Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada Blog
Rosy Up Your Cheeks This Winter!
Jan 10th
Don’t let your New Year’s resolutions fall through the cracks
If you are like most people, one of your 2012 resolutions may be to lose weight or get more active. Although dipping temperatures and mountains of snow may beckon you back to your warm couch and old habits, don’t let old man winter or Jack Frost nipping at your nose keep you indoors this winter season.
According to the Canadian Fitness and lifestyle research Institute, 61% of adults aged 18 and older are considered insufficiently active, putting them at a higher risk for chronic disease such as colorectal cancer.
This winter, help reduce this statistic by sticking to your new or existing fitness program, coupling it with the added benefits of fresh air. To inspire you to bundle up, get outside and get active, here are a few cold weather exercise activities that are fun for the whole family.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is one of the hottest things in winter sports today. It offers a great cardiovascular work-out for all ages and fitness levels. It’s a low-impact sport, much simpler and safer than skiing and can burn up to 500 calories per hour.
Walking & Hiking
Trade in your hiking shoes or runners for thermal winter boots and experience your favourite trail in a new light – the gleaming white snow.
Skating
Find a frozen surface, either at a local park or arena and lace up. Skating can not only get you to break a sweat but it helps build muscles and endurance.
Hockey
Canada’s national sport can be played both on or off the ice and offers the benefits of skating combined with teamwork. Pile on the layers, top it off with your favourite jersey, grab a few friends and get out there!
Curling
More than one million Canadians curl at least once a year at one of the country’s 1,200 clubs. The low lunges you have to get into to throw a rock help increase hip flexibility, and the vigorous sweeping exercises your arms, legs, lungs and heart. Try it out, you may sweep your way into a new pastime.
Skiing
Choose between cross-country or downhill and get your heart rate going as you plough your way through trails or bomb down the hill. Pace yourself and select trails that match your experience and fitness levels.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is an increasingly popular winter sport that offers a number of health benefits. Even if you’re not the most proficient snowboarder, you can still enjoy cardiovascular benefits and burn calories. Like skiing, it is an aerobic exercise that incorporates muscle strength, endurance, balance and flexibility.
Tobogganning/Tubing
If you have ever slid down a snow-covered hill, you know what a rush it can be. Let us not forget the cardiovascular upside to the uphill trip – it is a great workout that will definitely get your heart pumping!
Build a Snowman
Be a kid again! Although building your very own Frosty is a time honoured fun family bonding experience, packing, rolling and lifting heavy wet snow will also work your back, arms and leg muscles.
Treat Fear With Laughter!
Dec 1st
Before any medical procedure or test, it is only natural to be plagued by varying degrees of the jitters.
While colorectal cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in Canada, it can be prevented and, if caught early has an over 90% cure rate. Most adults are aware that a colonoscopy is a proven screening tool to catch pre-cancer or cancer cells in the colon and rectum. However, many shy away from testing due to anxiety or embarrassment.
The uncertainty of pain or side effects can unnerve even the most fearless among us. Not to mention the humility one faces during the close encounter with their gastroenterologist and their medical team.
If you’re worried about feeling pain in such a sensitive part of the body, you’re not alone. However, it may help you to know that prior to your colonoscopy, you will be given a mild sedative that will diminish your discomfort.
As for issues of privacy, doctors and nurses who perform colonoscopies on a regular basis understand that people may be feeling self-conscious during the procedure, so they behave professionally and respectfully toward patients and the procedure is done in a closed off room.
Being well informed about the details of this important prevention and detection procedure is the first step in calming your nerves and removing any reservations you may have. Try to sit down with your doctor before your colonoscopy appointment to review any questions or concerns that you may have.
In the meantime, why not try laughter as the prescription to melt your fears away. Gastroenterologist Patricia Raymond, a.k.a. ‘The Divine Ms. Butt Meddler,’ founder of Your Health Choice and Rx For Sanity, has created a website, Laugh your fears away, which discusses the very serious and taboo subject of colonoscopies in a light hearted way. Her efforts to reduce the colonoscopy ‘ick’ factor humorously helps folks make the small choices that lead to big health.
Take a look at Ms. Meddler’s charming bowel ballad:
Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada (CCAC) Fundraising Gala: A Tailored Success
Nov 22nd
Over 240 distinguished guests flocked to Le Windsor last Tuesday evening to make a causal fashion statement at the CCAC’s annual fundraising gala, which raised approximately $150,000.
