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http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/-brs/628447.html

FRIDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of invasive breast cancer in the United States have declined overall, but the decrease is significantly less marked in poor women who live in rural areas, possibly due to differences in the use of hormone therapy (HT), a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Northern California Cancer Center studied national breast cancer incidence data for the years 1997 to 2004 to compare rates in rural and urban areas and poor and rich areas of the country.

"Between 2001 and 2004, incidence rates of invasive breast cancer declined more than 8 percent in the United States," study leader Christina Clarke said in a news release. "One possible explanation for this is widespread discontinuation of and/or failure to initiate HT. Because this cessation of HT use was more pronounced in rich/urban areas, we wanted to see if there was a corresponding difference in breast cancer incidence between these areas and poor/rural parts of the country." SEE LINK

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A look back
Less Cancer picked as a Huff Post pick
Bill Couzens asking for a World of Less Cancer

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-swift/emladies-who-launchem-mom_b_100917.html
Lesscancer

HuffPost's Pick

Good post Amy Swift!

There are many opportunities to eliminate unnecessary and preventable environmental exposures that either are suspected and or known to be linked to cancer.

Never before have we had more cancer.

This year 1.4 million people will be hearing the devastating news that they to have cancer.

Scientist tell us that 70-80% of all cancer is linked to the environment (as opposed to heredity); meaning that most all cancer comes from outside of our bodies. This of course reflects some behaviors to include smoking.

However, cancer is not an unlucky roll of the dice, but rather is manufactured.

Everyday more than 1,500 men, women and children die of cancer in the U.S.

This year two classrooms of children and or approximately 46 school children every school day in this country will be diagnosed with cancer.

I think it can be different, I think we can have a world of less cancer.

But beyond what I think- there is sound science and data that suggests it can be different. There can be less cancer.

While the cure can never be underestimated-we must expand our view of cancer to include prevention.

There are things we can do in our own homes, schools and work to remove and or reduce those everyday items we assume are safe.

We are in a place where all of us can make change with the choices we make.

Posted by Bill Couzens, Founder Less Cancer


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http://www.examiner.com/x-14760-EPA-Examiner~y2009m6d26-The-relationship-between-manganese-and-cancer-mortality-rates


The relationship between manganese and cancer mortality rates
June 26, 10:04 PM
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The metal manganese, like many other substances, is present in the air we breathe and in the water we drink. On the whole, that’s a good thing – it’s an essential nutrient for the human body.

But if we get too much, bad things can happen; exposure to high levels of manganese can affect the nervous and reproductive systems, and it’s one of the toxics being scrutinized in the EPA’s study of air around schools.

It doesn’t qualify as a carcinogen, though, with the EPA saying there’s not enough evidence to show it causes cancer.

But there’s new evidence this month, in the form of research published in Biological Trace Element Research.

The article, Environmental Manganese and Cancer Mortality Rates by County in North Carolina: An Ecological Study, by John G. Spangler and Jeffrey C. Reid, shows an apparent relationship between cancer deaths and concentrations of manganese in air and water.

What Spangler and Reid’s research shows is that as low levels of manganese in the air increase – but remain relatively low – a population’s (in this case, people in North Carolina) cancer mortality rate decreases. And as moderate levels of manganese in groundwater increase, a population’s cancer mortality rate increases.

Specifically, N.C. residents who live in counties with the highest concentration of manganese in the air (0.01510μg/m3) have an 8% lower chance of dying from cancer than those who live in counties with the lowest concentration of manganese in the air (0.00001μg/m3), while N.C. residents who live in counties with the highest concentration of manganese in the groundwater (346μg/l) have a 21% higher chance of dying from cancer than those who live in counties with the lowest concentration of manganese in the groundwater (3μg/l). Note how much higher the manganese concentration in water is than in air.

Hopefully I made that simple enough to follow; these number-heavy studies make my head spin. But basically, it appears to boil down to this: Breathing in low levels of manganese helps fight off cancer (this confirms what science already understood, that is, that manganese is good for us), while ingesting elevated levels of manganese raises the risk of cancer.

I spoke with one of the authors – Dr. John Spangler, Professor of Family Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine – to get some insight. Dr. Spangler brought his article to my attention after reading my earlier Examiner.com posts.

