posted Oct 14, 2009 11:16 PM by Stacey Knapper
[
updated Sep 24, 2010 10:34 AM
]
A portion of proceeds earned by Relaxation Solutions is donated to the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign. According to the MakingStrides site, this is how donations save lives.
Helping People Stay Well
We
know that detecting breast cancer early, at its most treatable stage,
can mean the difference between life and death. So we provide screening
guidelines, physician education, and engage in efforts to increase
public awareness about the importance of yearly mammograms. The good
news is that breast cancer incidence and death rates are declining; more
people are beating this disease thanks to early detection through
mammograms and improved treatment methods. But there is still much more
to be done. At  cancer.org/MammogramReminder,
you and the women you care about can sign up to receive a free email
mammogram reminder that will remind you to schedule your yearly
mammogram in the month of your choice. The American Cancer Society
recommends that all women 40 and older get a mammogram every year, in
addition to a breast exam by their doctor or nurse as part of their
regular health checkups. We know that knowledge is power, and we won’t
stop until every woman understands how she can help take control of her
breast health.
Although there is no guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer at this
time (which is why yearly mammograms are so important), there are steps
you can take to reduce your breast cancer risk:
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Engage in moderate to vigorous regular physical activity (at least 45-60 minutes on 5 or more days of the week)
- Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, if you drink at all, to no
more than 1 drink per day for women (and no more than 2 drinks per day
for men)
To learn more about breast cancer and what you can do to reduce your risk and stay well, please visit cancer.org/breastcancer, or call us toll-free at 1-800-227-2345, anytime, day or night.
Helping People Get Well
Having
cancer is hard. Finding help shouldn’t be. That’s why the American
Cancer Society is in everyone’s corner around the clock to guide them
through every step of a breast cancer experience. The Society offers
free programs and services in nearly every community across the country
to ensure that cancer patients and their loved ones do not have to face
cancer alone. Below are some of the support services we provide.
- Transportation assistance to and from treatment
- Free lodging for those having to travel far for treatment
- Free wigs and assistance with treatment-related physical side effects
- Emotional support programs that connect newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with survivors
- Cancer education classes
- An online support network
We are committed to connecting people facing cancer with the
information, day-to-day help, and emotional support they need in the
communities where they live to help them get well. Call us at
1-800-227-2345 anytime, day or night, or visit us at www.cancer.org to find out what resources are available in your community.
Finding Cures
The
American Cancer Society invests more in breast cancer research to better
understand, prevent, and cure the disease than in any other solid tumor
site. We take pride in funding promising researchers early in their
careers, and our track record is something we share with pride. Of the
researchers chosen for Society funding throughout the years, 44 have
gone on to win the Nobel Prize. Your support has allowed the American
Cancer Society to be involved in nearly every major breast cancer
research breakthrough of the last century, including:
- Funding research into breast-conserving surgery, using lumpectomy plus radiation for treatment
- Establishing mammography as the gold standard to find breast cancer early
- Discovering lifesaving treatments (such as Herceptin) to improve
breast cancer survival and drugs (such as Tamoxifen) to reduce the risk
of second or first breast cancer
- Discovering genes for inherited breast and colon cancer
- Confirming the knowledge that genetics, diet, lack of exercise, and alcohol abuse can increase a person's cancer risk
- Discovering cancer-causing oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes
Currently, breast cancer research projects are under way at
institutions across the country, thanks in large part to the funds
raised by Making Strides Against Breast Cancer participants. With your
continued help, we can fund more critical research projects, one of
which could result in a breakthrough that would lead to fewer diagnoses
and lower the number of deaths from breast cancer each year.
Fighting Back
Right now,
cancer can't be defeated in doctors' offices alone. We work with
legislators to pass laws to defeat breast cancer and rally communities
to join the fight. We need elected officials to fully fund programs that
allow all eligible women to get the cancer screenings they need and
treatment they deserve. The American Cancer Society, in collaboration
with its nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer
Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN), works hard to keep breast
cancer funding a top priority for our nation’s lawmakers. Thanks in
large part to donations from the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
events, our advocacy efforts are affecting many of the laws that govern
what options are available for people battling cancer.
