Cancer Prevention Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Advocates Ask Legislators For Tobacco Cessation Funding

On Monday, lawmakers heard from cancer patients, survivors and advocates during Cancer Action Day.

Advocates asked lawmakers to reduce the burden of cancer on West Virginians by increasing funding for the state’s tobacco control program on Cancer Action Day at the Capitol.

Linda Hart, state lead ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, lost her first husband to lung cancer 25 years ago.

“That’s one of the main reasons I’m here,” Hart said. “I also lost my dad to lung cancer. It actually was 33 years ago yesterday since he passed away from lung cancer. So that’s my mission to come and share my story.”

Hart said she wants legislators to support legislation that prevents youth from trying tobacco products.

“We need to do more to prevent smoking among our young people,” Hart said. “If they don’t start, they don’t have to try to quit.”

Hart said she spent time at the capitol educating lawmakers on House Bill 4983 which would fund the Tobacco Use Cessation Initiative.

“And we have, we have us one sponsor and eight or nine others that have co-signed on, so we’d like to get them all on board for it,” Hart said.

Doug Hogan, government relations director for the Cancer Action Network, said the most important part of Cancer Action Day is connecting their volunteers with lawmakers.

“So that they can share their stories with their legislators, they’re meeting with their delegates, they’re meeting with their senators, and they’re sharing their stories and why they’re so passionate about policies that will help us end cancer as we know it for everyone,” Hogan said.

Hogan said House Bill 4983 would set aside $5 million in funding dedicated to tobacco prevention and cessation.

“We think that’s a great start with those funds,” Hogan said. “And that infusion of monies, we can really make a dent in the prevention aspects. What we want to do is take a step back and look at prevention.”

Hogan said the funds would be used to keep kids from experimenting with vaping or tobacco products and provide resources for adults who want to quit.

“So we’ll be able to as well avert health care costs for businesses as well as this investment,” Hogan said. “So that’s what we’re looking for really is just an input least investment in tobacco prevention and cessation, we feel that with that increased investment, we can protect our kids so they don’t grow up into being addicted to adults.”

According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in West Virginia and the state has the highest adult smoking rate in the country.

Health Officials Advise Radon Testing For Homes

During National Radon Action Month, state officials advise the public to test their homes and workplaces for radon.

Gov. Jim Justice also proclaimed January as National Radon Action Month in West Virginia.

“Radon is a problem you can’t see, taste, or smell, but that doesn’t mean the poisonous gas isn’t there,” said Dr. Matthew Christiansen, state health officer and commissioner of the Department of Health’s Bureau for Public Health. “The cancer-causing, radioactive gas comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water, and can get into the air we breathe.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the greatest risk of radon exposure comes from homes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates radon to be a cause of many cancer cases each year and the leading cause of cancer among non-smokers.

CDC reports people who smoke and are exposed to radon have a 10 times higher risk of developing lung cancer from exposure compared with people who do not smoke and are exposed to the same radon levels.

The Office of Environmental Health Services’ radon program monitors levels across the state, reporting results on the Public Radon Dashboard. Residents may request a free radon testing kit by emailing radon@wv.gov or by calling 304-352-5039.

According to CDC, radon reduction systems can reduce home radon levels by up to 99 percent. Click here to learn more about West Virginia’s Radon Program.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Medical Value Of Plants Highlight International Conference In Institute

Deriving medicine from plants goes back to the Egyptians. Since then, scientists have identified more than 390,000 plants on the earth, most of which have not been studied for their medicinal applications.

Deriving medicine from plants goes back to the ancient Egyptians. Since then, scientists have identified more than 390,000 plants on the earth, most of which have not been studied for their medicinal applications.

Promoting and fostering research, development and conservation of plants useful to human health is the focus for the 12^th annual American Council for Medicinally Active Plants Conference, now underway at West Virginia State University.

One in-state conference presenter is Dr. Gary Rankin, vice dean of Biomedical Sciences with the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

Rankin said many don’t realize that a lot of the drugs that people first started using came from natural sources.

“Aspirin is actually developed out of the bark of willow trees,” Rankin said. “Digitalis, which is one of our main drugs for treating congestive heart failure, actually comes from a plant called foxglove.”

Rankin said plant-based treatments are germane to treating the many forms of cancer.

“There are over 270 different types of cancers,” Rankin said. “When we talk about finding a cure, we’re actually talking about individual diseases under the umbrella of cancer. We have a number of natural products that are already on the market for treating cancer, drugs like Aqua Taxol or Taxol, which we got from the western yew. Zinc alkaloids have been around for years, and they come from the Madagascar periwinkle, so the potential is there.”

Rankin said worldwide research continues to find new plant extracts to treat diseases.

“New drugs, or compounds to make the drugs, to treat not only cancer but infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, many other things,” Rankin said.

Rankin said studies in medical cannabis continue to advance in discovering new medical applications.

“Anytime you look at different strains of the marijuana plant, you’re always looking for new uses for the chemicals that are in cannabis,” he said. “I know one of the subspecies of cannabis they’ve looked at that produces a high level of a chemical that can treat certain types of epilepsy that are resistant to other types of drug therapy.”

He said in the battle for global food security, many people don’t realize that most food is lost because of fungi that grow on different food crops.

“There are a lot of studies going on right now trying to find new compounds from natural sources that will combat these fungi and kill them so that the food is not destroyed by fungal infections,” Rankin said.

The conference theme is “Exploring the Unexplored: Science and Applications of Medicinal Plants.” Lectures and seminars will focus on scientific advances in several health areas, including anticancer plant bioactives, chemistry of medicinal plants, plant-based antimicrobials, and the forementioned and newly emerging field of hemp and medicinal cannabis.

More information about the conference, including the complete agenda of speakers, is available at www.acmap.org.

Morgantown’s ‘Project Rainbow’ And New Book Explores Cancer Prevention On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, housing can be a difficult issue for many but especially for those in marginalized communities. A group in Morgantown is working to create Project Rainbow, a shelter and housing aid organization specifically for LGBTQ community members.

On this West Virginia Morning, housing can be a difficult issue for many but especially for those in marginalized communities. A group in Morgantown is working to create Project Rainbow, a shelter and housing aid organization specifically for LGBTQ community members.

Reporter Chris Schulz sat down with three of the project’s board members, Cassidy Thompson, Ash Orr and Erin Shelton to discuss the group’s objectives.

Also, in this show, the Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh, is a public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region. Here’s their latest story about a book that focuses on the people and techniques of cancer prevention.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

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