Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
What if the lab results thought to be our own really were not? Hey, mistakes happen in all walks of life. And labs are not immune. But there are a few steps we can take to protect ourselves. Here they are:
Ask your doctor about the lab he or she uses. It should be accredited and approved by the College of American Pathologists, a sign the lab meets high standards.
If you can see the test tube or slide, make sure your name is on it. If you are in the hospital, make sure your wristband is accurate.
My mom's friend was diagnosed with breast cancer the other day. Since I've already been down the breast cancer path, she asked me to send this friend a supportive e-mail. I've done this before -- reach out to someone newly diagnosed -- but it's never easy. I never know quite what to say. Somehow, I figure it out, though.
Here are seven of the messages I shared with this woman who is just beginning her journey with Paget's disease of the breast, a form of breast cancer that shows up in the nipple as an itchiness or scaling that doesn't get better.
In the face of uncertainty, worry, and fear, here's some good news: once you gain more and more information about your diagnosis, the easier it gets. The waiting really is the hardest part. Knowing what lies ahead will give you some control over your path.
I promised two weeks ago when I wrote Sunday Seven: Seven ways to fine-tune your health that I'd be back to offer seven more grand ideas for optimizing your physical and emotional well-being. Here I am, with a mini-list of suggestions I gathered a while back from a newspaper article. If you don't already practice these strategies, then why not give them a try.
Eat breakfast
It's the most important meal of the day -- really. A breakfast high in complex carbohydrates and protein creates energy. Energy kick-starts metabolism and helps our bodies burn fat. We all know what fat does. It weighs us down and contributes to all kinds of health problems. Get your sleep
Sleep restores our bodies. Sleep-deprived folks secrete more leptin, a protein hormone that increases appetite. Larger appetites increase food consumption. Increased food consumption spikes the risk of obesity. And so on. You know the drill.
Exercising 30 minutes a day is one of the best things you can do to help relax. It helps you to keep fit and a fit person is obviously a happy one. It also helps to pump the blood around your body and whilst you are doing exercises chemicals are being released from your brain to help the way you feel.
2. Listen to Relaxation Music
Listening to the right type of music is really important when you are trying to reduce stress and find your inner peace. Some music when listened to, whilst stressed, can in fact heighten your stress levels. One type of music, which research has shown to help reduce stress is Baroque music. This music is written so that there is only 60 beats per minute and funny enough that is what our heart rate should be. The baroque music has been found to increase the alpha waves in your left and right sides of your brain which help improve your learning ability, creativity and calmness.
Many corporate trainers are now turning to baroque music during memory training sessions to help their students improve their comprehension and their memory.
3. Meditate for 20 minutes In The Morning and Evening
Meditation is a great way to help relieve your stress. When done correctly it should release you from your mind and allow it to focus on peace. Meditation when you first start our can be a little tricky and it honestly does take some time to learn. There are many great articles on how to meditate, but you can easily start off by simply sitting in the corner, closing your eyes and listening to music like the Baroque music.
Some meditation masters will also encourage you to listen to natural sounds during meditation and even recommend the use of incense during the meditation process to help break the stress in your body.
There are countless methods we can use for optimizing our health. Each of us can surely rattle off a bunch right now. Give it a try. Quick. Name three actions you can take to improve your body, your mind, your soul. Good. Now remember what you picked -- and make each one happen.
In a recent newspaper article, one journalist listed 25 ways to live a healthy life. They're all super ideas. But I only have space today for seven. Here they are. Stop back in two weeks, and I'll give you another seven. Keep your weight in check
Make sure your weight is appropriate for your height, age, sex, and body frame. The American Institute for Cancer Research reports that having an ideal body mass, eating properly, and exercising can reduce the risk of cancer by 30 to 40 percent.
When you're diagnosed with cancer, recovering from cancer treatments, or know that your treatments are ongoing -- its easy to fall into a funk. I myself have been falling in and out of funks since my diagnoses for breast cancer, even though I'm five years out.
One thing to remember is a funk may be different from actual depression. Medication is available for serious depression issues so definitely talk to your physician if you feel like what you are experiencing is more serious than a funk that might pass on its own.
OK, women of the world. Grab some paper and a pen and jot down this list of seven check-ups every woman needs. Don't just write them down, though. Make sure you take action on each and every one. They might just save your life.
1. Start with your weight, height, and BMI (body mass index). The scores you get on these simple tests are important because many conditions and diseases are associated with being overweight or underweight.
2. Check your blood pressure, and find out where you stand because hypertension is a disease with no symptoms. High blood pressure puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease -- but there are very effective treatments for this condition.
