The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the first country in the Middle East to acquire the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil.

Comparisons of cervical cancer statistics for the years 1998 through 2005 show incidences of the disease tripling during this span of time. So acquisition of the vaccine is a true blessing for the women of this country.

"We are proud to have placed the UAE on the map with leading countries such as the US, Australia and EU by approving Gardasil, the first breakthrough vaccine that prevents the cancer," said Dr Wisam Haddadin, Franchise Manager, Gulf Region, Merck Sharp & Dohme.

Gardasil, distributed by Merck, Sharp, & Dohme, is now available in more than 33 countries for the prevention of cervical cancer, most commonly caused by HPV (human papilloma virus). About 2.3 million women are currently diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide. About 800 women die of the disease every day.

United States drug company Merck hopes to offer the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to developing countries at much lower prices -- within months, if possible.

Currently, the three-dose vaccine is not affordable in the developing world -- where 80 percent of cervical cancer deaths occur and 95 percent of females have never had a Pap test . And while the exact discounted price has not yet been determined, Merck professionals report they are committed to slashing the price of Gardasil for these women.

Merck also aims to help developing countries receive drugs sooner. Right now, there is a time lag of 15 to 20 years between the approval of drugs in the West and the time they reach these countries.

This past summer, a man in the business of helping smokers quit, was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Just months later, anti-smoking guru Allen Carr lost his battle with cancer. On November 29th, Carr died at his home in Malaga, Spain.

A heavy smoker for 33 years before quitting 23 years ago, Carr claimed to have found an easy way to quit smoking. From that discovery, he founded The Easy Way to Stop Smoking Program, which would eventually grow into 70 clinics in 30 countries. In addition, his company publishes how-to quit smoking books, CDs, tapes and DVDs.

Using cognitive therapy, Carr told smokers interested in quitting that they could do it without willpower, without suffering withdrawal and without gaining weight. The celebrity endorsements for his program include Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sean Bean, Marie Helvin, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Lisa Stansfield, Sir Richard Branson, Britney Spears, Susannah York, Bruce Oldfield, Stefano Gabbana and Julie Christie.

Carr is credited with helping over 25 million people to quit smoking.

An Easy Way to Stop Smoking Program clinic spokesperson was quoted as saying, "Allen spent many years in smoke-filled rooms after he quit, while treating smokers for addiction. He is certain that had he not quit, he would have died 20 years ago." Near the time of his death, Carr wrote a letter to Tony Blair urging his government and NHS to accept the easy method program. Carr was 72.

For women who have had a mammogram, now may be the perfect time to get in shape -- in Gainesville, Florida anyway. The Gainesville Curves is waiving all service fees for women who show proof of a mammogram and join this fitness center during the week of October 16.

Curves is the largest fitness franchise in the world -- with 9,500 locations worldwide -- dedicated to providing affordable exercise, weight loss, and nutrition programs for women. Curves is also dedicated -- in at least one city -- to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A month that can have a positive effect on the whole body.

Perhaps other locations are offering this same deal. If not, you might try to negotiate the discount at a location near you -- in the spirit of your own good health.

Stomach cancer is hard to detect. It has no symptoms in its early stages, and there is no effective screening to detect its presence. So early detection and early treatment for this disease -- that attacks 800,000 people worldwide -- are hard to come by. In Taiwan, stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the focus of study for researchers working to devise a method for detecting stomach cancer in its infancy.

A team of researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital have discovered a toxic factor -- GroES -- that causes stomach cancer. And they have discovered that a simple blood test will show either a positive or negative result for this substance, leading to immediate endoscopic exams for patients who may be at risk for stomach cancer. The test to identify GroES has already achieved a 65 percent accuracy rate.

Apparently, if the human body is infected with GroES, it produces antibodies to the factor and can cause chronic inflammation of the stomach, causing cells to rupture and proliferate. Long-term inflammation can cause stomach cancer. Researchers say about 45 percent of adults in Taiwan are infected with GroES -- and one percent will go on to develop stomach cancer.

Right now, patent applications are underway in the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. Once a kit is developed, a single drop of blood will be all it takes to determine the risk for stomach cancer.

Celebrity fashion photographer and co-founder of Dazed and Confused Magazine Rankin has launched a worldwide exhibit of his photographs conveying the special bond between women with breast cancer and the special family member or friend who comforted and accompanied them through the challenging days and nights from diagnosis to survivorship during the breast cancer journey.

