Guest post on the value of support groups for those touched by cancer

Today, friends, I give you a guest posting from cancer patient advocate,  David Haas. If you have a moment, please check out his site. We can all use a little more education on how to take back some control over cancer and its impact on ourselves and those we love.  Thank you, David, for lending a hand at spreading the love.
 

Three Groups of People Who Need Cancer Support Groups

Cancer support groups are everywhere these days. The reasons that they have proliferated are obvious and are supported by research as well. Multiple studies have shown that patients who participate in support groups, especially groups that target their specific type of cancer such as mesothelioma, prostate cancer or breast cancer, have a greatly improved quality of life. Some studies have even suggested that a patient's regular participation in a support group can even increase his lifespan. However, people other than just the cancer patient himself can take part in a support community or online chat group.

Of course, the most obvious member of a cancer support group is the patient himself. Many patients are reluctant to take part in group counselling and need the support and encouragement of close family members and friends to be confident enough to participate. However, the National Cancer Institute states on its support and resource page that group counselling can greatly reduce the patient's stress. Patients have a variety of needs that only other patients can understand or that only a trained professional can understand.

Another group that often attends these support groups is the cancer survivor. This person can provide a great deal comfort and understanding for the current sufferer since he can understand exactly the type of treatments and stressors that the patient is undergoing. In addition, the survivor still needs emotional support as he undergoes continual testing and as he continues to deal with stress.

However, the group that is most often forgotten but that needs these cancer support groups as much as the patients themselves do is the patient's family members. These people also suffer a great deal of stress. The spouse may experience an increased workload and feel great concern for the future while children may feel frightened or neglected. Attending a support group can teach the family how to cope with the disease themselves.

Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases to deal with mentally, emotionally and physically. Every patient needs someone to let him know that he is not alone. Specialty doctors such as hematologists, oncologists or mesothelioma doctors can recommend area groups in which the patients and the patient's family members can become involved for physical and emotional support. 

By David Haas

Decreasing my chemical exposure part 1: daytime skin care

What are the toxins in my environment? When I consume or inhale a toxin, how long does it stay in me? What impact do toxins have on my health? Which ones should I fear the most? Cheery questions, right? But if I want to get serious about disease prevention,  I believe I need to start learning about the connection between my health and toxins in my environment.

First up, learning about the chemicals in my personal care products, specifically, my daytime skin care. In 2004, environmental advocacy organization the Environmental Working Group started the online database Skin Deep.  Skin Deep is a searchable safety guide consumers can use to learn more about what the ingredients in their personal care products may be doing to their health. The Skin Deep database links to more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases to produce current data on what the known health risks are. Think of it as a little new found transparency for an industry that historically hasn't been terribly interested in being transparent.

To help you learn about how the site works, I'm going to share my experience using it. Feel free to use my learning if you want. Better - go there yourself to check out what you have been using and see if you think you need to consider alternative products.

Typically, I use one of three moisturizers and two sunscreens on my face during the day:

1. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF 15. Nuts. This isn't listed but they have tested the lighter Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion SPF 15. It gets a rating of 7 out of 10 which means by their standards it is a hazardous product and is not recommended. Ingredients in it have been linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies and a whole passel of other things. Ugh. (Note: you can click on the product names to see the detailed ingredient breakdown and the related hazards.)
2. Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 45. Crap. This gets a 7 as well. Next.
3. Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Daily Moisturizer Fragrance Free. This is a little better. It gets a 5 making it a moderate hazard and, even though they have been linked to almost everything else, ingredients in it have not been linked to cancer. I am comfortable using up the rest of my current bottle while I try to find a less hazardous product.
4. L'oreal Ombrelle Sunscreen SPF 45. Again, this one isn't listed! So if I want to keep using it I should sit down with the ingredient list and do the research myself on this one.
5. La Roche-Posay Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream. Woo hoo, folks, we have a winner. My ridiculously expensive sunscreen (which I buy once a year for the summer months because I had a basal cell carcinoma removed when I was in my early 30s) gets a 2!!! I can continue to use this product for as long as my pocketbook will allow me. Interestingly, I had been recently considering upping my SPF protection by switching to one of their SPF 60 products but those products get ratings of 7. :-( I'll have to remember to plop on my hat and stay in the shade this summer to give me the boosted protection instead.

