Carcinoid syndrome is a rare type of cancer. People often ask: why the zebra for carcinoid and neuroendocrine cancer awareness? In medical school, students are told, “When you hear hoofbeats, you assume it’s horses, not zebras.” This is analogous to what happens in medicine.

It’s November, the Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. This is the time to wear the purple ribbon and help raise awareness of pancreatic cancer in your community. H&B gladly joins this cause.

Among other awareness raising opportunities, September is also Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. We at H&B know that more can be done to raise awareness of this terrible illness that is estimated to take the lives of more than 14,000 women this year.

September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is a time to focus our attention on childhood cancer. We at H&B wish to emphasize the importance of life-saving research and join efforts to make a difference for children diagnosed with any type of cancer.

Following closely after skin cancer, prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer found in males in the United States. Most prostate cancer is quite slow-growing and oftentimes brings about a few to no signs of problems until it is very advanced. H&B joins the cause of raising prostate cancer awareness.

Frequent alcohol misuse can have various outcomes, helpful or harmful, on the health of the consumer. Drinking alcohol raises the risk of developing various types of cancer. When a person drinks alcohol, the body breaks it down into a chemical called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde harms the DNA and prevents the body from fixing the damage

The laws governing cosmetics and personal care products are so limited that known cancer-causing chemicals, or carcinogens, are legally allowed in personal care products. Ingredients used to make consumer products (including cosmetics) have come under increased scrutiny for their possible effects on human health and on the environment.

Organizations such as The Lung Cancer Alliance and the National Cervical Cancer Coalition provide support, education, and raise awareness for individual cancers. They will assign or acknowledge the color of the ribbon for each specific cancer. Dr. Shymali Singhal suggests cancer patients find their respective cancer color and connect with the organization that takes care of it.