Pedal the Cause Announces 2012 Grant Recipients

2012/02/24

It’s a common thought when you sign a check over to a charity: Where is my money going?  The cycling event Pedal the Cause answered that question last night.

At their “Yellow Jersey” dinner at Moulin in south city honoring those who raised $2,500 or more, Pedal executive director Jay Indovino announced 12 research grants made possible by the $1.3 million raised at the fall 2011 event. While you may hear about dollars being awarded by charities through grants, this news is different in a lot of ways:

1) Pedal the Cause is a St. Louis effort. Every dollar raised stays here.

2) It’s not for one specific cancer. Someone diagnosed with head & neck cancer or leukemia is being helped just as much as someone diagnosed with breast cancer.

3) Every dollar goes to fight cancer at the Siteman Cancer Center (the only National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center within 240 miles of St. Louis) and St. Louis Children’s Hospital (which, in partnership with Washington University School of Medicine, is leading research with the Children’s Discovery Institute.)

4) Event costs are paid for through generous corporate partners, including Edward Jones and Michelob Ultra. If you raise $500, you are giving $500 to fight cancer.

All of this is critical to the advancement of cancer research as well. Last night, Siteman Cancer Center director Timothy Eberlein, MD, and St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Joshua Rubin, MD, PhD, talked about how critical these dollars are in an environment where research dollars are hard to come by. If you didn’t participate in Pedal the Cause in the last couple of years, we hope you consider in 2012. They have “early bird” specials they will be announcing to allow people to register at a 50% discount for a period of time. Keep an eye on  www.pedalthecause.org. Registration starts March 1 and we hope to see you and your bike this fall.

For more about Pedal, watch this story from yesterday with KSDK’s Leisa Zigman and Dr. Rubin:

-Jason Merrill

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Cold weather can be hazardous to compromised immune systems

2012/02/08

When we think of cold weather and health, some things that comes to mind might be the flu, colds, strep throat. In the winter months, these illness are most prevalent, and they can wreak havoc on those with compromised immune systems.

Chances are, you know someone who has a condition, such as lupus or cancer, that makes it difficult for them to fight off even the common cold. When their white blood cell counts get low, their physicians may tell them to avoid contact with others to help stave off infection. While this is a good idea, in the long run it may be hazardous to their emotional well-being.

Teresa Deshields, the manager of psycho-oncology services at Siteman Cancer Center, was recently interviewed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in an article addressing patients who are more susceptible to infections. She has a different outlook on why, and how, patients can keep up their social activities and families and friends can offer social support – and it’s this support that can help patients to have better medical outcomes.

To read more about this timely topic, go here.

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31 Days of Health – Tip #16: Be Kind To Your Skin

2012/01/30

You may have already heard this question at a trivia night or on Jeopardy – what is the largest organ of the body?

The answer is – your skin.

And being the largest organ, it needs constant protection, upkeep and pampering. The earlier you start, the better chance your skin will have of keeping you safe. But often when we’re young, we don’t like to be told what to do and we skip going the safe route and instead head down the path of what’s “in” or “easy” to meet our immediate needs. The consequences show up later, when there’s not much we can do.

One of the most damaging things to our skin are UVA rays. These can come naturally from the sun, and while it’s difficult to completely avoid the sun, there are things we can do – wear sunscreen, dress properly, stay in the shade during peak hours, etc.  But tanning beds, which can be avoided altogether, deliver an intense shot of UVA rays directly to our skin, and while it produces what some call a “healthy glow”, it has been proven to be a direct link to one of the most deadly forms of cancer – melanoma.

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. It’s very aggressive, and can spread quickly (and unnoticed) via the lymphatic system or blood. Melanoma can be found anywhere, but primarily occurs in the trunk (shoulders to hips) and head and neck. In women, it can also be found on the arms and legs. Exposure to UV radiation from tanning beds can lead to melanoma and other types of skin cancer, skin burns, premature skin aging and eye damage.

Newly filed registration in Illinois seeks to ban anyone under the age of 18, despite parental consent, from using tanning beds. In Missouri, legislation has been filed this session that would prohibit anyone under the age of 15 from using tanning beds.

