The holidays are here. I love this time of year. It always goes so fast. I spent the Thanksgiving weekend not feeling very thankful. Instead, I spent much of my time wallowing in self-pity. As I told you in my last email, I signed up for a half-ironman triathlon. It’s something I have thought…
You know you should exercise. Yet you still struggle to get it done. You can’t seem to find the time, have various injuries, or any number of other excuses. I think it comes down to not liking it enough. If you like something, you will make time for it. Much like meditation, you…
The American Society of Clinical Oncology published a new statement recently on alcohol and cancer. This comes at a time of year when much of our attention centers on the holidays. Office parties, gatherings of friends or visiting family are a few of the holiday occasions that often include alcohol. From surviving the obligatory office…
It’s October, the month that pink starts appearing everywhere including such incongruous places as NFL games. Yes, this means it’s breast cancer awareness month. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty aware of breast cancer, without all the pink. Of course I’m aware; I’m a breast cancer survivor. But I bet you’re aware too,…
I had a rough winter. If you read my last post, you know I ended up with cervical cancer. Throughout the winter and into the spring my situation seemed to get worse with every visit. For most of that time, I felt great, so it was perplexing to hear that I had not only one…
2017 is off to an atrocious start. For me, this has nothing to do with politics. I was diagnosed with cancer, again. An entirely separate kind of cancer unrelated to my original cancer. For someone who does the things usually recommended for good health, two cancer diagnoses in less than four years, both before age…
As much as I like writing, especially writing about health, science, and medicine, it is a challenge to come up with interesting topics to write about on a regular basis. Since the election, it has been impossible for me. I have not been able to think about anything else. Paying attention to self-care and wellness…
Last weekend I ran a 10-mile race, the Mid-Winter Classic in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I realized afterward that it has been exactly three years since I received the call that changed my life. I remembered the race, three years ago. I did not compete, but my husband did. That year the race was a few…
Happy and healthy go hand in hand. Happier people are healthier. They live longer, have less chronic disease, become sick less often, and if they do get sick, they get better faster. Being happy is clearly in our best interest, and we do have some control over our own happiness. We control approximately 40 percent…
There are many differences between Angelina Jolie and myself. I have breast cancer. She does not. She has the genetic predisposition for breast cancer. I do not. She chose to have a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. I did not. I had a unilateral mastectomy. For me, I could not cut off a healthy breast, but…