I've certainly inserted my foot in my mouth when talking to my loved ones with cancer. I'm guilty of making well-meaning comments, that later make me cringe. Do you ever wonder what to say - or what NOT to say - to someone living with cancer? Do you know what it takes to help a friend coping with cancer?

Thankfully, someone very special to me can give us a few clues; ideas on what people living with cancer want to hear, and what words are best left unvoiced. Lung cancer survivor - or "breath cancer survivor" as she terms it, Lori Hope has a calling true to her name. Having walked a mile in the shoes of a cancer patient - her own shoes - and having experienced the stigma of a diagnosis of lung cancer, Lori has committed herself to helping those without cancer understand what it takes to truly help someone with cancer.

The event: online radio - everyone can attend!

The date: Thursday, November 19th, 2009.

The time: 8:30 PM ET, 7:30 PM CT, 5:30 PM PT
Kelly Connors, host of RealWomen on Health! will be talking with Lori Hope in a program titled How to Help a Friend With Cancer. The station's website provides details on how to call in to listen. If you happen to miss the broadcast, tune in later online to catch a recording of the show.

Lori will be talking about her personal journey with lung cancer. She will share how she has experienced the stigma ("how long did you smoke?"), and what she has learned that can help each of us become better friends. Her compelling stories will inspire us to hope and action.

In addition to writing a book on the subject - one I recommend to everyone I know who has a loved one with cancer - Lori has been featured as an expert on the Today Show, in Time, the Wall Street Journal, and other media. She writes and speaks frequently about how to keep hope alive through cancer and beyond.

Her book, Help Me Live: 20 Things People With Cancer Want You To Know
is on my nightstand. Even after reading it 15 times, I still say stupid things at times when I talk with cancer survivors. I promise it will remain on my nightstand for the indefinite future.

Her blog, "What Helps, What Hurts, What Heals" is a source of inspiration. For those of us who talk with loved ones and friends with cancer daily, I think of it as having a good breakfast before going out into the world.

And, for anyone interested in joining forces to support people with lung cancer, Lori is planning and producing a major nationwide lung cancer awareness and advocacy event for 2011. Anyone who would like to become involved (as I certainly wish to) can email Lori. Put in the subject line "2011".

Thanks Lori, for building a much needed bridge between those living with cancer and those without cancer who want to show they care.

Photo: istockphoto.com

Somebody asked me what I would do if I had cancer. Would I try alternative treatments in addition to traditional therapies? Since I haven't walked a mile in those shoes, I can't say, but statistics tell me I would. The majority of people with cancer have considered complementary therapies. How do we know what works?

Thankfully, many alternative treatments are now being given the 3rd degree of well-designed studies. This week, qigong appears to have passed the test as an alternative therapy that can improve quality of life for those living with cancer.

First, what is qigong?

Qigong is a Chinese mind-body medicine practice that uses meditation, breathing control, and movement, to balance the flow of energy (qi) through the body. The theory is that if energy is flowing correctly through our bodies, healing can occur.

How did qigong help?

In the study, qigong was found to significantly improve quality of life - that is, how good someone feels on a day-to-day basis. It also improved the fatigue associated with cancer, something many people consider one of the most annoying symptoms. Mood was improved in those individuals who practiced qigong, and blood tests that look at inflammation in the body were reduced.

What stood out as extremely important to me - someone who has trained and lived in the midst of allopathic medicine or traditional medicine - is that nobody had side effects from qigong.

(It's important to note that the benefits derived from qigong in this study were related to quality of life and not survival. Qigong was not studied as a treatment for cancer, but as a therapy to improve well-being for those living with cancer.)

While most alternative treatments have not been investigated to the degree that they can be placed in the category we call "evidence-based medicine," a few have. Many cancer centers are now offering alternative therapies along with traditional therapies. Check out:

• Alternative Therapies in Lung Cancer - What Works?

Photo: istockphoto.com

_Sources:

_{American Cancer Society. Qigong. 11/01/08. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/eto/content/eto_5_3x_qigong.asp}

_{Oh, B. et al. Impact of Medical Qigong on quality of life, fatigue, mood and inflammation in cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial. Annals of Oncology. Advance Access Published Online October 30, 2009. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp479.}

"Hey DJ! I want everybody to stop what they're doing. Now know that lung cancer is the #1 killer of women. And you're gonna take momma and grandmomma to Dr. Lunglove.
Make Some Noise!"

Who said that only breasts can attract attention? Hats off to the Lung Cancer Alliance and a new public service announcement launched today for this 2009 Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Check it out:

Dr. Lung Love "Waitin' Room Service"

And make sure to check out the video Love Harmony as well. Set to the well-known theme song for e-Harmony, Dr. Armando Lung Love, thoracic surgeon, shares what he is looking for in an ideal woman. Someone who is as passionate about curing lung cancer as he is - and of course - likes kittens. And when he finds her, well... He'll smile ear to ear and tell her that lung cancer kills twice as many women as breast cancer, but breast cancer receives 5 times as much funding. Only then will he take her to meet his parents.

What do you suppose he will say to her parents?

If you were inspired as I was, how do you plan on making noise to raise lung cancer awareness this month?

