Mt Shasta 2017 Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness

Happy New Year.
Would you believe that Mt Shasta beat it's previous world record for the most snow at one time..
18' in 4 days, 22' in 7 days. That's a lot of snow.
A group of PAF hikers on a snowshoe expedition visited Mt Shasta just before Christmas on a scouting expedition. This was right before the big snowfall.
Awesome.

We will be summiting 14,179' Mt Shasta in July during the PAF's annual
Cancer Climb and Trek for Prostate Awareness.
Want to join the expedition?
For details contact Ken Malik @ 415-407-3961 or kamalik@prostateawarenessfoundation.org

Dying with Dignity in California

By the end of this week California will become the 5th state in the USA to allow a terminally ill person to legal take their own life with the approval of 2 doctors who verify they have 6 months or less to live, are mentally competent and can administer a lethal pharmaceutical themselves. 

Whether u agree morally with this issue or not we think having this option available is important and will eliminate much pain and suffering when appropriate. 

Bill Kortum Memorial Hike

Join the Prostate Awareness Foundation on Saturday (March19th) to pay homage to Bill Kortum one of California's pioneer environmentalists on the trail named after him. Bill passed away from advanced prostate cancer in 2014.

Meet at Shell Beach on Hwy 1 on the Sonoma coast @ 11am

Aspirin found to stall prostate cancer progression

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer who took 3 aspirins a week had a 24% lower risk of developing lethal cancer, and a 39% reduced risk of dying from the disease.

"It was after the diagnosis that there appeared to be a benefit" says Christopher Allard a Urology fellow at Harvard Medical School lead author of the study.

A word of caution: be careful of gastro-intestinal problems with aspirin!

Prostate Cancer Drug Treatment Leads to Alzheimers!

ADT (androgen deprivation therapy) is a relatively new drug therapy for prostate cancer that cuts off the bodies ability to make testosterone.

We at the PAF have been suspicious of this chemical castration therapy since it became a common protocol in the mid 1990's.

ADT side effects are regularly reported by members of the PAF and include hot flashes, calcium deficiency, fatigue, loss of libido and memory impairment.

Now a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Urology this December ties ADT to a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

This study of 2400 men for two decades by the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University surprised the researchers.

Men on ADT in the study had an 88% higher risk of getting Alzheimers. In fact those men on testosterone blockade for over 1 year increased their Alzheimers Risk by more than double those men who did not use this protocol.

We feel that the risk of debilitating Alzheimers outweigh the benefits of ADT

What do you think?

We suggest asking your oncologist his position on this provocative study.

ADT has become the treatment path of choice for men with advanced prostate cancer!

Marketing Costs Fuel High Cost of Drugs

If you use prescription drugs you know prices are going through the roof. Big Pharma's marketing budgets have increased 30% in the last 2 years to over 4.5 billion dollars.

"Ask your doctor ads" are now a constant on TV.

The American Medical Association has recently called for a ban on this type of advertising. Fixed income seniors are really feeling the pinch, and in many cases must forego their medical options to put food on the table.

The AMA's vote in support of an advertising ban is opposed by the pharmaceutical industry.

What do you think?

The Palisades on the Oat Hill Mine Trail in Napa, California 

Thank You Governor Brown - Dying With Dignity

Governor Brown made California the 5th state in the USA to allow its citizenry the right to choose a dignified death in the last 6 months of a terminal illness.

We feel there are enough safe guards in place so this humane choice will not be abused.

Bravo Governor Brown & the California legislature.