Inflammatory Breast Cancer - Do You Know What It Is?

A very dear friend sent me an email with a link to a news story. The subject line of her email was, "PLEASE! WATCH THIS VIDEO and forward it to the ALL women you know"

Inflammatory Breast Cancer often goes undiagnosed or improperly diagnosed. You'll see in the video story, that even some cancer centers contacted during the story, were uneducated on the subject. After watching the video and learning something that I've never really heard about, I decided this information was well worth passing on. Please share it with every woman you know and even every man.

There is also a lot more information available online. A good resource that explains this disease is the National Cancer Institute's website. On their site, it explains Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) as:

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but very aggressive type of breast cancer in which the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. This type of breast cancer is called “inflammatory” because the breast often looks swollen and red, or “inflamed.” IBC accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States (1). It tends to be diagnosed in younger women compared to non-IBC breast cancer. It occurs more frequently and at a younger age in African Americans than in Whites. Like other types of breast cancer, IBC can occur in men, but usually at an older age than in women. Some studies have shown an association between family history of breast cancer and IBC, but more studies are needed to draw firm conclusions (2).

The National Cancer Institute's site also addresses the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Here's the video for you to view:

Go Green, Save Green

Incorporating some easy green practices into your life can benefit you in a multitude of ways. True, going green is good for you and the planet, but did you know it can also save you a huge amount of money down the road? Shaklee Get Clean® products offers you safe, powerful, and budget-friendly cleaning solutions that can help you and your family live happier, healthier lives. Here are a few back-to-basics tips to help get you going:

Use Less – Spend Less
Get Clean products are super concentrated, saving you thousands of dollars —ounce for ounce for products that outperform or match 15 national brands! You would have to spend more than $3,400 on conventional, ready-to-use products from major name brands to get the same amount of clean you’ll find in the Get Clean Starter Kit.†

†Based on comparing number of uses on labels of conventional, ready-to-use cleaners.

Go Green AND Save Money
The one and only Basic H2® is a versatile, super concentrated cleaner with a thousand uses. Ninety-nine percent natural and 100-percent powerful, Basic H2 replaces many of the cleaners you’re probably buying now — window cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, degreasers, floor cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, and more — saving you money and space. Get Clean Basic H is the ultimate multi-tasking cleaner! Look how much you would have to spend to get the equivalent cleaning uses!

To get the same amount of clean as one 16-ounce bottle of Basic H2, you would have to spend:
• Nearly $482 for the equivalent amount of all-purpose cleaner
• $12,250 for the equivalent amount of window cleaner
• $144 for the equivalent amount of degreaser

Run Dishwasher Only When Full
Make the best use of that nifty appliance that makes life easier—our friend the dishwasher. You can save a boatload of water, energy, and money by running the dishwasher only when it’s full—especially if it’s Energy Star-approved. Throw in a concentrated, phosphate-free detergent such as Automatic Dish Wash Concentrate that is so powerful that a pre-rinse isn’t required, and voila! There you go saving money and the earth yet again.

Give up Paper Towels
Remember that old tie dyed shirt you wore once and hid in the back of your closet? Put it to good use. Rather than going through rolls of paper towels, cut up old t-shirts and athletic socks and use them as cleaning rags to wipe up spills. Or, if DIY isn’t your cup of tea, try our Super Microfiber Cleaning and Window Cloths that are super-absorbent and can be washed and reused hundreds of times.

Ditch Bottled Water
We all know water bottles pile up in landfills and pollute our planet. They also have financial implications—meaning they can be expensive when you add it all up. By switching to filtered water, not only are you keeping waste out of the landfills, you’re also saving big bucks. The BestWater® PerfectPitcher® is NSF-certified and serves up delicious, clean water that can be poured into a glass to be enjoyed at home, or a portable, reusable water bottle if you’re on the go.

Reusable Bags - Paid For Themselves Over & Over

Well, it was 2 years ago this month, that I watched the Earth Day Show that Oprah aired. That was also my launch pad into becoming more environmentally conscious and focusing on my family's health and well being.

I have made a lot of changes (transitions) in my lifestyle since then, and one of them was purchasing and using reusable bags for shopping. I must admit that its taken me awhile to get into the habit of using them, but it's become a pretty solid one these days.