Illinois and Missouri are part of a larger wave of at least 32 states that have age restrictions for tanning. From a health perspective, this is good news, since melanoma being diagnosed every year at earlier ages.

Ways to help prevent skin cancer is to stay away from tanning beds. Period. There are many lotions and sprays out there that mimic the look of tanned skin without the proven harmful effects of UVA rays.

To help prevent the spread of skin cancer, do a full body check – look for moles that have changed shape, size or color; multi-colored moles; moles that are asymmetrical, oozing or bleeding. If any of these are found, make an appointment with your primary physician or dermatologist immediately.

It’s also helpful to know the risk factors. To take a risk assessment, click here to access Your Disease Risk, a service brought to you by the Siteman Cancer Center.

And please take a moment to watch this video, which was created by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund. It’s pretty powerful stuff – and if you’ve seen it already, check it out again as a gentle reminder.

 

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Celebrate Fitness scheduled for March 10

2012/01/26

It’s that time of year again, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Celebrate Fitness, an annual 90-minute fitness workshop for men and women, will be held Saturday, March 10 at the Washington University Athletic Complex. Participants will choose one of nine exercise activities, including, for the first time, a competitive 10K run managed by the Missouri Running Co.

“We added a 10K run this year because we wanted to provide a training opportunity for runners competing in longer spring and summer running events,” says Cathy Cooksey, co-chair of Celebrate Fitness. “Also, we have limited capacity with our indoor workouts, and outdoor events offer the best way to open Celebrate Fitness to more participants.”

This year’s event benefits two initiatives at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine: the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Program, a support and research program focused on breast cancer patients under the age of 44, and the Director’s Discovery Fund, which provides funding for promising, cutting-edge research at Siteman.

“The Siteman Cancer Center is extremely grateful to Celebrate Fitness for having raised over $1 million that support Siteman’s innovative clinical and research programs” says Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, Siteman director. “Through their support, the volunteers of Celebrate Fitness help us give lasting hope to thousands of people battling cancer in our region.”

In addition to the 10K run, Celebrate Fitness workout options include:

  • Boot camp
  • Yoga
  • Deep water aerobics
  • Shallow water aerobics
  • Zumba/hip hop
  • 5K run managed by Missouri Running Co.
  • 5K walk
  • 1-mile fun walk

Event Details

7 a.m.: Check in and registration

8 a.m.: Welcome ceremony

8:30 a.m.: Workouts begin

Location: Washington University Athletic Complex, Clayton, Mo.

Cost: $30 for those who preregister or $35 the day of the event

For more information or to register, visit www.celebrate-fitness.org.

To learn more about Celebrate Fitness, watch Missy Fish, one of the founders, discuss how the event came to be and what it all entails.

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Ground broken on new Siteman Cancer Center location in South County

2012/01/23

Artist rendering of the new Siteman Cancer Center location in south St. Louis County

We’ve told you before about the expansion of our Siteman Cancer Center into south St. Louis County. We’re excited to tell you ground has been broken on the new location with completion scheduled for early 2013.

More here.

-Jason Merrill

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31 Days of Health Tip #15 – Cancer Prevention

2012/01/23

The American Cancer Society has outlined new guidelines related to cancer prevention.

These updated guidelines are not only for the individual, but also the community:

1. Reduce the access to the marketing of unhealthy foods

2. Increase access and affordability to healthy foods

3. Increase access to places and facilities (playgrounds, gyms) where people can go to improve their physical fitness.

The individual guidelines include:

1. Maintain a healthy weight throughout your life – now, if you’re just now getting started on this, that’s okay, better late than never.

2. Adopt a physically active lifestyle – adults need at least 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity or 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.

3. Consume a healthy diet, increase the greens – incorporate more ‘plant life’ into your diet, which would include fruit, leafy greens, broccoli, and other healthy vegetables. At least 2  1/2 cups a day is great.

4. Limit alcohol intake – no more than two alcoholic beverages a day for men, one for women.

To take an interactive cancer risk assessment, please visit Siteman Cancer Center.

 

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