August 2026 – Frantic Shanti

NCI’s “Cancer Currents” Resurfaces?

^{(Title image: Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)}

If you’ve read my posts about cancer research findings, you might have noticed that some of them appear in a National Cancer Institute (NCI) newsletter/blog called “Cancer Currents“.

I had subscribed to their emails some years ago because I felt that the research they wrote about was highly relevant and useful to cancer survivors.

All was good, until suddenly last year I noticed that I had stopped receiving emails from them. I went to their website and found that the final “Cancer Currents” blog entry was posted on May 14, 2025.

This was a huge loss, not only for me but also for anyone searching for a reader-friendly version of critical cancer research.

Well, I am delighted to report that the blog posts have returned, to some extent, as of May 4, 2026. As a result, I have resubscribed. Unfortunately, the posts to date have been limited to one a month and seem to be more marketing-oriented in nature, rather than used disseminating information about specific ground-breaking studies.

Several of these posts are NCI Director Dr. Anthony Letai’s reflections. Ok, fine. But I find it disappointing that the NCI is broadcasting “reflections” that sound like someone justifying his position, like a CEO giving an annual report, when they could be highlighting details about current research, particularly at a time when the public’s trust in scientific research has become politically polarized.

I also found it troubling that, for example, the post about the ASCO Meeting (June 16, 2026, by Anthony Letai, M.D., Ph.D.) mentioned some breakthroughs but provided no links to the research. Or in another post about advances in cancer treatment (July 21, 2026, by Linda Wang), the links provided were for older research.

Well, ok, it’s great to learn the “story” of immune checkpoint inhibitors as in Linda’s post, but for many of us, waiting to hear news of current progress, it feels like lip service.

While only one “Cancer Currents” post is coming out a month, I can assure you that the research that has provided valuable fodder for NCI writers in the past still continues. My husband works in one of these cancer research centers so I’m well-acquainted with what has been going in. In some cases, delays in funding have resulted in work slow-downs and even lab shut-downs. For those who remain, it would be useful to showcase the incredible work that they are doing. Not just give a blurb about the general idea of what NCI is focusing on.

This is a pity. I am still willing to give the new “Cancer Currents” the benefit of the doubt. It would be great to have the excellent posts by qualified science writers return, and with greater frequency.

NCI, if you’ve decimated your public outreach department in the dubious name of restructuring, I encourage you to reconsider your motives and bring back the people who write articles that bring us hope.

Coming to My Senses: Making Scents, Part 1

^{(Title image: Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash)}

So, this title deserves some correcting. The fact is, I did not make any good scents, but it was my first shot at playing with fragrances and, to be honest, I don’t have anything better to post today, so here goes:

Following up on last week’s fragrance post, I’ve decided to do some combining of my own.

Inspired by what I found surfing the web, my project last week was to turn what I considered to be an uninspired body spray from Trader Joe’s (Cypress and Bergamot Whole Body Deodorant Spray, $6) into something more complex and mysterious, with the help of Google’s AI (the free version of Gemini). The original spray was not pleasing to my nose (maybe just me?), so I experimented with essential oil in an effort to elevate an inexpensive spray to something more.

Now I’m beginning to wonder if there was just something wrong with my bottle, since it had been so hot the week before I bought the spray? It did not smell good to me.

After some back-and-forth with AI prompts, I settled on adding pure frankincense essential oil. Google promised me that,

adding pure frankincense to the cypress and bergamot spray will turn it into a deep, resinous, and traditional “church-like” incense scent. Instead of softening the fragrance, frankincense will significantly amplify its strength and make it smell much more complex and serious.

The Specific Effects of Frankincense:

Deepens the woodiness: Frankincense has natural pine and lemon undertones that lock onto the cypress, intensifying the forest-like qualities.
Adds a smoky sweetness: It introduces a rich, balsamic, and slightly spicy warmth that cuts through the sharp crispness of the original spray.
Enhances longevity: Frankincense acts as a natural fixative. It will slow down the evaporation of the citrusy bergamot, making the entire scent last much longer on your skin.
Shifts the vibe: It moves the fragrance away from a “sporty/fresh” body spray and into a meditative, mysterious, and high-end colognish territory.