I love freebies, and this is a good one. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and, as a kickoff, the Lung Cancer Research Foundation is offering a free public symposium on lung cancer in New York City.

November 2nd is the date, and the Plaza Hotel is the place.

The morning will begin with a panel discussion, featuring experts that will discuss the latest developments in lung cancer research and treatment, as well as the psychological concerns of those living with lung cancer. This will be followed by an interactive question and answer session, in which individuals will have the opportunity to ask about lung cancer issues that are the most pressing in their own lives.

A few topics mentioned that made me want to spread the news widely to those I care about with lung cancer include:

• How to handle the stigma of lung cancer
• How to balance a full time career with lung cancer treatment
• How individuals and their families can cope with a diagnosis of lung cancer

Speakers will include:

• Thomas J. Lynch, Jr. M.D. - Director of the Yale Cancer Center,
• Jimmie C. Holland, M.D. - from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and,
• Deborah Schrag, M.D., M.P.H. - from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute

There is a ticketed luncheon following, but the discussion and question and answer sessions are completely free to the public. They only ask that you register online, since space is limited.

For details, visit the Lung Cancer Research Foundation website.

If you get a chance to attend this wonderful event, let me know about anything you feel would benefit others living with lung cancer and their families.

I'm not always in the right place at the right time. Though I love doing anything to raise awareness and support those touched by lung cancer - I can't always get there. (And I think I wore out my excuse at home that I have to build up my frequent flyer miles...) No problem. I can walk anywhere on November 7th.

The Free to Breathe ® National Run/Walk for lung cancer will be held on November 7th 2009. No matter where you live, if shortness of breath limits your activity, or if you just prefer to march (or walk or run) to your own drummer, you can join others around the country to raise awareness about lung cancer.

At this time in October, I think most of us are aware of breast cancer. But lung cancer kills more women each year than breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer, combined. Ladies -- It is time we start walking, running, paddling, scrapbooking, climbing, or whatever it takes to raise awareness about lung cancer as well!

Still, nothing can beat the camaraderie of gathering with other lung cancer survivors, families, friends, and advocates to raise awareness. Check out Free to Breathe ® to see if there is an upcoming walk or yogathon (yes, performing the Sun Salutations to support those who have been touched by lung cancer), in your town.

If you still have energy left after your walk, or are not in a knot from those yoga stances, the National Lung Cancer Partnership has some more great ideas we can use anywhere, anytime, to help raise awareness and support for our loved ones living with lung cancer. Time to run - I sense a brainstorm forming...

Photo: istockphoto.com

With over 14 million people in the U.S. using pot at least monthly for recreational purposes, what's the problem with using it as a medicine? Oh yeah -- it's a federal crime. But it looks like the feds are going to cut it some slack - at least when the drug is used for medical reasons alone.

On a local level, 14 states have already legalized the medical use of marijuana, although the use and sale has still been subject to federal prosecution. President Obama has now implemented a policy that federal prosecutors stop targeting people who are using or selling medical marijuana, when it is done so within the boundaries of state laws.

Some people with cancer have founds that marijuana helps with symptoms of nausea (especially during chemotherapy) and loss of appetite. The medical establishment has recognized a possible benefit for a long time. In 1937, when marijuana was made illegal in the U.S., it was done so against the advice of the American Medical Association. In fact, marijuana was used for its medical properties in China as far back as 2737 BC.

Certainly the recreational use of marijuana is another discussion - one that I won't enter here, but it raises an unnerving thought. Recent celebrity deaths -- Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger -- remind us that legal medications designed for those with cancer and other chronic diseases, are often used recreationally or for minor conditions. Why should the reverse be forbidden? In fact, these unfortunate deaths are a reminder that marijuana might actually be safer than some of the other medicines we use to treat the symptoms of cancer.

There are pro's and con's to the use of medical marijuana, but the bottom line is that we need more information to make a fair judgment, and for now that's not happening. We learn about what works and what doesn't work in medicine through studying treatments in clinical trials. It is hard to study an illegal substance. Perhaps that will change with the new policy.

What do you think? Should the use of medical marijuana be legal on a federal level? Do you have a story to share? Join the conversation in the Lung Cancer Forum.

Photo: istockphoto.com

With pink now dominating the autumn landscape, it's clear that awareness is rising for breast cancer. Via pink ribbons, bracelets, T-shirts, even appliances, we are being reminded how awareness can save lives. But how many people are aware that lurking beneath the breasts lays an even greater threat - an invisible killer?

Lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer combined. And if you've never smoked, don't look away. 1 in 5 women with lung cancer can claim the same.

Once discriminating against women, lung cancer is now an equal opportunity disease.

What really strikes a discordant note in my heart though, is another statistic.

Have you even been to a symphony, listened to a band, or attended a child's music event, where an instrument was out of tune? And, have you looked around, surprised that everyone around you seemed to be pleased with the music - as if the pitch of that instrument didn't reach their ears? That's how I felt as I reviewed the most recent statistics on cancer in the United States:

• For women, the incidence of breast cancer decreased about 2% per year between 1999 and 2006

• For men, the incidence of lung cancer decreased 1.8% per year from 1991 to 2005

• For women, the incidence of lung cancer increased 0.5% per year from 1991 to 2005

These statistics should have us turning our heads and opening our eyes very wide.

