Diamonds conjure up money and pearls say sophistication. But now you can be even more specific in what your jewelry says.

Thanks to Elisa Ilana's awareness line of earrings, bracelets, necklaces and anklets, you can support the health causes closest to your heart and look fly doing it. From ovarian and colorectal cancer to AIDS and diabetes, Ilana's Awareness Jewelry is more than a fashion statement.

Inspired by Velda Stokke, an employee who was diagnosed with breast cancer, the company launched its line in 2007. A percentage of the sales is donated to Liz's Legacy, a fund to advance cancer research.

"The purpose of the Elisa Ilana Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet is to raise funds for cancer research and awareness," says a company spokesperson. "It is our hope that we will be able to help make a difference in the race to find a cure."

So whether you want to remember your mother who is a breast cancer survivor or support your brother who is battling colorectal cancer, you can keep your loved ones close to your heart – and look fly doing it!

For more information on Awareness Jewelry, go to http://www.elisailana.com/

A woman's first breast cancer may hold some clues, according to a new study, published in the advance online edition of Cancer.

"Not every woman who has breast cancer will get another breast cancer in the opposite breast," researcher Kelly Hunt, MD, states.

"We tried to distill down some of those factors with our study and figure out which ones may be the most important ones," says Hunt, a professor of surgical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

But the findings don't amount to a checklist for getting a preventive mastectomy; breast cancer experts say that's still a personal decision that each patient must weigh with her doctors.

By Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention

Every April, the United States observes National Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month. While frank discussions about STDs among policymakers, partners and families are not always easy, STDs are a threat much too serious to ignore – particularly for African Americans.

The CDC estimates that roughly 19 million new STD infections occur each year in the United States. Of all the races and ethnicities, African Americans continue to bear the greatest burden of disease. Blacks represent 12 percent of the U.S. population yet accounted for almost half of the chlamydia cases and a staggering 70 percent of gonorrhea cases reported in 2007.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most commonly reported STDs that take an especially heavy toll on young black women. Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea are also among the most serious and preventable threats to women's fertility, and rates of both diseases are highest among black females 15 to 19 years old.

Last week, officials from the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a comprehensive five-year plan to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS in America, with a special emphasis on the African American community.

The Act Against AIDS campaign – which highlights the statistic that every nine and half minutes another person in the United States becomes infected with HIV – will feature public service announcements (PSAs) and online communications, as well as targeted messages and outreach to black and Hispanic communities in the U.S., populations hit especially hard by HIV and AIDs.

"Right here in the United States, every nine and half minutes, someone's brother, sister, best friend, father or mother becomes infected with HIV," said Jeffrey Crowley, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. "Yet, research shows that many of those becoming infected do not recognize their risk. This is a major concern, because lack of knowledge contributes to increased risk behaviors."

The campaign will feature public service announcements and online communications beginning with African Americans, with subsequent phases focusing on Latinos and other communities disproportionately impacted.

Ever since she was a toddler, Mercedes Ellington has been a talented terpsichorean. Her earliest memories of dance were performing as a tiny brown snowflake in a production of 'The Nutcracker' in the early 1940s. Six decades later, it is clear that dance will always be an integral part of her life.

"It's been my first love, but we've had love-hate relationships," the longtime Harlem resident said laughing.

As granddaughter of famed musician and composer Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, Mercedes, like her father and grandfather, is a pioneer in the arts. She gained international attention in 1963 as the first black member of the June Taylor Dancers, after graduating from the famed Julliard school in New York City. Mercedes went on to have an illustrious career as a dancer, choreographer and teacher is still going strong at a very sexy 70.

These are things that make Mercedes Ellington extraordinary.

What makes her far too ordinary, however, is that she counts herself among the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic knee pain. From athletes and dancers, who put a lot of wear and tear on the knees, to the 40 million Americans who may lead a sedentary lifestyle but suffer from osteoarthritis, the knees can be a consistent source of discomfort.

"You can sometimes go into denial, thinking it will go away or I'll get used to it," said Ellington, who notes that her pain began in the late 1970s. "It affected my balance, and it also limited my bending, my plié. My performances were mainly as a choreographer, and when I would dance, I would adjust it."

Donna Green-Goodman is a Susan G. Komen for the Cure® National Ambassador, 13-year breast cancer survivor, author, activist and fabulous chef.

When diagnosed with carcinoma in situ in 1996, Green-Goodman chose to forego the traditional cancer treatment (chemo) and instead turned to nutritious food and her faith. She is an advocate of the healing properties of food, especially plant foods. Goodman-Green is a vegan and part of her life's work is to help people discover how some simple lifestyle principles helped her to recover her own health.

Ms. Green-Goodman believes that lifestyle is the most important tool we have in determining the outcome of our health. She not only shares some life-affirming tips with Black Voices, but also some slammin' yet nutritious recipes – all made without meat or dairy.

How large a role does lifestyle play in our health?

Lifestyle is the most important tool we have in determining the outcome of our health. You can do very little to change factors like race, age, family history. But you have full control over what you eat or drink, how physically active you are, how much sleep you get, how you manage stress, the relationships you have with others and with the divine. It is quite clear that people who practice healthy living habits have reduced risk of disease, and often get well faster.

In the later part of 2008, Dove compiled a national report on young women: 'Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem.' Some of the results were startling – 7 out of 10 girls feel they do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and/or relationships with family and friends. The worst part is that insecurity has been proven to lead to self-destructive behavior such as eating disorders, cutting, bullying, smoking or drinking.

In response to the report, the company launched a self-esteem fund and hopes to reach 5 million girls with positive efforts around self-esteem by the year 2010.

Actress, singer and entrepreneur Raven-Symone of 'That's So Raven,' 'The Cosby Show' and 'Cheetah Girls' fame first became involved with the self-esteem initiative after seeing those fabulous Dove commercials with real women – sans makeup -- and was enamored of the way the company "widened the perception of beauty." The 23-year-old said she called up the company and asked to be down.

"I love being a part of things -- whether it's TV shows or albums -- that promote high self-esteem and respect toward yourself and others. So I called Dove, and they let me know about Dove's workshop tour, where we go and sit down with about 60 to 100 girls, ages 11 and 12. We talk about building tools for mothers, girls and even mentors that help to render self-confidence and teach them a better a way to look at themselves."

By Angela Bronner, BlackVoices.com

"It's the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeear" -- so goes that lovely little ditty that floats from TVs and radios into your consciousness. What a joke, you think, as you are feeling quite un-wonderful, and have been feeling that way for a minute. You've been feeling down and out, sad and blue, while the rest of the world seems to be wrapped in gold, green, red, and silver.

The holiday blues, which range from clinical depression to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), usually occur toward the end of the year and are directly tied to the holiday season.

The holidays are a time of the year charged with an electric energy, but sometimes that strong current of emotion is exactly what flips your world right upside down. Not only are holidays a break from your normal routine, but, because they are cyclical, they have the ability to bring back a lot of memories.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Mental Health Website, there are several factors that contribute to the holiday blues, including: fatigue, increased stress, inability to be with family, memories of past holiday celebrations, change in diet, change in daily routines, and, "over commercialization," (or, in more plain terms, overspending and worrying about money).