The folks at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona told me all about the merits of flax seed. They told me to sprinkle it here, sprinkle it there, sprinkle it everywhere. While at this desert destination, I did just that. I dipped into the bowls of flax scattered at all dining locations, and I topped my bagels, cereals, salads, and more with this powerful substance. As soon as I got home from this little slice of paradise, I bought my own personal container of flax. I promptly placed it in my refrigerator, have used it a few times, and just recently realized I'd forgotten why exactly it's so good for me.

I've done some research, and now I know a little more about this thing called flax -- and I remember why it must become a part of my everyday life.

Flax, also known as Common Flax or Linseed, is an annual plant that grows to 120 cm tall, with slender stems. Native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India, its leaves are green, its flowers blue, its fruit round and containing glossy brown seeds. Grown for both its seeds and its fibers, parts of this plant are used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, and soap. The seeds, like what sit in my refrigerator, come in two forms -- brown and yellow or golden. The yellow, golden variety is the one most often consumed.

OK, women of the world. Grab some paper and a pen and jot down this list of seven check-ups every woman needs. Don't just write them down, though. Make sure you take action on each and every one. They might just save your life.

1. Start with your weight, height, and BMI (body mass index). The scores you get on these simple tests are important because many conditions and diseases are associated with being overweight or underweight.

2. Check your blood pressure, and find out where you stand because hypertension is a disease with no symptoms. High blood pressure puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease -- but there are very effective treatments for this condition.

If you eat a lot of things with a high glycemic load, which is a measurement of how quickly food raises your blood sugar, you may have problems not only related to diabetes or being over weight, but you could run a higher risk of colorectal cancer. A Harvard Medical School study involving 38,000 women saw an increased risk of colon cancer related to the white foods like pasta, white rice, white bread, potatoes, and pastries. The lower glycemic load foods like whole wheat bread or multi grain breads and brown rice comes with fiber. Another Harvard study showed an increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer in women who are overweight and sedentary.

Keeping cancer and other diseases like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and more might be as simple as the choice we make in keeping toxins out of our bodies and stress out of our minds. Think about all of the money poured into medicines, which are chemicals, that only treat certain symptoms. And most of the time create other side effects that we have to take more medicines for that in turn create more side effects, and on and on. You see where I am going.

What if only a part of the millions and millions of dollars poured into research on medicines, was put to use in educating the public on the right choices of foods and nutrition to put into our bodies to keep them healthy and to learn how to relax and quit putting so many demands on ourselves. What if more funding went into organic farming instead of mass, quick produced, with fertilizers and steroids for faster turn around on the products. Personally I have had so many chemicals blasted into my body from chemo and radiation, and medicines for this and medicines for that, I am about to think that all of that is only hurting my body more. Are we brain washed to believe that we have to have a pill for everything?

My community does not have a health food store that sells fresh organic produce or meats. And the local grocery stores carry very limited amounts of those items. I did take it upon myself to talk to one of the produce managers who did start ordering some other variety of organic vegetables which I thought was nice. And it seemed to catch on with some other customers too. Maybe the trend in that store will be to start ordering more organic products.

I will be posting a series of blogs on personal research that I am doing and trying out, just because I am sick and tired, literally, of fighting cancer that reoccurs and using medicines that are ripping my body apart leaving my immune system even more at risk for infection and disease.

But the one thing that I want to emphasize in this blog right now, is to STOP EATING processed and canned foods. It may be quicker to heat up a can of food or something already processed and pre-made for us, but it is not healthier. Eating fresh organic vegetables and home made prepared foods without chemical preservatives and other additives is the way to go to start getting some of those toxins out of our bodies. If you can't find fresh in something, because seasons play a big part in our fresh vegetable selections, purchase frozen. Also purchase dried beans or other dried items and cook them instead of buying canned ones. They are healthier than canned. Eating raw vegetables or slightly steamed vegetables is more healthy because the vitamins and nutrients do not cook out of the food.

The Food an Drug Administration is not going to grant a priority review to GlaxoSmithKline's experimental cancer vaccine Cervarix. Adding pressure is recent controversy surrounding its diabetes drug Avandia.

Cervarix will now have to go through a standard 10-month review, instead of going the fast-track route. GlaxoSmithKline is defending its diabetes drug after a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said that those taking the drug are at greater risks of heart attacks.

GlaxoSmithKline expects to market the drug Cervarix in the United States sometime in 2008.

A new and official report shows cancer is the leading cause of death and disability in Australia.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals that cancer is taking more lives -- about 19 percent -- than cardiovascular disease, currently at 18 percent. Cancer is the now to blame for Australia's burden of disease, according to the report, and the disease doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon.

