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Free shirtless Joe doll with purchase
There was a suggestion on my Facebook page that I sell my Partridge Family game to a rich Baby Boomer and use the money to buy a New Kids on the Block board game. Oh my goodness, I thought. Is there such a thing?A quick Google search revealed ...YES!! YES!!! THERE IS SUCH A THING!!Hours of fun!Plus, it's for ages eight and up, so WCK could play with me. I know she would be super thrilled.It's an antique from 1990. Prices range from as high as $100 for a pristine, unopened game that you aren't supposed to play with (and what fun is that?) to $15 for games that have a bit of wear. I think my favorite one was this $15 game I ...
Source: The Adventures of Cancer Girl - May 18, 2013 Category: Cancer Source Type: blogs

That other emotion with cancer
Survivor guilt often hits cancer patients later one. We are diagnosed and are hit with the why me mentality. Then as we come to accept and adapt to our cancer diagnosis, we tend to meet others who are also dealing with their cancer diagnosis. Then sometimes they are not so lucky and don't make it. Then we are faced with survivor guilt.I can sympathize with this. I had thyroid cancer in 1981.When I returned to school shortly after that I lived in a dorm on a coed floor. That year the school had a mural painting contest on each floor. On the other side of the floor was an artistic student, in fact his father was an art profe...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - May 18, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: survivorship guilt death cancer bonds Source Type: blogs

In which reality turns up
More than a year from signing my fiction publishing contract, and with only just less than a year to go to publication to the first novel, and the second one submitted, is a strange place. There are times when I think I might have dreamed the whole thing. There are times when I feel as though it’s never going to happen. So it was lovely to get a box from Germany through the post. With six Actual Physical Books in it! I danced. I fizzed. I squeaked. I called my agent and fizzed and squeaked at him. Although I can’t read German, when I looked at the dedication, I had a tear in my eye. ‘For my grandmothers...
Source: Bah! to cancer - May 18, 2013 Category: Cancer Authors: Stephanie Tags: Life is Good surrounded by water writing Source Type: blogs

Happy birthday, WCK!
Today is WCK's eighth birthday, and she told me it was her best birthday ever. She had her drama club play after school, and her drama teacher surprised her with chocolate ice cream and balloons. Then she got to pick where we'd eat dinner, so we went to IHOP for pancakes. Then we came home to discover -- yes -- we have a brand new baby Sea Monkey! How can you top a birthday like this?"Now I'm ready for some eight-year-old adventures!" she said.Yeah, me too! (Source: The Adventures of Cancer Girl)
Source: The Adventures of Cancer Girl - May 17, 2013 Category: Cancer Source Type: blogs

Mangoes May Benefit Blood Glucose
By Diane Fennell Mangoes may help regulate blood glucose levels and limit inflammation in people who are obese, according to the results of a small study recently presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Boston. Approximately 80% of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. In previous studies, the research team had found that mango consumption had a positive effect on blood glucose levels in mice. To evaluate the effect in humans, they provided twenty obese adults — 11 men and 9 women — with 10 grams of freeze-dried mango (equivalent to approximately 100 grams...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 17, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs

Nat’s first visit to an adult primary care physician
I took Nat to an adult primary care physician today — my own — for his annual checkup. We have loved our pediatrician for almost 20 years. She grew up with us. I learned from her all about childcare and she learned from me about autism care. I thought that because Nat is now 23, he should be going to a doctor for adults. My doctor is a lovely man whom Ned and I both see and have for years, and I knew he’d be deft at handling an appointment with Nat. Now I know that using the words “deft” and “handling” implies that Nat is difficult at the doctor’s. No, far from it. He is a ...
Source: Susan's Blog - May 17, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Susan Senator Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs

Angelina Jolie, mastectomies and choice
People keep asking me what I think of Angelina Jolie's prophylactic mastectomy and subsequent op-ed in the New York Times. I've let my thoughts simmer a little before putting them into words. It's hard not to react viscerally to such a dramatic story.I wonder who'll play Angelina in the movie?First and foremost, I want to say that what any woman does to her own body and to preserve her own health is her own damn business. Unless we are in her exact pair of shoes there are limitations on the right to comment. Secondly, I think Ms. Jolie's choice to go public, especially given her status as a Hollywood sex symbol, is ve...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 17, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: breast cancer news health care mastectomy surgery preventing cancer cancer blog rants Source Type: blogs

