Gardening is good for the soul. I'm sure of it. It did wonders for my grandma, who planted and flowered and blossomed for most of her life and long after her rounded back and arthritic fingers told her to stop. She just couldn't help herself -- the fruits of the earth brought her such joy that the toll hard labor took on her body was somehow worth every trace of dirt that crumbled beneath her fingertips.

In my own small way, I can't resist either. I'm no lifelong gardener or anything. I'm more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of girl. And I haven't a green thumb on either of my hands. My flowers always seem to die. Because no matter how much I love them at the beginning of the warm season, I end up neglecting them.

I tell my husband every year, "Please remind me not to buy flowers this year." It just seems silly to spend so much money only to toss my dead blooms after they wither and shrivel. So my husband reminds me. And I go right back out and buy more. Like I did today.

I spent about an hour with my little boys shoveling dirt and arranging red and orange and yellow and white flowers in all sorts of pots. It was a priceless hour -- although really it cost me about 60 bucks. It was refreshing and rejuvenating and in a way, healing.

I know the effects of today's flower therapy will fade, just as the flowers themselves will fail to thrive. But I also know I will do it all again next year. Because it's good for my soul. And I just can't resist.

From houseplants to raised beds, to plant a seed, tend the soil, and watch a plant grow is one of the most inspiringly hopeful of activities. In hopefulness is found a kind of healing. According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, horticulture therapy is defined as "a process utilizing plants and horticultural activities to improve social, educational, psychological and physical adjustment of persons thus improving their body, mind, and spirit." The American Cancer Society offers a list of some of horticulture therapy benefits one can expect from gardening that include:

• Feelings of hope.
• Stress reduction.
• Social interaction.
• Pain relief.
• Improved muscle tone, flexibility, and cardiopulmonary capability.
• Creativity and self-expression.
• Enhanced self-esteem and improved mood.
• Motor skill development.
  

As the New Year arrives, so do the gardening catalogs in the mail. Interested in receiving gardening catalogs but not certain where to start? Cyndi's Catalog of Garden Catalogs lists over 2,000 mail-order gardening catalogs for the home gardener.

Two of my favorite gardening websites and online catalogs are found at Seeds of Change and Seed Savers Exchange.

At Seeds of Change, you can find garden seeds, seed collections, cover crops, seedlings, fruit trees, garden tools, kitchen items, and a bookstore. All organic. In addition, Seeds of Change publishes a newsletter.

Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit organization that saves and shares heirloom seeds. According to Seed Savers Exchange, "Our organization is saving the world's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity."

But, wherever you start, once you catch the gardening bug, you will understand why horticulture therapy is becoming an integrated part in healing programs adopted at some of the medical centers across the country.

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.

I remember thinking when my grandma was a spunky 80-year-old -- still going to aerobics classes in her purple tights -- that it must be sad to be such an age when so many friends and acquaintances are falling ill and passing away. My grandma was always one to care for others, call on others, pray for others -- and often she seemed to be the only one in her circle who was thriving. Somehow, she took it all in stride and continued baking and gardening and sewing and living strong until her own death at the age of 86 -- when she left her remaining friends and acquaintances wondering if their own time on Earth was approaching a quick end. At the time, I thought this loss of friends was merely a side effect of aging. It didn't seem to concern me at my own young age of 30. I didn't really know any 30-year-olds who were dying. And I didn't predict anyone my age would be dying until I was closer to the age of 80. How wrong I was.

I am now 36 years old. And I know many women my age who have died -- most of them because of breast cancer, the same disease I have been fighting for nearly two years. So it's not only sad to me that people my age are dying, it's also quite personal and frightening -- for it could easily me in the same predicament. So I feel vulnerable -- so many years earlier than I imagined.

I think I know how my grandma must have felt when her loved ones were leaving her. And I think I will take her same approach to coping with this unfortunate fact of life. Although I couldn't possibly bake and garden and sew like she did, I can keep busy with my own hobbies and interests. And I can continue living strong until my own death -- which hopefully won't occur until after I've made my appearance in purple tights. About 50 years from now.

Almost five years later, the memory is still as vivid as if it were happening now as I tell you that while showering, I discovered a lump in my breast. My hand stopped, my breath caught, and my stomach clenched in terror. Instinctively, I knew I was in trouble. After mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy and the first of three surgeries, the diagnosis of breast cancer was not the most optimistic one. My lobular breast cancer had spread beyond the breast into lymph nodes -- and perhaps elsewhere not yet clearly detected.

