Today, October 1, bloggers are supporting the goals of the http://www.armyofwomen.org/ to recruit 1,000,000 women for research.

You don’t need to be a breast cancer survivor to be part of the Army.  Most women aren’t.

You just need to be willing to be contacted if a research study comes up where your own information and background might help answer important questions.  You will always have a choice of joining or providing more personal information.

I am a member . . . Kate

Embryonic Stem Cells (Image Courtesy of MedicineWorld.org)

This afternoon, a federal appeals court lifted an injunction that barred the federal government from funding human embryonic stem cell research pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s new policies on the controversial field of science.  The decision today to lift the injunction means the NIH can continue funding embryonic stem cell research as the original case works its way through the court process.
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The House and Senate are finishing up a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the federal government through December 3, and plan to adjourn after voting on the CR until November. Under the CR, funding will continue at FY 2010 enacted levels for most programs – including cancer research programs at the National Institutes of Health and colorectal cancer control programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Congress is not expected to finish the fiscal year 2011 appropriations bills until after the election.

Take action today, and tell Congress to increase fiscal year 2011 cancer research funding. As they head home for the election, take a minute to remind Members that they have work to finish when they come back to DC in November. Tell your Senators and Representative that you expect them to make colorectal cancer a top priority.

On Facebook? Take action and share this alert with your friends and family so that they can help in the fight too.
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Listening to just thirty minutes of music significantly reduced pain and distress for cancer patients.

The patients were receiving medication, but still had pain.

Music reduced pain scores by more than 50 percent for almost half of them compared to fewer than 1 in 10 similar patients who just rested in bed. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe not.

Patients just beginning treatment with different EGFR inhibiting drugs, such as Vectibix or Erbitux,  were randomly told to apply sunscreen or a placebo cream twice a day for four weeks.  The study was doubled-blinded — neither the patients nor their doctors knew who was getting the real sunscreen.

Doctors monitored the development of skin rash and patients reported on how rash affected their quality of life during the four weeks of sunscreen or placebo and for an additional four weeks after the study ended.

During the time sunscreen was being used and for the following month, there was no difference in occurrence or severity of rash nor in patient-reported quality of life. Read the rest of this entry »