I remember a time when I visited tanning salons and was assured by those working the front desks that tanning beds were safer than the sun. Many years later, I know this is entirely untrue.

Think about this:

The New Zealand Cancer Society experts say sunbeds should never be used as a tanning method because the risk of skin cancer is too great.

Tanning bed UV radiation is five times stronger than UV from the sun, says one doctor who also suggests people wrongly assume sunbeds are safer than the sun. Instead, they place individuals at significant risk for harm. In fact, the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest from of skin cancer, increases by 75 percent for those who use a tanning bed before the age of 35.

The Cancer Society, wishing to ban the use of sunbeds for anyone under age 18, has commissioned further research into the use of this deadly practice.

Daily consumption of red meat increases the risk of breast cancer. Daily consumption of red meat doesn't increase the risk of breast cancer. Ahhh. Which one is it?

In a previous post, I cited research that supported the increased risk. And now I've come across something new.

Think about this:

A nutritionist from New Zealand is disputing research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, claiming that women who ate more than100g of meat each day had the highest risk of developing breast cancer.

When I told my husband that the use of cannabis is being linked to a five percent increase in lung cancer risk -- that's 15 new cases each year in New Zealand where a study was just conducted -- he seemed to think this risk is comparable to his dying from a grasshopper landing in his eye.

A scientist John is not, but his thoughts on the matter seem to parallel international thinking on the drug which goes something like this: the risk marijuana use has on cancer incidence is so very low it's hardly worthy of much worry.

A California study of more than 1600 people last year found no link between cancer and smoking the drug, despite researchers' prediction they would find some kind of connection.

New Zealand researchers have found a connection, though, and however small it may seem, they say it's significant.

They found the risk of developing lung cancer increased by about eight percent each year for people whose cumulative exposure equated to smoking one joint per day -- about the same as the increase for someone who smokes one pack of cigarettes per day. They also found the younger someone starting smoking cannabis, the greater the risk and that contributing risk factors include smokers' deeper inhalation and the tendency to hold smoke in their lungs.

Cannabis, the most commonly used recreational drug in the world with 161 million users, has been thought to have a protective effect against cancer due to its chemical THC, which appears to kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous. This study may prove otherwise.

For 18 months, New Zealand resident Heather Kubiak lived with undiagnosed breast cancer. It was no fault of her own that her disease was left undetected for all this time. It was the fault of the hospital staff who lost her file -- marked urgent -- and thus failed to communicate with her about the cancer living in her body.

In December 2003, Kubiak had both breasts removed because her cancer had spread. And so began the battle for her life -- and the battle against a system that admittedly botched up her medical care due to organizational failure.

It took years to resolve her claim but earlier this year, Kubiak, a wife and mother of four, received a lump-sum compensation of -- $9,000. That's $16.66 per day for every day of the 18 months her undiagnosed breast cancer continued to spread.

It was important for Kubiak to see her hospital held accountable -- and while $9,000 hardly makes up for what she has lost -- she is happy the legal ordeal is over. And she hopes her experience will motivate others to actively pursue their own medical misadventures.

"I do worry for people who aren't articulate enough or strong enough to fight the system because you have to keep on and on," she says.

Catherine Jones has breast cancer. And she needs Herceptin in order to fight for her life. But Herceptin, a targeted drug used to treat HER2 positive breast cancer, is very expensive -- and for some time, Jones was not sure how she could possibly pay for this potentially life-saving therapy.

Jones, 49 and a resident of New Plymouth, New Zealand, decided to ask for help. So she set up the Herceptin for Catherine Trust to raise the $80,000 needed for the treatment. In less than four weeks, she received $64,600 in donations.

Jones is overwhelmed by the support and says she will continue to use the trust to raise funds -- not just for herself, but for other women in need.

The New Zealand government and its drug-buying agency Pharmac does not fund Herceptin. So most breast cancer patients who medically qualify for the treatment have no means of receiving it.

Jones, who is about to receive her third of 17 Herceptin doses, thinks she can help. She is surely off to a great start.

The Child Cancer Foundation -- a non-profit charity in New Zealand providing practical and emotional assistance for children with cancer, their families, and their health care providers -- operates solely from the support of its 22 branches scattered across the country. The foundation receives no funding from government agencies or other cancer support groups. So any bit of support they receive is a big deal.

Lately, the Child Cancer Foundation is making a big deal about Hyundai, the fast-growing vehicle brand supplying a range of SUVs and cars to the foundation. Five Hyundai Tucson SUVs and three Hyundai Getz will be donated, and the head of the Foundation will drive a Hyundai Sonata V6 sedan.

The Child Cancer Foundation provides support in the form of financial assistance, meals, transportation, accommodation, support groups, education scholarships, and access to holiday homes. It also contributes financially to research initiatives. The donated vehicles will help tremendously in the delivery of this support.

New Zealand health authorities are investigating what they feel to be extravagant health claims by companies trying to sell goji juice as a cure for cancer. In New Zealand, that kind of health claim is illegal. That kind of health claim is illegal in the United States as well.

There might be a single magical berry that can cure cancer, but without rigorous scientific study, who can say for sure? Certainly not the manufacturers of goji juice, or those who seek to profit from the sale of goji juice. Not without scientific proof.

I am inclined to believe it is healthy for you, and does provide antioxidants that do have cancer prevention value, because it is a berry. Most berries have been shown to offer cancer prevention in supplying the body with vital nutrients essential to good health. But that is far cry from believing goji juice is a cure for cancer.

Common sense would keep us from buying into flamboyant claims that can give someone diagnosed with cancer false hope. A cancer diagnosis can create intense levels of fear and sometimes, a willingness to set aside normal and sensible judgment. Most of the nutritional experts are suggesting that given the current price of a goji juice drink, similar berries, fruits and vegetables might be more cost effective in getting the same antioxidant and nutrition value.