Michael Brecker, Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist who performed with the likes of Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock, died Saturday of cancer. He was 57.

Brecker, considered one of the most influential saxophonists of the past 25 years, died at a hospital in New York City as a result of myelodysplastic syndrome -- a form of cancer in which the bone marrow stops making healthy blood cells.

The Philadelphia native, who began his solo career in 1987 with a self-titled debut recording that turned into Jazz Album of the Year, was forced by his illness to stop playing music at times. So he channeled his creative efforts into raising awareness of a very important cause -- bone marrow donation.

Brecker is survived by his wife, Susan; his children, Jessica and Sam; a brother and a sister.

Sadly, another cancer death has occurred -- this one caused by leukemia and ending the life of Arthur Lee. Lee, eccentric singer and guitarist with the 1960s rock band Love, died Thursday at the age of 61. His death was shocking to many who knew him because he had the ability to bounce back from just about everything. Leukemia was usually no exception. But recently, Lee, who was diagnosed this year with acute myeloid leukemia, was not faring well after three rounds of chemotherapy failed. And despite a bone marrow transplant using stem cells from an umbilical cord -- the first of its kind for an adult in Tennessee -- Lee could not overcome cancer.

Lee, a Memphis native, called himself "the first so-called black hippie." In 1965, he formed Love -- the first multiracial rock band of the psychedelic era -- and his groundbreaking albums featured a blend of folk rock, blues, and early punk. Lee is remembered for his hit singles My Little Red Book and Revelation, for influencing bands like Led Zeppelin and Echo, and for spending six years in prison during the 1990s for firing a pistol into the air.

After his release from prison in 2001, Lee formed a new version of Love and performed in Europe and North America. And then others -- like former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant -- performed for him this June in benefit concerts to raise money to help Lee with his medical bills.

Arthur Lee died in at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis -- with his wife Diane at his side.

Although researchers have considered the possibility that the bark of the White Birch tree might contain a compound, known as betulinol, with the ability to fight prostate cancer, until recently there was no way to test it because they did not know how to make the compound water-soluble.

Now that Weill Medical College of Cornell University researchers have solved that problem, laboratory tests on mice are showing it is indeed effective in killing prostate cancer cells.

"Years of research appear to have paid off, and now animal tests on this potential anti-cancer agent can finally proceed. Already, in mouse studies, we've found that our water-soluble compound - called Boc-lysinated-betulonic acid -- has achieved up to 92 percent inhibition of prostate tumor growth compared to controls," states lead researcher Dr. Brij Saxena.

While the study into the cancer-fighting properties of the White Birch tree might be new, the White Birch tree has a history of medicinal uses. According to the Living Memorials Project website White Birch tree information page, Native American Indians used the leaves and bark of the tree as a tea to treat fevers, stomach upset, and rheumatism. The bark was boiled to make poultices for minor wounds, and an oil made from the bark to treat bladder infections, rheumatism, gout and nerve pain. In Europe, the leaves were used to treat skin rashes, hair loss, rheumatic complaints, and to purify the blood. Birch tar oil was used to treat chronic skin diseases.

The Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases of United States Department of Agriculture includes information on betulin and betulinic acid as showing that it inhibits cancer, and the compound is also known to be anticarcinomic; anti-flu; anti-inflammatory; antiviral; and a prostaglandin-synthesis-inhibitor.

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.