It is important to question your physician about the prescriptions you are given. Most doctors will talk to you about the medication prescribed, but it is still important that you know what you're taking and ask appropriate questions.
Know the name of the drug. This will enable you to look up information about the drug on your own. It will also enable you to discuss the drug with your doctor or another doctor for a second opinion.
What is the purpose of the drug? This information will help you to know and understand what this drug is supposed to do and will let you know if the treatment is actually working.
What are the side effects? It is helpful to be aware of the most common side effects. All drugs have some side effects. Information about side effects can be obtained by asking your doctor or pharmacist or consulting a reliable reference.
Who knows which pieces of cancer information floating around out there are actually true? I don't. Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes, some say no, I say I'm confused! Luckily, I happened upon this Discovery Health article that highlights a variety of myths and then offers the lowdown on each one. Here are seven of them:
Myth #1. There is currently a cure for cancer, but the medical industry won't tell the public about it because they make too much money treating cancer patients.
Chalk this up to urban legend. And consider this: doctors, laboratory scientists, and their families and friends die of cancer at the same rate as everyone else in the United States. How about this: medical breakthroughs happen all the time and are quickly applied. Think about antibiotics and vaccines -- like the polio vaccine -- that have transformed health care. How about this? Not too long ago, less than one in 10 kids with leukemia survived 10 years. Now, the cure rate is nearly 80 percent. Seems like progress to me.
Quitting smoking is very hard to do. If you succeed the short and long term rewards include improved lung capacity, circulation, greater sense of smell and taste, reduced risk of coronary artery disease, stroke and lung cancer.
BlueCross BlueShield of Central New York and the New York State Smokers Quitline offer seven steps smokers can take in their quest to quit.
Visualize success. Studies of successful quitters show that one of the most important ways to succeed is to believe that they can quit smoking.
Make a plan. Create a daily plan to follow that includes:
Times when you want to smoke most and things you can do instead of smoking when you have a craving.
Names of friends and family you can call for support.
A reward for yourself when you have achieved your goal of being smoke free.
The seven cancer thoughts I present to you today are purely random. They are not linked by theme or category. There is no rhyme or reason for my choosing them. And they do not belong with one another for any other reason than this: they all come directly from my very own head and are somehow related to the disease that lingers in my thoughts for most minutes of most days. Here they are:
1. Vanity is merely a six-letter word. It's certainly not as important after cancer as it is before. I admit vanity played a role in my life prior to my breast cancer diagnosis and still, it's with me to some degree. But more important than vanity now is waking each morning and realizing I'm alive. I don't want to lose weight to look ultra thin. I choose to reach an ideal weight because I want to be healthy. I don't want a tan. I want skin that is free from damage. My clothes? I want them to fit and feel comfortable. That's it.
2. Normal is a thing of the past. It's funny how I worked so hard to look normal after cancer struck (note: here's vanity rearing its head). Prior to losing my hair to chemotherapy, I worked hard at matching my long, straight, blond hair to a wig that would become my disguise for five months. I found the perfect replica of what would eventually tumble from my scalp, and I wore it proudly. A neighbor who knew I was receiving chemotherapy once told my sister, "That's so great Jacki didn't lose her hair." I looked that much like normal, people didn't know anything had changed. Little did I know change was right around the corner. When my hair grew in, it was dark and curly. Not even close to normal.
Our bodies are good at telling us when something is wrong most of the time. It is important to listen to those messages and seek medical attention when specific symptoms arise. The June issue of the Mayo Health Letter covers symptoms that should not be ignored.
Seven symptoms not to ignore:
Unexplained weight loss: This could be a symptom of such conditions as an overactive thyroid, depression, liver disease, cancer or other noncancerous disorders that interfere with how well your body absorbs nutrients.
Fever: A fever can point to underlying infections. A fever accompanied by chills or one that is greater than 103 degrees should be evaluated immediately.
Shortness of breath: Gasping for air or wheezing are medical emergencies. Shortness of breath can be caused by asthma, heart problems, anxiety, panic attacks, or a blood clot in the lungs.
Severe headaches: A headache accompanied by a fever, stiff neck, rash, mental confusion, seizure, vision changes, weakness, numbness, speaking difficulties, scalp tenderness or pain when chewing are medical emergencies. Causes vary for headaches and may include stroke, blood vessel inflammation, meningitis, brain tumor, aneurysm or bleeding on the brain. Most headaches, are just that, headaches but it is important to know the warning signs for more serious underlying conditions.
It's Father's Day. And all dads out there deserve a pat on the back, a sincere thank you, a celebration in their honor. But there's one group of dads to whom I'm giving special attention on this fine Sunday, June 17 -- dads with cancer.