I would spend the next four years peering over my shoulder, wondering if the shadow of death would visit me with another cancer diagnosis, and if so, where would it settle in this time. If I ate pizza topped with jalapenos for that extra kick of flavor and got a stomach ache, I wondered -- had cancer spread to my liver? If I spent a day met with seemingly endless frustrations and annoyances and got a headache -- had the cancer spread to my brain?

While there is nothing rational about these leaps to a cancer conclusion based on evidence suggesting I suffered from logically explainable modern life maladies that antacid or aspirin might easily cure, for the newly-diagnosed surviving breast cancer, it is not uncommon for the mind to immediately race to an impending cancer-based doom for every day aches and pains. I am here to tell you that for the first few years it will be quite normal to have totally unreasonable fears.

Not willing to subject myself to this screeching fingernails on the blackboard fear without finding something to muffle the sound, I began creating personal rituals that suggested hope and affirmed life. With each one I was stating the value of my life and staking my claim to my future. For each woman, the personal rituals will be different. Here are a few I created that might give you some ideas for your own:

Caregivers are quiet heroes, helping and caring without asking for anything in return. Caregivers step in when there is a need and they bring with them a sense of hope and comfort during the challenges facing a loved one diagnosed with cancer. In the selflessness of love, they sometimes forget to take time to care for themselves. To avoid caregiver depression, frustration, resentment, illness and burnout, here are six ways a cancer caregiver can care for themselves while caring for someone else:

Take a daily walk. Exercise is a great stress reducer. Taking the time to stroll through the neighborhood or local park is like a deep calming breath for the body and emotions. If you are a jogger, go jogging. The point is to get away for a moment, get the body moving, and enjoy a change of scenery as you go.

Keep a journal. Daily journaling is a way to outwardly express your thoughts and emotions and can act as a relief value for emotions that are building up inside. It can also give you a better perspective. Sometimes we need to see what we are thinking and feeling to sort it all out.

Pursue personal interests. If you have a hobby or activity -- like writing poetry, photography, crafts, painting, knitting, reading, gardening, or listening to music, that has always been fun and brought you a sense of joy and contentment -- make time each day for your personal pleasurable pursuits.

Maintain friendships. We need our connection to others for the enjoyment of company and for comfort and support. Make regular weekly dates with friends and meet for coffee. Join a book club or start a book club. If there is a caregiver support group in your area, or a support group for families affected by cancer, consider joining.

Learn ways to relax. Try breathing exercises and muscle relaxation exercises. Schedule a massage. Take a weekly yoga or tai chi class. Cannot get away? Pop in a yoga or tai chi video and follow along.

Make your health a priority. Eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids. Find inspirational quotes that lift your spirits and display them where you can read them each day. Remember to laugh each day. Hug and be hugged.

To offer the very best care for your loved one, you must take care of yourself too. It's not selfish, it's wise.

If you are a caregiver that has found unique fun ways to take a moment to take care of yourself while taking care of someone you love, please share your ideas with other caregivers in the comment area following this post. If you are a reader with fun tips or ideas on ways a caregiver can take care of themselves while caring for someone else, please share in the comment area. We are all in this together, and we will get through the challenges and struggles of cancer much better with each other's support and encouragement.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer, UK's leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research and education, has hands down and without argument, some of the best fundraising campaigns around. They are fun and innovative and trendy. In a recently announced fundraiser, they are inviting gardeners with a "passion for digging, sowing and cultivating their gardens" to host a garden party for friends to raise money for cancer charity -- or to sell cuttings from the garden and donate the proceeds to cancer charity.

According to Breakthrough, Linda Clegg from Keighley, West Yorkshire has been using her garden to raise money for Breakthrough since 2000, she says: "When my friend Norma called to say she had been diagnosed with breast cancer it was a huge shock. She really impressed me when she told me months later, that she had become a £1,000 Challenger. Little did I guess that I too would be diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently have been bitten by the bug to raise funds for Breakthrough's research."

"It was difficult during my six months of chemotherapy, but my husband was a tower of strength through it all. When I look back now some very positive things to came out of that dreadful time."

Now in its 15th year, Breakthrough's £1,000 Challenge is the charity's longest-running, fundraising campaign. Once a fundraiser reaches the £1,000 target, Challengers can honor someone they love by having their name permanently displayed on the £1,000 Challengers' Wall, at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre. Over 5,000 supporters have become Challengers so far, and to date have raised over £12 million.

