June 2007

In this Issue: Healthcare Feature | Partner Spotlight | Calendar | Welcome New Partners | In the News | Interesting Information

Protecting the Skin You’re In: Sun Safety for Recreation and Occupational Health

Adapted from materials by the California Department of Health Services, Skin Cancer Prevention Program, available at: www.avoidskincancer.org

Summer officially starts this month and with warmer weather and longer days, for many of us it also means more time spent outdoors in the sun. The sun provides warmth and light, can improve mental health, kills germs, and is essential for growth and development of most living things. Unfortunately, excessive sun exposure can cause blistering sunburns, premature aging (wrinkles and blotches), cataracts, a weakened immune system, and skin cancer.

Read more about protecting your skin from the sun ...

The Alliance for Better Medicine

Mission
Educate policymakers and the public to achieve the best and most cost effective outcomes in healthcare utilizing the best available science and information developed in consultation with researchers, practitioners and recipients of care, that considers the differences in responses to specific medications or procedures- based upon factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity and co-occurring disorders.

About
The Alliance for Better Medicine is a coalition of healthcare providers, health organizations, ethnic organizations, and academic experts united to educate policymakers and the public about the need for individualized medical care and to empower physicians and patients to influence positive change.

Web site
www.allianceforbettermedicine.org

The California Partnership for Access to Treatment
invites you to a complimentary luncheon seminar on

The Value of Medicines:
The Triple Solution for a Healthier America

Guest Speaker
Mike Pucci
Vice President of External Advocacy for GlaxoSmithKline

Recent medical advances, including breakthroughs in pharmaceutical research, increase our optimism for a healthier future. The development of new medicines plays an important role in that future. Mr. Pucci will share how innovation has, and will, bring new medicines that provide hope and a future for those living with disease and how prevention and better care for chronic disease is critical to controlling the cost of healthcare and helping people feel better.

Wednesday, July 18th
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Sacramento
RSVP to Dorothy at (916) 658-0144 x 196
or e-mail: dorothy@perrycom.com

Thursday, July 19th
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Los Angeles
RSVP to Andrea at (323) 466-3445 x 240
or e-mail: andrea_s@cerrell.com

Save the Date!

Be sure to check out the CPAT Calendar of Events to find out about upcoming partner conferences, seminars, fundraisers, and other activities in your area. If you would like your event listed, please contact Dorothy at dorothy@perrycom.com

• Buddhist Tzu Chi Free Clinic
• Center for Health Justice
• Carrie's TOUCH
• Combined Health Agencies
• El Hogar Mental Health and Community Services Center, Inc.
• GLASS - Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services
• Interfaith Service Bureau
• Koreantown Youth & Community Center
• Los Altos Chamber of Commerce
• Stanislaus PRIDE Center
• Plus 8 individual partners
  

Sipping tea may lower your skin cancer risk
Antioxidants may help limit damage from UV radiation
Reuters
May 4, 2007

People who unwind with a cup of tea every night may have a lower risk of two common forms of skin cancer, new research suggests. In a study of nearly 2,200 adults, researchers found that tea drinkers had a lower risk of developing squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma, the two most common forms of skin cancer. Click here to read more about the potential benefits of tea drinking.

The skinny on skin cancer
Don't get burned by bad information about this common affliction
San Diego Union Tribune
May 8, 2007
By R.J. Ignelzi

In a world of sound bites and Internet rumors, it's not always easy to distinguish fact from fiction. But when it comes to skin cancer, being able to exclude the myths and embrace the truth may save your life. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 1 million cases are diagnosed annually, according to the National Cancer Institute. Click here to read about common myths and rumors about skin cancer.

Sunscreen may not ward off deadly cancer
Avoid disease by covering up with clothes, staying in shade, experts say
MSNBC
May 11, 2007
By Robin Lloyd

The latest skin-cancer prevention advice is to stop trusting sunscreen as the front line of defense against harmful rays. Instead, wear sunblocking clothing or stay out of the sun altogether, experts say. Sunscreen has been shown to protect against UV skin damage as well as basal carcinomas and squamous cell carcinoma — two of the three most common skin cancers. However, it has not been conclusively shown to protect against melanoma, the most fatal kind, said Stephan Lautenschlager of the Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology at Triemli Hospital in Switzerland. Click here to read more about this new study.

 

Sunlight is believed to cause 90 percent of all skin cancer. The number of skin cancer cases has dramatically risen, especially in the last two to three decades, from these and other factors:

• Increase in leisure time devoted to outdoor activities.
• Decrease in coverage of modern clothing.
• The current erroneous view that tanned skin is healthy/desirable.
• Decreasing amounts of stratospheric ozone which partially protects the earth's surface from receiving cancer-producing ultraviolet (UV) radiation, principally from the sun.
• National population migration to sunnier regions/states.
• General aging of the population, nationwide.

From the California Department of Health and Human Services, Skin Cancer Prevention Program. Available at: www.avoidskincancer.com.

CA Access News welcomes contributions from our partners. Please contact us if you have suggestions for future events and stories by calling CPAT at (916) 658-0144, Attn: Janet.

925 L Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.caaccess.org

Supported by America's Research Based Pharmaceutical Companies

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