Exercise for Cancer Patients - Questions Answered

Cancer takes such a heavy toll that exercise is the last thing many cancer patients
want to do when undergoing treatment. Scientists are increasingly finding, however,
that cancer patients receive numerous benefits from regular exercise. Exercise
boosts mood, increases resilience to treatments, and improves recovery rates.
Some patients may wonder which form of exercise offers the greatest advantages,
and how much exercise is too much. Here is some information to help patients get
started receiving the benefits of an exercise program.

What Forms of Exercise Benefit Cancer Patients?
Aerobic exercise is probably the most common form of exercise practiced, and
ranges from mild to very intense. This means it is great for cancer patients because
they can choose the level of activity that matches their energy levels. At the intense
end of the aerobic spectrum is running, which is too heavy for many people to begin
with. Walking, on the other hand, is a very effective exercise that is also gentle on
the body. Recent studies have found that breast cancer patients have better survival
rates when they engage in regular exercise during treatment. Since aerobic exercise
increases oxygen exchange in the lungs, it benefits patients receiving mesothelioma
treatment. Walking for just 15-20 minutes a day can give patients huge boosts in
energy and vitality.

Strength training is another excellent option for cancer patients but should be started
slowly because of its intensity. This form of exercise boosts mood, energy, and
strength by increasing the body's levels of hormones and neurotransmitters.
Strength training has also been found to significantly reduce side effects of cancer
treatments. Cancer patients can begin with milder exercises, such as light
bodyweight movements, and work up to more intense sessions using weights as
they become stronger.

What Type of Routine is Best?

When anyone is starting an exercise regimen, it's important to take things slow and
listen to one's body to maximize benefits and reduce the risk of overtraining. No
matter how long one has been training, however, rest periods remain essential to
success. Many people are able to engage in mild exercise such as walking on a
daily basis, but most people should take rest periods of a few days between intense
workouts. After training regularly for awhile, some individuals are able to engage in
strength training on a more frequent basis as long as they are not using very heavy
weights. Training too often and resting too little can cause a condition called
overtraining whose symptoms include fatigue and immune suppression, both of
which could be hazardous to people with cancer.

Engaging in regular exercise is one of the best things cancer patients can do to
support positive thinking and mood, reduce treatment side effects, and improve
chances of recovery. It is also essential for patients in remission, whose chances of relapse are sharply reduced by regular exercise. Cancer patients who want to get
started can get the greatest benefits from exercise by simply listening to their body
and adjusting their regimen as needed.


This post was submitted by an anonymous guest writer. Thank you, anonymous!

Christmas and New Years!

Some of you may have noticed that there has been a distinct lack of posts over the past week, and there is a good explanation, I assure you! Over the holidays, I have been predisposed, and we still have New Year's Day coming up this Sunday. Christmas was last Sunday, thus striking out two post days for holiday here on Brighter Earth.

Do not fret, though; the Sunday following New Year's Day will see another post up, as per schedule (hopefully! haha). For now, though, I am afraid you must be content with a "Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!" Have a great holiday, regardless of what it is you celebrate. Hanukkah, Kwanza, Lunar New Year's; it is all a part of the global culture!

Merry holidays, and try to do something good in the spirit of the season. ;D

Make-A-Wish Foundation

"Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® has given hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions. From our humble beginnings with one boy’s wish to be a police officer, we’ve evolved into an organization that grants a child’s wish in the U.S. every 40 minutes."

Today's non-profit feature is about one I have been hoping to review for quite some time now, and really reaches out to a lot of people. While their methods of charity may not be what some consider the best, it is definitely at least creative and inspiring.

Just about everyone knows how Make-A-Wish Foundation works, at it's most basic structure: a kid gets terminally ill, and the foundation uses donation money to grant the wish of the child. It is fairly simple, and sometimes even narrow-minded, but it does give the kid one last chance to do what he or she has always wanted to do.

First off, the child that has been terminally diagnosed must be referred to the foundation. Parents, other children, and the medical professionals involved with that child can refer someone they think is eligible to have their wish granted. "Between 2½ and 18 years of age at the time of the referral," and, "have never received a wish from another similar organization," are the two requirements.

Next, the child is then determined to be either medically eligible, or not. Life threatening conditions are a must for any approved submissions. Then, volunteers try to figure out what it is exactly the child wants, and finally, they do it for that child. They give kids a second chance to do what they want the most.

