Entry bubble Cancer Treatment Scams

By: Colleen | October 22, 2008 | Category: Health

doctorBefore I dive into the serious stuff, I have to give a public shout-out to the Phillies, who are playing in their first World Series in fifteen years, starting tonight. Here we go Phils! "Why can't us?"

While baseball seems like the most important thing to me right now, Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings me back to reality, where we are all hard pressed to find anyone whose life hasn't been touched in one way or another by cancer. Personally, my maternal grandfather passed away due to cancer and by the young age of 20, I'd already had minor surgery to remove skin cancer cells.

When someone gets such devastating news, it is important to have an honest discussion with your doctor regarding the course of treatment that is best for you. Sadly, there is always someone out there looking to make a profit by being dishonest to consumers. Because of this, FTC recently launched a new site that encourages cancer patients who are curious about new treatments to ask their doctors first.

This site was developed in response to a group of companies who were selling fake cancer cures to cancer patients. FTC is suing 11 of these companies for false and deceptive claims. This site gives tips and advice to help people distinguish legit companies from scammers.

Always ask your doctor about any product you may have seen advertised, and do your research on the different treatments available to you.

How have you helped a loved one deal with a diagnosis of cancer?

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: cancer   cancer_treatment_scam   doctor   federal_trade_comission   ftc   phillies   scam   treatment  

 

Entry bubble Fightin' Phils...and FOOD!

By: Colleen | October 02, 2007 | Category: Health

Greetings! My name is Colleen, and I am the sixth (wo)man of the Gov Gab blog team. When any of the daily bloggers is out of town or otherwise unable to blog, I sub-in and pick up the slack.

This past weekend was a big one. How about those Phillies?! National League East Champs! The final three games of the regular season meant I spent an obscene amount of time in front of a television, and in turn, spent the weekend consuming nothing but baseball food. Hot dogs, chips and dips, Tastycakes (we're a true Philly crowd)—not exactly what the doctor ordered.

Entering a new week (and the playoffs!) changes needed to be made to my all junk-food roster. Adjusting my dietary habits required a little back up. Luckily, USA.gov has a full section devoted to health and nutrition. Here you can find information on everything from health insurance to tests on your knowledge of food nutrition labels.

I followed the links to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services site where I was able to make my own personal profile to see how far off track my Phillies loyalty had led me. I was able to calculate my body mass index (BMI) and find out if I risk health problems such as: high blood pressure, heart disease, or high blood glucose.

Turns out my big weekend probably won't kill me. Everything in moderation! But I was able to get some great, healthy, easy recipes. This activity log helps me keep track of my daily exercise and set goals—maybe running a half-marathon...but hopefully I'll be watching the World Series!

By the way—any Mets fans might want to check out "Being Healthy"—it has some good tips to use in the off-season!

| View Comments [10] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   health   nutrition   phillies   recipes