During breast cancer awareness month, don't forget to look beneath the breasts. Loving our mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends, takes more than a pink ribbon and a reminder to schedule a mammogram.

Further Reading:

• Facts About Lung Cancer in Women

Photo: istockphoto.com

It seems everyplace I go lately I am offered hand sanitizer. The airport, the entrance to University buildings, the grocery store; even strategically placed at the top of friend's purses. The H1N1 (swine) flu has us scared. While emerging infectious diseases can strike our panic button, the "old" infectious diseases - bacteria and viruses that have been with us throughout history - remain of greater concern for those living with lung cancer.

A new study looked at people with lung cancer going through chemotherapy, and analyzed the cost of neutropenia (a low white count) following treatment. (Neutropenia can raise the risk of developing an infection.) The cost was substantial. Even with all of the talk about healthcare reform, it's not the issue of cost that caught my eye. We are talking about living after all. My brain translated those costs to the bedside, and the physical and emotional anguish that those infections cause for individual people I care about.

Sometimes infections after chemotherapy are unavoidable. Sometimes you may need medications or a delay before your next treatment. The precautions being broadcast to prevent the flu, are good to keep in mind as well.

Most important in preventing infections is what we keep hearing. "Wash your hands, stay away from sick people, and avoid large crowds." But having an awareness of other ways to help prevent infections during chemo may help as well. Should you skip that manicure? Switch to an electric shaver? Have someone else clean the litter box? Avoid sushi? Decline that plea to hold your grandson's iguana? Ask your oncologist what you can do to help prevent infections, and check out Coping With Neutropenia for other tips on staying infection-free.

Photo: istockphoto.com

_Source:

_{Stokes, M. et al. Neutropenia-related costs in patients treated with first-line chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy. 2009. 15(8):669-82.}

It's pretty clear that the H1N1 (Swine Flu) is with us to stay. In fact, it's estimated that one-third of the world's population will become infected by 2011. Infections of any form can be frightening if you are living with lung cancer - even more so if you have breathing difficulties or if your immune system is suppressed by chemotherapy. What should you know now so you can prepare in advance?

Practice prevention:

Even though you may not be able to ward off the flu indefinitely, it is best to avoid it while you are on chemotherapy, or have breathing difficulties. Wash your hands frequently, carry hand sanitizer when you travel, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and stay away from people who have the flu. Avoid large crowds, such as shopping malls, where you could be exposed.

Know the symptoms:

While "supportive care" - the treatments your grandmother would recommend like rest and fluids - are the mainstay of treatment, medications are available that can shorten the course for those with chronic illnesses such as lung cancer. That said, medications are most effective if started within 48 hours after the onset of symptoms, so you should check with your oncologist as soon as possible if you think you may have the swine flu.

Realize that the vaccine might not be effective for those with cancer:

Treatments such as chemotherapy that suppress the immune system can make flu vaccines less effective. Even though your doctor may recommend getting the vaccine, realize that you could still be at risk of developing the swine flu.

Further Reading:

• H1N1 (Swine Flu) Treatment Options for Those With Cancer

Photo: istockphoto.com

I know I have often felt helpless, wondering how to best support my loved ones and friends with incurable cancer. In our treatment-oriented society, when there isn’t a drug or procedure that will make a difference, what can we do? What are the greatest needs and concerns of our loved ones when treatment no longer works?

A recent study looked at just that question, addressing the needs of those living with advanced, incurable cancer. The greatest needs were psychological, and the need for medical information and communication.

The greatest specific concerns of those with advanced cancer were:

• Fatigue/lack of energy
• Coping with the fear of recurrence
• Frustration with their inability to do things they were able to do in the past

Knowing this, what can you do to help support your loved one with advanced cancer?

• Learn about your loved one’s cancer - Read about your loved one’s cancer, treatments that might be used to prolong survival, and ways to cope with the symptoms of advanced cancer such as pain and depression.

• Ask Questions - When you go to the doctor with your loved one, bring a list of question and take notes. Make sure your loved one’s concerns are addressed. Too often I have heard cancer patients say they left questions unanswered because they didn’t want to “bother” a busy doctor.

• Learn about cancer fatigue, and how it differs from just being tired - Check out What is Cancer Fatigue?

• Allow your loved one to express their fears about their cancer progressing - We are often quick to offer hope – maybe a story of someone with terminal cancer who was miraculously cured – to those with advanced cancer. Sometimes we do so to make ourselves feel better rather than our loved one. Don’t leave your loved one alone to deal with thoughts of what will happen next, or what the dying process will be like.

• Acknowledge your loved one’s frustration about their limitations - Find ways to help (or coordinate friends and family to help), but don’t “take over.” Allow your loved one to manage the tasks they are able to do alone, and praise their efforts.

Photo: istockphoto.com

_Source

_{Rainbird, K. et al. The needs of patients with advanced, incurable cancer. British Journal of Cancer. 2009. Aug 4. (Epub ahead of print).}