I'm still using the same reusable bags that I purchased online from EcoBags, two years ago. My initial order included four canvas/cotton tote bags and an assorted pack of string vegetable bags. I'm careful not to overload the reusable bags, and because of that, they're like brand new.

All my EcoBags are still in pristine condition. No rips, tears, discoloration, nothing ! And a bonus that I really like is that string bags are very stretchable. So, when I've purchased more at the market than will fit in my canvas totes, I can spillover into the string bags.

Besides keeping plastic bags out of the oceans and landfills, I was able to more than recoup my initial expense for them, when stores were offering a .05 cent credit, for bringing your own bags to the store. But, even if I hadn't received that great unexpected rebate, I'm still helping the planet and making it Earth Day, everytime I go to the store!

Great Reads For Earth Day

My new friend, Alix Gnoske Davila, from Recycle Me Organic Cotton T-Shirts, has a blog post this week that lists some great reading material on environmental issues and pioneers of the environmental movement. While at her blog, please check out the very cute Eco Chic T's that she offers.

Another great book that I've previously mentioned in this blog, is Green Goes With Everything by Sloan Barnett. A New York Times Best Seller, the book has some easy suggestions and is very educational.

And then, check out the Green Goes With Everything website, and calculate your Body Burden score. This test shows you about the pollution exposures to your body. After calculating your score, you can use the tips in Sloan Barnett's book to reduce your exposures.

April 22 Is Earth Day

The beginning foundations of what is celebrated as Earth Day, began in 1969. Gaylord Nelson, a Wisconsin senator, spearheaded the Earth Day movement. His desire was to harness the same type of energy that was going into Vietnam anti-war protests, and redirect it in a positive manner, towards protecting the environment.

A quote from Nelson regarding Earth Day:

"Earth Day achieved what I had hoped for. The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political arena. It was a gamble, but it worked. An estimated 20 million people participated in peaceful demonstrations all across the country. Ten thousand grade schools and high schools, two thousand colleges, and one thousand communities were involved .... That was the remarkable thing that became Earth Day."

So, almost 40 years since Earth Day's inception, people are really just starting to wrap their minds around the concept that taking care of the planet is our responsibility. What are you doing and what else can you do, to make an even bigger impact? Earth 911's website has some great suggestions and fun ways to incorporate new habits that will positively benefit our beautiful planet.

We've only got one Earth, it's up to us, to take care of it.

The Demise of Organic Foods With HR 875?

A bill has been introduced into Congress (HR 875), which will more stringently regulate farming practices. That's all well and good, except the fact that HR 875 could essentially put the small farmer out of business and more specifically, organic farming!

Congressional Bill HR 875 was introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto. Ummmm, Monsanto, need I say more?

Dr Merola's website poses some interesting questions and facts regarding this Bill. Read through his comments and watch the video below which talks about it.

Ten Tips To Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

In 2008, an estimated 1.5 million people in the United States were diagnosed with cancer, including over 700,000 new cases in men and nearly the same number of new cases in women. There were also over 650,000 cancer deaths last year, which ranks cancer second only to heart disease as a leading cause of death

Cancer is caused by changes in genes that control the growth and death of cells. The disease develops when cells continue to grow and divide instead of dying off when they get older as they would normally do. As cancer cells multiply, they can damage nearby tissues and can also spread to other parts of the body and develop into new tumors. While improvements in detection, diagnosis, and treatment have increased the survival rate for many types of cancer, we also encourage doing all you can do to prevent the disease as a core strategy of your prescription for optimal health.

With prevention in mind, here are 10 things we can all do to reduce the risk of developing cancer:

1. Avoid tobacco products and second-hand smoke

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States for both men and women. Ironically, it’s also the most preventable type of cancer. Some 87-percent of lung cancer deaths are attributable to exposure to tobacco smoke including roughly 3,000 deaths each year in non-smokers due to second-hand smoke. Of the 45 million Americans who still smoke in 2007, 30-percent of male and 21-percent of female high school students reported using some form of tobacco in the prior month. If you smoke, take the necessary steps to quit for the health of you and your loved ones.

2. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight increases your chance of developing certain types of cancer, including cancer of the esophagus, colon and rectum, and pancreas. Obesity also increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women by roughly 50-percent, and endometrial cancer by about three fold. And carrying too much extra body weight is believed to account for up to 30-percent of kidney cancers in both men and women. Make smart food choices, control portion sizes, and fill up on fruits and vegetables to help manage your healthy weight and reduce your risk of cancer.

3. Get moving

The American Cancer Society recommends regular exercise as a way to prevent cancer. Regular exercise burns calories and can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Pick something that gets and keeps you moving like walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, team sports, and even dancing. Consider biking or walking to work, or take a walk during your lunch break. Be sure to gradually work up to 30-45 minutes of exercise a day for five or more days per week.

4. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains

Fruits and vegetables are naturally rich in dietary antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, and a whole family of carotenoids that may help to protect your healthy genes from oxidative damage. Recent research suggests that eating tomatoes may help to protect against developing prostate cancer, while eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts may help to protect against bladder cancer. Fruits and vegetables are also rich in fiber which can speed the transit of food through the digestive system and may reduce the absorption of cancer-causing chemicals. So eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables may be the best way to ensure broad spectrum protection.

5. Fresh is best

Until about 20 years ago, stomach cancer was the most common cancer worldwide, perhaps due to cultural preferences for eating large amounts of salt-preserved foods such as cured meats and pickled vegetables. This finding underscores the point that when it comes to eating most foods, it’s generally best to eat fresh rather than salted, cured, or pickled. In general, the less processed the food, the healthier it will be for you.

6. Limit alcohol intake

Excess alcohol consumption is associated with increased risks of cancers of the oral cavity, throat, voice box, esophagus, liver, breast, and possibly the colon and rectum. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women, and aside from carrying too much body weight, alcohol intake is the only other established risk factor for this disease. It’s recommended that men who drink alcohol should limit their intake to no more than 2 drinks per day, while women should limit their intake to no more than 1 drink daily.

7. Practice sun safety and check for changes in your skin

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is damaging to your skin. The genetic damage it can cause to skin cells can lead to skin cancer, a disease that is increasingly common, especially among young people. Be aware that the sun’s peak time is between 10 am and 3 pm and that sunlight exposure can be intensified by up to 50-percent when reflected from sand, water, snow, ice, and concrete. When outdoors, cover up exposed areas and wear sun screen with an SPF of 15 or more. Know your skin and be aware of the location, size, and shape of moles and skin spots, and report any changes promptly to your physician.

8. Reduce your exposure to potential carcinogens

There are many substances in the environment with the potential to put you at higher risk for developing cancer. On the job, minimize your exposure to fumes, dust, solvents, and chemicals. Try to reduce your everyday exposure to potentially-toxic environmental chemicals in the home and…

Dust and vacuum regularly to rid your home of toxins attracted to dust
Open windows and use fresh air to freshen and minimize indoor pollution
Filter your drinking water to remove pollutants
Switch to green cleaning products that are safe but still powerful
9. Know your family history and get screened

Some 5-10-percent of cancers are due to a genetic predisposition to cancer. Family history is a risk factor for common types of cancer including breast, ovarian, colon, and prostate cancer. If you have a family history of cancer your physician may recommend genetic testing to see if you have the type of gene that can increase your chance of developing cancer. For individuals with an average risk of cancer, the following cancer screening guidelines are recommended:

Breast cancer: Women should begin yearly mammograms at age 40 and conduct regular breast self exams starting in the 20’s.
Colon and rectal cancer: Men and women should have one or more screening tests including a colonoscopy starting at age 50.
Cervical cancer: All women should begin cervical cancer screening no later than 21 years of age.
Prostate cancer: Men should have the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal examination annually beginning at age 50.
10. Choose your dietary supplements wisely

Whether it’s vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, the antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, and the carotenoids, fiber, or emerging phytochemicals, nutrition surveys have made it clear that your diet is unlikely to be providing all the essential nutrients and other dietary factors you need to be at your healthiest. And dietary supplement studies have yielded compelling evidence that supplements can help to reduce the chance of developing cancer in undernourished individuals.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington published a study in Nutrition and Cancer1 that evaluated the association between dietary and supplemental zinc and prostate cancer in 35,242 men participating in the VITAL cohort, a study specifically designed to evaluate the impact of dietary supplements on cancer risk. In this study, long-term supplemental zinc intake was in fact associated with reduced risk of clinically relevant advanced disease.