The Breakthrough Breast Cancer green-fingered gardening challenge certainly isn't the only fundraiser they have launched. To find out more, go here. Not only can you sign up to participate in existing fundraisers, it's quite possible learning about what people are doing to raise money for cancer research and services will inspire you to original ideas of your own.

In a private preview of the 84th Chelsea Flower Show, attended by The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and celebrities, Emma Thompson unveiled the pink rose that will become the signature plant for the Plant Pink campaign. The campaign will raise money in support of Breast Cancer Care. "It seems to me there are more and more women getting this disease. Of course, since they are the growers and nurturers, the effects of a woman having this disease go very, very far through the family. The reverberations through children's and parents lives are very great. I am promoting this for all the people who I know who have lost their women." UK gardeners are being asked to plant pink plants using pink products all available at Wyevale Garden Centres. 50p from the sale of all pink plants will go towards raising money for the breast cancer charity. Wyevale Garden Centres, the UK's largest garden centre group with 114 stores, has chosen Breast Cancer Care as its Charity of the Year for 2006.

When it comes to cancer organizations and cancer charity, if I say pink, you think ribbon and breast cancer. If I say yellow, you think wristband and Lance Armstrong. I say that is what you will think because the pink breast cancer campaign and the yellow cancer survivor wristband have become phenomenally successful at marketing brand identity. Which is a good thing for cancer charity. Many companies and products are going pink as a way to donate money for cancer research. By offering pink products, and allotting a certain portion of the profits to cancer charity, the purchase of the product serves two purposes. But what if you do not normally wear pink, or decorate your home in pink? 

Okay, what about purple? The Lavender Trust, a foundation that serves young women living with breast cancer, offers a line of fundraising products in a soft lavender color. The products range from apparel to candles to gardening seeds. All in shades of lavender. Go here to check out the Lavender Trust online shop.

When John Richard Baker, Assistant National Park Officer for the Yorkshire Dales, died in July 1998 from leukemia, his wife Annie and her best friend Chris got the ladies of the local Women’s Institute together with the idea of producing a calendar to raise money for cancer charity. Each month would feature a different woman in the women's group, doing ordinary things like making jam, flower arranging, or knitting. The traditional idea had a radical twist -- the women would appear nude. The calendar gained international attention which eventually led to the filming of the Calendar Girls movie.

When Baker was diagnosed with cancer, he began growing sunflowers and gave them to friends and family --hoping to live long enough to see them fully-bloomed. Unfortunately, he lost his life to cancer before that happened. The sunflower has become the cancer charity fundraising activities symbol for his family and friends.

Wearing bras decorated in sunflowers, the Calendar Girls, together with friends and family, are now training for London's Playtex Moonwalk, a cancer charity fundraising event in which thousands of women walk 26.2 miles through the night wearing elaborately decorated bras.  While the past efforts of the women's group have raised more than £1m total for leukemia research, this walk will be for breast cancer charity. In addition, the Calendar Girls recently launched a 2007 calendar. Profits from the calendar will continue to go to leukemia research.

For a gardener, this is an exciting time of year. There is planning and planting and anticipation of the continuous summertime harvest bounty of fresh organic vegetables straight from the good earth of a home garden. If you have children, or grandchildren, it is an excellent opportunity in education and the lessons of tending and growing and benefiting from homegrown food. The wisdom of the garden and the gardener is the knowledge of life and living.

The Edible Schoolyard has brought all of this and more into the schoolyard at Martin Luther King Junior Middle School, where public school students are provided with a one-acre organic garden and a kitchen classroom. An explanation of the program is posted on The Edible Schoolyard website, where students learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare nutritious seasonal produce. Experiences in the kitchen and garden foster a better understanding of how the natural world sustains, and promotes the environmental and social well being of the school community.

As far as I can tell, much of the program is published online as a resource for parents and teachers interested in launching a similar program in community-area schools. I think, while reviewing the  extensive resources, that a parent could take advantage of the information and create an individualized homeschool-based program for their child, or children, if the local school does not provide this, or a similar program -- and include cancer prevention nutrition information about the organic produce grown -- for a lifetime of good health.

Ideally, the Dervaes would reside on a couple of country acres in order to live the organic, self-sufficient eco-friendly and health conscious lifestyle they live. Instead, finding themselves in the middle of an urban landscape, on a simple city block in Pasadena, California, the five member family has transformed the 1/5 acre and city home into a sustainable urban homestead that provides them with enough organic and cancer prevention food that they have turned the excess crops into a lucrative home business.

