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Posts with tag health
Posted Aug 26th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Environment, Diets, Stress Reduction, Obesity, Sunday Seven
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 breakfastIt'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 sleepSleep 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.
Continue reading Sunday Seven: Seven more ways to fine-tune your health
Posted Aug 26th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Cancer Survivors
Walking into my cancer center waiting room is one of my most sobering experiences. I enter this room -- jam-packed full of men, women, and children -- every three months for a breast cancer follow-up. It never gets easier. It always startles me, stirs my emotions, makes me realize how so many people are touched by such a treacherous and all-consuming disease. The fact that I sit in this room, that I am one of these many people, still doesn't seem real.
It's been almost three years since I got a phone call from a surgeon declaring, "You have cancer." I didn't believe it then. Even after all I've been through -- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and more -- I hardly believe it now. But it's real. I have scars and new hair and a whole new set of worries to prove it.
Walking into that waiting room proves it's real. There's nothing like it. There's also nothing like walking out, with a clean bill of health and the promise of three more months.
Posted Aug 23rd 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prevention
Wouldn't it be great if we could receive full-body scans every year to check for early signs of cancer and other disease? Even if possible and affordable -- right now, scans cost about $900 -- it still wouldn't be such a great idea.
Full-body scans often result in false alarms. People with harmless abnormalities may end up facing more tests, more risks, and more worry in order to rule out illness. The scan itself can present health hazards too. It exposes patients to more radiation than a chest X-ray and could slightly increase the risk of cancer, especially for those scanned every year.
How do we know, then, if something has gone awry in our bodies? Well, we can do our self-exams -- breast exams, testicular exams, skin exams -- and we can report for annual check-ups. We can respond to symptoms we experience -- if headaches are bothersome and persistent, your doctor may prescribe a head scan -- and we can pursue tests and screening that we really need for cancer prevention and early detection. Here are just a few:
Continue reading What tests do we really need?
Posted Aug 20th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Exercise
Today, my oldest child begins first grade. I can't tell you how sad and happy this makes me. I'm sad because I realize my first baby boy is truly on his way to growing up. School has him now; I don't. I can't help but predict he will need me less and less as he takes on the world in his own independent way. This makes me happy too. I am eager to see how he fares on his own, how he develops, grows, and soars. And I must admit, I am pretty thrilled about having five mornings per week all to myself -- my youngest little boy begins school today too.
On Friday, we went to six-year-old Joey's elementary school for a meet-the-teacher event. Joey was right at home. He sat at his assigned desk, did a little drawing, and snuggled up in a pile of pillows in the reading corner. I felt right at home too, after reading a parent memo about public school physical education.
Fitness has become an everyday ritual for me. Along with eating right, it's my weapon for staying healthy and keeping cancer far away. I want this same ritual for my boys. It looks like Joey will get to embrace this way of life not only at home but while in the care of his teacher too.
Continue reading Back to school, back to physical education
Posted Aug 16th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Pink products, Cancer events, Products
I AM THE CURE is the Susan G. Komen new rallying cry. Intended to urge us to take an active role in our own breast health and remind us that we all play an important part in finding a cure, these are words to live by. I think I won't soon forget them -- because I have a new key chain inscribed with all four of them.
My aunt just participated in the Aspen Race for the Cure, and she sent me all the goodies she picked up at the race. She gave me the
Ford Warriors in Pink scarf -- I've always wanted one and can't wait to wear it on October 20 when I run in my local
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. She also passed on to me a race t-shirt, the sign she wore on her back --
in celebration of my beautiful niece Jacki, it read -- and pink ribbon magnets, sunscreen, a Warriors in Pink temporary tattoo, and all sorts of other little trinkets. The key chain was one of them.
My new key chain features four different sized pink metal circles, each one dangling from the key ring. On each circle, there is one word. From the smallest circle to the largest, the words I -- AM -- THE -- CURE appear. All on their own, these circles are pretty powerful. But there's more. On an insert that came with the key chain is an explanation for each circle.
Continue reading I AM THE CURE is new Susan G. Komen battle cry
Posted Aug 15th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Television, Celebrity news
Good Morning America coanchor Robin Roberts returned to work on Monday, a little more than one week after her breast cancer surgery. Some think her return was a bit hasty. Some think it was the absolute right thing to do. I'm of this camp -- the jump-back-into-life approach. It's exactly what I did after my surgery and throughout every step of my treatment. And while there were surely days I could have cut myself some slack, I tried to keep on my toes. It was the only way I knew how to manage the chaos of cancer.
In the spirit of helping women cope with their breast cancer diagnoses, Roberts' very own doctor offers some insightful words of wisdom.
Click here for guidance about returning to work, managing through surgery and radiation, maintaining emotional health, and the importance of mammograms and self-exams.
What is your take on how Roberts is handling cancer and how her doctor is handling the topics that become critical in the fight against this disease?
Posted Aug 14th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: All Cancers, Daily news
Health care is expensive, even for those with insurance. My treatment with the breast cancer drug Herceptin cost $5,000 every three weeks for 52 weeks. Insurance paid 80 percent; I was responsible for 20. That's $1,000 every three weeks. Not exactly affordable.
What many of us don't know is that we can play an active role in cutting our health care bills. We can shop around for everything, for example. Before filling a prescription, consider comparing prices offered at mail-order and online pharmacies with those of larger retailers. You may even find that
mom and pop shops offer competitive rates since they can set their own pricing. Don't forget about generic drugs too. Ask your doctor if a generic version of your medication is just as good as a brand name drug. If so, go for the price break.
Did you know that lab work is more expensive if you get it at a hospital? Ask your doctor for other trustworthy locations and save a few bucks.