Having been a mom with cancer, I know how parenting becomes doubly difficult when a life-threatening illness crowds into the picture. The usual mommy and daddy responsibilities are hard enough on their own. Add cancer and all sense of balance, control, and even joy can fly out the window.
Holding down the daddy fort while battling and surviving cancer is no small task. So let's honor some of the dads who manage this feat. Here are seven of them.
When you're diagnosed with cancer, most likely you will receive some kind of surgery. Usually, your physician has a list of care instructions for you to prepare before surgery.
What about after-surgery preparations? When you return home it can really make you feel better if you are well prepared. You'll thank yourself for the steps you take beforehand while you're recuperating.
Seven ways to prepare for after surgery:
Take care of any pressing issues so you won't have to deal with them when you come home from the hospital. For example, pay bills that are due. You also might want to pay some bills that are due at a later date, or just get them ready to mail out.
Go to the grocery store and stock up on food. Hopefully someone will be catering to your every need but its always good to have a plan B.
Get prescriptions filled ahead of time that will be needed after surgery. Sometimes you only get the prescriptions after the surgery is over, but you can ask you doctor to give you what you need ahead of time. You don't want to be waiting in line for your drugs when you're in pain and just out of the hospital.
Treat yourself to some special things that you like. Examples: Aromatherapy candles, soothing music or videotapes/DVD's to watch.
If you like to read, buy some books to give you something to do when you're less active. If you have another hobby that you enjoy, stock up on that too.
Catch up on household chores so you won't feel stressed out and can relax when you return home.
Accept help that others offer. Plan to rest as you need and don't push yourself.
I'm still on a quest for guidance on the whole fish topic. The same few questions keep cycling through my head. How often should I eat fish? What kind of fish should I eat? What are the real health dangers surrounding fish consumption? I keep searching for answers. And now and then, I catch some good advice about the topic.
If you find yourself floundering at times, like me, here are seven tips you might find helpful.
The National Academy of Sciences, the American Heart Association, and the World Health Organization all encourage regular fish consumption. Sure, there are legitimate concerns about environmental issues, but experts still say the benefits of eating a variety of fish far outweigh the risks. Eating fish protects the heart and reduces the risk for Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, strokes, depression, bipolar disorder, and our favorite topic here at this site: cancer.
What if the lab results thought to be our own really were not? Hey, mistakes happen in all walks of life. And labs are not immune. But there are a few steps we can take to protect ourselves. Here they are:
My mom's friend was diagnosed with breast cancer the other day. Since I've already been down the breast cancer path, she asked me to send this friend a supportive e-mail. I've done this before -- reach out to someone newly diagnosed -- but it's never easy. I never know quite what to say. Somehow, I figure it out, though. 
I promised two weeks ago when I wrote 
Seven ways to reduce stress:
There are countless methods we can use for optimizing our health. Each of us can surely rattle off a bunch right now. Give it a try. Quick. Name three actions you can take to improve your body, your mind, your soul. Good. Now remember what you picked -- and make each one happen.
When you're diagnosed with cancer, recovering from cancer treatments, or know that your treatments are ongoing -- its easy to fall into a funk. I myself have been falling in and out of funks since my diagnoses for breast cancer, even though I'm five years out.
OK, women of the world. Grab some paper and a pen and jot down this list of seven check-ups every woman needs. Don't just write them down, though. Make sure you take action on each and every one. They might just save your life.
It is important to question your physician about the prescriptions you are given. Most doctors will talk to you about the medication prescribed, but it is still important that you know what you're taking and ask appropriate questions.
Who knows which pieces of cancer information floating around out there are actually true? I don't. Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes, some say no, I say I'm confused! Luckily, I happened upon this 
Quitting smoking is very hard to do. If you succeed the short and long term rewards include improved lung capacity, circulation, greater sense of smell and taste, reduced risk of coronary artery disease, stroke and lung cancer.
The seven cancer thoughts I present to you today are purely random. They are not linked by theme or category. There is no rhyme or reason for my choosing them. And they do not belong with one another for any other reason than this: they all come directly from my very own head and are somehow related to the disease that lingers in my thoughts for most minutes of most days. Here they are: 
Our bodies are good at telling us when something is wrong most of the time. It is important to listen to those messages and seek medical attention when specific symptoms arise. The June issue of the Mayo Health Letter covers symptoms that should not be ignored.
It's Father's Day. And all dads out there deserve a pat on the back, a sincere thank you, a celebration in their honor. But there's one group of dads to whom I'm giving special attention on this fine Sunday, June 17 -- dads with cancer.
When you're diagnosed with cancer, most likely you will receive some kind of surgery. Usually, your physician has a list of care instructions for you to prepare before surgery. 
I'm still on a quest for guidance on the whole 
