ARTICLES                              

Cancer is still the #1 Killer: What can we do to prevent cancer?

By: Gian Erguiza

Cancer is a disease that takes up many forms. All living things are made up of cells including us. When cells begin to divide, change, grow rapidly and out of control, this is when Cancer begins. The one cell that is dividing will divide into 2, 4, 8, and until it creates a growing mass of cancer cells called a tumor.

Tumors are either benign or malignant. Benign meaning it has no more room to grow and becomes normally not dangerous. Malignant tumors on the other hand are dangerous because it spreads into the other organs where it can cause some serious damage eventually turning fatal. When the cells spread from a malignant tumor and runs into the blood vessels, it will eventually create another tumor. This process is called metastasis.

Ongoing research by scientists and numerous, organizations have led to fewer deaths from cancer in the past years. With technology, scientific research, community outreach and education, the war on cancer has taken a turn for the better. Instead of focusing on cancer treatment, scientists of today are putting their focus and energy into thinking about ways of preventing the cancer from ever happening. Prevention research is now an essential part in fighting the war on cancer.

So what can we do? There are many factors that can affect your risk of cancer. Educate yourself and find out about the risks and what you can do to minimize them. How you eat, drink, live, and where you work are all important factors that can affect your risk of cancer.

Tobacco - Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 out of 5 deaths in the U.S. today. 30% of cancer deaths accounts for smoking. Smoking causes 87% percent of lung cancer deaths. It is a known fact that former smokers live longer than continuing smokers. Smoking does not only condone cancer, it also causes heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, and strokes. Kick the habit and enjoy the health benefits starting today. Go cold turkey.

Sun Safety - UV rays that are given-off from the sun are the leading cause of skin cancer. Tanning beds are the equivalent of the UV rays effects from manmade sources. You cannot completely avoid the sun but wearing sunglasses, hats, sunscreen lotions and other preventatives are a good way of keeping the UV rays from penetrating your skin’s cells. Limit your direct sun exposure, especially in midday. Wear clothing as much as possible when you know that you are going to be under the sun for a long duration.

Food and Fitness - Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life is recommended. Always balance your calorie intake with your physical activities. Excessive weight gain is unhealthy so try to keep weight gain off throughout life. If you are overweight or obese, achieve the goal and lose the weight. Engaging in moderate to physical activity is highly recommended. Physical activities, varies for Children and Adults so find a guideline to tell you exactly how much activity you should be doing. Eating right is another important factor so choose food and beverages that achieve a healthy weight. Vegetables and fruits are to be consumed everyday. Whole grains are also helpful while processed grains are bad. Limit your consumption of red and processed meat also.

Environmental Carcinogens - Substances that can cause changes that can lead to cancer are carcinogens. Asbestos, Beryllium, Chromium, Hepatitis C & B, and Formaldehyde are some of the carcinogens identified to be dangerous to humans. The list of carcinogens that are a likely cause of cancer is a long list. Remember though that carcinogens do not cause cancer all the time. Avoid prolonged exposure to any carcinogens. In some cases, a short exposure to a carcinogen immediately causes cancer but some are not acquired until after a long period of time in years. Ironically, Not all carcinogens are to be avoided though, some are in medicines, which reduce the occurrence of cancer. To this day, the list only provides what the scientists have tested; others have not been fully studied.

Now that you have a basic idea of what are some of the things that can help prevent cancer, do yourself a favor and learn more. There is so much information regarding cancer and you need to know these facts to help in cancer prevention. One more thing, if you think that alcohol does not cause cancer, you are dead wrong. Limit your consumption to 1 to 2 a day. Women that are in high risk of getting cancer should not drink at all. Sorry to be a pooper alcoholics.

Threesome: Are you ready for one?

By: Gian Erguiza

If your feeble mind hasn’t grasped the concept yet of what a 3some is, it is a relationship, short or long, in which three people act out sexual fantasies. Many people fantasize about having a threesome but many don’t go through with it for the simple fact that it could ruin their relationship. The percentage of ruined marriages from bringing in a third person has not ever been determined but from what most experienced people have said, threesomes are the beginning of the end.

So is there a proper way of acting out your 3some fantasy without ruining your relationship? It really all depends on how open both partners are. If both partners are free with their feelings and have no worries about trust, have the utmost respect and communication, this could work. The reason I say this is, the main issue with having a 3some is that one of the partners in the relationship will feel left out, especially if the one feeling left out wasn’t the one that proposed the idea. If he is insecure about the whole thing, let him choose the person and maybe this will help him open up a bit and feel more comfortable with the decision.

Once the decision is made to act out your 3some fantasy, make sure you set your ground rules. Is he/she going to be able to bang the other girl/guy? Is it just girl on girl with him banging you only? You have to set your ground rules. This is very important for any relationship to survive a 3some.

I knew this woman that proposed the idea to her husband and he was just completely floored. He didn’t want any part of it. They have been married for about 8 years and the husband didn’t want anything to ruin what they had. They made mad love after the conversation and it stopped there. After a few weeks or so, he started to grew curious and started noting the what-if’s to his wife. He confessed to her that he hasn’t stopped thinking about the conversation ever since they had it. After a few more weeks, their conversations got more open and he agreed to go for it. He let her choose the third person, set the ground rules and agreed to not let this ruin their marriage. They prepared themselves and talked casually the night before to the third person about exactly why they’re willing to take the risk and the third person fully understood the magnitude. The day had finally come and they went ahead as planned. In the end, the relationship survived and both were happy as their loyalty, faith, trust, respect, and communication grew stronger afterwards. They agreed not to ever to do it again. They also concluded that this is not for everyone.

