Cinco Vidas

Tamoxifen is a popular drug that’s been used to treat breast cancer for over 30 years. It helps prevent cancer from returning, inhibits new tumors from developing in the other breast, and slows the growth of cancer cells in the body. In some high-risk cases, it’s been prescribed to help prevent breast cancer, because of its ability to block the effects of estrogen in breast tissue. However, it has a lot of side effects that women need to be aware of. One is its ability to slightly raise the risk of uterine cancer. (more…)

According to the National Cancer Institute, “Nutrition therapy can help cancer patients get the nutrients needed to maintain body weight and strength, prevent body tissue from breaking down, rebuild tissue, and fight infection….Being well-nourished has been linked to a better chance of recovery.”

Recommendations abound for just what and how to eat and supplement your diet when you’re going through treatment, and it can be confusing to figure out what you need to do on a daily basis. We think Dr. Michael Murray, ND and author of How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine (Riverhead, 2003) breaks it down with some pretty simple instructions, and wanted to share these with you. (more…)

As you’re pondering what to wear for a costume this Halloween (if you’re into dressing up), why not add a dash of pink to the outfit? The NFL is doing it. Seriously. You need to check out all those muscled men in pink! October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that even with all the research and improvements in treatment, there is still a new breast cancer diagnosis in this country every 2 minutes? And that every 14 minutes, a woman loses her life to the disease?

In addition to our beloved football players, we found some great companies and organizations willing to donate to this important cause—all they need is your help. You can treat yourself to some great products and help promote breast-cancer research at the same time. (more…)

How does a 98–100% survival rate at the three-year mark for prostate cancer sound to you? How about radiation treatment that—compared to today’s commonly used methods—produces few radiation burns, little if any tissue damage, and drastically reduced side effects? What about a cancer treatment for breast, lung, brain and pancreatic cancers that would be minimally invasive on the body, yet maximally effective against tumors? How would you feel about something that could treat recurring cancers without forcing the patient to repeat chemotherapy? (more…)

Going through radiation therapy for breast cancer? How about a glass of red wine to toast your strength and courage? According to Italian researchers, in the August issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, it may help reduce the skin damage often caused by radiation.

As you may know, radiation can often leave the skin red, irritated, and burned. Sometimes the wounds take several weeks to heal. Most current medications that help prevent skin problems can also reduce the effectiveness of radiation. (more…)

The “Look Good, Feel Better” (LGFB) organization has done a lot of great things for many people across the nation. Formed by the American Cancer Society (ACC) and the Personal Care Products Council, it regularly gives workshops to cancer patients, teaching them beauty tips and offering them cosmetics to help them feel more confident and beautiful even while they’re going through the fight of their lives. (more…)

In a former post, we discussed the different types of bronzers and gave you tips on how to choose the best one for your skin. Now we’ll give you some guidelines for the perfect application.

1. Choose the right shade. “Women often choose a bronzer that’s too dark for their skin and blend it all over their face, which looks muddy,” says makeup artist Mally Roncal. “Pick a shade that’s golden—not brown—on your skin, and wear it with a rosy blush for a more realistic finish.” When you test it, the bronzer should look tan on your skin, not muddy. (more…)

When the microwave first came out, wasn’t it wonderful? We reveled in the ease of taking leftovers out of the fridge, tossing them in this new wonder of technology, and zap, a few minutes later, dinner! So much easier than slaving over a hot stove!

Well, as you’ve probably heard, microwaving in certain plastic containers is not all that smart for our health. Since the warnings coming at us via the media and e-mail stories can get confusing, let’s narrow it down so you know exactly what to avoid to reduce your risk of cancer from this source, at least. (more…)

If you’ve lost your hair due to chemotherapy treatments, you may have gotten a wig to get you through until your treatments are over and your hair grows back again. Wigs help us feel confident, beautiful and “normal” as we fight cancer, but they can also be difficult to wear.

“I kept lifting the forehead to scratch,” says survivor cebula.

“I can’t advise on wigs,” says survivor lo_mcg, “because I found wearing a wig hot, itchy, and uncomfortable.”

Caregiver saurus3118 agrees. “My mom did not like her wig…said it was hot and itchy. Her scalp was somewhat tender anyway.” (more…)

October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month brings a lot of opportunities to donate to a great cause, but in today’s economy, every penny counts. How can you be sure your money’s actually going to charity or research?

You need to be more careful than you may think. According to watchdog organization Think Before You Pink, there have been a few instances where either a product used to raise money for breast cancer contained ingredients linked with breast cancer (what’s called “pinkwashing,”) or a company marketed pink-ribbon sales, but little-to-no money ever went to breast cancer. (more…)