October is the time to think pink as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicks off today.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2008; about 1,990 new cases are expected in men.

Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., and is the second most common cause of death among white, black, Asian, and American Indian women. It is the leading cause of death from cancer in Hispanic women.

While most college women don’t need to worry about developing breast cancer at such a young age (we won’t face the invasion of mammograms until our 40s), there’s still plenty we can and should do to protect ourselves. A  major study released in 2006 indicated that the number of new cases of breast cancer dropped significantly in the reporting period of 2002 to 2003. After 20 years of increases, this is incredibly exciting news and most likely directly correlates to new methods of early detection and prevention. Read More »

Two accessories are universal to everyone’s college experience: a black NorthFace fleece and a Nalgene bottle.

I joined students nationwide in their fear of collapsing of dehydration in their respective college towns. Nalgene-carrying has become a trend to be reckoned with. Much to my dismay, as well as that of 75 or more percent of the collegiate and camping population, the company has decided to recall its hard plastic bottles within the next few months.

The containers are made with bishephonol A (BPA), a product which is suggested to cause “aggressive cancers,” per National Geographic Adventure blogger Steve Casimiro.

Hold up. Haven’t Nalgenes always implied an attempt to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Don’t they help to ensure drinking those 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, and then some? They were part of the whole outdoorsy-but-not image on campus. Sure, they weren’t really unbreakable (I’ve ruined 2, myself), but they seemed so… harmless. How unnerving to think that something so basic, so innocent as a water bottle, is now up there with cell phones, cigarette smoke, and artificial sweeteners as a carcinogen.

Casimiro writes:

“a study from California published in April shows that BPA directly alters genes in breast cells so that they resemble cancer cells…. Earlier this year, in the first direct test for bisphenol A migration in water bottles, University of Cincinnati scientists found that BPA leaches from polycarbonate containers at room temperature whether the bottle is old or new. More alarming, when the bottle has hot water in it, the chemical is released up to 55 times faster.” Read More »

Like most college-aged people, I’m pretty short on cash. I consider it an extravagant treat when I let myself go out for dinner (even if it’s just pizza), and I rarely buy clothes that weren’t bought by somebody else first.

Even though I’m “poor” compared to a lot of Americans, I realize I’m fabulously rich compared to most of the world’s people. So, every once in a while I try to help out others by donating a few dollars to charity.

I don’t donate as much as I should, and I’m working to get better at that. But for those of you who are strapped for cash like I am, two Web sites have made it really easy to donate without reaching for your credit card.

The Hunger Site is part of a group of six Web sites (the Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest, and Animal Rescue sites are the others) that rely on sponsor donations to help charities. If you click once daily on the big button on each site, sponsors will donate a small amount for all the causes on your behalf.  Cool, huh? Read More »

• Like this t-shirt is any worse than “Cinco de Mayo” or “Irish I Were Drunk“? (kctv5.com)

• If you’re going to rob someone of all of their worldly possessions, the least you could do is tidy up. (Yahoo!)

• The following gallery is a case of “So Ugly It’s Cute”! Be warned! (The Sun)

• Not only are these inmates eco-friendly, but they’re making ice cream! Italian ice cream! Mmmm (Reuters)

• Things to do when your… stoned? (COED Magazine)

To me, October signifies a couple of things:

1) Halloween is coming– which means candy and lots of girls prancing around in costumes that always start with the world “slutty”.

2) The return of my coziest sweaters and Pumpkin Spice Lattes which is really one of the happiest moments of fall.

3) Midterms- which usually results in a whole lot of numbers one and two (minus the slutty costumes of course).

But more important than all those things?

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The American Cancer Society estimates the chances of a woman developing breast cancer in her lifetime is one in eight.

What’s even scarier is that breast cancer is being found in women younger and younger (such as singers Kylie Minogue and Anastasia).

A key factor in breast cancer survival is early detection. So, listen up! Read More »

My breasts and I, we have this understanding.

We have an understanding that they are awesome.

I LOVE my ladies. Peaches and Cream to be exact. Which is what I named them when I was 12 and they were beginning their slow journey to becoming the best boobs ever.

But what does scare me is that with the largest breasts in the family, I know I am probably predisposed to the breast cancer on my mother and my father’s side. And Lindsay Avner knew the same thing. In fact, she got tested for a gene mutation that is inherited and carries an 85% risk of having breast cancer.

And when she tested positive, she cut off her boobs.

Double mastectomies aren’t uncommon in today’s society, but when Lindsay opted for the surgery she was only 22 years old.

Being that three generations of women in her family had all had breast cancer, I understand Lindsay’s desire to want to protect herself from what she felt was inevitable.

But I just don’t know if I could part with my boobs until I had to. Or at least until they start sagging a little more.

Lindsay is using her surgery as a platform for letting other high-risk women know their options. She started Be Bright Pink as an educational and support outlet for those susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, both of which her mother had. Her crusade is understanable but completetly controversial. Read More »

• Absolute adorableness aside — don’t get drunk and eat these by accident. I trust you guys…I can just see that happening. (kilian-nakamura.com)

• Damn dude…get the hint. (wvec.com)

• Even if you guys may get a little skeeved by Tarantino’s obvious foot and leg fetish or his uncanny ability to come off as both the best and worst director in Hollywood, I just find it impossible to dislike the man. Even if he makes this. (Star Pulse)

• As if cigarettes aren’t expensive enough in New York City…now we can waste our money AND look like douchebags! (Crown7.com)

• Scientists think that a bra they’ve developed, that may detect breast cancer with the use of microwaves, is safe. Probably. (medialaunches.com)

So I think all of you devoted readers deserve to know that I’m dying.

Ok, not really… but according to a new study, cancer might be brewing inside me as I sip my diet coke. (Why am I such a Debbie Downer today? Wah wahhhhhhhhhh.)

The study found that one of the most popular artificial sweeteners may cause cancer. And I don’t know about you, but that is practically a death sentence for me.

As artificiality has become a societal fundament, I’ve managed to resist plastic surgery and fake tanning. Hell, I don’t even have a fake id. But, because I’m such a lucky gal, the one faux treat that I’ve wildly indulged in is now linked to cancer. Read More »

I know, I know, sorry to get all serious on you, but I came across some shocking information today that relates to many college girls. According to BBC news, a new study has come out regarding binge drinking and how it can increase your risk for developing breast cancer.

The article stated that, “Women who drink the equivalent of roughly two bottles of wine over a weekend more than double their risk of breast cancer, say Danish researchers.”

Maybe I have a warped view, but the equivalent of two bottles of wine over the course of a whole weekend in college doesn’t actually seem like that much…and that’s all it takes to DOUBLE your risk?

The study was done on 17,647 nurses and those who drank 22-27 drinks a week had twice the risk of breast cancer, compared with others who only had one to three drinks.

The risk was also greatest when drinks were consumed in a short period of time. Um, can we say power hour? Read More »