The funds raised will be put towards colorectal cancer awareness, education, patient support and programs promoting primary prevention, screening and equal access to effective treatments to improve patient outcomes.
The event held true to its title, as sophistication and opulence filled the air. Attendees, dressed to the nines, perused luxurious silent auction items and nibbled on delectable canapés during the cocktail-dînatoire, while being treated to the musical stylings of the Moondance Jazz Trio.
Quebec media figure Lorraine Cordeau hosted the event. Her late husband, Canadian singer, musician and producer Georges Thurston, known as “Boule Noire,” was the CCAC’s spokesperson. Diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer with metastasis in 2006, Thurston spent the last year of his life publicly speaking about the symptoms of the taboo disease.
The European style fashion show featured 33 Lundström outfits in its Quebec line premiere. Artistic Director Hans Koechling masterfully compiled the evening’s collection to fully represent Lundström’s brand of classic couture. Showcased garments included gloves, hats, impeccably tailored suits, and lavish gowns, exuding a sense of timeless elegance.
Models walked the runway displaying a tapestry of textures; wool; silk; leather; fur; velvet; brocade and stunning jewellery by Anzie. Hair and make-up were sponsored by Orbite and MAC Cosmetics respectively, and footwear by Browns.
The Giant Colon Zooms Through VANCOUVER, BC – Nov. 19-20
Nov 21st
Held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, this was our second visit to the Zoomer Show. Over the two days, close to 1500 attendees passed through our GC, looking in awe at the various pathologies and asking a multitude of questions regarding colorectal cancer. CCAC would like to extend their appreciation to Mike Nguyen from Medical Futures and Judy Liwanpo from Warnex for their support in bringing the GC to Vancouver. A special thanks goes out to The CCAC’s newest member of the volunteer group, Deb Amada, herself a cancer survivor, who assisted Adrien with the display. Deb will also be promoting the Bum Spiel 2012, a curling fundraiser that will see all proceeds go to the Colorectal Cancer Association.
EDMONTON, AB – Nov. 4-6
Nov 8th
While this visit took place at the West Edmonton Mall, it was held in conjunction with the Edmonton Patient Information Session at the Cross Cancer Institute which in itself was a great success. Ron, our Exhibits Manager, was assisted by a great group of volunteers from the Edmonton area as thousands of visitors passed through The Giant Colon. Our volunteers are an integral part of Giant Colon visits and CCAC is very appreciative of their efforts. Also taking the time to drop in during our visit were some former medical conference attendees who were quite impressed with the display and its educational benefits.
Fashionable Fundraising – Models Strut for Cause
Nov 2nd
The CCAC’s fashion gala, “An Evening of Luxury,” will feature the Canadian LUNDSTRÖM COLLECTION in its Quebec premiere on November 15, 2011.
Held at Le Windsor, the event, composed of a cocktail-dînatoire and European-style couture show, aims to transform fashion into a pure sensory experience to benefit the CCAC’s many awareness, education, support and advocacy initiatives in Quebec and across the country.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Quebec and Canada, affecting both men and women almost equally. The gala celebrates CCAC triumphs in prevention and provincial colorectal cancer screening programs and emphasizes that there is still much more to be done in the fight against this Preventable, Treatable and Beatable disease.
“Our annual gala helps spread the knowledge of a disease that has taken far too many lives, simply because too few people are willing to talk about it. Support of this event will help us continue to make a difference so that one day, we can say, we beat this disease with style,” said Barry Stein, President, CCAC.
The “Evening of Luxury” event follows the success of the CCAC’s award-winning online 2010 campaign www.getyourbuttseen.ca. Sophistication, luxury and glamour can be used to describe the runway’s portfolio that will highlight LUNDSTRÖM’s 2012 collection.
“Eleventh Floor Apparel Ltd. (EFA) is extremely pleased and deeply honored to have our LUNDSTRÖM COLLECTION showcased at the CCAC’s fashion show, and to be partnering with such an esteemed association for a great cause,” said Tamar Matossian of EFA.
