| April 2004 Phi Theta Kappa-Missouri Regional Newsletter p9 |
| FYI Health Series Advocacy: With the help of grassroots volunteers in communities across the country, the Society advocates with lawmakers at both the state and federal levels to ensure responsible health policies are enacted and to increase funding for research and testing and treatment coverage. Service: The Society works to improve quality of life for people living with cancer through a variety of support services and programs helping patients and families cope with the disease. The Society also has collaborations with many nationwide organizations to promote skin cancer prevention, education, and sun safe policies. * The five-year survival rates represent persons who are living five years after diagnosis, whether disease-free, in remission, or under treatment. They do not imply that five-year survivors have been permanently cured of cancer. Localized cancer represents cancer that, at the time of diagnosis, had not spread to additional sites within the body. Typically the earlier a cancer is detected and diagnosed, the more successful the treatment, thus enhancing the survival rate. Here comes the fun point, when we examine just what we truly know about the sun with a �sun quiz.� Are you prepared for a safe summer in the sun? Take our test and find out! I can stay in the sun for as long as I want if I'm wearing sunscreen. True False I don't sunbathe, so there's no way I could get skin cancer. True False Waterproof sunscreen will protect me even after swimming or sweating. True False I should put sunscreen on my newborn baby so he/she will be safe in the sun. True False I do not need to protect myself on cool or cloudy days. True False The only way for me to protect myself from skin cancer is to stay indoors. True False If you answered anything other than false on the quiz, then here are some hints as to why the questions were false. 1.) Sun exposure can increase your risk of skin cancer, but it's not the only cause. People who spend a lot of time in the sun are at highest risk for the most common types of skin cancers (known as non-melanoma cancers). Occasional exposure (such as on the weekends) to strong sunlight seems to increase the risk for melanoma, a less common, but more serious skin cancer. If you have a family history of melanoma, you may be genetically predisposed and should take extra precautions. 2.) Remember to read the label! "Waterproof" sunscreens may only last for an hour and 20 minutes of swimming and/or sweating. If indicated on the label, some sunscreens may protect you for longer periods of time, but be sure to reapply as necessary after perspiring, toweling dry, or swimming. 3.) Sunscreen is not recommended for children less than six months old. It's better to keep infants in the shade and covered up with comfortable clothing. 4.) The temperature doesn't matter�the ultraviolet rays do. Ultraviolet rays are most intense when the sun is high in the sky. Take the shadow test�if your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are the strongest. Ultraviolet rays can penetrate clouds, so it's important to take precautions even on hazy days and days with cloud cover. Be sure to protect your self during winter, spring, summer and fall because ultraviolet rays can be harmful during all seasons of the year. |