This year about 564,830 people are expected to die from cancer. That is 1500 people per day. I can confidently say that I am sure anyone reading this has been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form. Cancer has been a destructive force in my and my husband’s family. My husband lost his sister to Liver Cancer 6 weeks after being diagnosed in her senior year in high school. Recently his aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. For me, it was my Great Grandfather passing away from Lung Cancer and my friend Maureen from Sarcoma. There are many other people between the two of us who have either battled or passed away from cancer, but it’s just too many to list.
I was recently able to speak with Kim Erikson, President of the Board of Directors for the Wayne County unit of the American Cancer Society for whom I am coordinating Shop for a Cure with. Ms. Erikson, whose mother is a volunteer for the Look Good, Feel Better Program for the ACS in Wayne County, shocked me when she told me that my local area of Northeast Pennsylvania was in the top ten for the highest cancer rates in the country. In fact, when I looked up the information on the American Cancer Society’s website, it appears that PA is in the top 5, with a projection of 73,630 new cancer cases for 2006. Other states in this top 5 are California, who ranked the highest for projected cancer rates, followed by Florida, New York and Texas.
The ACS states that most of the cancer’s out there, are preventable, mainly through a healthy lifestyle. So it’s no surprise to find that many companies are trying to go the healthy route and convey that to the public. I see it myself at the Drive-up window to McDonald’s and Wendy’s, where my children are now offered fruit and milk as an alternative to fries and soda in their happy meals. Wild Oats, an all natural marketplace, recently had some product placement in the Mercury Mariner Hybrid commercial. Back when I was spending my time in Boston, I would shop at Bread and Circus, another organic and natural food store that seems to be popping up everywhere.
More and more makeup companies are using minerals and going natural, such as Jane Iredale’s skincare makeup line. Hair care companies such as Ojon, are showing people that they don’t need to fill their hair with chemicals to look beautiful. Earth Therapeutics not only focuses on the outside of the body with organic skincare and products that are natural, such as their brushes, but on nourishing your body naturally from the inside with Vitamins and stress relieving products for the mind.
It’s very easy to find a way to change an unhealthy lifestyle that could possible lead to cancer these days. As more and more companies go all natural, organic or even just add healthy alternatives to their products and menu’s, the variety becomes limitless. To find out how you can join in the fight against cancer and what you can for prevention, please visit The American Cancer Society online.
Posted by Shannon Nelson on November 6, 2006 12:17 PM
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Comments (1)
Thank you Shannon for this great post. Since 80-95 percent of cancers have an environmental component, many cases of cancer should be preventable. After the news last week, that we are expected to have a shortage of oncologists in 2020 to care for the one in nineteen individuals suffering with cancer, we should be focusing on prevention. Some things are so simple such as testing for radon. When I talk I am shocked how few people have had their homes tested. One in fifteen homes in the U.S. have abnormal levels translating into one in five hundred Americans developing lung cancer from this entirely avoidable cause. Thanks for the links as well!
Lynne Eldridge M.D.
Author, "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time, practical advice for preventing cancer"
http://www.avoidcancernow.com
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Lynne Eldridge M.D. |
March 22, 2007 8:35 PM
Posted on March 22, 2007 20:35