Burden of disease refers to not only mortality but also takes into account impact of illness and disability. Essentially, this means cancer takes away from healthy life years.

Drugs currently in trials for obesity and diabetes may soon be fast-tracked for use in the fight against breast cancer. Typically, it takes many years to research and develop new drugs. But these already-developed drugs, if successful, could reach the market much quicker.

The drugs, believed to work by blocking the enzyme PTP1B, could help breast cancer patients because the enzyme is found in high levels in about 40 percent of these patients.

Studies on mice show blocking production of the enzyme significantly slowed tumor development. In some cases, it stopped the spread of the cancer and it might even stop some tumors from forming.

Don't give up that daily cup of coffee just yet. Studies show drinking coffee may reduce your risk of developing Parkinson's disease, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, and colon cancer. It's even been linked to a decreased risk of inflammatory and cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.

Why? According to an article in the March 2007 issue of Ladies Home Journal, it's because coffee contains large amounts of flavonoids and antioxidants -- and these combat a whole bunch of illnesses.

Now drinking too much coffee can have adverse side effects, like restlessness, anxiety, and headaches, but limiting yourself to one to four brewed cups per day seems to be a safe practice. Although for those with high blood pressure, consuming between two to four cups per day maybe a bit risky because coffee causes blood pressure to rise immediately after consumption. And all coffee drinkers should fight the urge to add sugar, flavored syrup, and whole milk to to their beverages.

A daily cup of tea seems to be healthy too. Researchers are investigating its use in the prevention of cancer, and we already know both black and green tea have significant quantities of disease-fighting flavonoids -- although not as much as coffee.

More than 47 percent of people view their pets as family members, according to a 2002 American Veterinary Medical Association survey. It makes sense then that people are routinely treating their pets for ailments that might strike a family member -- like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, dementia, obesity, and yes, cancer.

New studies show that Americans are stuffing their pets with more drugs than ever before. They are medicating their dogs, cats, and sometimes other pets as much as they medicate themselves -- and they are doing it with many of the same human drugs they use for themselves, like steroids for inflammation, antibiotics for infection, anti-depressants for anxiety, and even new slendering drugs for obesity.

It's a big market -- pharmaceuticals for pets -- and for those who love their pets so much they can't let go, going to extremes is worth every penny.

Think about this:

• For dogs and cats alone, Americans spent $2.9 billion on pet drugs in 2005. While this is equal to only one percent of human drug sales, the market has grown by half since 2000.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than 40 new pet drugs in the past five years.

• A single three-month course of pet chemotherapy can cost $3,000 -- and chemotherapy doesn't typically extend the life of an animal as much as it soothes symptoms of the disease.

• Health insurance for pets was nearly invisible in 2002 but has gained popularity over the past few years. Premiums can cost $30 per month, and the total market is expected to climb to $500 million in the next five years.

• Some human drugs leave pets with unexpected, sometimes deadly, side effects. The drug Rimadyl, made by Pfizer and used as a treatment for dogs with arthritis, has been shown to cause kidney and liver damage in some animals. More than 3,000 pet deaths have been attributed to this drug.

• Some question the priorities of a society that allows for medically treating pets like they are humans. Dianne Dunning, an ethicist at N.C. State's vet school is concerned that millions of animals are lost, unwanted, and euthanized while millions are spent on pet medicines. David Rothman, an expert in medicine's role in society from Columbia University, says, "If you can't get malaria drugs in some Third World countries, what are we doing with chemotherapy for cats?"

• Others don't flinch at the expense it requires to keep their pets alive. One man, whose dog was expected to die of lymphoma within weeks, still enjoys the company of his pet some two years later. Chemotherapy saved the dog's life and when asked if he thinks the drugs are too expensive, this man says NO -- because his dog is still here.
  

It's already been established that type 2 diabetes increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. And now, research indicates there is also a link between type 1 diabetes and this type of cancer.

The risk is relatively small -- but still, those with type 1 diabetes have a likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer that is twice as high as in non-diabetics. This is similar to the risk those with type 2 diabetes face.

There are many theories about the link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer, and this research -- published in the British Journal of Cancer -- helps narrow the scope of the theories.

For example, one researcher says the study rules out "a cancer-inducing role of the insulin-producing beta-cells in the pancreas, because in type 1 diabetes these cells have largely or entirely been destroyed."

Experts say people with diabetes should focus their attention on the most common complications of diabetes such as heart disease, eye disease, and kidney disease and not on the very small risk of cancer. In the whole scheme of things, pancreatic cancer is a rare disease -- and even twice the risk is not very significant.