Check out Make-A-Wish Foundation, and maybe even help a kid out today who just wants to get in a final wish.

LAMBDA GLBT Community Services

LAMBDA GLBT Community Services

"LAMBDA is a non-profit, gay / lesbian / bisexual / transgender agency dedicated to reducing homophobia, inequality, hate crimes, and discrimination by encouraging self-acceptance, cooperation, and non-violence."

Homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexualism were all, at one time not so long ago, despised by the majority of people in not just the U.S., but throughout the world as well. Though many places around the globe have stepped up their tolerance and even acceptance of differing sexual resolves, the U.S. still remains a threat to the lifestyles so many now live.

Political conservatives, almost exclusively backed by the logic of a specific religion, aim to fight the GLBT community in every way possible, much as they fight all of the other political parties. A refusal to even understand the reality behind the situation continues to put the nation farther and farther behind the other, more progressive nations.

LAMBDA is a secular non-profit that aims to eradicate the stigma attached to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. Much in the same way African Americans and women were restricted and even mistreated, the GLBT community must struggle each and every day for their rights, simply because of their sexual preference.

I, for one, am surprised it is even an issue. As many people have put it, politics should not rule the bedroom. What people do for fun on their own time is their own issue, regardless of the religious belief (and perhaps especially because of religious belief), though many Americans do not seem to grasp that small truth.

The hope is that non-profits like LAMBA can put together a sizable force and argument to bring down all of those people around the world who may seek to do harm to a gay, lesbian, bi, or transgender person because of their sexuality. With any luck, and with your help, they can succeed.

Teens Express

Today's post is about an organization called Teens Express, once known as Songs with Meaning, Inc. (SwM). Teens Express has provided "its program participants with a reliable, secure, and productive environment," for not only academic pursuits, but also for their life and creative skills, since 1998. They utilize practical and artistic workshops to better the youth of the area, as well as the adults charged with the care of those youth.

The Teens Express organization serves all youth in the Washington metro area, specifically in Wards 7 and 8, as well as Prince George's County, Maryland. The participants come from all sorts of ethnic and lifestyle backgrounds, including about 80% of whom are at risk of "not reaching productive adulthood, or falling prey to crime," and "other obstacles to obtaining a degree, or successfully entering the workforce."

Restore the Pledge

If you would rather not read all the way through the post, the link can be found here: Restore the Pledge [http://www.restorethepledge.com/]

Can you recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance? If you are an American, chances are it will be very easy for you. Now, for a trickier one: can you recite the original U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, as written by the first author to dream it up? I bet you had no idea that there were ever any other versions of our famous pledge. I would also bet that you are surprised to see one element missing:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."

If you didn't catch it, nowhere in there does it mention God, either under or over.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Ronald McDonald House Charities

"The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Guiding us in our mission are our core values:

• Focusing on the critical needs of children.

• Celebrating the diversity of the programs we offer and the staff, volunteers and donors who make them possible.

• Staying true to our heritage of more than 36 years of responsible stewardship.

• Operating with accountability and transparency."

-Ronald McDonald House Charities

The Ronald McDonald House Charities is a charitable, non-profit group headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois, USA, whose goal it is to "provide families stability and resources so they can keep their child healthy and happy." True to their mission, the RMHC has opened more than 290 chapters in more than 54 countries and regions, with 309 Ronald McDonald Houses, grants to various non-profit organizations for the needs of children, and even scholarships.

Ronald McDonald House Charities donation boxes can be seen all over McDonald's fast-food restaurants across the United States and other countries, counting up the change until they can help a child somewhere grow up that much more healthily; a truly admirable cause that often does not receive enough support or attention from the first-world.

Don't let me keep you here -- Get over to Ronald McDonald House Charities to help now!

Bhookh.com

 Bhookh.com

"Feed a Child with a Click"

Here's a little fact for you: hunger is the number one cause of death in India.

Have another: 1/3rd of the world’s hungry live in India.

One more?: 5 Indians die every minute from hunger.

This stark reality is hard to grasp for first-world citizens, because having food is the basest of necessities for us. We never worry where the next meal is going to come from, or even if it will be safe to eat. We have practically conditioned ourselves free of the worry of hunger.