Organizing principles: Classifying pain for healthcare, research | Pain Research Forum
Where does it hurt? How bad does it hurt? Why does it hurt? The many inconsistent and inadequate ways of sorting chronic pain by anatomy, severity, and associated medical conditions are impeding the health and well-being of patients, optimal medical care, and treatment advances, say pain experts who are calling for a change. This spring, two major efforts are taking shape to fill a widely perceived need for standardized worldwide diagnostic criteria to classify all chronic pain conditions (Finnerup et al., 2013; IOM, 2011; Rief et al., 2012; Rief et al., 2010; von Hehn et al., 2012)....
Source: Psychology of Pain - May 17, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

Weekly Roundup – May 17, 2013
Happy National Women’s Health Week to all our fabulous Disruptive Women readers! Lots of groups released information and toolkits in celebration. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet here are just a few: NWLC toolkit, interactive screening chart and infographic done by HHS. In other news, the Washington Post reported on the possibility that cancer patients and others taking pricey drugs might pay even more for their medications under ACA. An interesting study of Medicaid recipients in Oregon found that increased health care spending had a limited impact on improving people’s health. Learn more here. Alt...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - May 17, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Roundup weekly roundup Source Type: blogs

The Right Decision for Breast Cancer Treatment? It’s Up to You
Angelina Jolie certainly has good intentions in sharing her experience with breast cancer genetic testing and her decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy, and her announcement marks another welcomed example of well-known women coming forward about personal health issues. But it is now up to women’s health advocates to ensure that the media coverage and public debate that follows does not offer false information or false hope — which I fear it will, if women are not fully informed about all the issues involved before imagining that Jolie’s decisions would be the right ones for them. Already, women in the United...
Source: Our Bodies Our Blog - May 17, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Judy Norsigian Tags: Breast Cancer Environment Media Source Type: blogs

Stories surround every physician
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant? -Henry David Thoreau It is almost 7:00am I carry my briefcase and lunch bag from the car to my office. I nod to some of the night shift employees heading home. Another day has begun. I type my password and check the computer, reminding myself of the twenty patients I am scheduled to see today in the cancer clinic. A few new consults with untreated or recurrent cancers occupy the longer appointment slots. Follow-up and post-operative patients will be seen more quickly. It will be a full day but, hopefully, I will grab a few mi...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 17, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Physician Cancer Hospital Source Type: blogs

Price shopping for surgery
We all price shop for things. If the gas station across the street is five cents cheaper per gallon, we might go there. If one brand of milk is cheaper than the other, we will probably grab the cheaper one. Some of us coupon clip and research prices online.We also all have some splurges. Maybe its hand bags, maybe its shoes, maybe its chocolate. These are the items that we purchase regardless of the price. Maybe its that Coach bag or the Manolo Blahnik shoes that we want no matter what. We just blindly get what we want.So where should our surgery shopping go? If you think about it, most of us have been treating surgery in ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - May 17, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: shopping surgery health insurance medical costs Source Type: blogs

New Study Warns of Dangers of Thirdhand Smoke in Nonsmoking Hotel Rooms Located in Hotels that Allow Smoking in Some Rooms
A study published online ahead of print in Tobacco Control warns of the dangers of thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure in nonsmoking hotel rooms in hotels with partial smoking bans (meaning that both smoking and nonsmoking rooms are available). (See: Matt GE, et al. Thirdhand smoke and exposure in California hotels: non-smoking rooms fail to protect non-smoking hotel guests from tobacco smoke exposure.)The methods are described as follows: "A stratified random sample of hotels with (n=10) and without (n=30) complete smoking bans was examined. Surfaces and air were analysed for tobacco smoke pollutants (ie, nic...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - May 17, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs

