June 2011

Is it true? Have researchers finally found a way to prevent breast cancer? The results of a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2011 Annual Meeting look promising for exemestane. Exemestane (also known as Aromasin) is an aromatase inhibitor approved by the FDA in 2005 for the treatment of estrogen receptor positive, early stage breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Previous studies have shown that aromatase inhibitors prevent the recurrence of cancer after a breast tumor is removed. Now, it is being reported that a daily dose of exemestane reduced the development of invasive breast cancers by 65% in a placebo-controlled chemoprevention trial that involved 4,560 postmenopausal women considered at increased risk of the disease. Of course, it is never that simple. There are side effects, the study only followed participants for 3 years and Pfizer, maker of Aromasin, paid for the study. But I am really hopeful that the medical research community is on the right track. You can be sure I will be asking my oncologist about exemestane and I will make sure I keep you all informed.

The ladies of Team Ped A Cure are trying to prevent breast cancer too. They are training hard for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure taking place in Minneapolis and St. Paul on August 19-21, 2011. These ladies are some of my personal heroes! If they are willing to spend months training and give up 3 days of their busy lives to walk 60 miles to raise money to find a cure for a disease I have been diagnosed with, the least I can do is spread the word that they would love your support. Please visit http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?team_id=188758&pg=team&fr_id=1626 for more information.

Make sure you make the time to be good to you. When you take care of yourself you have more to give to others.

Good Health!

Terry

"Women are like teabags; you never know how strong they are until they're put in hot water."
~Eleanor Roosevelt

May 2011

Last week my good friend Peggy shared, with our Wednesday morning ceramics group, that she had started taking a daily dose of Chia. Not the pet – the seeds. So I did a little research and WOW . . . Chia seeds are amazingly nutritious. They have been around for centuries but have only recently started to gain recognition as a superfood. Just 2 tablespoons of Chia seeds added to your daily diet provides approximately 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 205 milligrams of calcium and 5 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids! If you are like me and you struggle to get the recommended amount of Omega-3 in your diet and you hate flaxseed, chia seeds may be the answer. Chia can help stabilize blood sugar, improve hydration, improve mental focus and concentration, improve regularity and reduce cravings. Chia seeds are a convenient, ready to eat food that you can sprinkle on just about anything. The best part is that they are almost tasteless. In fact, when the Chia seeds are hydrated they take on the flavor of the food they are added to –- dressings, salsas, smoothies, yogurt . . . you name it. The shell of the Chia seed is easily broken down so there is no need to grind them to receive the health benefits and they have a shelf life of up to two years. Just one word of warning: If you want to include Chia seeds in your diet, do not use the seeds that come with a Chia Pet. Purchase only food grade Chia seeds which are available online or at most health food stores. If you want to boost your energy, immunity, endurance and overall health I suggest you try Ch . . . Ch . . . Ch . . . Chia!

Thank you Bev for being the first reader to bring the typo in my April 2011 Good Health! post to my attention. Did you catch it? If you did I hope it made you laugh. Laughing increases the level of health enhancing hormones in your body. Make the time to be good to you by reading my blog or spend as much time as you can surrounded by people that make you laugh. ☺

Good Health!

Terry

"Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice."
~ Author Unknown

April 2011

I am sure that you have all heard of Lady Gaga but have you heard of Baby Gaga? Baby Gaga is a radical new, naturally blended ice cream being sold at Icecreamist in London. Baby Gaga ice cream is radical not because it costs $24 for a single scoop. It is radical because it is a creamy blend of pasteurized breast milk, Madagascan vanilla pods and lemon zest. Yes, that would be human breast milk. Matt O’Connor, founder of Icecreamist, wants to “liberate the world one lick at a time” and if nothing else he is creating a buzz around his Covent Garden boutique ice cream shop. The idea of using breast milk to make ice cream was born out of O’Connor’s desire not to waste an abundance of frozen breast milk he and his wife had stored in their freezer.

Most cultures of the world consider the consumption of breast milk as a dairy food bizarre. But believe it or not, breast milk ice cream is just one of an interesting new niche of natural products that include cheese, yogurt, bread and soap all made with human breast milk. It is universally recognized that there is no commercial formula on the market today that is superior to breast milk for the nutritional needs of a newborn baby. It sounds weird and wrong for adults to consume breast milk. But is it? Some in the medical community are convinced that breast milk can induce the destruction of some types of cancer cells. And it is used in home remedies for conjunctivitis, insect bites/stings, contact dermatitis and burns. I’ll admit it – this formula feed baby sampled her own breast milk. Like most of you, I tried a little of everything before feeding it to my own babies (even those nasty iron drops). I really can’t remember much about how breast milk tasted but Colby & Brady seemed to enjoy it. However, at this point in time I don’t think the Bolin men are willing to give up their Breyers All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. And the thought that one day we may see signs in the grocery store that say “Product of a Free-Range Lactating Woman” is way beyond my comprehension.

Make the time to be good to you – treat yourself to a scoop of your favorite ice cream, enjoy the warmer temperatures and take advantage of the extra hours of sunlight.

Happy Spring, Happy Easter and Good Health!

Terry

“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live”
– Lin Yutang