Tickets to the exclusive event are available at the price of $350 per person, or $3,000 for a group of ten. For more information, sponsorship opportunities, programs advertising or to buy tickets, visit www.colorectal-cancer.ca/gala/ or contact our offices at 514.875.7745
TORONTO, ON – October 24-25
Oct 28th
Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the first of an annual meeting focusing on meeting the needs of health care management, saw us with a double presence as our booth, manned by our Frank Pitman-Patient Volunteer & Support, was available for public information and awareness. This event by Diversified Business Solutions in conjuncton with Princess Margaret Hospital and Sunnybrook Hospital, saw over 400 attendees pass through our Giant Colon. Our president, Barry Stein was the keynote speaker and we were graced with the presence of Dr. Sandy Buckman – Regional Primary Care Lead for Cancer Care Ontario, who was recently named President of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. It was Dr. Buckman who recently wrote and produced a colon cancer related song entitled “Crapkit.
OSHAWA, ON – October 18
Oct 22nd
Our Giant Colon visit, held at the Oshawa Centre, was hosted by Durham Regional Health who partnered with The Canadian Cancer Society, Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada and Metroland Media in an effort to promote screening and raise awareness about colorectal cancer. We were graced with a visit from the forensic setup team for the TV series CSI-New York as well as over 2300 other visitors. Of course, our appreciation is extended to Jim Horner, one of our volunteers who took the time to come out and assist Ron with the display. A shout out goes out to Eileen McLean, Marysue O’Connor and Adele Thompson who assisted with this well planned event by Durham Regional Health.
TORONTO, ON – October 4
Oct 6th
Laura Segal, the Education and Outreach Coordinator, and various Toronto General staff hosted our visit to the Toronto General. While this visit was open to the public, it was primarily for TGH staff and patients. Event was held in the conservatory on the 4th floor which gave everyone a great view of Toronto while visiting our Giant Colon. Most noticeable were the wide eyes as individual passed through the colon and saw for themselves the pathology associated with colorectal cancer.
Don’t Lose Sleep Over It!
Oct 6th
Labelled as a society riddled by overindulgence time and time again, Westerners have succumb to being referred to as gluttons. We eat too much, drink too much and when we are not working ourselves to the bone, we entertain too much. Yet with all these guilty pleasures under our belt, it’s funny how so many of us seem to cast aside the most simple of them all – sleep!
Today, priorities have become conditioned by one’s lifestyle. For the business and social nomads, governed by busy daily schedules, the act of sleeping is considered a waste of time and only needed when extremely tired. However, as the number of health afflictions and disease risks linked to inadequate sleep are on the rise, perhaps this modern notion of sleep as a form of ‘surrender’ requires a re-examination.
Recent study links sleep sacrifice to increased risk of colorectal cancer
In a recent study published in the Feb. 15, 2011 issue of the journal Cancer, researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, found that people who slept an average of six hours or less per night had an almost 50% increase in the risk of colorectal adenomas compared with individuals sleeping at least seven hours a night. Adenomas are precancerous polyps that, left untreated, can turn malignant.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a significant association of sleep duration and colorectal adenomas,” Li Li, MD, PhD, the study’s principal investigator and Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said in a statement to the media. ‘A short amount of sleep can now be viewed as a new risk factor for the development of colon cancer.’
Conducted by phone, the study surveyed patients prior to their scheduled colonoscopies at the UH Case Medical Center. The questions were drawn from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and concerned sleep frequency, troubles falling asleep and most importantly, their average hours of sleep per night.
Of the 1,240 patients interviewed, 338 were diagnosed with colorectal adenomas at their colonoscopy. The majority of those diagnosed with precancerous polyps had reported sleeping less than six hours a night, compared to those patients without adenomas. The association between less sleep and adenomas remained consistent despite adjustments made for family history, obesity and smoking.
Dr. Li’s report notes that the dramatic risk increase of insufficient sleep is comparable to genetic risk, having a first-degree relative who has had colon cancer, as well as the risk associated with eating a lot of red meat: “Short sleep duration is a public health hazard leading not only to obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease, but also, as we now have shown in this study, colon adenomas…Effective intervention to increase duration of sleep and improve quality of sleep could be an under-appreciated avenue for prevention of colorectal cancer,” Dr. Li concluded.
Sleep deprivation alters immune function, particularly the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep has been proven to strengthen one’s immune system and consequently help the body battle against cancer. So, while those increasing the hours in their day by decreasing their nightly hours of sleep believe that they are maximizing the time available in their business and social agendas, they are really just aiding and abetting the risk of their lives’ maxing out!
For more information about Dr. Li’s study please consult the Journal Reference:
Cheryl L. Thompson, Emma K. Larkin, Sanjay Patel, Nathan A. Berger, Susan Redline, Li Li. Short duration of sleep increases risk of colorectal adenoma. Cancer, 2011; 117 (4): 841 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.25507
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