There’s an e-mail and social media post that often circulates claiming to be a cancer update from Johns Hopkins. Rather than engaging in an argument debunking specifics of that post, I instead want to address the ideas put forth by the article with a narrative about cancer in general.

Louisiana is rated among the highestranking states in cancer incidence and cancer-related death rates across America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While this is discouraging, there is good news — many cancers can be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices.

An often cringe-worthy but humorous time in many people’s lives can be linked back to the adolescent days of braces. The phase of thousands of tiny rubber bands, frequent trips to the orthodontist, desperate need for toothpicks and awkward smiles for yearbook and prom pictures.