So, I will back out of my own searches, and start paging through what I will consider their recommended products, those numbered 0 and 1 on the hazards scale. One thing I notice right off the bat is that while there are a lot of low hazard products listed in the database, I haven't heard of most of them. That's a problem. I want to locate products that are easily purchased in my local stores. I will make a note of some of the more popular low-toxin brands to look for online and in my local health food store and Whole Foods. But my priority today is finding something I can pick up in my neighbourhood. Doing that, this is what I come up with:

1. Daytime moisturizer  - if I want a facial moisturizer with a built in SPF, I can't seem to get much below 4 on the hazard scale. At least not with the moisturizers at my local stores. So, let's say I switch to a sunscreen-free moisturizer used in conjunction with a separate sunscreen. There are a few examples from my expensive  friends at La Roche-Posay (for example, Toleriane Soothing Protective Facial Cream gets a 2) but I will start with Kiss My Face Organics Under Age, Ultra Hydrating Moisturizer (a 1) or, if I can't find that, Burt's Bees Carrot Seed Oil Complexion Mist (also a 1).
2. Sunscreen - if I want a less expensive sunscreen than my La Roche-Posay, and if I want to be able to find it easily at my drugstore, I could opt for Neutrogena's Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 with Purescreen. It gets a 4, making it only moderately hazardous. Better, I could go with Jason Natural Cosmetics Sunbrellas: Mineral Natural Sunblock SPF 30 which gets a 2 and is half the price of my La Roche-Posay.

My verdict? The Skin Deep website is an easy to use, comprehensive resource. If the science behind the findings they present has any integrity, than this is an important tool for people looking to lower their exposure to toxins.

Try it out!

Be it resolved...

It is that time of year again - my pants are tight from too much turkey, beef and tarts and someone is going to ask me again if I have made any New Year resolutions... sigh.

Yes, this year, I resolve to lose weight. I would love to look cute in my clothes. I would love to look younger. I would love to be able to keep up better with my kids. But, mostly, I would love to not die. :-) Can I get an amen?

So after a bunch of reading, researching and ruminating, I have chosen The Pink Ribbon Diet as my guide book in this new endeavour. The Pink Ribbon Diet is the product of the work of research dietitian, Mary Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN, who set about exploring the link between diet and breast cancer. Turns out, she found that low-fat diets can increase the risk of cancer, but a plant-based one, similar to the Mediterranean diet, helps you shed pounds while gaining important nutrients beneficial to the fight against cancer.

To prepare this book, Flynn teamed with Nancy Verde Barr, a former culinary associate of Julia Child's.You can tell - there is a lot of passion in the recipe introductions and lots of sensible food wisdom. The book begins with a thorough explanation of the diet, the science behind it and stories from women who have tried it. The rest of the book is devoted to recipes, 150 of them, covering everything from breakfast foods, soups, sandwiches and salads through a range of main dishes, sides and desserts. The emphasis is on vegetables and healthy doses of olive oil for fat, with small portions of meats allowed. There are lots of notes on ways to customize or adapt recipes and they all look really, really doable.

As a bit of a foodie, I am often sceptical of diet books. The recipes often look boring and, well, uninspired. These ones are different. I actually want to try them. There are lots of fresh herbs used, you can use store-bought sauces for convenience and speed, and I can even see the occasional mention of cheese! Woo hoo! There are also a range of global influences and cooking methods, so you should find recipes that fit your own personal cooking styles.

The rumour has it, this is a diet you can live with, like, forever. I'm going to take it one day at a time. But I will report back here and in my recipe blog to share my results.

Good luck with your own resolutions! And now one last glass of eggnog before a workout session with our new Wii Just Dance game. Cheers!

Prevention - Kicking Treatment's Butt for a Gazillion Years!

Anyone reading this blog knows that I am a big believer in the need to push prevention if we are going to make any headway in stopping breast cancer. One of the best sources of prevention information I have found is the Breast Cancer Fund. The focus of their work is making connections between breast cancer and exposure to chemicals and radiation in our daily lives. They look at current research and try to increase awareness of it through public education campaigns. And, they provide lots of good information if you are trying to educate yourself on what you can do to prevent cancer.

They offer tips for prevention and information with which to educate friends and family. If you are interested in helping to bring about change, and you should be, they also provide easy ways to lend your name and voice to the cause. For example, if you visit their site today, you have the opportunity to send President Obama a request to prioritize breast cancer prevention by:

1. creating a national cancer prevention plan,
2. issuing a federal mandate to eliminate BPAs from food and beverage containers,
3. expanding the FDA's authority to ensure that cosmetics are safe, and
4. supporting reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act so that it more adequately helps the public, industry and government assess and control chemical hazards.