“What makes this research important, to me,” Spangler explained, “is that it indicates there is a relationship in the air and water with manganese: in smaller amounts it’s helpful in the air because it’s necessary; a little in the environment is healthy. But higher rates may be dangerous.”

“The most profound thing is the 48% increase in certain kinds of cancer deaths that can occur – that’s pretty astounding.”

And what makes this more relevant than ever is that manganese is used as a gasoline additive which can easily be released into the environment. This may help explain the groundwater concentration numbers.

SEE LINK

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http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/cancer/2009/06/23/health-buzz-dramatic-prostate-cancer-findings-and-other-health-news.html

Medarex's experimental drug, ipilimumab, in combination with surgery and other therapies
, has been shown to eliminate prostate cancer
in two patients who had an inoperable form of the disease, Reuters reports. The dramatic effects, announced by the Mayo Clinic, appeared online in its research magazine and are part of a larger ongoing study of 108 patients, according to Reuters. Ipilimumab is an antibody that may magnify the cancer-killing action of hormone therapy, which helps shrink prostate cancer. The combination of treatments helped shrink the patients' tumors enough that they could have surgery. "This is one of the Holy Grails of prostate cancer research," clinical trial leader Eugene Kwon, a Mayo Clinic urologist, said in a news release about the findings. SEE LINK

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aQxIxuyphsg0

Sanofi Drug Cancer Risk Should Be Studied, Group Says (Update2)


By Phil Serafino and Albertina Torsoli

June 26 (Bloomberg) -- Sanofi-Aventis SA’s Lantus diabetes drug was linked to an increased risk of cancer in studies in Germany and Sweden, according to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, which issued an “urgent” call for further research into the connection.

While patients should continue to take Lantus, they may want to consider alternatives, the group said in an e-mailed statement. The studies are published in the group’s journal, Diabetologia. Paris-based Sanofi said the research wasn’t conclusive and it stood behind the safety of Lantus.

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529263,00.html?test=faces


Family and friends will gather to mourn the death of Farrah Fawcett during a private funeral service at the Catholic cathedral of Los Angeles next Tuesday, June 30.

The service for the former "Charlie's Angels" star will take place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at 7 p.m. ET, church officials told Reuters.

Fawcett, who died Thursday at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer, will be laid to rest in a private ceremony open by invitation only.

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http://www.examiner.com/x-12106-Charleston-Family-Health-Examiner~y2009m6d26-What-is-Anal-Cancer

The recent death of Farrah Fawcett from anal cancer has sparked questions and concerns among Americans about the disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 5,300 cases of cancer of the anus are going to be discovered in 2009 and 700 persons will die from anal cancer. SEE LINK

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http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-jerri-nielsen-fitzgerald2-2009jun25,0,1199342.story


FitzGerald diagnosed her illness at the isolated research station in March 1999 and was later evacuated in a daring rescue. She documented her ordeal in a best-selling book, 'Ice Bound.'


By Valerie J. Nelson

June 25, 2009
Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, who was the only physician at an isolated South Pole research station when she diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer before being evacuated in a daring 1999 rescue, has died. She was 57.

FitzGerald died Tuesday at her home in Southwick, Mass., her family announced. Her cancer had been in remission but returned in 2005. SEE LINK

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http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2009/05/02/news/kauai_news/doc49fc07ee891b2516777468.txt


Less cancer, more birthdays

This key chain is used as a teaching tool for women. The tiny beads at the top represent the average lump found by regular mammograms. The kukui-nut-sized bead at the bottom represents lumps found by women untrained in breast self-examination. Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island
*
By Pam Woolway - The Garden Island
Published: Saturday, May 2, 2009 2:07 AM HST
HANALEI — Sandy Diego would not have discovered the rice-grain-sized tumor in her left breast had it not been for a mammogram she had at age 46.

“It was in an unusual spot,” said the Hanalei mother of three. “After the mammogram I went in to check myself and it was hard to find it was so small.”

Mammograms are generally recommended for women upon turning 40.

“Typically as we age our risk increases,” said Mary Williamson, executive director for the American Cancer Society on Kaua‘i.

When Williamson read the Department of Health statistics listing Kaua‘i’s North Shore as the third-worst area in Hawai‘i for being up-to-date on mammograms, she vowed to change it.

