A few months ago, Patrick Swayze announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is one of the deadliest forms of the disease. As we all knew he would, he's been fighting it aggressively, and this past weekend the world saw a healthy and happy looking Swayze at LAX airport.

Smiling and giving a thumbs up sign, the actor told photographers, "I'm a miracle, dude. I don't know why." He's been undergoing chemotherapy, and was at the airport to catch a flight to Chicago to work on a new drama for A&E called The Beast.

The battle certainly isn't over, but it sure is heartwarming to see our favorite dirty dancer looking so good!

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Having just watched a beloved family friend endure a debilitating bout of chemotherapy, I'm very skeptical about a new survey released by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS).

According to an article that appears in the current issue of Men's Health, a NCCS survey found that 94 percent of cancer patients claim that chemotherapy is not as enfeebling as most people perceive it to be. Again, I find this figure to be somewhat hard to believe. Even as a kid, when a good friend's father battled cancer, I witnessed the manner in which the treatment assaulted his body. I'm doubtful that he felt his initial concerns proved to be unwarranted once his treatment concluded.

In no way am I casting doubt on the efficacy of chemotherapy; rather, I'm simply voicing my opinion on this particular study. I simply find it hard to believe -- given what I've experienced personally with loved ones -- that such a high percentage of people finish treatment and essentially take the attitude of "It wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be." Could I be wrong? Of course -- wouldn't be the first time, definitely won't be the last. That's why I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the results of this survey. Feel free to weigh in on this matter in the comments section below.

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My little family of four and I have already blasted through 12 bottles of sunblock since early May. At nine dollars a pop ... the cost is certainly adding up. But then I think about the investment I make each day, and the price it will prevent us all from paying some day in the future. Here's a short list in no particular order.

• Painful Sunburns -- Ouch!
• Freckles
• Moles
• Leathery Skin
• Sunspots
• Flaking
• Chemotherapy -- Not cheap!

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With his final days ticking away, UK journalist Adrian Sudbury has decided to use the rest of his life to make a difference for others. Sudbury was diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent a bone marrow transplant which, at first, seemed to be successful. Unfortunately, his cancer has returned and he has opted not to undergo any more intensive treatment. After two rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, Sudbury knew he had had enough treatment, but when the doctors gave him a 20% chance of survival with treatment it only served to solidify his decision.

Instead, Sudbury has chosen to advocate and bring awareness to treatment options in an effort to help others who are living with cancer. Though his cancer ultimately returned, Sudbury is a strong advocate for bone marrow transpants. On his blog, he states "I have one last little mission before I die. I'm determined to try and educate more people about it is like to a bone marrow donor. There are still 7,000 people -- children and adults in the UK alone -- who are waiting to find a match. Without your help they have no hope. At least I was given a chance."

There are two methods of bone marrow donation: bone marrow harvest, and the newer, less invasive method called peripheral blood stem cell donation. You learn about becoming a donor at the National Marrow Donor Program.

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While some debate its efficacy, marijuana has been sparingly prescribed for certain conditions for many years now. It has exhibited some ability to help manage pain, reduce ocular pressure for glaucoma patients, reduce nausea from chemotherapy, and help with AIDS-related wasting syndrome. But, besides the potential addictive qualities, medical marijuana also can cause some loss of memory.

Scientists may have found a way to harness the medical benefits of marijuana without some of the side effects. The psychoactive compound in marijuana is called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC has positive benefits such as relieving pain and anxiety but can result in cognitive problems. In fact, patients on marijuana therapy are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety in the long run. In a lab study on mice, scientists have found that organophosphorus agents (OP) had the same positive effects as THC without the downsides. Much more research is needed before this finding could be applied to humans.

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Several years ago my father had a cancer scare. Pre-surgery, the doctor's exact words were "I'll be floored if this isn't cancer." My oldest sister, an RN, gathered all of my siblings and my mom together and talked to us. She told us how incredibly important it is to maintain a good attitude and to be strong. Our dad was going to need us to be strong so that he could go through any emotions he needed to. He also needed us to be strong so that, after his initial anger, grief, and fear, he could find his own strength again.

During my dad's surgery to remove 3/4 of his right lung, my sisters, brother, mom and I sat and held each other's hands. Knowing this was the moment to be scared because after we knew for sure that it was cancer, it was time to rally the troops. Once the biopsy was back, however, I guess my dad's doctor was "floored." It wasn't cancer after all. But the scare really brought our family together and showed me how important attitude is for recovery.

Doctors know how emotional illnesses like cancer can be. And the connection between a positive mindset and healing is well known. So this trial that includes journaling (or "expressive writing") as part of an overall cancer treatment plan makes great sense. 63 leukemia or lymphoma patients were asked to journal for 20 minutes as well as complete pre- and post-writing surveys. Nearly 50% of participants felt that journaling changed how they thought about their illness and improved their quality of life. 35% thought writing changed the way they felt about cancer. The vast majority of the patients wrote positively about their experiences.

Take this AOL Body quiz to see if you're do what you can to avoid cancer.

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Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts is bald, thanks to breast cancer and chemotherapy. She's done a bang-up job of covering up since she shaved her head in preparation of the big fallout -- her wig is a perfect match for the hair that once sprouted from her scalp -- but she recently decided to bare her shiny scalp. She did it to challenge her comfort zone, she says.

What started as a dare had Roberts braving the catwalk the other day as part of Isaac Mizrahi's runway show, live from New York Fashion Week. All of her friends and fans knew she was doing the show -- they just didn't know she'd do it bald.

"This is who I am," Roberts said about her decision to ditch the wig.

When Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer last July, the last thing she felt was beautiful. When the folks at Good Morning America dared her to be model, she seized the opportunity. It was a perfect way to push herself outside a certain comfort zone.