- We have successfully lobbied Congress for millions of dollars for
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Breast and
Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which helps low-income,
uninsured, and underinsured women get access to critical screenings and
follow-up treatment. We are currently working to increase funding for
the program so it can serve more eligible women
- We actively support legislation that would increase access to
treatment for breast cancer patients and the quality of life for breast
cancer survivors.
- We are addressing disparities by promoting important public policies
that provide access to quality health care and screening for all women.
We are committed to connecting people facing cancer with the
information, day-to-day help, and emotional support they need in the
communities where they live to help them get well through every step of
their cancer journey and to beat the disease.
But there is more work to be done. Walk with us - and help create a
world with less breast cancer and more birthdays. For more information
about how you can use your voice to help fight breast cancer, call us at
1-800-227-2345 or visit ACS CAN at www.acscan.org/makingstrides. |
posted Oct 14, 2009 11:11 PM by Stacey Knapper
[
updated Sep 22, 2010 7:24 PM
]
After a long career
managing large accounts for an insurance company, Lynn Brooks is hardly
a financial novice. But when she sought help from a financial adviser
at a brokerage after her husband died, they might as well have been
speaking different languages. Brooks, who's now 60, knew she'd reached
the age when her savings should be managed conservatively. Her adviser,
however, had something more testosterone-fueled in mind, urging her to
go for growth and buy riskier assets like small-cap stocks. And when she
phoned him, she says, he was often in a hurry: "It was as if he was
saying, 'Leave me alone. I'll take care of this.'" Brooks, who declines
to name her adviser, says she eventually took her business elsewhere --
but only after her nest egg had shrunk 30 percent over the course of a
decade before the crash. This is how the battle of the sexes plays
out in the complex world of retirement planning -- and all too often,
women come out on the losing end. To a surprising degree, many women are
unprepared for retirement: A recent survey by financial-services
company MassMutual found that women's retirement accounts were, on
average, just two-thirds the size of men's. The disparity is made worse
by simple demographics: Because they live longer, women need more money
than men for a comfortable retirement -- up to 40 percent more for
health care expenses alone, according to the Employee Benefit Research
Institute. And the gap isn't expected to close for decades. "Millions of
women are going to lose their standard of living unless they take hold
of the situation," says Cindy Hounsell, president of the Women's
Institute for a Secure Retirement. But as women step up to do just
that, many find that the financial-services industry is an obstacle,
not an ally. Indeed, in a recent Boston Consulting Group survey of women
investors, respondents said they routinely feel underserved by the
financial-services industry, with more than 70 percent expressing
dissatisfaction with the service they are getting. Among the complaints:
disrespectful advisers, narrower investment choices based on the
assumption that women can't handle risks and patronizing pitches like
one from a bank's Web site that urged women to give their finances a
"makeover." The disenchantment is especially acute among women who find
themselves managing money on their own after their marriages end. Seven
out of 10 widows and divorced women leave the advisers that their
spouses used, according to a study by financial-services giant Allianz. Of
course, men have plenty of problems of their own navigating the
retirement maze in a sluggish economy. But when experts talk about
women's discontent, one factor stands out as the bull elephant in the
room: Between 70 and 80 percent of advisers are men, and many veterans
have built their careers serving a mostly male clientele. While some
companies are slowly beginning to address the issue, a male-centric
mentality still pervades the business in ways that can alienate women.
Financial planners are full of formulas on how much to save and spend,
but many fail to take into account the fact that women typically earn
less than men and are more likely to take time out of the workforce
while raising their families. And couples find that too often their
adviser focuses his (or even her) attention predominantly on the man.
"The one-size-fits-the-couple nature of most conversations leaves women
shortchanged," says Manisha Thakor, a former portfolio manager who
writes about personal finance for women. Here, a look at the unexpected
challenges created by the gender divide.
Read more: Why Women Get a Raw Deal on Retirement - Personal Finance - Retirement - SmartMoney.com by
Reshma Kapadia. September 20, 2010
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