A Possible Biomarker for Senescent Cells
There are any number of techniques under development that allow individual cells to be destroyed provided that you can distinguish them from their neighbors: the challenge is in finding characteristic differences in the cells you want destroyed, such as cancer cells or senescent cells. Most of the efforts aimed at producing targeted cell destruction therapies are taking place in the cancer research community, but senescent cells accumulate with age and contribute to degenerative aging - they must also be destroyed. Unfortunately good ways to target senescent cells are somewhat lacking. Candidate mechanisms are emerging, ho...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 17, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Inhibiting ICMT as a Progeria Therapy
Progress towards a therapy for the rare accelerated aging condition progeria continues. It remains unclear as to whether the mechanisms responsible for progeria exist in normal aging to a level that is in any way significant. Progeria is caused by malformed prelamin A, and tiny amounts of broken prelamin A can be found in old tissues - but it would really require a therapy for progeria that addressed the issues with prelamin A to easily find out whether this has any meaningful contribution to normal aging. The classical form of progeria, called Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), is caused by a spontaneous mutati...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 17, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Alzheimer’s and Skin Cancer
People who have non-melanoma skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease. +Alzheimer's Reading Room People who have non-melanoma skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to research carried out by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The findings were published in the May 15, 2013 online issue of Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Several previous studies had found correlations between cancer and the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease," said lead author Robert White, an Einstein medical student enrolled...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - May 17, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Bob DeMarco Source Type: blogs

C'mon get happy!
WCK turns eight tomorrow. Every year on her birthday, she asks me to go to the closet and get out the board games that she is old enough to now play "legally." This year is a big year, because both Monopoly and Clue are for ages eight and up. (Don't tell anyone, but I already taught her how to play Monopoly earlier this year, even though she was underage. She totally kicked my butt.)Last year, however, WCK was a little bit horrified when I could only find one game in the closet for ages seven and up:This game is actually in our house! Why do I own this game? Why? Why?I have a vague memory of finding this game at a thrift s...
Source: The Adventures of Cancer Girl - May 16, 2013 Category: Cancer Source Type: blogs

C R Bard Settles Allegations of Kickbacks to Promote Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer
Screening for and aggressive treatment of prostate cancer has become an enormously lucrative business, if not necessarily a life-saving medical strategy. The minimal media coverage of a recent settlement suggests that at least to some degree, it has been fueled by some questionable practices.The CR Bard SettlementAs reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution,A medical device company on Monday agreed to pay a $48.2 million settlement to resolve claims by a Georgia employee that it paid kickbacks to doctors and customers who bought radiation treatment for prostate cancer.C.R. Bard Inc., which is headquartered in New ...
Source: Health Care Renewal - May 16, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: kickbacks impunity C R Bard prostate cancer whistle-blowers legal settlements deferred prosecution agreement Source Type: blogs

Blind to women’s sexual health
A recent article published in partnership with The Investigative Fund and Newsweek questioned the existence of “female dysfunction,” as if to say, who cares about women’s sexual health? If you can’t “see” it, apparently it doesn’t exist. This is one-sided, inaccurate and disparaging of women. Why is it that when men are impotent it is taken seriously, but when women suffer from sexual dysfunction it is ridiculed and attributed to “Big Pharma’s” attempt to conjure a condition so they can make and sell a drug? If Pharma is so bad, why do we depend upon them to research and manufacture drugs to prevent a...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - May 16, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Aging Women's Health Sexual dysfunction Source Type: blogs

The breast cancer treatment gap
Technology is advancing along in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. We now have a genetic test which allows patients to find out if they have a genetic mutation which puts them at high risk of the disease. But then we have the gap - if you have the mutation you get two options:cut off healthy body parts essentialyor spend the rest of your life in constant monitoring through mammograms and MRIs.Neither of those are particularly good are they? If you have a mastectomy and an oophorectomy (ovary removal) as Angelina Jolie is, you put yourself instantly into forced menopause at a young age which causes its own set o...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - May 16, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: cancer diagnosis cancer treatment breast cancer Source Type: blogs

Top stories in health and medicine, May 16, 2013
Brought to you by MedPage Today. 1. Arts Therapy Has Benefits in Cancer. Cancer patients who participated in creative arts therapy derived significant clinical, psychological, and quality-of-life benefits, a meta-analysis of more than two dozen studies showed. 2. Fecal Transplant: FDA Wants Regulation. Researchers who have been reporting success with the use of fecal transplant to treat resistant C. difficile are likely to need an OK from the the FDA to continue that treatment. 3. Study: Embryonic Stem Cells Cloned. For the first time, researchers have efficiently produced human embryonic stem cells, using a process simila...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 16, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: News Cancer Infectious disease Source Type: blogs

