Why Is Leukemia So Deadly And Is There Anything We Can Do To Prevent It?

Comedian and older brother to actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, Charlie Murphy, died this week at the age of 57 after losing a battle to leukemia. A report says his family was shocked because he seemed to be getting better and even joked his family was too worried about him. He was receiving chemotherapy treatment, but he did not disclose his illness to many people. Before his death, he continued to work. He was a castmate of the hit TV show “Power,” and reportedly other castmates did not know he was battling cancer.

Could Lack of Colorectal Screenings be to Blame for the Spike in Cancer Rates Under 50?

Colorectal cancer may be most prevalent among people over the age of 50, but that doesn’t mean younger people are immune to it. In the late 90s, Katie Couric and husband Jay Monahan learned he had colon cancer. He died nine months later at the age of 42. Since then, Couric has been a dedicated advocate for colon cancer screenings. If you’re over 50, there’s a good chance your doctor has already talked to you about colonoscopies and the importance of screening for colorectal cancer.

Are You Proactive with Screenings for Colorectal Cancer?

March is colorectal cancer month, and each year at this time I am reminded it took the life of my brother at the age of 65. What is even more intriguing is for years prior to his death, he was told by doctors to get a colonoscopy but he never did. I do not think he really appreciated the importance of getting a colonoscopy until after he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Like many of us, he did not take the time to focus on preventive health care because he had no apparent symptoms. There appears to be a human tendency to generally wait until we are sick or have symptoms before we focus on our health.

Let’s take our heads out of the sand: What we are doing today may be increasing our risk for cancer

When it comes to cancer, what you don’t know can hurt you. And according to a recent survey from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), it seems there’s a lot more many of us need to know -- like which lifestyle choices contribute to cancer and what we can do to reduce that risk.

Newsflash: Your pap smear doesn’t check for ovarian cancer! Here’s what to do to be proactive

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In the U.S. this year, an estimated 22,280 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and 14,240 women will die of it, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women.

Simplify the hard task of picking the right cancer treatment: Let your genes decide

After a diagnosis of cancer comes the discussion of treatment options. The patient contemplates trying chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but wonders whether these treatment options will work. After all, they do come with a lot of collateral damage. For some people, the treatment causes more trouble than if the growth was just left untreated. Meanwhile, others respond quite well to the treatment. So, how is a patient to know which category he or she will fall into?

An alcohol-cancer link more people should know about

A drink after work, drinks with friends, drinks at yet another wedding -- it’s safe to say that there’s always an occasion to lift your glass. You know all about drinking responsibly, and you’d never dream of getting behind the wheel when you’re buzzed. But have you ever thought about the long-term consequences those drinks may have on your health?

Be proactive with screenings for colorectal cancer

If you are middle aged, there’s a good chance your doctor has mentioned the C word to you -- colonoscopy. Why? Because of that other C word -- cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In 2016, an estimated 134,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease, and about 49,000 will die from it.

Can cancer be prevented with exercise?

Good news if you just signed up for a summer obstacle race! A new study suggests exercise may reduce your risk of getting multiple kinds of cancer. In this study, researchers analyzed data from more than a million Americans and Europeans and found that exercise reduced the risk of 13 cancers out of the 26 they studied. The risk was reduced by anywhere from 10 to 42 percent.

Vitamin D may help with cancer prevention

You may have heard about the health benefits of vitamin D before – for migraines, uterine fibroids, memory, hives, bone strength, mood and your immune system. But did you know research shows it may help prevent cancer as well? Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with a reduced risk of cancer, ScienceDaily reports. The findings were recently published in PLOS ONE.

What is oxidative stress?

Oxidative stress – it’s one of those words that gets tossed around without much explanation. Who really knows what it means? Well, fear not, today is the day that all changes for you. Take a few minutes to understand what oxidative stress is and how it affects your long-term health. With this information, you can take proactive steps to help you enjoy life to the fullest.

Breast cancer screening recommendations for the proactive woman

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women. Everyone knows that screening is important, but when to start, and how often? Doctors and experts don’t always agree on this, and the answer is different for different women. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) put out their own respective guidelines, though they do differ.