October 2010

Pink, it’s the color of hope, strength and solidarity for a cause. Each October the proliferation of pink products draws our attention to the need for more research and better detection methods to help fight a disease that takes the life of nearly 40,000 women annually. Over the past 25 years there has been an increase in awareness but sadly we still don’t know exactly what causes breast cancer. We do know that all women are at risk for breast cancer. In fact, most women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors other than being a woman and getting older. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Hispanic women in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer death among white, black, Asian and Native American women.

It is easy to see why monthly breast self exams are a MUST for women of any age or ethnicity. Know what your normal feels like and see a physician as soon as possible if you feel a lump or notice any changes in your breast. It is also very important to have a clinical breast exam as part of your annual physical and a mammogram/ultrasound as suggested by your physician. Don’t let the fear of breast cancer keep you from taking charge of your health. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer will go on to live a full life without reoccurrence. Early detection significantly increases the chances of survival and is the key to the best outcome.

Last year, 192,370 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer -- I was one of them. I was incredibly lucky that my doctor ordered the breast ultrasound that detected a teeny, tiny tumor before cancer cells had the chance to spread all over my body. Ten months after diagnosis my scars are beautiful proof that I did all I could to insure my long-term survival. I feel great! My breasts have never looked better and I have early detection to thank for my good health.

I strongly encourage you to have a plan regarding your breast health. The National Breast Cancer Organization has developed the Early Detection Plan – an interactive tool to help remind you to take charge of your breast health. Just go to: www.earlydetectionplan.org for all the details. While on the site you can also use the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool to calculate your personalized, potential risk of developing breast cancer based on your answers to seven questions.

Make the time to be good to you. Reduce your risk of developing breast cancer by maintaining a healthy weight, incorporating exercise/activity into your daily routine and limiting alcohol intake. You have one body . . . one life. It is your most important responsibility to take care of it. Give yourself every opportunity to grow old gracefully.

Good Health!

Terry

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”
~Christopher Reeve

September 2010

The American Cancer Society has identified another super food – black rice. Black rice is most commonly found in China where it is also known as “forbidden rice”. According to Chinese legend, black rice was so rare, tasty and nutritious it could only be served to the Emperor. But now everyone can enjoy the antioxidant powers of this high iron, high fiber grain. Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than a spoonful of another popular super – blueberries. Anthocyanin antioxidants are responsible for the red, purple and blue color of many fruits, vegetables, grains and flowers and have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Other anthocyanin antioxidant rich foods include red grapes, strawberries, red wine, red cabbage, red onion, and blood orange juice. Best of all, black rice has an intense nutty flavor and has less natural sugar than blueberries. At this point black rice can be hard to find in the United States. However, now that the American Cancer Society is singing the praises of this ebony grain I am sure that it won’t be long before you start noticing black rice at your local grocery store.

I have said many times that my Good Health mission is to increase awareness. That’s why I feel compelled to tell you that in the past 5 years doctors has seen an increase in chemical burns caused by at-home vaginal bleaching creams. ??????????????? Women are using these creams to reduce the normal discoloration of their vaginal and anal area, discoloration that occurs as a result of the aging process and hormone changes from pregnancy. Of course, most women of a certain age would agree that vaginal bleaching is ridiculous. Just another one of those things, like Brazilian bikini waxes, that seem like a good idea – if you’re a porn star. But, I do worry about the crazy things young women are doing to themselves these days. It’s just not worth the possible irritation and blisters that vaginal bleaching has been known to cause. Dare to ignore this risky trend and leave your vulva as God intended.

Labor Day is the unofficial start of fall and apple season! In my opinion, you really haven’t lived until you have enjoyed a Minnesota-grown Honeycrisp apple. How fortunate that something so tasty is also so good for you. A recent study concluded that people who eat five or more apples a week have better lung function. Make the time to be good to you and your lungs -- enjoy an apple today.

And . . . make sure you let me know what you think of this month’s Good Health message by adding a comment to this post.

Good Health!

Terry

“The healthiest response to life is joy.” ~Deepak Chopra

August 2010

Almost every morning Todd, a born again health/fitness fanatic wakes me up at 5:45 AM so that we can power walk to Excelsior -- five miles round trip, 1 hour 7 minutes our best time according to Motion X GPS. Lately we’ve noticed a few other early bird walkers swinging hand weights and we wondered if that might be a good way to ramp up our walking workout. Well in a word -- no. Fitness walking experts believe that adding weights may actually increase the potential for injury. That’s because your arm motion while holding weights may affect your stride, adding unnecessary strain to your muscles, tendons and ligaments. Even the act of gripping weights can cause your blood pressure to rise. You only burn slightly more calories walking with weights and the increased calorie burn does not justify the potential risk of injury. The best way to ramp up your walking workout is to pick up your pace. According to Therese Ikonian, exercise physiologist and author of three books on fitness walking including Mind-Body Fitness for Dummies, “Walking at the highest intensity you can comfortably stick with for the distance without hurting yourself will use more total calories and, in the long run, more total body fat.” Going from a 20-minute mile to a 15-minute mile, you'll use 30 percent more calories per minute. There are lots of reasons that a daily walk is a good health idea: exercise helps to improve your mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, maintains a healthy weight, combats chronic illness, increases your flexibility and is a great way to spend quality time with your spouse or friends. Of course, Todd has lost 5 pounds on his new fitness walking routine – I believe I have found them.

Make the time to be good to you. Lace up your sneakers, tighten your tummy muscles, hold you head high, focus 15 to 20 feet in front of you and take a brisk walk four days a week. If power walking doesn’t appeal to you -- How about biking? Health benefits associated with biking are similar to walking and it’s lots of fun. Just make sure you always wear a helmet when you ride.

Good Health!

Terry

“Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.”
Charles Schulz