March is colon cancer awareness month! Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of death from cancer. Colorectal cancer affects people in all racial and ethnic groups and is most often found in people age 50 and older. If everyone age 50 and older were screened regularly, 6 out of 10 deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to encourage people to get screened.
National Kidney Month is celebrated yearly during the entire month of March. Its purpose is one of information and education, to ensure that people are aware of the importance of learning about this disease that causes so much physical and moral harm. National Kidney Month is a great occasion to get involved and get educated on the basics of this disease. Everyone can do something to make a change in this world be it just one person, a family, a group of people or a community, an organization or a business.
April is Oral Cancer Awareness month and OCF would like to invite you to join us in our national screening campaign to end oral cancer! Oral Cancer awareness in the American public is low. While smoking and tobacco use are still major risk factors, the fastest growing segment of oral cancer patients is young, healthy, nonsmoking individuals due to the connection to the HPV virus. We cannot stop this virus from spreading; our only hope to save lives is with professional involvement and public awareness.
March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. This new observance is an extension of “Hemophilia Awareness Month,” which was designated by President Ronald Reagan over three decades ago. The month is designed to bring awareness to rare bleeding disorders and the health problems that come with them. Bleeding disorder is a general term, which includes a wide range of medical problems that result in poor blood clotting and abnormal bleeding.
March has been designated National Sleep Awareness Month. One part of sleep awareness is knowing how our sleep may be affected by changes in the environment. The National Sleep Awareness Week this year emphasizes dangers such as drowsy driving, stress, anger and road rage. But the dangers of sleep deprivation go far beyond these visible risks. Sleep deprivation can, in fact, undermine all areas of your physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system leaving us more susceptible to other diseases and disorders like diabetes, cancer and even the common cold.
March is brain injury awareness month, so now is the time to become more aware of the causes, symptoms and prevention of traumatic brain injuries. Warmer weather is upon us which usually means the population will soon be heading outdoors to partake in all sorts of activities, ranging from a simple playground visit, sports or an evening motorcycle ride. Brain injury is not an event or an outcome. It is the start of a misdiagnosed, misunderstood, under-funded neurological disease
Endometriosis Awareness takes place across the globe during the month of March with a mission to raise awareness of “the invisible disease”, which affects an estimated 176 million women. Thanks to the Endometriosis Association, women, girls, and families all over the world have a wealth of information and resources to turn to when coping with endometriosis. Compared to the lack of information and support in 1980–the year the Association was founded– it is a strikingly different world. Yet, despite much progress, endometriosis is still a complex and puzzling disease that has no real cure.