“We were only ahead of Moloka‘i (which does not have a machine) and the southern tip of Big Island,” she said. “To that I say, we can do better.”

After securing grant money for outreach, Williamson planned a free luncheon for North Shore women where information could be provided in a casual setting with good food in the company of women. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 16 at the Prince Clubhouse Ali‘i Room, cancer professionals will lead a discussion providing insight on the best protection from breast cancer.

“It will be varied and light, not academic,” Williamson said. “All presenters are women and hopefully (attendees) will bring information home to sisters and aunties to show that early detection is prevention.”

Hawaiian and Filipino women bear an unequal burden of the disease.

“Not that they get breast cancer the most,” she said. Caucasian and Japanese women have the highest incidence rates. “It’s that they are dying from it the most because they are finding it later when it’s not as curable.”

As a nurse practitioner, Diego felt some shame around not having discovered the tumor herself.

“I felt bad. I’m a nurse and I instruct people on how to do self-examinations,” she said.

According to Williamson, a mammogram can find lumps up to two years before they can be felt.

“Your fingers might not find a grain of rice but a mammogram can,” she said. “Once the tumor gets to the size of a kukui nut — that’s one you might find if you happen to land on it with your own fingers — you are looking at surgery and chemotherapy. When it’s the size of a grain of rice, it’s survivable.”

See Link

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New Federal Legislation Targets Toxic Chemicals in Baby Bath Products
Sen. Gillibrand’s Bill Directs Cosmetic Industry to Clean Up Act

New York – Today, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) took action to protect childrens health by introducing the Safe Baby Products Act, which directs the Federal Drug Administration to investigate and regulate hazardous contaminants in personal care products marketed to or used by children.



Gillibrand introduced the bill in response to a study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which revealed that many widely used baby shampoos and bubble baths are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. The chemicals are not listed on labels because contaminants are exempt from labeling laws.



The Safe Baby Products Act directs FDA to test a wide range of children’s personal care products, publicly report the findings, and establish good manufacturing practices to reduce or eliminate hazardous contaminants from products.



“We applaud Senator Gillibrand for being a champion for children’s health,” said Lisa Archer, national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “This bill is a good step forward, because it would give parents the right to know what’s in the bath products they use on their kids, and would give FDA authority to keep dangerous chemicals out of children’s bath products. Next, we need to overhaul cosmetics laws so the FDA can fully assess and assure the safety of all personal care products.”



Gillibrand announced the Safe Baby Products Act at a press conference in New York on Monday, along with parents, medical professionals and advocacy groups. The Senator decided to take action after reading the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ report “No More Toxic Tub” (www.SafeCosmetics.org/toxictub).



“Like many other mothers, when I read the list of these products, I immediately began to worry that I had been using some of these same products for my own children,” said Sen. Gillibrand. “This common sense legislation will ensure that we have all the facts about the baby soap and lotions that we use on our children.”



There are no safety standards for formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in personal care products sold in the United States.



The European Union has banned 1,4-dioxane from personal care products and has recalled products containing it. Formaldehyde is banned from personal care products in Japan and Sweden, and restricted in the EU and Canada.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420151232.htm

Posted by Bill Couzens Founder Less Cancer

Acupuncture Eases Radiation-induced Dry Mouth In Cancer Patients

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2009) — Twice weekly acupuncture treatments relieve debilitating symptoms of xerostomia - severe dry mouth - among patients treated with radiation for head and neck cancer, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the current online issue of Head & Neck.

Xerostomia develops after the salivary glands have been exposed to repeated doses of therapeutic radiation. People who have cancers of the head and neck typically receive large cumulative doses, rendering the salivary glands incapable of producing adequate saliva, said Mark S. Chambers, M.S., D.M.D., a professor in the Department of Dental Oncology. Saliva substitutes, lozenges and chewing gum bring only temporary relief, and the commonly prescribed medication, pilocarpine, has short-lived benefits and bothersome side effects of its own.

"The quality of life in patients with radiation-induced xerostomia is profoundly impaired," said Chambers, the study's senior author. "Symptoms can include altered taste acuity, dental decay, infections of the tissues of the mouth, and difficulty with speaking, eating and swallowing. Conventional treatments have been less than optimal, providing short-term response at best."

