I have a cabinet full of supplements I've never taken. I've never been convinced they will do much for me -- other than add an easy-to-forget routine to my day -- and doctors have typically advised me that a healthy diet will deliver just about everything I need for optimal functioning. I still wonder sometimes if I get enough calcium and at times I have taken iron supplements when doctors have determined I lacked appropriate iron levels. But I have never wondered about all the other pills and powders and liquids that claim to promote health -- and sometimes prevent cancer. And after reading a recap of a study in the September 2006 Oprah magazine, I am further convinced that supplements are just not for me.

A report from ConsumerLab.com (CL), a company that tests and certifies supplements, suggests that some people might be ingesting too much lead as they try to keep cancer at bay. CL randomly selected various green tea preparations from store shelves, websites, and direct marketers and found that two out of four contained what is considered unacceptable levels of lead. Green tea products they recommend avoiding are Futurebiotics Premium Extract Standardized Green Tea tablets and Herbal Select Standardized Green Tea Extract. Products found to be totally free of lead are Life Extension Mega Green Tea Extract, Nature's Bounty Green Tea Extract, Pharmanex Tegreen 97, and Puritan's Pride Green Tea Extract.

Experts believe that some supplements may help prevent cancer. But most testing is done on food so we can't be entirely sure about the safety of supplements. Their advice is this -- make a change through a healthy diet rather than supplements. This is just what I plan to do.

Before my radiation for breast cancer, I heard horror stories about the treatment. I heard that I might be extremely tired and severely burned and that I might feel generally unwell for the time it would take to completely zap any and all traces of cancer surrounding my breast. But my own radiation wasn't all that bad -- and really, the worst part of the whole therapy for me was the drive to and from the cancer center every day for seven weeks. It was a hassle, a nuisance, a bother. There were other small annoyances throughout the course of my radiation, but they were minimal -- thanks to some secrets that were shared with me along the scorching path of radiation and beyond. And here are seven of them.

Parents want what is best for baby. No parent wants to expose their baby to cancer-causing chemicals. Because you cannot always rely on baby care product makers to offer only the safest and the best products for your baby, the Environmental Working Group offers Skin Deep, an online searchable safety ratings database of brand-by-brand baby care products.

Skin Deep's database of baby care product categories includes: after sun products; anti-itch/rash creams; baby bubble baths; baby lotions; baby oils; baby powders; baby shampoos; baby soaps; baby sunscreens; baby toothpastes; baby wipes; cradle cap treatments; diaper creams; lip balm/treatments; and nipple cream for mothers.

While every baby care product on the market is not yet included in the Skin Deep baby care products database, parents can find many of the major brands listed. Each product comes complete with a safety score that allows parents to shop wisely.

Of special note: Parents can be safe from cancer-causing personal care products too. Back in February, we featured Skin Deep's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics when it launched a searchable database of adult personal care products used every day that might contain chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other serious health issues. To learn more about this resource, go here.