Cinco Vidas

Remember that icky-smelling stuff that used to preserve the soon-to-be-dissected frogs in your junior high science class? Yep. Formaldehyde. We warned you about it showing up in nail polish in a former post. A colorless gas used to manufacture building materials, to serve as a preservative, and to make certain substances adhere to surfaces (as in nail hardeners and polishes), it made our “ingredients to avoid” list because of its reputation as a carcinogen. Just in case you weren’t convinced, here’s some more evidence for you!

A new study conducted by scientists from the National Cancer Institute followed 25,000 industrial workers in formaldehyde-producing plants for three decades, (more…)

Dry, flaky skin is an uncomfortable side effect of many cancer treatments. Radiation creates it at the treatment site, while chemotherapy can get you itching everywhere. You apply moisturizer and apply moisturizer, but are there any other natural remedies?

Dry skin seems to occur on the surface, but actually the problem goes deeper than that, down to the oil-producing glands in the lower layers. A healthy diet filled with vitamins and minerals that support healthy gland function can help your skin battle the problem. Fortunately, the foods that are good for your skin are good for the rest of your body, too, so while you’re eating for moisturization, you’ll reap the benefit of increased immunity and strength. (more…)

Age spots, melasma, acne scarring, blotches—these are the archenemies of the beautiful complexion. If you have any of these, you know how it is when you look in the mirror. Sure, foundation helps, but it gets tiring piling on all the makeup all the time. Wouldn’t it be much better to lighten those spots, or make them disappear entirely?

Unfortunately, the most popular product out there for the job—because it definitely lightens skin—is hydroquinone. (more…)

“It’s important for cancer survivors to get strong,” says Starr Cleary, cancer exercise specialist, Pilates instructor, and Cinco Vidas expert, “but strong progressively. We don’t want to see them regress or have setbacks.”

Starr has been teaching her own special form of Pilates to cancer survivors for the last ten years. Called the “Starr Power Pilates Program,” it helps survivors regain strength and mobility in a progressive, gentle way.

“Most people have a tendency to move very quickly when they’re exercising. Pilates is about moving slowly, with control and precision. It places more emphasis on quality movements rather than quantity. If you perform three controlled arm/leg lifts beautifully, that’s going to get you stronger than moving the arm up and down really fast.” (more…)

We all experience dry skin from time to time, especially in the harsh winter months. Chemotherapy, however, is a professional thief, and skin moisture is it’s favorite prize. Drugs like 5-FU can cause extreme dry skin, and those who have it can suffer so much that they’re unable to sleep, sometimes experiencing intense itching and scratching that can lead to infection.

“It was as though a giant sponge swooped down and absorbed all the moisture from my skin,” says Pat, a breast-cancer survivor.

What are the signs? Dry skin appears rough and flaky, and can become cracked and peeled. (more…)

“I just got back from Christmas,” says a caregiver on Cancercompass.com, “and I am just so sad. My dad who was diagnosed with EC [esophageal cancer] in November couldn’t eat his dinner.”

There’s no doubt that cancer, treatments, and side effects can make it harder for you to eat, and harder for your body to absorb nutrients from your food. “Our doctors have some amazing weapons in their arsenal when it comes to knocking out cancer,” says Heather Borsa, Oncology Dietitian at Elkhart General Hospital, Indiana. (more…)

“I finished Chemo Nov 08 but still have the pain in my feet,” says survivor Kim.

“I finished chemo in Oct 08,” says Kinden, “and still have sore feet….For me it is inside the skin, not really on the outside.”

Most of the time, sore feet are the result of a side effect called “hand-foot syndrome,” or palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE). (Read our post on PPE.) Certain types of chemotherapy drugs (like Xeloda, 5FU, Doxil, and more) cause the condition by leaking out of small blood vessels in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. The leakage results in redness, tenderness, and sometimes peeling. (more…)

We know that fitting exercise into your day can be a big challenge. Still, the evidence continues to pile up—exercise is one of the best ways to keep cancer out of your life.

“We now believe physical activity is a primary component of preventing cancer,” says Abby Bloch, chairwoman of the American Cancer Society’s advisory committee on nutrition and physical activity. (more…)

Chemotherapy raises the odds of infection. As we mentioned in our post about white blood cell count, chemo taxes the immune system and makes patients more susceptible to bugs and germs everywhere.

If you’re going through treatment, be hyper-vigilant about cleanliness, and avoid crowded and busy areas that may harbor extra bacteria. Did you know one of those places is the nail spa? It’s true—spas can be teeming with germs. According to CBSnews.com, “American Idol’s” Paula Abdul suffered an infection from a manicure that caused her to lose her thumbnail—and her immune system wasn’t compromised by cancer! So if you’re dying to get a new mani this summer, take a few precautions to keep yourself well. (more…)

My mother provided care for my father for 8 years. She enjoyed going to the spa to relax and rejuvenate.

As anyone touched by cancer knows, it’s not just the person receiving the diagnosis that struggles—those caring for him or her face their own challenges. In a Harvard School of Public Health poll of cancer survivors and their families, one-third said cancer caused someone in the household to have emotional or psychological problems.

Unfortunately, as you may know, most caregivers suffer in silence. According to the Hospice and Caregiving blog, only 20 percent of Americans who provide support to a loved one with cancer consider themselves a “cancer caregiver,” well below the national estimate of 60 percent. Make no mistake: If you are emotionally, physically, financially, or logistically caring for a cancer patient, you are a caregiver. (more…)