TheNonProfits.com

 

TheNonProfits.com

"Free Donations Directory"

Here is a really cool site that I happened across while searching for click-to-give websites on Google. Apparently, this site actually has a huge list of good click-to-give organizations that you can simply click on and be done with. This website is basically a hub for the aforementioned charities, which makes this already easy way to donate even easier!

Quite a few of these links actually showed up on my blog as well, so you will recognize them while you are looking through if you have been following Brighter Earth even a little closely. I think that this list holds many future recommendations, so keep an eye out for them!

TheNonProfits.com is just a click away (literally!).

Rescue Ocean Wildlife

Today's Brighter Earth free non-profit charity website gives aid to the oceans and marine wildlife. The website goes by the name of Rescue Ocean Wildlife, and it's one more simple click-to-give site made by care2, a charity social network group of sites that bring together charitable people to find a good charity.

Here is an explanation of their site's mission, taken from the Rescue Ocean Wildlife front page:

"Your free click generates donations from our sponsors. You may click once a day, every day. 100% of the donations raised go directly to Oceana to save our oceans through policy, advocacy and research. Oceana's scientists, lawyers and advocates work around the world to protect corals, make seafood safe, save sea turtles and more!"

You may remember the care2 social community from a recent post by the name of Stop Violence Against Women, which was another one of care2's projects. If you're interested in learning more about care2, see the linked page to read about the charity network more in-depth.


All it takes is a click to save the ocean -- so why haven't you done your duty yet?

JustGive

JustGive

"The Destination for Charitable Online Giving."

This site is not quite like the rest of the organizations I post about, as it's not exactly free to donate. If you wish to donate to a specific charity, you will need to offer up the money yourself (or, of course, find someone else to offer it). Now, there are a billion charities out there to donate to, so why use JustGive?

JustGive can be imagined as a sort of 'hub' for charities, where donators in search of the perfect charity to contribute to will have no problem finding one. This is largely thanks to the GuideStar service, which provides access to almost two million different non-profit organizations!

If you have felt like it's time to make donations, then you definitely need to check up on JustGive!

Stop Violence Against Women

"Your free click generates donations from our sponsors. You may click once a day, every day. 100% of the donations raised go directly to Amnesty International to end the systematic violation of women's basic human rights."

Stop Violence Against Women is a simple click-to-give charity website that aims to end the horrible violence against women around the world. According to the TopTenz.net article "10 Best Creative Charity Websites" (which is a good read, by the way):

"Violence against women in cultures throughout the world seems to be an ever-growing problem. The website provides a button that you click that donates money so that women are able to write and send letters, explaining their abuse and situation in hopes for the problem to come to the forefront."

Plant A Billion Trees

Plant A Billion Trees

"One dollar. One tree. One planet."

Plant A Billion Trees is a campaign effort by the Nature Conservancy to plant 1 billion trees by 2015, thus restoring 2,500,000 acres, or 10,100 sq. km, of land in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. By doing so, the Nature Conservancy hopes to slow climate change by restoring the Atlantic Forest, which, according to the Plant A Billion Trees site, "helps regulate the atmosphere and stabilize global climate."

The Plant A Billion Trees campaign pledged to plant 25 million trees as a part of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)'s Billion Tree Campaign. The Plant A Billion Trees campaign also works with such partners as Disneynature, Planet Green, Penguin Books, Payless Shoesource, AT&T, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, and Visa, to maximize efficiency.

Supporters can donate as little as $1, and this will plant one tree; for every dollar donated, one tree is planted. At the time of writing this article, the Plant A Billion Trees campaign has planted almost 7.6 million trees as a result of donations to the program. By doing so, they are saving such species as the Green Lizard, the Prepona Butterfly, the Guapuruvu Tree, and the Scarlet Ibis (among others, found here.)

If you want to help save the environment, the animals, and the world, visit Plant A Billion Trees today.

Child's Play

Child's Play

"Gamers give back."

Child's Play is a charity that aids children's hospitals in acquiring gaming equipment for the children at the hospital. It is funded entirely on cash donations or purchases, and is tax deductible. The Child's Play charity is entirely non-profit, though they do spend 2-3% of the donations on such things as shipping, etc.

Direct donations of cash through PayPal are readily accepted, and quite appreciated; however, there is also the option to buy an item for the hospital. The hospitals write up a wishlist, and when it is finished, doners may buy the item on Amazonand have it sent to the hospital, through Child's Play.

