August 2011

Some of you are old enough to remember the iconic 70’s ad campaign in which Euell Gibbons asked, “Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.” And even though Euell claimed Post Grape-Nuts had a naturally sweet taste that reminded him of wild hickory nuts, I thought they tasted like cardboard. Not any more. I recently became reacquainted with the new and improved Grape-Nuts cereal (http://www.postcereals.com/cereals/grape-nuts). Honestly -- it has been life changing. The 7 grams of dietary fiber in a single serving of Grape-Nuts has had an incredibly positive effect on my digestive system. Not only is Grape-Nuts cereal good for your digestive system it’s also good food for your heart. One ½ cup serving contains 100% of the nutritionist recommended daily amount of whole grains and 0 grams of saturated fat. That is really important because diets rich in whole grains and low in saturated fats and cholesterol can help reduce your risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death of women in this country. If that’s not enough to convince you to give Grape-Nuts a try how about the fact that they contain half of a day's requirement for iron, it's a good source of vitamin A and most of the B vitamins and a great source of that oh so important vitamin D. Five or six mornings a week I enjoy ½ cup of Grape-Nuts with a ¼ cup of low-fat milk or yogurt and a handful of fresh berries or dried fruit. I am certainly not a medical professional or nutritionist but I am an expert on me. After years of trying to regulate my moody digestive system I finally found the answer in a bowl of crunchy goodness. It’s good stuff and if it were up to me, Post Grape-Nuts would be classified as a superfood.

Make the time to be good to you -- SMILE.

Good Health & Good Luck to the gals of Team Ped-A-Cure!

Terry

“Is this a hickie or a bruise?”

~Katy Perry, “Last Friday Night”

July 2011

You might be surprised to hear that at least four out of five women in the Unites States will be infected with the HPV virus -- the virus that causes cervical cancer -- at some point in their lives. Ninety percent of the time no symptoms or health problems occur and the body’s immune system clears the HPV in about two years. Even so, 12,200 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually. In February of this year the results of the ATHENA (Addressing THE Need for Advanced HPV Diagnostics) were published. ATHENA concluded that the Cobas HPV Test was able to detect HPV-16 and HPV-18, two of the highest risk HPV genotypes (there are over 100!) that cause 70% of all cervical cancers. One in 10 women, age 30-years and older, who tested positive for HPV-16 and/or 18 by the Cobas HPV Test had cervical pre-cancer even though their Pap test showed no abnormality. The FDA approved the Cobas HPV Test in April of 2011 and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends the Pap test and Cobas HPV Test for women 30 and over. Talk to your doctor and make sure you are being properly tested under the new guidelines.

I am all about celebrating the uniqueness of every woman. But if a nip, tuck or injection makes you feel better about yourself -- go for it. You have spent more hours than you can count doing lunges and squats and you still can’t get rid of those saddlebags -- maybe it is time to consider having a little liposuction. Why not? It is now the most popular cosmetic procedure in the United States. Fat cells get sucked out and they are gone forever. Well, that’s a big fat lie according to a University of Colorado School of Medicine study that concluded the fat cells eventually return – within 1 year. Even more disappointing, the fat cells seem to be redistributed in the body causing fatty areas in the upper abdomen, shoulders and triceps. First we learned that Spanx may cause yeast infections (http://goodhealth-terry.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html) and now we are hearing about the unwanted side effects of liposuction. Very disappointing news for sure – almost as devastating as learning the truth about Santa Claus!

On the 4th of July Americans celebrated our independence and freedom. This month I would encourage you to celebrate YOU. Take the day off, enjoy the summer sunshine, sing like no one is listening and make the time to be good to you.

Good Health!

Terry

“The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.”
– Pat Clifford

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