Sounds good, huh? It did to me.

I peppered Gemini with questions because it was not clear that the other ingredients in this deodorant spray (not a perfume spray, unfortunately) were going to play nicely with frankincense. Incidentally, I cross-checked with Claude and ChatGPT to see whether all the artificial brains concurred. The answer is: mostly?

Regardless, this is what I went with: started with five drops of frankincense. Shook vigorously, let it sit for 24 hours. Then shook again before trying it.

The verdict? Not much change. So I added three more drops…but didn’t have the patience to wait another 24 hours so went ahead and added three more.

It needed to sit a little longer.

A day later, my husband said that he liked the “frankincensed” version a lot more, and while I agree it was an improvement, I wasn’t completely sold on it. The deodorant spray had a good deal of sage oil (NOT mentioned in the name, by the way) and the sage had a sharpness to it that, even with the help from the frankincense, I noticed in the back of my throat when I took a whiff. Almost like a little burn, like when you mistakenly get soap in your mouth. Unpleasant, but just a faint burn.

To be clear, I wasn’t drinking the stuff, just sniffing it.

So my first foray into trying to mess with scents left me wanting, which is why this post is “Part 1” with the intention of making “Part 2” more successful. When exactly that will take place is an unknown but pretty much anything I try has got to be better than my adulterated body spray.

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Yeah, I realize that this doesn’t have much to do with cancer, meditation or fitness, but after beating myself up with certifications over the past years, I’m determined to just enjoy myself with more fun pursuits this year.

Coming to My Senses: A Whiff of “Fragrantica”

(Title image: Photo by Andres Molina on Unsplash)

This is one of those “just because” posts…

One of my favorite meditations is sinking into the sensations around me, whether it’s a body scan, opening up to the sounds around me or getting lost in a beautiful scene.

But I am particularly intrigued by scents. Much like fine wine or dark chocolate, fragrances can be very complex and multi-layered, evoking a range of emotions. While my meditations generally don’t allow for experiencing many scents (unless I’m specifically in an environment conducive to it), I find that I’ve very affected by the ones that I encounter during my day, particularly when they strike a chord with me.

I know what I like when I smell it…but I’m not great at being able to pick apart exactly what it is that I’m enjoying so much and naming it. So I’m delving into this more deeply and paying closer attention.

I got a tip from a fragrance counter attendant to visit a website called Fragrantica to search for notes that I enjoy in the hopes of finding perfumes that speak to my senses.

I love this website! It has a free, massive library of fragrances and fragrance elements. Searching for a note (a single, individual smell)—using the citrus fruit bergamot as an example (see images below)—brings to you a page with a listing of known perfumes that contain it. When you select a perfume, you get a listing of the different accords (blends of different fragrance notes) of which it is comprised and can search for suggestions for other fragrances that contain similar scents, in addition to user reviews.

I have also been captivated by the vocabulary of perfumery. Words like sillage, drydown and heart notes to describe elements of a perfume, and unusual notes like petrichor (the aroma of the earth when it rains) and dew drop (which I imagine smelling like an early morning garden) and black diamond (maybe “minerally”? Your guess is as good as mine). These terms describe unique qualities and raw materials, and I love that there’s a language for it.

Some fragrances connect me with emotional states. There’s nothing like getting hit with a scent from the past and being transported back to a different time.

Additionally, some perfume bottles are works of art on their own, intricate and beautiful…and, yes, perhaps exorbitantly priced. Arguably, a museum-worthy piece if not out of reach for most of us.

An example of an exclusive perfume in an ultra-luxurious bottle, Arcanum by AMAFFI, $5,500.
(https://amaffi.com/us/products/arcanum-for-women)

Fragrantica is such a unique website. If you enjoy scents, take a look at it. It has already set me on a scent-discovery journey, it might do the same for you.

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As a reminder, these are simply things that I enjoy. No affiliate links or paid advertisements. After swearing off jumping into another stressful certification this year, I’m taking time to explore the pleasures in my life.