The site was announced on November 24, 2003, by the creators of the popular Penny Arcade webcomic, with the intentions to aid the children in hospitals and to reverse the bad public image of videogaming. The original post by "Gabe" (aka Mike Krahulik) can be found here.

Within the first month of kick-off, the charity raised about $250,000; overall, Child's Play has earned $6.7 million for various children's hospitals around the world, in such locations as U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and England. If you want to contribute to this growing charity that supports not just one, but two causes, at once, check out Child's Play!

The Fuzz Academy

The Fuzz Academy

"Environmentally friendly"

The Fuzz Academy is a networking site that combines simple, fun games along with valuable lessons and intellectual stimulus to create a worthy site that also happens to aid environmental causes and charities. The Fuzz Academy, or "FA" as some of its users call it, donates to several strong charities focused on saving the environment.

Fuzz Academy allows users to create an account and a personal pet, or 'cadet'. The cadets can be dressed up with various items that are bought with hairballs (the site's currency). Hairballs are earned by playing games, or showing some love to other cadets. Special, more intricately designed items are available for premium members, who spend real currency on the game. However, most items are available to normal users as well.

The site functions largely like the popular Neopets, in which the user has a social network profile, dressed up pets, and plays games for currency. What separates Fuzz Academy from your everyday pet site is that it donates to causes such as, according to their About Us page, the Nature Conservancy's Adopt-An-Acre, Plant A Billion Trees, the ASPCA, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Interested in helping one of those environmental charities yourself? You can do so, just by playing some games over at The Fuzz Academy!

Smile Train - Changing the World One Smile at a Time.

Smile Train

"Changing the World One Smile at a Time."

Smile Train is a charity whose mission it is to provide free cleft surgery and to train doctors and medical professionals in cleft-related operations. The charity focuses solely on that goal, putting to use all available resources to reach it.

According to Wikipedia's article on Smile Train and the Smile Train site itself, approximately 1 in 700 children are born with cleft lip and palate. Though the number of children being born with cleft lip and palate is strikingly large, Smile Train claims that it is currently fixing more cleft lips and palates than the rate at which people are being born with it, thus hopefully nearing eradication of the problem.

A cleft lip and palate surgery (and treatment) costs around just $250. While that is a large sum for any one person to donate, Smile Train claims that a person can help by simply donating a small portion of that, paying for something as important as the medications. It accumulates all of the money, and then uses that to pay for the surgery and treatment.

Cleft lip and palate can be a severe hindrance to the lives of innocent children around the world, breeding social and personal issues. You can help with just a small donation to Smile Train.

FREE: Trick-or-Treat For UNICEF Kit

Posted originally by Rose, on the Tips for Saving blog:

"It is the 60th anniversary for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program. You can help support this foundation by ordering a FREE trick or treat kit, and gathering donations on Halloween.

The United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF - works for..." [Read More]

United Nations Volunteers - Inspiration in action.

United Nations Volunteers

"Inspiration in action."

The United Nations Volunteers (also well known as the UNV) program is an organization overseen by the United Nations. The UNV aims to promote and incorporate volunteerism in the worldwide community. Their mission statement reads:

"Volunteering brings benefits to both society at large and the individual volunteer. It makes important contributions, economically as well as socially. It contributes to a more cohesive society by building trust and reciprocity among citizens.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including the mobilization of volunteers. It serves the causes of peace and development by enhancing opportunities for participation by all peoples. It is universal, inclusive and embraces volunteer action in all its diversity. It values free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity, which are the foundations of volunteerism."

Sure, it's a mouthful, and they probably could have just said, "To promote volunteerism," but this looks much fancier. After all, why would an organization like the UN make anything simple on the rest of us? That's just not professional.

Of course, I'm just messin' with the UNV. They directly mobilize more than 7,500 volunteers each year across the globe, with more than 75% coming from developing countries; over 30% volunteer in their own country. What does this mean for you, then, if you can't offer in-person volunteer services (and to be honest, who can)? For that, there is the Online Volunteering service.

This service directly connects organizers with people who are willing to donate some of their time and skills to the particular organization's project. While you don't get to travel (and you don't get the benefits of being a UNV volunteer), you do get to help out in your own way, however you can.