And as reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine2, National Cancer Institute researchers found that among postmenopausal women, the greater their total calcium intake from dietary supplements and food up to about 1,300 mg per day, the lower was their risk of developing cancer. For men and women, a diet rich in calcium from supplements and food was associated with a lower risk of developing cancers of the digestive system such as colon cancer. These findings are consistent with randomized clinical trials which have shown that calcium supplementation reduces the recurrence of colon polyps, which are precursors to colon cancer

Clearly, dietary supplements play a key role in making up the nutrient shortfalls in your diet, and they provide a means of achieving optimal nutrient levels needed to achieve and maintain the best of health.

1Zinc intake from supplements and diet and prostate cancer. Gonzalez A, Peters U, Lampe JW, White E. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):206-15

2Dairy food, calcium, and risk of cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Park Y, Leitzmann MF, Subar AF, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A. Arch Intern Med. 2009169(4):391-401

Above information provided by Shaklee.

Don't Be A Drip - Tips For More Environmentally Responsible Behavior

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP...No, there's not any name calling, going on here today. Instead, we're going to share some practical tips for being more environmentally responsible AND saving money too. -Take that Recession- POW!

A couple of posts back, I talked about the ecobutton™ and the Smartstrip, as ways of reducing electrical power consumed. The power used from idle devices, or even some devices when turned off, is known as Phantom Power.

The next suggestion was eluded to, in the title of this post: water dripping. Three easy suggestions are: Getting leaky faucets fixed, not running the water when brushing your teeth, and/or installing fixtures that have EPA WaterSense efficiency standards.

The "Three R's": Reduce - Reuse - Recycle, pretty much speak for themselves.

Use environmentally safe cleaning products: One of the most economical all-purpose cleaners is Basic H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate by Shaklee. This product even carries the Green Seal. The Green Seal endorsement comes from a independent, non-profit organization that tests and endorses products from environmentally responsible companies. One 16-ounce bottle of Basic H2®, dilutes into over 200 bottles of all-purpose cleaner. Not only is it safe for the planet, it's safe for folks that are sensitive to scents and/or have allergies. Then, once you've used up the 16-ounce bottle, if not recycled, you would only be putting "1" plastic bottle into the landfills, versus over 200 bottles of the "other brand".

I hope some of you will write back and share some other great planet saving ideas. Also, tell us which ones you are personally incorporating into your daily routine.

You Don't Have To Be Irish To Be Green

Happy St Patrick's Day to Everyone !

In honor of this historically green day, I decided to continue sharing ways to lower your Carbon Footprint on this beautiful planet. In Wikipedia, a Carbon Footprint is defined as:

“the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product” (UK Carbon Trust 2008). An individual, nation or organization's carbon footprint is measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it.

Why would you want to reduce the size of your Carbon Footprint?

Lowering your carbon footprint, is believed to help reduce the affects of Global Warming. Although, there is much controvery about whether Global Warming is really taking place or not, I feel that is pretty much irrelevant to the issue of our carbon footprint.

My thoughts on that is, IT DOESN'T MATTER, either way. Because, the positive actions taken to reduce your carbon footprint and/or positively affect Global Warming, are all good things. Pulling less fuel resources from the planet, reducing electrical consumption, recycling, reducing & reusing, benefits you personally and the planet.

How do you determine what your Carbon Footprint is? There are several online calculators to help you calculate it. There's one at American Forests website and it is very easy to navigate through. Then, set a goal of how much you'd like to reduce your footprint over the coming year. A realistic goal is 10 percent to start with.

How about sharing this information with some of your friends and having a Green Footprint Challenge? Feel free to post your results and your intended goal, to encourage others who read this post. Let's work together to stay

GREEN....EVERYDAY !

NOTE: Remember that Earth Hour is only 11 days away.

Save Ourselves - From Ourselves

If, you missed the special last week on the Discovery channel, it's your lucky day!

Earth: The Sequel will be reaired in an encore showing today, March 15th at 11 am ET.