In 2003, 29 percent of the American population had only basic prose literacy skills and 14 percent had below-basic skills.

Prose literacy measures the skills needed to understand texts such as new stories, brochures, and instruction manuals. People with basic skills can perform simple, everyday literacy activities. Those with below-basic skills are proficient in only the most simple and concrete literacy.

How is it that these individuals, when they are diagnosed with a disease such as cancer, are able to understand the medical jargon thrown their way, the literature that piles up in front them, the complicated process we call the medical system?

They aren't. And this leads to increased chances that people will be hurt, even killed, in the course of their medical treatment.

There are many barriers that lead to miscommunication -- cultural differences, language problems, and overall poor literacy skills -- and experts in this area are recommending some changes. They urge more education and training for health care professionals who may not ever imagine someone might not understand their words. They suggest health teams use medical interpreters. And they seek to embrace a culture of easy-to-understand communication in all aspects of medical care.

Toni Cordell, a nationally-known health literacy advocate, says humiliation and shame washed over her three decades ago when her gynecologist told her she needed a simple repair and she woke from surgery to learn she'd had a hysterectomy. Struggling at the time with dyslexia and a poor education, Cordell never asked any questions of her doctor. She just accepted the course of action, without knowing anything about it.

"Ignorance is not bliss," she says. "It's not a good place to be."

When I first discovered Bella Lucce, I cannot say if I was more impressed with the quality of the bath and beauty products or Lela Barker, the woman behind the company. First, Lela's sister is diagnosed with breast cancer, and based on research, Lela begins making natural bath and beauty products in her kitchen to keep her sister safe from chemicals that might threaten to increase risk of breast cancer recurrence. She shares the bath and beauty products of her hobby with her women friends.

Several years later, Lela, a young mother of two small children, is facing a divorce. Needing to find a way to earn an income to support her and her children, and wanting to be a stay-at-home mom, she turns her bath and beauty product hobby into a business. The success of Bella Lucce has been phenomenal on a worldwide scale because the quality of the products are luxurious and affordable. Lela is socially conscious and gives back to the indigenous communities where she takes what is needed to make Bella Lucce products. Lela employs who she calls, "an amazing group of inspiring women." I find Lela to be an amazing and inspiring woman.

On the Bella Lucce website, Lela writes informative articles explaining antioxidants and a how-to bath and beauty product labels guide. Because identifying bath and beauty products that contain significant antioxidants in the formula can be a challenge, according to Lela, women need to educate themselves what to look for and she offers an overview of antioxidants to watch for in Antioxidants Explained. The article Labels 101 is an essential primer for women who want to learn the basics on how to decipher bath and beauty product labels. In addition, Lela wrote an article called The Dreaded Chicken Skin and The Keys to Healthy Summer Skin.

Between pale is the new tan and cultural or religious beliefs that require young girls to wear clothing that covers all skin areas and young girls who are restricted from outdoor activities, adolescent girls are paying the price in insufficient levels of vitamin D needed for peak bone mass -- increasing the risk of osteoporosis fracture later in life. By shunning the sun they might be decreasing the risks for skin cancer, but they are increasing the risks for 16 other cancers.

Of the 51 healthy girls tested, Saint Mary's Hospital for Women and Children in Manchester researchers found 73 percent were vitamin D deficient, and 17 percent were severely deficient in vitamin D.

Lack of a sufficient level of vitamin D was in direct correlation to the lack of exposure to sun and not to dietary intake. "This is in keeping with the fact that the main source of vitamin D is that produced by the action of solar ultraviolet B radiation acting on 7-dehydrocholesterol in skin," the team explains. "Only small amounts are obtained from dietary sources."

Aside from encouraging more outdoor activity for these young girls, the researchers stated that it remains to be determined how to meet the needs of older children and adolescents from cultures that avoid sunlight.

Preggers n' Proud, a hip sexy fashion company started by a mommy-to-be who wanted to celebrate her pregnant belly with trendy maternity slogan tees, has designed the Loving My Buddha Belly pink tank top to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Part of the profits from the sale of each tee will go to the foundation.

According to the company, the Loving My Buddha Belly soft pink tank top reminds pregnant women to embrace their blossoming belly, and will stand as a reminder going forward to empower each other to have regular mammograms, as well as perform self exams.

A socially conscious company, Preggers n' Proud takes advantage of the celebrity gift giving of merchandise to garner a type of advertising most companies could not afford to pay in dollars -- but for every celebrity that receives one of their tees, they donate five to a pregnancy care facility located in Santa Barbara, California area called Life Network. Very cool.

I look at it this way. You are going to spend your money somewhere, why not do it with a company that gives back. Preggers n' Proud tees have appeared on VH1's Hot Mama show, The Today Show and TLC's Baby Story. Check them out, it's for a good cause.

From the Homer Simpson D'oh Research Institute comes the results of a study ... No, wait. I'll start again. Baby boomers are aging. The largest percentage of cancer diagnosis occurs in the older population. When it comes to cancer, it is a true and unavoidable fact that the older one gets, the greater the risk for developing cancer.

One day, with continued advancements in prevention and research, that fact might change. But for now, that is where we are in the reality of cancer risks. The baby boomers, a generation born between 1946 and 1960, are reaching, in mass, people of a certain age. Old age. Don't say that to them. Baby boomers decided, upon reaching 40, that 40 was the new 30, and 50 was the new 40. But you can't fool mother nature, and like it or not, we are all getting older. The first baby boomers turn 60 this year.

Which brings me to the point of the isn't it obvious study from the Homer Simpson D'oh Research Institute.

With the healthcare system in crisis now -- with public and private providers scrambling to figure out how to pay for all the cancer treatments needed for all the patients who have been diagnosed with cancer now -- what is the future of healthcare going to look like, say in ten more years, as significant numbers of baby boomers continue to age and more get sick from age-related life-threatening diseases -- specifically cancer?

When it comes to baby boomers, it is difficult to predict. Since coming of age in the 1960s, they have influenced the cultural landscape as no other generation. They are, as a whole, innovatively affluent, and have in subtle ways, already begun to change the healthcare system. An example is the marketing hospitals do to attract baby boomers as patients with amenities unimagined in previous decades. Some hospitals now serve wine with the hospital meal.

Baby boomers are the premiere paradigm shifters. If there is no change in the current system, we are in terrible trouble in the next ten years. It will be interesting to watch how the baby boomers decide to define and shape the approach to health issues that old age brings. 

Disclaimer: The Homer Simpson D'oh Research Institute is an imaginary facility that does not conduct research because it doesn't exist in real life.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Center of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research has launched a comprehensive new website for Spanish-speaking breast cancer patients and their families. The new Spanish-language site, called Conviviendo con el Cancer de Seno, is a cultural and linguistic translation of an existing online resource called Living with Breast Cancer.

"To the best of our knowledge, this new site is the most comprehensive and culturally relevant resource on the Web for Latinas with breast cancer," says Susana Torres-Corona, project manager. "The site offers an extensive database of original content, and it also serves as an information clearinghouse linking directly to other high-quality educational materials in Spanish for Latinas created by trusted sources such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation."

First, I am embarrassed to admit that I cannot speak Spanish. Second, I feel odd in posting this in English. After all, the information about a resource for Spanish-speaking breast cancer patients seems like it would be far more effective in reaching its target audience if it was written in Spanish. But there you go -- here it is -- if you speak English and know of a breast cancer survivor who speaks Spanish, let them know about this new web resource.

Update: If you will check the comments following this post you will find the Spanish language version of this information -- and an explanation of how this information is being distributed to the Spanish-speaking community. Many thanks! to Bret Shaw.