Continue reading Try cutting your health care bills
Posted Aug 12th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prevention, Diets, Exercise, Nutrition, Vitamins and nutrients, Smoking, Sunday Seven
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.
Continue reading Sunday Seven: Seven ways to fine-tune your health
Posted Aug 9th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Drug, Daily news
Health Canada has approved a medicated spray made from the ingredients of the cannabis plant. The medication, called Sativex, provides patients with advanced cancer a new option for pain management.
Sativex was approved in 2005 for use by patients with multiple sclerosis and has not caused any adverse side effects. Most pain-killing drugs, like Opioids, can't make this claim. They are still very good at what they do, though so for cancer pain, it's likely they will be used in conjunction with Sativex but at lower doses.
For those who may view drugs like Sativex as illicit substances -- because they are derived from cannabis -- one palliative medicine physician says the original substance has been modified and in its medicinal form is an appropriate and legitimate treatment.
Posted Aug 1st 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Politics, Daily news
It seems Elizabeth Edwards has a good amount of energy, despite her diagnosis of incurable cancer in March, following a previous battle with breast cancer. Perhaps her energy stems from the fact that she is asymptomatic and feeling quite well.
About her health and her husband's campaign, Edwards says, "I feel good and honestly, the campaign is more helpful. I don't sit at home and worry about what's going to happen to me a year from now, two years from now, 10 years from now. I take a pill in the morning and that's when I think about cancer. No other time of the day do I think about my cancer."
While she does admit she doesn't want to push herself too hard, she doesn't worry about the accompanying her husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, on his busy campaign trail. And she doesn't worry about what others might think of her decision to press forward.
Continue reading Elizabeth Edwards: asymptomatic and doing fine
Posted Jul 30th 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Events, Politics, Daily news
On July 23, a milestone in presidential campaign history was delivered when Democratic presidential candidates fielded questions sent in via
YouTube, a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view, and share video clips. On September 17, Republican candidates will take part in the second
CNN-YouTube debate.
Aired live on CNN, this unusual debate featured 39 serious questions -- about immigration, climate change, the voting system, even cancer.
Thirty-six-year-old Kim of Long Island, who pulls off her wig mid-question, asks in
her video clip about the millions of uninsured Americans who don't have access to preventative medical care.
Continue reading YouTube Presidential Debate features cancer question
Posted Jul 18th 2007 6:00AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Thought for the Day
My aunt Joan was warm and vivacious, the type of lady you either wanted to be or to be around constantly. Her daughters and grandchildren were her life, and when she wasn't with them, she was working hard to build the ideal retirement -- a house on the lake with a boat and a view as big as her heart, near a ski hill that she planned on hitting up every day in the winter. Her life was healthy and active, full of family and laughter. Yet in one of those typical '
Life's not Fair' twists, she was diagnosed with brain cancer right around her retirement years. She already had the house on the lake, but she only lived there for a couple of years before she was checked into a care facility, where she become a mere shell of her former self before passing away. We don't remember that part though -- over wine and campfires, we talk about the woman she was before cancer. The real her. Her ashes were scattered in places she loved, but her final resting place is in the heart of her children and family.
Continue reading Thought for the Day: What's the point?
Posted Jul 15th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: All Cancers, Environment, Diets, Exercise, Smoking, Sunday Seven
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.
Continue reading Sunday Seven: Seven top cancer myths
Posted Jul 7th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Diets, Stress Reduction, Exercise, Worthy Wisdom
In this
Worthy Wisdom series, I have been spouting off all sorts of grand ideas about health and healing, diet and nutrition, exercise and fitness. What I share all comes from
Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. I spent four days there. I plan to spend a lifetime practicing what their experts preach.
Canyon Ranch worked for me. I bought into every one of their healthy living approaches and for the two months since I've departed this desert destination, I've done just about everything right -- the eating, the exercising, the de-stressing. And as I sit here eating a bowl of red raspberries instead of a bag of chips and handfuls of M&Ms, I think it's only fair I make a confession.
I've made many attempts at changing my lifestyle. I've gone without sweets several times in my life, only to later reintroduce them into my daily routine and inevitably go way overboard on my consumption. The same goes for soda. There have been times when I've obsessed about exercise. And times when I've let it go altogether. My stress levels have been up and down and all around. I've searched long and hard for the motivation to change, to do better, be better, feel better. It took cancer to push me over the edge, toward positive and long-lasting change.
Continue reading Worthy Wisdom: A confession in health and healing
Posted Jun 23rd 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Worthy Wisdom
I couldn't help but leave
Canyon Ranch a few months back without a fresh take on healthy living. I'd spent four days healing myself from the inside out. I'd eaten the freshest and most nutritious foods, energized my muscles with twice-daily exercise, and invited therapists to fine-tune my chakras and balance my out-of-whack cancer body. I had my hair cut, my make-up done, my mind cleansed. I was massaged, scrubbed, pedicured, and pampered. I'd become relaxed, refreshed, recharged, revitalized. There's no way I could throw all that away.
Now back in Florida, I'm trying to live like I'm at Canyon Ranch's Tucson oasis. I've changed my diet, committed to exercise, and perhaps most important in the whole scheme of lifestyle change, I'm letting go.
I've identified three priorities in my life -- my family, my health, and my sanity. Any extraneous stuff, I'm tossing it. Commitments that take me away from my kids: no. Jobs that cause me stress: gone. Responsibilities I don't wish to tackle: I won't. A jam-packed calendar: never again. I tend to go with my gut. If something comes up and I feel a sick little feeling inside, I pass that something right up. I simply let it go.
Letting go makes me feel happier, healthier, more in charge of the joy in my life. It's good for my health, good for my soul. It's just plain good. And there's just no way I'm letting go of that.
Thanks
Canyon Ranch for the inspiration.
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