To transform herself into a supermodel, Roberts worked with Tyra Banks on walking the runway, Mizrahi on finding the perfect gown, and model Nikki Taylor on photo shoots -- a special layout will appear in an upcoming Redbook magazine.

Check out Roberts here in this video where you'll see a courageous woman make a bold statement as she fights to regain her health. Now that's what I call a model -- a role model.

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I've made many breast cancer friends whose faces I've never seen and voices I've never heard. Our Internet connections are rich, despite our lack of verbal communication, because what we have in common -- doing battle with a treacherous disease -- is powerful enough to transcend traditional means of relating with one another.

Cindy Hurst is one of my breast cancer friends. Although she lives in Arizona and I live in Florida and chances are we will never look each other in the eye, we have a relationship cemented in the finer points of breast cancer: diagnosis, surgery, treatment, side effects, survival, and often the most popular of all cancer topics -- hair loss.

Cindy's hair came out after mine -- she's currently a bald beauty while my hair has been sprouting for three years -- and so I had the honor of advising her about the big fall-out. I offered her advice on when and how her hair might tumble from her scalp. We talked about options for covering up and ideas for preparing kids for a changed mommy. And now that my job is done, it's Cindy's turn to educate me about the latest and greatest methods of introducing children to the ravages of chemotherapy.

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As Jacki reported this morning, new research out this week suggested that thousands of breast cancer patients may be able to do away with heavy chemotherapy treatments or receive much less invasive chemo without damaging chances of beating the disease.

For those that have undergone the vagaries of chemotherapy, this is understandable. In 2007 (almost 2008), it still amazing that there are not many (if any) mainstream cancer treatment alternatives than pumping radiation into the body. Genetic research is producing some fine candidates, but chemo remains the top cancer treatment.

Still, a gene test can even determine if some breast cancer patients even need chemo at all, even if the cancer has spread. That's good news, since chemo should be used always when there is no other choice.

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Good news on the breast cancer front: Doctors revealed Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that they are backing off on chemotherapy for breast cancer patients. And when the drug therapy must be used, new research reveals there are gentler drug versions that can spare women the toxicity that results from standard drugs like Adriamycin, a mainstay of treatment for decades.

Even better news: Avoiding chemotherapy for some patients -- namely those who qualify for gene tests to predict prognosis -- doesn't adversely affect the odds for relapse and survival. Where was this news three years ago when Adriamycin was blasting through my veins?

These great new findings are sure to speed the growing trend away from chemotherapy and more precisely target the small groups of women who truly need the treatment.

Yes, chemotherapy is not necessary for all breast patients. Such good news, isn't it?

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One of the most devastating aspects of fighting cancer can be the long and exhausting courses of treatment. From what I've read and heard, dealing with the physical and emotional after-affects of chemotherapy and radiation can be as difficult as dealing with the disease itself.

A test developed by a scientist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia promises to ease some of the suffering associated with cancer treatments. Basically, a dye is injected into patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation, and molecules in the die attach to any dead or dying cancer cells, allowing doctors to see whether or not the treatment is actually working.

Until now, patients had to endure entire courses of treatment that could last up to six months before being able to assess whether or not their tumors where shrinking, had stayed the same or were growing larger. If the treatment hadn't worked, patients would have to undergo a new, exhausting course of treatment. The new dye test will hopefully allow doctors to tell right away whether or not the treatment on a particular patient is working based on whether or not there is evidence of dead or dying cancer cells.

Hopefully the test will cut down on the trauma associated with chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

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Today, a client of mine told me she didn't wear sunblock all the time, because "sunblock is too expensive". I told her then, and I'm telling you now. Sunblock is cheaper than chemotherapy.

I've seen stories like this before and it boggles the civilized mind: parents have to defend their kids against the madness of court-appointed medical treatment they don't believe in.

In many cases, ill-educated and bribed officials demand that cancer patients (especially children) undergo conventional cancer treatments even with the disagreement of parents. Who has the final say? In many cases, this disturbing lack of choice by biological parents makes one question if we are indeed in a free country sometimes.

The patient's parents, in this case, found a doctor specializing in holistic medicine. That doctor suggested a healthier diet and supplements instead of chemotherapy. Whatever was best for Noah (the cancer victim) should have been at stake, but who decides that? Health officials or parents?

For more information on preventing or managing cancer, please visit The Cancer Blog. In fact, blogger Heather Craven over at The Cancer Blog has her own take on the story here.

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It's not really good news what it's reported that traditional cancer treatments may actually help certain types of cancer spread.

But, this is exactly what U.S. researchers are saying this week. Surgery, chemotherapy or radiation may sometimes cause tumors to spread according to new research that is sure to draw fire from many sides.

The cause? How about a compound called TGF-beta, which was found to have raised levels in mice undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The TGF-beta compound then proceeded to help breast cancer tumors spread to the lung. The good news is that there were antibodies used that could block TGF-beta in its tracks.

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We have two kinds of dogs in our household. Those that love to ride in the car and those that hate to ride in the car and get sick. Our Dalmatian, Kiva, loves to ride in the car more than she loves to eat steak and will literally howl at the kitchen window if she sees me drive off without her. But our boxer/bulldog mix, Joey, lays in the back of the station wagon and gets sick just about every time he is taken for a ride or has to go with us on a trip. We often gave him small doses of Dramamine and didn't feed him before we had to put him in the car to go on trips.

Now there is hope for many pets that experience motion sickness and vomiting while riding in a car. The FDA, Food and Drug Administration, said the drug, Cerenia, is the first to prevent and treat vomiting in dogs. When used in tablet form, the drug can prevent vomiting associated with motion sickness. The drug also can prevent and treat acute vomiting due to chemotherapy, parvovirus, kidney disease, pancreatitis and other causes. This is great news for Joey.

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