Article Presented by:
Jon M. Stout
Throughout the world, cancer remains a leading cause of death. All told, more than six million people around the globe die of the disease each year. Cancer has become a particular concern in China, where the mortality rate from the disease has been on the rise. In fact, some 1.5 million people in China died of cancer in the year 2000.
For Chinese men, the most common form of cancer is cancer of the stomach, followed by liver cancer, cancer of the oesophagus, lung cancer, and intestinal cancers. Stomach cancer is also most common for women, followed by uterine, oesophagus, lung, and liver cancer.
An Increase in Western Cancers
Because of the increase in economic development in China, it appears that the nation is witnessing an increase in cancers most common in the West. As a result, the incidence of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers in China is expected to rise exponentially. This stands to reason, given the fact that such cancers have increased a great deal in Taiwan and Hong Kong as those nations have modernized.
In an effort to stem the cancer tide, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association is screening a million Chinese women over six years. The project is designed to help save lives through early detection.
Geographical Considerations
Cancers in China also appear to vary by geography. For the most part, cancer is most prevalent in East China, North China, and Northwest China. Cancer is decidedly less common in South China, Southwest China, and Northeast China. It has been said that the highest cancer mortality rate occurs in the city of Shanghia and in the provinces of Jaingsu, Fujian, and Zhejiang.
For cancer of the oesophagus in particular, the worst mortality rate occurs in North China, specifically the Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi provinces. It appears that, in the outer reaches of these provinces, the mortality rate is less severe than in the inner reaches. There is some indication that oesophagus cancer may be linked to nitrites, although the evidence is not conclusive.
The Tobacco Factor
Because of widespread tobacco use in China, cases of lung cancer in the nation are expected to increase significantly. Currently, China is home to some 320 million smokers""in fact, it"(tm)s considered to be the smoking capital of the world. By the year 2025, as many as two million Chinese residents may die of lung cancer and other tobacco-related diseases each year.
Other Risk Factors
There are additional environmental factors which may contribute to the increase in cancer in China. For instance, an upsurge in the Hepatitis B infection may be responsible for the high incidence of liver cancer in the Asian nation. And stomach cancer may be exacerbated by the Chinese diet of high-salt fermented food and unsanitary food storage procedures.
Examining Oesophageal Cancer In-Depth
Because of the prevalence of cancer of the oesophagus in China, it only makes sense that researchers would take a closer look at ways the Chinese might be able to cut their risk for this form of cancer.
A research team at the Harbin Medical College in China decided to zero in on the factors leading to oesophageal cancer in northeast China. In an article entitled, "Risk Factors for Oesophageal Cancer in Northeast China,"� J. Hu and his research team document a hospital-based study of oesophageal cancer in the Heilongjiang Province.
It should be pointed out that this province is actually a low-risk area for this form of cancer. However, from May of 1985 to May of 1989, dozens of cancer patients were interviewed in the wards of several major hospitals for the purpose of the study.
Serious Risk Factors
The research team gathered evidence relating to diet, socio-economic status, incidence of smoking, and alcohol use. Not surprisingly, the researchers found that smoking and alcohol consumption appeared to be significant risk factors for cancer of the oesophagus. Those people who had smoked handmade cigarettes were at the greatest risk.
Reducing the Risk
The Chinese researchers found that there were demonstrated ways that people could reduce their risk of developing oesophageal cancer. For instance, eating a greater amount of fruits and vegetables lowered oesophageal cancer risk by 35 percent. By the same token, upping vitamin C intake by 100 mg reduced the risk of cancer of the oesophagus by 39 percent.
The researchers also found that using salt did not seem to increase the risk for oesophageal cancer. Likewise, foods preserved in salt and pickled vegetables offered no heightened risk.
Combating Cancer Over the Long Term
Treating cancer of the oesophagus and other cancers is a particular challenge in China and the rest of the developing world. That"(tm)s because the cancers tend to be discovered late when the chances of successful treatment are much lower. Treatment may also be difficult because the nation"(tm)s pain medications tend to be less effective than those found in the West. As a result, groups such as the American Cancer Society are working to improve the quality of life for Chinese cancer patients, particularly in the area of pain medication.
