Cancer Services Library & Resource Center

Q&A: Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Q: May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. What should I know about decreasing my risk for skin cancer?

A: Regardless of age, skin type, sex, or race, anyone can get skin cancer; however, some people have an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the following are risk factors for skin cancer:

• exposure to UV radiation (sun, sunlamps, tanning beds, tanning booths)
• skin scars and burns
• certain infections like HPV
• exposure to arsenic
• chronic skin inflammations or skin ulcers
• certain diseases that make the skin sensitive to the sun (i.e. albinism)
• radiation therapy
• a suppressed immune system (caused by medications or medical conditions)
• family history of skin cancer
• actinic keratosis
• Bowen’s disease

Protecting yourself from the sun’s UV rays is important year around, especially in the southern United States. To safeguard your skin, you should take proper precautions daily, regardless of whether or not you plan on being outside. You can be exposed to dangerous UV rays even when doing something as simple as driving a car.

The National Cancer Institute suggests the following sun protection tips:

• It is best to avoid the midday sun (from mid-morning to late afternoon) whenever possible.
• You also should protect yourself from UV radiation reflected by sand, water, snow, and ice.
• UV radiation can penetrate light clothing, windshields, and windows. Wear protective clothing.
• Use sunscreen. Sunscreen may help prevent skin cancer, especially sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. However, sunscreens cannot provide the same protection as avoiding the sun and wearing clothing to protect the skin.
• Stay away from sunlamps and tanning beds.

For more sun safety tips visit the websites below or contact Courtney Britton, librarian at Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge at (225) 927-2273, cbritton@cancerservices.org , or visit the Resource Center at 550 Lobdell Avenue.

New Single Survivors Networking & Support Group

Single cancer survivors face different issues and needs than cancer survivors with spouses and families nearby. That’s why Nancy Rounsefell thought it important to start a singles support and networking group that has two goals, “we’re hoping to get people involved to help each other as well as participate in social activities.”

Starting in March 2011, the group meets the first Wednesday of every month at noon at Cancer Services. Rounsefell spearheaded the founding of the group citing the unique needs that a single person living with cancer faces. The group is designed to offer that special kind of support by helping with errands, feeding pets while owners are in treatment, sharing resources, giving rides to appointments and/or just being there when they need someone to talk to.

For more information about this or any of our support groups click here or call 225-927-2273.

Reiki: The Japanese practice and its role at Cancer Services

Cancer Services began offering Reiki to our clients a year ago. It started with one volunteer practitioner and a few clients twice a month. Now three Reiki practitioners see 7-9 clients each week. But what exactly is Reiki? Even Martha Novoa, a Reiki master who sees clients at Cancer Services, has trouble explaining it, citing that “it is a different process and experience for each person.”

Reiki (pronounced “raykey”) means “universal life energy.” The word is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy.” So, Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.” Though it is spiritual in nature, it not a subscribed part of any religion or dogma. The practice bases itself on belief that energy is channeled through a Reiki practitioner to help a person through correcting their energy balance. A practitioner places their hands on or directly above the person who may be experiencing pain or in need of relaxation. Clients leave their sessions feeling relaxed, and one Cancer Services client even reported being able to drop her five different pain medications because, with Reiki, she didn’t need them anymore. Even after 14 years of practicing Reiki, Novoa still feels a sense of awe when a client describes how, thanks to Reiki, their pain is no longer there. She explains: “Everyone has energy in their bodies and when something good happens your body produces good energy but when something bad happens, your body responds with negative energy. It is my job to get out of its way and simply direct the energy where the person needs it.”

Reiki has been practiced in the US since 1937 and has recently gained popularity. The medical community is still studying its true efficacy, but many of our clients swear by Reiki and its effects. Karen Farris, who was diagnosed with CML leukemia, appreciates how Reiki relaxes both your brain and your body. She shared, “Once Reiki is done, I leave with a sense of confidence that I can respond appropriately to any situation I may encounter.” Though she admits it can “sound a little voodoo-like,” Karen found that Reiki “helps me relax in a way that I would not at home.” As a cancer survivor, she finds that Reiki can play a special part in her treatment and recovery. “When you get diagnosed you can have a mindset of, ‘get it done’ or it ‘doesn’t matter.’ But Reiki helps me ‘be’ and accept, with hope, where I am in my treatment process.” Karen encourages other cancer survivors to give it a try before dismissing it.

Cancer Services is fortunate to have three volunteer Reiki practitioners: Martha Novoa, Dee Dee Poullard and June Berry. For more information about Reiki and its role in cancer treatment, or if you are a cancer survivor and interested in having a free Reiki session, call us at 225-927-2273.

“Like” us on Facebook: A New Way to Connect a Community

Whether you “Facebook” or not, you can’t deny the impact of this online social networking tool. 550 million people worldwide have accounts and it can be accessed in 75 languages. While it began as a fun distraction for college students, Facebook now serves as an accepted form of communication as well as an integral part of many business marketing strategies. Though many companies concern themselves with how Facebook can improve profit margins, Cancer Services focuses on how Facebook can improve life for those living with cancer. The agency currently hosts four Facebook pages: Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge, Children’s Programs, Adult Programs and Volunteers. These pages create awareness, provide information and are an important tool for our clients.

WBRZ recently featured Cancer Services on its Face Behind Facebook segment where our Marketing Associate, Connie Boudreaux, explained, “It’s not just a social networking tool, we’re using Facebook to help people.” Connecting with others in a similar situation can be comforting, hope-giving and informative. For example, clients in our Children’s Program use the Facebook page to meet each other, share advice and help spread the word about Cancer Services to new families who could use our services. Victoria Levie, Children’s Program Coordinator, works hard to adapt Facebook’s constantly changing features to best suit the needs of our Children’s Program participants. “Our clients use Facebook to share success stories about their children and post pictures. My hope is to continue building our Facebook page to find blood and bone marrow donors or fulfill other needs related to a child’s treatment.”

In other words, our Facebook pages could go from connecting lives to saving lives. The next time you’re on Facebook, help us further our mission by “liking” one or all of our pages. Even if you don’t need our services, you could open our pages (and doors) to others who may be living with a cancer diagnosis.