouraged by a youth pastor to take up music as a diversion from his feelings of helplessness over my cancer. Now he is an accomplished keyboardist in a large worship band. All because of the cancer!

I'm sure many ideas can be added to this list. Be creative. And be aware that children are very perceptive, flexible and forgiving. Give credit to them for their understanding, and they will return the favor many-fold.

By Troy A Shanks

Cancer malignancy is a disease which often can frighten any person away from their own senses. On the other hand, making use of zeolite will help hold most cancers from increasing. Zeolite is actually a mineral; it performs a huge role in preserving the overall health of the individual. Liquid zeolite particularly features a extremely important part to experience within the healthcare situation. It will help in lowering the occurrence of numerous bacterial infections and conditions.

Zeolite is recognized to overcome brain tumors. It is actually most basically referred to as a purifying solution. It is usually employed to get clear from the numerous toxic compounds in the human body. The meals all of us take in these times are produced using a great deal of pesticide sprays, and also this certainly features a damaging impact on our health and wellness. On the other hand, this concern could be conquered by the usage of zeolite. These kinds of health supplements work well for deactivating all of the toxic compounds in your system. When the toxic compounds are becoming non active, the removal of such toxic compounds is effortlessly carried out.

Zeolite is actually a big help since it assists lessening the detoxing fill in the liver. The liver performs an important role inside the body of a human and its performance is afflicted when it has an excessive amount of fill to cleanse the different toxic compounds within the body. Together with zeolite the task and fill of detoxing is decreased a whole lot. Zeolite in the liquefied form as well as health supplements will also be utilized in the treatment method of autism as well as Down's syndrome. People are amazed by the way zeolite helps fighting these kinds of diseases' signs and symptoms, reducing the intensity of ailments' episodes and strokes.

Zeolite is additionally recognized to slow up the viral fill in your body and therefore lessen the occurrence of bacterial infections. Additionally it is utilized in the assimilation of specific chemical compounds that the human body can not soak up or find it hard to soak up. Nitrosamines are chemical compounds utilized in highly processed foods, particularly meats and various meats goods and these kinds of compounds can not be assimilated through the human body. Zeolite assists in the assimilation of nitrosamines as well as gets rid of these in the body, whenever they are in large, unwanted quantities.

Zeolite will also be useful when you are developing the immunity system in your body and therefore aid in fighting bacterial infections of numerous kinds. Zeolite furthermore assists in reducing types of cancer; on the other hand, you ought to fully understand the truth that it will not give you a magic remedy. It has a tremendous role in the fight over cancer, if taken with the prescribed treatment for the form of cancer.

Zeolite can also be used in the management of health problems such as looseness of the bowels or diarrhea. No matter if you are struggling with any form of disease, or you are healthy, taking zeolite will bring only good to your overall health!

By Ryan Lacioca

Almost all of the known cancers can be avoided by mere lifestyle changes. Diet, exercise, and avoidance of vices can greatly lower your risk to having cancer but for most of us, we are surrounded by great temptations that we often regret later in life. But, it is never too late to change. The following are ways to lower your risk of having cancer.

Check your water and make sure it is filtered properly. Drinking water should be safe and free of chemicals and carcinogens that can later put you at risk for cancer. Regular changes in your water filtration system should be done.

Drown your meat with marinate before putting them on top of the grill. Marinating your meat with herbs like thyme helps combat cancer compounds found on burnt meat like heterocyclic amines. The herbs have antioxidant compounds that are most likely to lower your cancer risk.

Caffeine reduces the risk of brain cancer by 40 percent. The antioxdants found in coffee beans help put brain cancer down. Studies also show that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop oral cancer as well.

Water is the best way to take toxins and other carcinogens out of the system. By drinking 8 glasses of water every day, you lessen the concentration of chemicals filled inside your bladder making it a lot easier for the body to dispose.

Magnesium is crucial to the formation of cells which is an integral part of cancer. Without magnesium, cells form out of control which leads to cancerous ones. Have a healthy dose of magnesium by fixing a salad full of green vegetables.