About the Author:
Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea, white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea) and chai. Visit http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.
12.04.2006
Backcountry Bliss in the Canadian Rockies
Article Presented by:
Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved Written by: Travel Alberta
Consider these "optics" (as my children are wont to say). To arrive at this rustic wonder, called Skoki Lodge (on National Geographic Traveler's Top 10 backcountry getaway list for 2004), we had to slog over two mountain passes, traverse around a lake being mindful of the boot-sucking boggy bits that can happen on any early-season hiking trail. "So what?" you sneer. Belt that challenge out to my triumphant eight- and eleven-year-old and they'll tell you this was no beaten path in the woods to some Xbox-loaded resort.
The idea of an Alberta back country hike as a family began last spring when my husband and I decided we desperately needed a challenge: Something that would recharge our sluggish lives, reunite us a family and test each individual's staying power.
Rocky Mountain Hiking
With gaiters wrapped around our boots we slowly plodded north up the valley from Temple Lodge (the daylodge at the backside of Lake Louise Ski Resort, two hours from Calgary, where this Banff hiking trail begins), cutting through groves of delicate larch trees which thinned out as he hoofed over Boulder Pass. Behind us was the last vistage of Lake Louise and at the toe of our boots was the confluence of several high alpine valleys, glacier-spackled peaks and Ptarmigan Lake.
Skoki, meaning swamp by a local First Nations group, sits in a high alpine valley, cradled between the peaks of Skoki, Fossil and Pipestone mountains. Far removed from roads, the area was first scoped out by Swiss guides in search of a safe, protected swatch of the Rockies aimed at gonzo skiers who weren't adverse to working for their turns. If these creaky floorboards could whisper I'm sure they'd tell tales of Banff's hiking trails as well as the many mountain legends like Jim Deegan who managed the lodge in the 40s. Deegan is said to have skied the 38-km round trip from Skoki to the townsite of Lake Louise every day during the winter of '46, lugging in perishables. My favorite is the day he was hauling in a 115 lb. quarter of beef with a leg sticking out of his pack. The story goes that half way down Deception Pass, Deegan fell and the protruding leg knocked him out cold. It was two hours before he came to and dragged himself down this Banff hiking trail to the lodge.
"So we can do it," I holler to my little clan in the swirling wind at the top of Deception Pass, having just repeated this motivating tale. With hoods laced up in the wind we skipped down into the valley scanning the woods for the idyllic lodge we'd heard so much about.
Skoki is a Classic Banff Hiking Trail
"There it is," yelped our youngest. "It's not a mirage (a new word we had just been discussing), I really saw the cabin." But then we'd turn a corner, haul out our hiking map, and the vision of a candle-lit END would vanish. For 10 long minutes that image of Skoki taunted us until there it was a shadowy scene out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Yes, our eight-year-old had to test all six mattresses in our cabin, all overstuffed chairs in the lodge and . . . well, I could say porridge but I'd be fibbing. Our welcoming dinner at the end of this five-hour Banff hiking trail was a feast of silky pork tenderloin (drizzled with a sweet berry sauce), stuffed grilled peppers, a yam bake and a fresh mixed green salad followed by a lemon torte swimming in a raspberry sauce. The quality of food has always been high at Skoki with homemade breads a given and hearty breakfasts the perfect send-off before embarking on another Banff hiking trail.
With boots off, a glass of wine in hand and a place near the great stone fireplace you realize this is the real thing, the perfect terminus to end a classic Banff hiking trail. As Skoki manager, Leo Mitzel, said later that night: "Skoki still gives people what it always has . . . a sense of perspective. Maybe it's the simplicity of it all or the fact it's surrounded by nature but I think it's a place where you can make sense of things."
Plus, adds the man who has spent most of his 37 years working with horses, "certain types of travellers seek challenges and want to accomplish things . . . when you're standing on top of Deception Pass you get to take credit for that."
I was reminded of that later when 10 of us adults gathered around the candlelit dining room table to swap stories about, well . . . other Banff hiking trails, travels, life and art. Time at Skoki is one of those great equalizers where folks from all socio-economic backgrounds somehow, astonishingly, find common terrain which always makes me wonder if visits here are more than happenstance.