M. Kay Garcia, LAc, Dr.P.H., a clinical nurse specialist and acupuncturist in M. D. Anderson's Integrative Medicine Program and the study's first author, noted that patients with xerostomia may also develop nutritional deficits that can become irreversible.

Garcia, Chambers and their team of researchers conducted a pilot study to determine whether acupuncture could reverse xerostomia. Acupuncture therapy is based on the ancient Chinese practice of inserting and manipulating very thin needles at precise points on the body to relieve pain or otherwise restore health. In traditional Chinese medicine, stimulating these points is believed to improve the flow of vital energy through the body. Contemporary theories about acupuncture's benefits include the suggestion that needle manipulation stimulates natural substances that dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow to different areas of the body.

The M. D. Anderson study included 19 patients with xerostomia who had completed radiation therapy at least four weeks earlier. The patients were given two acupuncture treatments each week for four weeks. The acupuncture points used in the treatment were located on the ears, chin, index finger, forearm and lateral surface of the leg. All patients were tested for saliva flow and asked to complete self-assessments and questionnaires related to their symptoms and quality of life before the first treatment, after completion of four weeks of acupuncture, and again four weeks later.

The twice weekly acupuncture treatments produced highly statistically significant improvements in symptoms. Measurement tools included: the Xerostomia Inventory, asking patients to rate the dryness of their mouth and other related symptoms; and the Patient Benefit Questionnaire, inquiring about issues such as mouth and tongue discomfort; difficulties in speaking, eating and sleeping; and use of oral comfort aids. A quality-of-life assessment conducted at weeks five and eight showed significant improvements over quality-of-life scores recorded at the outset of the study.

"In this pilot study, patients with severe xerostomia who underwent acupuncture showed improvements in physical well-being and in subjective symptoms," Dr. Chambers said. "Although the patient population was small, the positive results are encouraging and warrant a larger trial to assess patients over a longer period of time."

Garcia said that a phase III, placebo-controlled trial is planned and is currently under review. She also noted that in other studies, the M. D. Anderson researchers are examining whether acupuncture can prevent xerostomia in patients treated for head and neck cancer, not just treat it............

Cancer study is recruiting healthy adults -- and their waistlines
Posted Bill Couzens Founder Less Cancer

http://www.sacbee.com/news/story/1810471.html
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg
cpeytondahlberg@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Apr. 26, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 3B

The American Cancer Society is looking for hundreds of thousands of people willing to bare the truth about their waistlines, give a little blood, and answer occasional questionnaires for the next 20 years or so.

The goal is to better understand whom cancer strikes and whom it spares, by tracking a half-million healthy adults for at least two decades.

In a tough economy, "this is a way for people to get involved without spending money," said Kimberly Hicks, a cancer survivor who is coordinating the study's local enrollment drive.

"We're thinking it would be very easy for anyone who is in the downtown area to come on over," she said.

See Link

http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKTRE53P1N920090426

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LONDON (Reuters) - Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may protect men against prostate cancer and other urological complaints, as well as reducing the risk of heart attacks, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.

A large clinical study following 2,447 men aged between 40 an 79 year for over 15 years found those taking statins were less likely to develop prostate cancer, compared to men who did not take the medicines.

Just 6 percent of men on statins were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with non-statin users three times more likely to develop the disease, Mayo Clinic researchers reported at the American Urological Association meeting in Chicago......

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Green Apples Good for Schools Good for Human Health

Environment=Human Health!

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Piedmont Environmental Council

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Key Words PEC,Piedmont Environmental Council, Warrenton Virginia, Local, Environmental,
Frontline,
http://www.pecva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,266,2126,0,html/Apr-21-Poisoned-Waters-Documentary
Tuesday, April 21, 9-11pm
"Poisoned Waters" Documentary, PBS

FRONTLINE Press Release
FRONTLINE Examines Newest Health Hazards in Nation's Contaminated Waterways

More than three decades after the Clean Water Act, iconic American waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound are in perilous condition and facing new sources of contamination.

In FRONTLINE's Poisoned Waters, airing Tuesday, April 21, 2009, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith examines the growing hazards to human health and the ecosystem.


With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture and massive suburban development, scientists note that many new pollutants and toxins from modern everyday life are already being found in the drinking water of millions of people across the country and pose a threat to fish, wildlife and, potentially, human health.

For more information and to read the rest of the press release, visit FRONTLINE'S website.