The family is vegetarian, and the yard blooms with over 350 varieties of edible and useful plants. The 1/10 acre organic garden now grows over 6,000 pounds of organic produce each year. The money from the cottage-industry produce business helps fund purchases of solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and a biodiesel processor. The family makes their own vegetable oil-based bio-diesel fuel to run the family car. They have chickens and ducks, and compost with worms.

The Dervaes family is generous in the time they spend showing others what they are doing, from allowing local school children come take a tour to giving how-to workshops to keeping a blog. For the last three years, I have followed their daily lifestyle with fascination, reading the daily journal they keep. So much in the way they live is a cancer prevention lifestyle. They protect their health, they protect the health of others, and they protect the health of the planet -- in the way they choose to live. All while living in the middle of a city on a small city lot. I think you will enjoy the visit to the Path to Freedom journal.

On April 22, Earth Day is observed each year to promote awareness of environmental issues. According to Earth Day's founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson, who, in 1970, wrote letters to colleges and put a special article in Scholastic Magazine to promote the special day he had planned, Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. People cared. People were concerned. According to Senator Nelson, the first year event organized itself. Today, over three decades later, Earth Day is a worldwide event. People still care. People are still concerned.

Environmental issues are of special concern to cancer survivors and people interested in cancer prevention. Environmental toxins and pollution are some of the causes linked to the risk and development of cancer. At The Cancer Blog, we post information from reputable and respected individuals and organizations outlining some of the environmental concerns as it relates to cancer risks. This is the second recap of posts, the first recap can be found here.

• Greenpeace: Chernobyl cancer deaths grossly underestimated
• Gardening organic for cancer prevention
• Cancer society calls for ban on lawn and garden pesticides
• Peter Max Earth Day T-Shirt benefits breast cancer
• Earth Day cancer survivor and the Rachel Carson for our time
• TCE: groundwater contamination in toxic triangle of cancer
• Oyster Creek nuclear power plant link to childhood cancer
• Tooth Fairy Project: low level radiation link to cancer
• Health agency saying higher cancer rates have little meaning
• Potato farms a hotbed of cancer debate
• California and New York highest air pollution cancer risks
• Environmental contaminants strong link to cancer

There is valid concern regarding cancer-causing chemical pesticides used around the home and in the backyard vegetable garden. For the garden, many pests are drawn to unhealthy soils and plants, and as a result, the need for pesticide application increases to control damage done by garden invaders. However, if you keep your garden healthy, and implement the practice of companion planting, you might be able to reduce your use of toxic chemical pesticides to zero. Companion planting is the practice of growing plants close to each other that utilizes each plant's ability to protect the other plant by attracting beneficial insects and repelling harmful ones. Gardening organic is a satisfying cancer prevention way to get fresh vegetables to your dinner table.

For example, the Three Sisters gardening practice of North America Native Americans is organic and practical. Corn, squash, and climbing beans are grown close together. The corn provides a natural pole for the beans to climb, the beans provide needed nutrients for the soil and the squash acts as a spreading ground cover choking out weeds and protecting the soil from drying out too fast. A fish is planted in the soil to provide a natural fertilizer.

Yayasan IDEP Foundation offers a comprehensive companion planting chart, including an extensive list of tips on natural insect repellants for ants, aphids, cabbage butterfly, mosquitoes, moths, red spider, fleas, flies, slugs, snails and more -- to use around the home and to grow in your garden and yard. Available as a free PDF document, you can download the Companion Planting Chart here.

For many centuries, herbs were used as healing remedies. Herbal medicine fell out of favor in the last century, replaced by modern medicine and the science of single compound pharmaceuticals. However, this is changing in the growing renewal of interest for the traditional wisdom we left behind. Recent scientific research has proven that, ounce-for-ounce, herbs have more antioxidant and anticancer properties when compared to berries, fruits or vegetables.

In the field of cancer research, scientists discovered antioxidants found in herbs have the ability to protect cells from chemical damage caused by free radicals that result from exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxins. Shiow Wang, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research scientist and biochemist, along with visiting scientist Wei Zheng from the Institute of Environmental Science in Zhejing, China, tested 27 culinary herbs and 12 medicinal herbs for the possibility of antioxidant properties.

Among common kitchen herbs that have antioxidant properties are dill, oregano, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, sweet marjoram and thyme -- with oregano ranking the most potent in antioxidant ability.

Even if you do not have gardening space, these are herbs that can be easily grown in containers and pots on a windowsill. Following is information about each herb, growing tips and suggested uses.