Take a look at their site. And come back to visit for updates on new research and education campaigns.

Finally, their report The State of the Evidence 2010: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment should be considered required reading. From a press release for the report:

The report’s lead author, Janet Gray, Ph.D., professor at Vassar College, said that widely understood risk factors for breast cancer such as primary genetic mutations, reproductive history and lifestyle factors do not address a considerable portion of the risk for the disease. “A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates that exposures to common chemicals and radiation also contribute to the unacceptably high incidence of breast cancer,” Gray said. “This report focuses on these environmental issues.”
The report states that a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1 in 8—representing a dramatic increase since the 1930s, when the first reliable cancer incidence data were established. Between 1973 and 1998 alone, breast cancer incidence rates in the United States increased by more than 40 percent. Strikingly, the increasing incidence of breast cancer since the 1930s parallels the proliferation of synthetic chemicals. Today, approximately 85,000 synthetic chemicals are registered for use in the United States, more than 90 percent of which have never been tested for their effects on human health.

Go on - make a pot of tea and at least give it a scan. Your breasts (or those of someone you love) will thank you. :-)

If I could have a moment of your time...

Lately, I have seen a rather unpleasant number of disdainful and ignorant comments about what some call the "cancer industry." Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. But one of the less appealing things that comes with it is the opportunity it gives to bozos to sound off on news websites. Anonymity is the invisibility cloak of the ass.

I welcome thoughtful debate on the merits of the myriad cancer studies, on the drug companies that fund many of them, on the possible use of breast cancer as a marketing tool...come to the table with your ideas and let's find the best path towards cures for all diseases and chronic conditions. But if you are going to sit behind your laptop and lob incendiary devices into the middle of thoughtful dialogue you better be willing to post your name and community.

So that is one of the costs of a free Internet - sorting through the chaff. What is one of the gifts? Websites that make it easy to find the kernels of knowledge and experience. The Being Cancer Network provides people in the cancer community an opportunity to find and reach others on the same path.

Being Cancer Network is the brainchild of  Dennis W. Pyritz. As a cancer nurse and a cancer and bone marrow transplant survivor, Dennis has an intimate connection with the disease.  From his website: "So my intention then for this blog was to create a community of people whose lives have been transformed by cancer.  The intention for my writing is to stimulate emotion and thought, and to promote sharing of experiences and of what those experiences meant to our gifted and measured lives.  Some of this will be history, some stories, other times themes around which we can share our thoughts and feeling. It will become a resource center for a community of cancer bloggers and answer seekers."

To that end, one of the most moving and valuable resources he provides is his vast and growing list of cancer blogs. And this summer, Dennis has set a goal for his list to top 1000 cancer blogs. The list is well organized (by cancer type) and extensive. If you are looking for a blog that speaks to you, you will find it here. You just need to start clicking. And, if you have a blog and want to help Dennis help you help others, send him your URL. Do it soon! Help Dennis reach his goal.


***Late addition - I send my heartfelt thanks to Dennis for including me in his blog roll. I am honoured.

Looking for a Canadian resource? Check out Rethink Breast Cancer

Rethink Breast Cancer is a Canadian, volunteer-driven, registered charity working to help young people concerned about and affected by breast cancer. They provide innovative breast cancer education, research and support programs. Visit their website to get access to, among other things:

The Underwire is Rethink Breast Cancer's newsletter. Published four times a year, The Underwire provides up to date research on diagnosing, treating and preventing breast cancer, as well as other news for people affected by breast cancer. Lots of very good, current information.

Breast Cancer Now What
Popular British Columbia sex educator Saleema Noon spoke at a cancer breakfast I attended soon after my diagnosis. Her breast cancer was diagnosed when she was in her mid-30s, newly married and planning a family. She was a perfect example of how younger people with breast cancer usually have a different set of concerns than those fighting it later in life. You may be undergoing treatment while attending school, starting or building your career or raising small children. To help young people connect with and support others going through the same thing, she suggested Rethink Breast Cancer's program Breast Cancer Now What. Visit this site to learn about current research and connect with others on the discussion board.

Tell Her 2 connects Canadians affected by HER2+ breast cancer. Share your story and read those of others. Find current information on estrogen positive breast cancer and then give or receive emotional support and inspiration.