If you want to join the UNV yourself, or just give them a look, check out the UNV site. If you'd like to sign up online, and be an online volunteer, go to UNV Online Volunteering.

Click to Give - Give to Charity for free!

Click to Give

"Give to Charity for free!"

Click to Give is, as its name gets across quite well, a click-to-give donation site. This means that users simply go on the site, click just a few buttons, and they've donated quite a bit. Rather than directly donating to one charity run by Click to Give, the site will actually redirect the money granted from advertisements on each page (which pay for the donations) directly to the charity you clicked for. You may click for all of the charities each day, but you can only click once per day per charity.

The site offers a lot of wonderful charities to donate to - and you can donate to them all, every day! The causes include animal care, hunger, child abuse, homelessness, breast cancer, and sponsoring children. Here's a brief overview of each one:

Animal Care: "The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. Our organization was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law."

Feed the Poor: "Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty, or natural disaster."

Stop Child Abuse: "Founded in 1959 by Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp® is a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Childhelp’s approach focuses on prevention, intervention and treatment."

End Homelessness: "The National Alliance to End Homelessness (Alliance) works to end homelessness. Though the popular response to homelessness in America has long been shelter, the Alliance maintains that we can end homelessness altogether and not just one night at a time. Years of research, pilot projects, and case studies show that there are solutions to effectively and efficiently end homelessness through housing."

Breast Cancer: "NBCF [National Breast Cancer Foundation] is committed to spreading knowledge and fostering hope in the fight against breast cancer. By funding free mammograms for women who could otherwise not afford them and supporting research programs in leading facilities across the country, NBCF helps inspire the courage needed to win this monumental battle. Be a part of the solution and discover how to help."

Sponsor Children: "Our mission is very simple. The more clicks you guys give daily, the more funding we then have to sponsor and maintain current sponsorships of these children in need. We will be adding and updating each sponsored child profile as it becomes available. We'll also be contacting and interacting with the sponsored children as much as possible and very excited to post all communication responses by each angel for you to view."

Click-donors can click anonymously, if they so choose, though Click to Give offers an interesting alternative. You can register an account, and you gain 1 point for each click you make. You can redeem these clicks for rewards, bought from the charities' gift shops, which still supports the charities. The only downfall to this system is that you can only get 6 points per 24 hours, and the cheapest item is near 1000 points.

With the account, you can also keep track of all of your donations. Simply click the 'View My Impact' link in the Members Control Panel on the middle right of the page, and you will be taken to your statistics. The more you click, the more it will show you as having donated.

This site is working a great form of charity that can earn quite a bit of money and make it easy on everyone involved, so head on over to Click to Give!

FreePoverty - Knowing Helps

FreePoverty

"Knowing Helps"

FreePoverty is a click-to-give site that is free and easy to use. It's in the form of a game, much like FreeRice, but it focuses solely on geography (instead of FreeRice's multiple subjects). As one plays the game, and answers correctly, a certain amount of water (depending on how close to correct the answer was) is added to the individual and total score donated. Near the top of their pages, a counter claims (at the time of this article's writing):

"In total we have donated 225,520,538 Cups of Water!"

The idea for the site itself is that a person who plays the games will view the ads placed on that page; the water donated is then paid for by the money earned from the sponsors' ads. The site isn't just a simple game with ads, though. The game itself is very well-made, and the look of the site is wonderful, so one doesn't mind the ads as much.

Why donate water, though? On their Home page, FreePoverty says:

"70% of a human being is made up of water. Water is the second most essential element for survival, after oxygen. Over one billion people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water; hence, causing them to develop deadly diseases. Moreover, without water, the brain is not able to function properly. One cup of water can make difference to someone's day. FreePoverty allows you to donate as many cups of water as you can to save millions of people."

FreePoverty states on its FAQ page that it is in between organizations due to some sort of "unforeseen issues." These issues are not expounded on, and the link they give promising further explanation leads to a 404 page.

Naturally, this does make FreePoverty seem a bit on the shadier side, though the site is much blogged about, and was associated previously with the popular WaterAid. Spending time on the site at your own discretion, as though the site seems trustworthy, it's hard to be sure at the moment. Perhaps when FreePoverty partners up with a reputable organization, we can all rest assured.

Regardless, the geography game on the site is actually quite fun. Go ahead and check it out at FreePoverty.