It's been so long I can barely remember the cause of the family rift that kept me separated from an aunt, an uncle, and cousins for many years. All that remains clear is that a once-close family split apart because of disagreement and hurt feelings and that my grandma -- the glue that held this family together for more than 50 years -- was heartbroken. She did everything she could to repair the damage of her splintered family. But despite begging, pleading, and continued prayers, reconciliation seemed impossible -- until it became evident this sweet woman was about to die.

The progress was slow and began with a rallying of family members at my grandma's bedside. She was somewhat incoherent at the time, and I'm not quite sure if she realized her broken family was on the mend. But I hope she knows, in some heavenly way, that she is the one who ultimately brought everyone together.

After her passing, we all gathered for her memorial service. We took turns spreading her ashes at a tree planted in her honor. We talked and visited and laughed and ate. We broke the ice and opened the door for further interaction. It was refreshing to mourn the loss of Gram without overriding tension and conflict.

I'm not sure if family relations would have continued without what happened next. I suspect we may have all returned to our lives and gone our separate ways, happy we had reconnected but still missing the closeness we once experienced. But then cancer entered our lives, shocked us all, and gave us all reason to stay in touch.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer not long after my grandma died. And the same people who came to her bedside came to my rescue in ways I never would have imagined in the heat of battle. The same people who for years were absent from my life were the ones offering me support and encouragement and love. They helped me get better.

Once I was better, life returned to a somewhat normal routine. And maybe we would have routinely slipped back into our selfish ways. But illness struck again, requiring we all step back up to the plate.

My uncle, who has lived with diabetes for many years, was faced this year with losing his foot. Thankfully, he found specialists who gave him hope and reason to travel every month for several months to a clinic in my city, where eight family members live and where options never before available to him became a reality -- both medically and personally.

My uncle is doing well, walking on his foot with the aid of a brace. And our family is doing well, as a result of frequent visits, lunches, and continued laughs.

It took death and disease to bridge the gap that existed for much too long between the members of my family. And just this weekend, after spending a glorious weekend with my long-lost cousins, I realized we have possibly arrived back where we once started -- before whatever led to our disagreement and hurt feelings drove us apart.

I believe Gram is smiling down upon us at this very moment, content at last that her three beautiful children -- and their children and their children -- are again a happy family.

Stapling the stomach of an obese child is a last resort, but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a stamp of approval for bariatric surgery as part of a national guideline aimed at reducing obesity in children and minimizing the long-term adverse health effects that being overweight has on health.

This is the NICE organization's effort to find solutions to England's rising obesity epidemic where the number of overweight and obese people in the last quarter century has tripled.

Stomach stapling is not the only solution, but it is now an approved option. Other recommendations include the following: local authorities working with local partners, such as industry and voluntary organizations, to create safe spaces for physical activity; providing cycling and walking routes, cycle parking, area maps and safe play areas; creating pedestrian-friendly streets; designing building and spaces to encourage more physical activity; requiring schools to provide an environment that promotes healthy eating and physical exercise; healthcare professionals taking the time to educate and give advice on how to maintain a healthy weight; raising public awareness and encouraging daily physical activities such as walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics or gardening.

Obesity cannot go unchecked and it is a threat to the health and welfare of children and adults alike, as obesity is linked to greater increased risks for a number of life-threatening diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But, it is uncomfortable to think that one of the solutions to childhood obesity is a scalpel. The NICE press release New NICE guideline calls for urgent action to stem the rising tide of obesity in England and Wales is available as a pdf document here.

Americans are urged to know their family medical histories -- and to share them with their doctors.

Spearheaded by the U.S. surgeon general's office and other public and private agencies, this urging is critical -- because knowledge of family history can lead to more frequent and earlier screenings for particular cancers, to changes in diet and exercise to combat onset of heart disease and diabetes, to more formal genetic counseling and testing if warranted.

This Thanksgiving marked the third anniversary of Thanksgiving National Family History Day, a day the surgeon general's office has reserved for family discussion and documentation of medical histories.

"Family history itself is the first and best genetic test," says Sharon Terry, president of Genetic Alliance, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C.

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has started a work-place initiative regarding medical family history. In the past year, about half of the 13,000 employees -- from physicians to file clerks -- have completed the computerized family history forms developed by the surgeon general's office.

Acting surgeon general Kenneth Moritsugu says, "knowing your family history can help you make better health choices. Much of what we do in American health care is treat chronic diseases, many of which involve choices over a lifetime."