Random Kurdish round-up
I keep thinking I will Get Organised And Do A Proper Post About Kurdistan but, quite frankly, if that goes as well as Getting Organised And Sorting Out My Photographs Period, it’ll never happen. So, on the grounds that something is better than nothing, let me show you some photographs, chosen because I like them and they mean something, and, as my mother says, we’ll make that do. This lady, who speaks no English, and I, who speaks no Kurdish, have a great affection for each other. Mountains! The place where I bought clove necklaces to hang in wardrobes and yarn stashes to keep the beasties away. The man was v...
Source: Bah! to cancer - May 16, 2013 Category: Cancer Authors: Stephanie Tags: Life is Good kurdistan Source Type: blogs

#nerdbrain
Her: Add something zippy to the beginning of this article. Me: Here are some percentages about HPV types and cervical and anal cancer! Sometimes I feel sorry for my editor for National Women’s Health Network newsletter articles. Susan Flinn, you’re terrific! Filed under: Miscellaneous, Reviews (Source: Women's Health News)
Source: Women's Health News - May 15, 2013 Category: Medical Librarians Authors: Rachel Tags: Miscellaneous Reviews thanks Source Type: blogs

The Institutionalization of Healthcare; Consequences of Big Medicine?
I posted a note five days ago about how the cost of healthcare seems to be gradually declining (see: Decrease in Healthcare Costs May Persist as Economy Revives). A reader, Ajit Alles, responded with a comment that decreasing expenditures of health my result in a lower quality of care, which I responded to in another note (see: The Correlation between the Cost of Care and the Health of a Population). He has responded to this second note with the following comment: As follow-up, I agree that we spend way too much on end of life care, but that won't be reduced without a cultural shift. People expect miracles from medicin...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 15, 2013 Category: Pathologists Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Hospital Executive Management Hospitals and Healthcare Delivery Medical Ethics Pharmaceutical Industry Source Type: blogs

Name the Sea Monkeys!
Yesterday I got a comment on my Sea Monkey post asking me what their names are. That is an excellent question!After I noticed there were five of them, I secretly named them after the members of the New Kids on the Block. I didn't tell anyone, because I knew WCK would yell at me, and it was a nice secret between me and the Sea Monkeys. Then Donnie turned up pregnant, so that whole secret plan was ruined.Then last night, WCK said the pregnant one's name is "Mama." Then this morning, she announced she had changed Mama's name to "Pouchy." I can't bear to break this news to Mama/Pouchy, because I'm sure she's pretty emotional a...
Source: The Adventures of Cancer Girl - May 15, 2013 Category: Cancer Source Type: blogs

Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy shines a light on cancer decision-making
Angelina Jolie's announcement this week that she had both breasts surgically removed to reduce her risk of breast cancer has raised lots of questions about how to best prevent the disease in the women at highest risk of it. As she revealed Tuesday in a New York Times Op-Ed, the actress and activist made the difficult decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy after genetic testing revealed she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, which increases a woman's risk of both breast cancer and ovarian cancer, of which her mother died at age 56. The procedure took her lifetime risk of developing breast cancer from an estima...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - May 15, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: jkopf Tags: Angelina Jolie BRCA testing Breast cancer mastectomy Conditions & Treatments Health Women ' s Health Source Type: blogs

Big C leads to the Big B (bankruptcy)
People with cancer are more than twice as likely to file for bankruptcy as those without, according to a new study in Health Affairs. Medical expenses can be high even for those that have insurance, thanks to co-pays, deductibles and non-covered services. In addition, many cancer patients can’t work so aren’t earning income plus they may have other non-medical expenses like child care and transportation. Don’t expect a government policy solution anytime soon. So do your best to obtain health insurance and disability insurance and to set aside a rainy day fund. —– By David E. Williams of the He...
Source: Health Business Blog - May 15, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Patients Research Source Type: blogs

Healthcare Update Satellite — 05-15-2013
More HealthCare Updates from around the web are at my new digs at http://drwhitecoat.com. “Dear ER staff. Our friend is drunk. Fix him.” Unconscious Arizona college student who was “turning blue” left in hospital lobby with Post-It note stuck to his body after losing “drinking contest” at frat house. Nice friends. If you decide to follow the link, turn down the volume on your computer. Gannett’s KSKD.com has an auto-start video ad that will blow your ears out. Irish emergency department so crowded and busy that it has to pull an ambulance up to the front door to act as an extra resuscitation room for a patie...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - May 15, 2013 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: WhiteCoat Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs

