Thrive, Summer, 2007

Taking Care of the Caregiver

Learn more about Patient & Family Support Services offered here at the U-M Cancer Center, or visit these resources for more information:

Family Caregiver Alliance,
National Family Caregivers Association or
People Living With Cancer. On this site,
click on "Coping" and then "Caregiving" to find what you need.

Surfing the Flood
How to Find the Best Cancer Information for You

To learn more about how to evaluate heath information, view a tutorial offered by the National Institutes of Health's MedlinePlus.

To start your search for quality cancer information, consider these key sites:

Remember, the Patient Education Resource Center is here to help you find what you're looking for. Call 734-647-8626 or email perc@umich.edu for more information. Or, stop by during your next visit to the Cancer Center. The PERC, which is on Level B1, is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday; and 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday.

From Patient to Participant
Determining whether a clinical trial is the right choice for you

To learn more about clinical trials at the U-M Cancer Center, please contact the Cancer AnswerLine™ at 800-865-1125 or CancerAnswerLine@med.umich.edu. For more resources, view the PERC's Information Guide on Clinical Trials.

Taking a Stand

Patient Advocates Help Shape Cancer Research Agenda To join the U-M Breast Cancer Advocacy & Advisory Committee, please email Ruth Freedman or Maria Lyzen.

To learn more about advocacy issues, please visit the National Breast Cancer Coalition or the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

Bald and Beautiful

For a listing of local and regional resources for wig shops, salons and catalogs, please click here. Or, to read more, please view the PERC's Information Guide on Appearance [opens as a .pdf document].

To make an appointment with the Cancer Center's Wig Bank, please call 800-888-9825.

To sign up for a session of the Look Good . . . Feel Better program, please call the local chapter of the American Cancer Society at 734-971-4300; or visit their website: www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.

Easy Listening
Finding Comfort in Music Therapy

To make an appointment with Megan Gunnell, the Cancer Center's music therapist, please call 734-615-8548.

Experience music therapy online. Click here to listen to a podcast featuring Gunnell.

Separating Scams from Supplement
Finding Your Way through the Health-Food Store

To make an appointment with a Cancer Center dietitian, please call 734-936-6000.

To learn more, view the PERC's Information Guides on Herbs & Nutritional Supplements as well as Complementary & Alternative Medicine Note: both links open as .pdf documents.

Research Round-Up

If you'd like more information on this month's featured research -- or, if you would like to discuss these studies with your physician -- download the full articles below.

U-M Study Links Hypertension, Obesity to Prostate Cancer in African-Americans. Story based on "Features of the Metabolic Syndrome and Prostate Cancer in African-American Men," Cancer, March 1, 2007.

Benefits of Early vs. Late Treatment for Recurring GI Tumors Still Unclear. Story based on "Gleevec Decreases Cancer Recurrence for Patients with Primary Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor," National Cancer Institute, April 12, 2007.

Tell us what you think.

What kinds of stories would you like to reading in Thrive? What type of advice do you think would be helpful? Do you have tips for other patients or caregivers? Let us know. Email us at ThriveMagazine@med.umich.edu.

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