About the Author:
Copyright © 2006 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site at http://www.travelalberta.com
Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved Written by: Travel Alberta
Consider these "optics" (as my children are wont to say). To arrive at this rustic wonder, called Skoki Lodge (on National Geographic Traveler's Top 10 backcountry getaway list for 2004), we had to slog over two mountain passes, traverse around a lake being mindful of the boot-sucking boggy bits that can happen on any early-season hiking trail. "So what?" you sneer. Belt that challenge out to my triumphant eight- and eleven-year-old and they'll tell you this was no beaten path in the woods to some Xbox-loaded resort.
The idea of an Alberta back country hike as a family began last spring when my husband and I decided we desperately needed a challenge: Something that would recharge our sluggish lives, reunite us a family and test each individual's staying power.
Rocky Mountain Hiking
With gaiters wrapped around our boots we slowly plodded north up the valley from Temple Lodge (the daylodge at the backside of Lake Louise Ski Resort, two hours from Calgary, where this Banff hiking trail begins), cutting through groves of delicate larch trees which thinned out as he hoofed over Boulder Pass. Behind us was the last vistage of Lake Louise and at the toe of our boots was the confluence of several high alpine valleys, glacier-spackled peaks and Ptarmigan Lake.
Skoki, meaning swamp by a local First Nations group, sits in a high alpine valley, cradled between the peaks of Skoki, Fossil and Pipestone mountains. Far removed from roads, the area was first scoped out by Swiss guides in search of a safe, protected swatch of the Rockies aimed at gonzo skiers who weren't adverse to working for their turns. If these creaky floorboards could whisper I'm sure they'd tell tales of Banff's hiking trails as well as the many mountain legends like Jim Deegan who managed the lodge in the 40s. Deegan is said to have skied the 38-km round trip from Skoki to the townsite of Lake Louise every day during the winter of '46, lugging in perishables. My favorite is the day he was hauling in a 115 lb. quarter of beef with a leg sticking out of his pack. The story goes that half way down Deception Pass, Deegan fell and the protruding leg knocked him out cold. It was two hours before he came to and dragged himself down this Banff hiking trail to the lodge.
"So we can do it," I holler to my little clan in the swirling wind at the top of Deception Pass, having just repeated this motivating tale. With hoods laced up in the wind we skipped down into the valley scanning the woods for the idyllic lodge we'd heard so much about.
Skoki is a Classic Banff Hiking Trail
"There it is," yelped our youngest. "It's not a mirage (a new word we had just been discussing), I really saw the cabin." But then we'd turn a corner, haul out our hiking map, and the vision of a candle-lit END would vanish. For 10 long minutes that image of Skoki taunted us until there it was a shadowy scene out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Yes, our eight-year-old had to test all six mattresses in our cabin, all overstuffed chairs in the lodge and . . . well, I could say porridge but I'd be fibbing. Our welcoming dinner at the end of this five-hour Banff hiking trail was a feast of silky pork tenderloin (drizzled with a sweet berry sauce), stuffed grilled peppers, a yam bake and a fresh mixed green salad followed by a lemon torte swimming in a raspberry sauce. The quality of food has always been high at Skoki with homemade breads a given and hearty breakfasts the perfect send-off before embarking on another Banff hiking trail.
With boots off, a glass of wine in hand and a place near the great stone fireplace you realize this is the real thing, the perfect terminus to end a classic Banff hiking trail. As Skoki manager, Leo Mitzel, said later that night: "Skoki still gives people what it always has . . . a sense of perspective. Maybe it's the simplicity of it all or the fact it's surrounded by nature but I think it's a place where you can make sense of things."
Plus, adds the man who has spent most of his 37 years working with horses, "certain types of travellers seek challenges and want to accomplish things . . . when you're standing on top of Deception Pass you get to take credit for that."
I was reminded of that later when 10 of us adults gathered around the candlelit dining room table to swap stories about, well . . . other Banff hiking trails, travels, life and art. Time at Skoki is one of those great equalizers where folks from all socio-economic backgrounds somehow, astonishingly, find common terrain which always makes me wonder if visits here are more than happenstance.
About the Author:
Copyright © 2006 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site at http://www.travelalberta.com
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