Breast Friends is a photographic endeavor to capture the emotions of thirty international celebrities including Marcia Cross, Jerry Hall, Rosanna Arquette and Ronan Keating who have all been touched by breast cancer. Rankin began this campaign six months after he lost his mother Anne to lung cancer. He realized how important the bond between best friend and someone struggling to survive cancer can be when his mother died only weeks after she lost her husband, Rankin's father, to a heart attack.

Rankin is quoted as saying, "I thought my mother would have lasted another six months as she seemed so strong but the minute my dad died she deteriorated within a week." In July, supermodel Elle MacPherson helped Rankin with the initial launch of the Breast Friends campaign at the Oxo Tower Gallery in London. From there the exhibit will travel worldwide.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer researchers have concluded a study indicating that 3.6 percent of all cancer cases worldwide are related to alcohol drinking.

"A causal link has been established between alcohol drinking and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, larynx, and breast," states lead researcher Dr. Paolo Boffetta. "For other cancers, a causal association is suspected." According to the researchers of Lyon, France, more than 60 percent of alcohol-related cancers in men were in the upper digestive tract, and approximately 60 percent of alcohol-associated cancers in women were breast cancer.

The researchers also point out that moderate alcohol drinking has been shown to be beneficial to heart health. The American Cancer Society advises that drinking be limited to one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men to reduce the increased cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption.

On Monday, the sale of a Japanese brand of aloe juice was banned by the Department of Health after it was determined that it contains high levels of benzene -- seven times more than the World Health Organization recommends for maximum levels in water. Benzene is a colorless and flammable liquid with a sweet smell and was once used as an additive in gasoline. It is carcinogenic -- and has been cause for concern worldwide. So samples of the drink, produced by the Japansese cosmetics brand DHC, will be sent to the Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis for further investigation due to such concerns. In the meantime, the sale of this aloe juice, sold in convenience stores and through mail-order, will be suspended.

It is estimated that 1.25 billion men and women currently smoke cigarettes. And if this trend holds steady, tobacco will kill 1 billion people by the end of the century -- 10 times the amount of people who died from tobacco in the 20th century. Every one in five cancer deaths results from tobacco use -- worldwide, that's 1.4 million tobacco-related deaths every year. And lung cancer remains the major cancer among the 10.9 million new cases that are diagnosed annually. All this comes from the Cancer Atlas -- updated and released today along with the Tobacco Atlas and published by the American Cancer Society with assistance from the International Union Against Cancer, World Health Organization, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While improving nutrition and reducing infection can dramatically reduce cancer rates, reducing tobacco use would have the greatest global affect the number of cancer deaths. And if action is taken now, 2 million lives could be saved each year by 2020 and 6.5 million lives by 2040.

When I went through chemotherapy there were days when I did not have the strength to walk across the room. If you haven't been through chemotherapy you might think this is an exaggeration. If you have been through the grueling mean rigors of chemotherapy you know exactly what I am talking about. On some days, during the worst of it, I would have to stop half-way across the room to rest before continuing to the other side of the room -- I am not joking.

Chemotherapy brings a human body as close to the edge of death as is possible without actually dying. Because I know what chemotherapy can do to a person, when I found the Bouncing for Boobs blog, my heart was captivated by the efforts of Priscilla to help her sister Kathleen for the time when she would be going through chemotherapy. Kathleen is a single mom with children to provide for and bills to pay. There is no way she will be able to work full-time to keep the lights on and food in the pantry.

Priscilla came up with a fundraising plan to help by bouncing on a trampoline and asking for donations to match the number of times she bounced her boobs. Its tongue and cheek and it's very serious at the same time. The Bouncing for Boobs campaign officially ends June 3rd, and to date Priscilla has been able to raise $7,000 dollars. She has bounced her boobs over 900,000 times in six countries -- England, India, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland -- at famous landmarks that include the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, London Eye, Dom Cathedral, Leaning Tower of Pisa. Her bouncing boobs are gaining worldwide attention. From this single effort of one sister helping another sister, an organization has been created that will go on to help other single mothers going through chemotherapy keep the lights on and food in the pantry. Priscilla is an every day heroine, an example of what each of us has the capacity to do if we set our minds and hearts to it. If you can, get over to Bouncing for Boobs and help her reach her 10,000 boobs bouncing goal of raising $10,000 dollars before June 3rd.