I am jingling and jangling with charms around my wrist once again. Ever since I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my friend Nicole has sent me a Brighton breast cancer bracelet. My very first bracelet arrived in 2004, and I wore it proudly. My second bracelet arrived in 2005 and took the place of the first. And now, as I enter my third year of survival, my 2006 Power of Pink bracelet dangles from my arm.

This year's bracelet features a heart-shaped locket. Other charms -- designed to represent stepping stones to recovery -- feature key survival terms. Brighton tells it like this -- "When we accept, we open the door to trust and find love that will heal. Along the way, we learn to be the inspiration." And there are still more charms -- a breast cancer awareness ribbon signifying a fight for the cure, a four leaf clover to assure luck is on our side, silver beads for richness, clear crystals for truth and purity. And still, there are more.

Brighton recommends we all make a difference in the breast cancer crusade. Some may choose to chip in by contributing financially. Some may volunteer. Some may lend a sympathetic ear to others in need. Some may purchase and wear the 2006 Power of Pink bracelet -- proceeds benefit breast cancer research -- and this one simple act will send an empowering message to women everywhere.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, CILR, has applied for a patent on legumes compounds to treat cancer. Researchers believe they found properties that might prevent the formation of the blood supply needed by cancerous tumor growth. It is promising enough that there is now a collaboration with French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. In addition, a New Zealand company has expressed interested in the discovery. According to the researchers, "The anti-cancer molecules produced by legumes during the early symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria known as rhizobia. Rhizobia induce legumes to form tiny new root organs called root nodules. The bacteria live in the nodules and provide the plant with useable nitrogen it can convert into proteins." And who said you can't find a way to make money from the study of plant potential for cancer prevention? 

Legumes are the third largest group of flowering plants in the world with more than 18,000 species; including garden peas, peanuts, clover, lentils, chickpeas and various beans such as soybean and green beans. Do we need drugs based on the extraction of single plant compounds to provide the suggested cancer prevention benefits discovered by researchers? Maybe, I really do not know. However, in the meantime, I wonder if simply adding these whole to a diet would provide cancer prevention benefits. Common sense says yes.