Block skin cancer by choosing the right color of your clothes. Red and blue colored shirts are able to protect your more from the sun's harsh rays than other color. Apply sunblocks and moisturizers when you have to go outdoors.

Milk, the best known source of calcium, is the ultimate key to preventing colon cancer. Drinking three 8-ounced glasses of milk every day or two to three servings of yogurt can help strengthen your body against colon cancer.

By Rachel Morgans

The best thing about cancer is that it can be averted. Changes in diet, lifestyle, and pretty much everything surrounding cholesterol, nicotine, and alcohol is the key to be cancer-free. But, it would be impossible for you not to have tasted food without cholesterol and have not drunk a glass of beer. So, to avert cancer, you can always try these lifestyle changes.

Filter the water you are currently drinking. Research have shown that the water we drink right off the sink can cause cancer. Several carcinogens are present in the drinking water that you deem to be safe.

If you plan on having a Sunday barbecue, make sure that you have marinated your barbecue for at least an hour before you grill them. We all know that grilling is a risky way of cooking meat as it can induce cancer but marinating your barbecue can cut the risk in half with the help of herbs that have antioxidants.

Coffee has been known to prevent brain cancer from developing to at least 40 percent. So, down 4-5 mugs of coffee or any type of coffee a day to help prevent tumors from growing on your brain. Coffee and caffeine is also known to prevent throat and mouth cancers.

Water can cut down the risk of bladder cancer by drinking 8 glasses of water daily. It dilutes the harsh chemicals that are found on your urine. It also helps the function of your kidney which filtrates toxins and other harmful chemicals from your bloodstream.

The next time you head to the market, choose the greenest vegetable you can reach. Green vegetables are rich in chlorophyll which is a good source of magnesium. Magnesium helps lower the risk of colon cancer.

Avoid going out in the sun especially after ten in the morning. If you must, apply heavy amounts of sunblock and moisturizer to protect your skin. Make sure that you also have the right color of shirt to help protect you from skin cancer.

Take calcium supplements to help prevent colon cancer. This can also greatly help in preventing bone cancer as well. Calcium helps strengthen your bones as well as your immune system.

By Howard Gottlieb

Remember the "LiveStrong" bracelets that cyclist Lance Armstrong sported to help raise money for cancer research? Well the world is now full of a rainbow of colored bracelets that help "promote the cause". They are a large part of the marketing group for charitable operations. They are cheap to produce and cheap to sell. A large part of the selling price goes directly to the cause they are trying to help.

The largest charitable organization that uses the colored jelly bracelets is the American Cancer Society. They have at least six colored bracelets that apply to the different forms of cancer.
Jelly bracelets come in purple (Relay for Life), dark blue (colon cancer awareness), pink (breast cancer research), white (cancer survivors), orange (anti-tobacco), and lime green (promoting the early detection of cancer in the Latin community).

The Relay for Life jelly bracelets have a particularly strong attraction for me. I have many friends who have been diagnosed with cancer and the $1 contributed to help with cancer research is invaluable. I believe it is a very small way I can show my support for them and the millions of others who have been diagnosed with this dreadful disease.

At least part of the appeal is affordability. Relay for Life jelly bracelets are sold for $1 apiece nationwide. This purple band is easily replaceable, waterproof and flexible. If you ever lose your bracelet, you can easily replace it for $1 going to a very good cause.

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society's signature activity. Every year, many people participate in the overnight event. Whether you walk, volunteer, or donate, this is an opportunity to tell others about your experiences with the event. You can rest assured that the majority of people there will be wearing the purple bracelet.

This activity helps promote cancer survivorship.

Let's remember that it takes everyone to pitch in and help wipe out cancer. Even the smallest support, wearing the purple Relay for Life jelly bracelets, making a significant monetary contribution to the American Cancer Society, or just going out and supporting the walkers for Relay for Life are ways to help fight this disease of cancer.