This past weekend I visited the Quonset Air Museum with my father and girlfriend, anxious to do so but finding it strange as I watched myself shape into the taciturn young boy I once was. At least, I was this way when I used to visit his house. My grandfather; Elwin (Al) Sparling, retired U.S. Navy pilot and to me -- from my childhood, up until his death about a year ago -- a strong, proud man known only as Bompa. I think I realized even as a child how ridiculous of a grandpa alternative name Bompa was, and I definitely know that it sounded strange when I had my last conversation with him in the hospital. Still, the moniker always seemed to carry an air of reverence in my mind, although in hindsight he probably couldn't stand having his now twenty-something and thirty-something year old grandchildren calling him that. But, he never complained about it. Not even once. That wasn't his way.

For longer than I had been alive, my grandfather had been undergoing a project of mammoth proportions; literally rebuilding, by hand, an exact replica of the plane that he flew in World War II, the F6F-3 Hellcat. If a kit of some kind existed for building this plane, he clearly opted against using it. Instead, he fashioned every last piece of this aircraft, and wired every inch of its electronics, with the help of only his blueprints and his memory. Before this project even started, he had fathered eight children and after the construction commenced, became "Bompa" to a number of grandchildren and, years later, great-grandchildren. For over thirty years, he toiled in an old barn during the little spare time that he had, determined to see his plane fly someday.

I can vaguely remember visiting him one idle Sunday morning with my father, probably close to twenty years ago. Even then, being as young as I was, I marveled at the site of the craft. Though at this point it was skeletal and clearly years away from completion, the plane was remarkable. Strewn about the barn were enormous sheets of metal, arcane control mechanisms, and a welter of odd-looking tools -- leading me to wonder, even to this day, how one man can build a plane in a barn. Or anywhere, for that matter. Clearly, he had no such doubt, for he forged on for years in that barn -- not playing the role of hobbyist, rather that of the impassioned builder.

Diabetes became the first enemy to strike Airman Sparling. What hundreds, if not thousands, of Japanese planes could not do while battling with my grandfather over the South Pacific, this disease was able to do with relative ease. First to be effected was his eyesight, rendering him unable to meet the requisite pilot licensure measures. As a result, his pilot license was revoked, and it immediately became clear that my grandfather would never again have the opportunity to operate an aircraft. Only a few years later, the neuropathy in his left leg had worsened to the point where it required amputation, making everyday life that much more difficult. Be this all as it may, he never once stopped going to the barn. Although in his 80s by this point, he still had a job to finish.

Cancer does not run in everyone's family, but it all too often still ends up being an unwelcome guest. This was the case for my grandfather, whose lineage did not foretell this part of the story. He was always a strong man, both in terms of his physicality and in sheer presence. But, a chink in his armor was formed when he lost his leg, when he was forced to hobble instead of walking tall. Cancer further ravaged him, from the inside out. He grew smaller, slower, older -- right before our eyes. The irony is that he finally started to look like someone that you would call Bompa, rather than someone who just let you get away with it. He knew that his time on earth was almost up, and quite honestly, so did everyone else. But, that stubborn old man refused to go without a fight. He refused to go without his plane.

I honestly forget the exact timeline, but I believe it was less than a month before he was admitted to the hospital that my uncle and a few other people brought my grandfather to the barn. They rolled the plane onto the expanse of grass that surrounded the wooden, makeshift hanger, and allowed my grandfather to see something that he had been waiting to see for over thirty years. The F6F-3 Hellcat. A World War II relic. Resurrected by the hands of a man whose own life was now nearing its end. Nothing had been changed or added; only the last bit of the engine's wiring had been circuited, based completely on my grandfather's notes. And then, it started. The engine roared as the propeller spun faster than the speed of time. The embodiment of an entire life's devotion to country, family, and personal achievement, spinning into infinity right before his eyes.

Memories of my grandfather are still quite vivid, something that I hope remains that way for the rest of my own life. But, being at the museum, staring at his plane and all the news clippings, it reminded me of things that I didn't realize I had already forgotten. Nothing tangible, like his family-famous turkey soup or his nickname for my sister, but more of the intangible feelings -- like how it felt to be in the room with him, and especially how it felt to be in a room with him and my father. Three generations sitting next to each other, each their own men but each a distinct part of the other. That exact feeling was brought back to me last Sunday, when my father and I stood before my grandfather's plane, as if it were the three of us in the room again. It made me sad that I had not spent more time with him when he was alive. It made me happy that his years of hard work and honorable military service were being properly recognized. And, above all, it made me proud to be part of his family.

My mom's best friend died from pancreatic cancer just three months after her diagnosis with the disease. One of my co-workers lost her mother to the same disease just weeks after diagnosis. Another co-worker's husband lost his battle with pancreatic cancer after a 15-month all-out fight. And a family friend has somehow been surviving this deadly disease for years now. He's the exception, defying the odds rarely in favor of long-term survival.

About 33,730 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006. Many of them -- 32,300 -- will die from the disease that is rarely caught early. Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.