I have heard of horror stories where both partners agreed to have a 3some and it just ended up wrong. I have also heard some stories where the married partner, girl, asked to watch while her husband banged her friend, in which whom she chose for him, and it ended up freaking her out ending their marriage through jealousy. The point I’m trying to make is that you have to be very careful about the decisions you make as a couple. It might be a little too much for your loved one to watch you please someone else.

If you are really hard up about having one but your partner is hesitant, lay off the idea for a while. Give your partner time to come around and in this time frame, prove to your partner your undying loyalty and that you are totally into them. In doing this, he might be the one to bring up the subject once he’s convinced.

Otherwise, leave it alone and leave it as a fantasy. Statistically, few have experienced the full potential joy of having a 3some.

But if you really feel like this is something you need to experience, keep bringing in the fantasy situations and wait until it flows into both of your equations.

With that said, it is really hard decision to make, especially if you’re married. It could either break you or make you stronger. One thing for sure, it can definitely put your relationship to the test, that’s if it needs testing.

Trust. Communication. Respect. Keep your options open.

Drugs: Still a Fashion Icon

By: Gian Erguiza



What do Tom Sizemore, Pete Doherty, Paris Hilton, and Kate Moss have in common? Famous? No. What they have in common is that they were or are addicted to drugs. There are a million drug addicts in this world but these few names we mentioned just happened to be famed celebrities caught in the public eye, doing drugs. Some have been highly publicized in newspapers, blogs, magazines, and tabloids but some have gone the quiet route into rehab without saying a single word to the public. In their own right, they don’t have to say anything. It is a smart decision considering once you are put under a magnifying glass, you’re life is bound to fall apart on camera without warning. For those who feel like they need to express themselves and tell the whole world that they were or are on drugs, Tom Sizemore, is brave but foolish but then again, it is their life, it is their choice, they know what they’re doing and watching a train wreck is often shocking and amusing at the same time.

Drugs have always been a fashion icon necessity. Since the early days of John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Cheech and Chong, Bob Marley, Jim Morrison, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Fonda, drugs have always been a part of the entertainment industry. Drugs were used more loosely back in their days for we did not have a bad impression of what drugs can really do to you. Drugs were still somewhat sort of taboo back then and research was still premature. There was info about drugs but was insufficient and incomplete. There were warning signs but the wrong signs. There were false advertisements on TV, which did not help either. There was the image that all the “cool” people were on it and that nothing is wrong with them. In other words, the ugly picture of drugs was not yet painted. Throughout the 80’s though, the times were changing and people were starting to take notice of the effects of drugs and started to take the drug battle seriously. Drugs have always been illegal but the fight against drugs was starting to really take its shape during the 80’s. Drug laws were starting to become stricter, and the punishment for getting caught with drugs were becoming more harsh and cruel. More TV ads were coming out to warn kids about drugs and its effects, more organizations were starting to take action, and more and more laws were being passed to fight the war against drugs. But was the entertainment industry even taking notice? Ultimately? No. The partying was wilder and more drug induced, especially in the late 80’s.

The 90’s on the other hand saw significant changes in the war against drugs. With the deaths of Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon), and Bradley Knowell (Sublime), it was apparent that drug abuse in the industry was spiraling out of control. In the music industry alone, drug related deaths and near death experiences with drugs from musicians saw an all time high. Drug related celebrity cases also started to surface more and more. Throughout the 90’s, musicians and actors alike started doing ads against drugs, the TV industry started using celebrities for TV ads against drugs, and the fight against drugs amongst celebrities and musicians became a personal battle. All sorts of celebrities and musicians started to seek help and going to rehab to clean up their act.

The dawn of 2000 looked promising. Bright young new stars from all walks of life started gracing our TV sets and movies with a balanced, more, healthier look to their appearance, and not drugged out. But is it all a front? I think so. The party scene in Los Angeles/Hollywood hasn’t changed much and drugs are still a huge part of the scene. In fact, much of the world, world of drugs hasn’t changed much. The war on drugs still hasn’t been won, drugs still play a big role in a teenager’s life, drugs are still easy to purchase, and drugs still run rampant whether you’re rich and famous or poor and pathetic. So are drugs a part of 2007? Is it too early to tell? Most recently, George Michael, Snoop Dogg, Terrence Kiel of the San Diego chargers and a whole host of stars have been caught under the influence proving that drugs are still part of the lifestyle even in 2007.

So are drugs still a fashion icon? I believe so. Drugs still claim lives everyday and people are still not knowledgeable about the cause and the effects of drugs. Celebrities and musicians are still strung up on drugs and now there is a sub culture of people taking a certain type of drug whether it’d be ecstasy ruling the rave scene, methamphetamines and cocaine plaguing the party scene, and marijuana still managing much of the public. In other words, drugs are here to stay. Drugs will always play a prominent role in most people’s lives and drugs will always be part of the “In” crowd.

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