In One State, Cancer Patients Were 2.65 Times Likelier to File for Bankruptcy
A new study, released today as a Web First by Health Affairs, reports that cancer patients in Washington state were 2.65 times more likely to file for bankruptcy than people without cancer. Of 197,840 cancer patients age 18 or older in the western district of Washington between 1995 and 2009, 4,408 (2.2 percent) filed for bankruptcy protection after being diagnosed with cancer. Among a control group of 197,840 people from that same region who did not have cancer, only 2,291 (1.1 percent) filed for bankruptcy. “Although the risk of bankruptcy for cancer patients is relatively low in absolute terms, bankruptcy represents ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - May 15, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Chris Fleming Tags: All Categories Consumers Health Care Costs Policy Source Type: blogs

Cold Smoothie Ideas Perfect for Warmer Weather
As a sports nutritionist, ultra marathoner, busy working mom, and health nut… I love smoothies, especially in warmer weather. They’re quick, easy, and cold! Making them yourself is usually the best way to go because you control the ingredients to keep them good-for-you. Last week I was on WBAL in Baltimore sharing some of my favorite warm weather smoothie recipes. You can watch the whole video here, visit WBAL’s website for the full recipes, or check out some of the highlights below: “Red Recharger” Recovery Smoothie For all those athletes out there, whether you run, swim, bike (or do all three&...
Source: Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog - May 15, 2013 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Authors: rebeccascritchfield Tags: eating healthy exercise food recipes cherries peanuts recovery nutrition silk smoothies soymilk sports nutrition Source Type: blogs

Nipple Delay Surgery
Angelina Jolie recently shared her BRCA+ diagnosis and brave decision to undergo prophylactic nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction. As part of her surgery, she underwent a nipple delay procedure. So what is a "nipple delay"? Most patients do not need a delay procedure. It's actually performed quite rarely. It can however be a good option for patients who want nipple-sparing mastectomy but are at high risk for nipple necrosis. High risk patients include smokers, patients with moderate to significant breast ptosis (sagging), and patients with a history of previous breast surgery (eg breast red...
Source: Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog - May 15, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: nipple sparing mastectomy nipple necrosis breast reconstruction breast cancer nipple delay Angelina Jolie nipple-sparing mastectomy prophylactic mastectomy BRCA nipple-areolar complex Source Type: blogs

Hard Cases: The Traps of Treating Pain - NYTimes.com
I hadn't seen Larry in a dozen years when he reappeared in my office a few months ago, grinning. We were both grinning. I always liked Larry, even though he was a bit of a hustler, a little erratic in his appointments, a persistent dabbler in a variety of illegal substances. But he was always careful to avoid the hard stuff; he said he had a bad problem as a teenager and was going to stay out of trouble.It was to stay out of trouble that he left town all those years ago, and now he was back, grayer and thinner but still smiling. Then he pulled out a list of the medications he needed, and we both stopped smiling.According t...
Source: Psychology of Pain - May 15, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

Over committed again
I am over committed again these days. Combined with a lot of back pain, it is not a lot of fun. We spent the weekend away (without a cell phone and survived) but that cut in to my work time.I am working my one job, winding down my other job but do not have enough time to get everything finished and I have deadlines. I am also starting to do a little more volunteer work, and tomorrow is an annual event where I have to be there at 6 am - but its only ten minutes from home. I usually stay the whole day but this year they are going to be lucky to have me until lunch. Between back pain and other things I need to do, I am ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - May 15, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: schedules time volunteer work overscheduled pain Source Type: blogs

Recap of our Social Media Session at HRS 2013
The older I get, the less sure I become of basic cardiac issues. Consider the changing role of ICDs, non-statin cholesterol drugs, vitamins, and fish oil. All of these were once darlings of the field. Now, not so much. And it is not just cardiology, other areas of medicine have their uncertainties: breast and prostate cancer screening and MRIs for uncomplicated orthopedic issues, just to name a few. But here is one thing I am sure of: Social Media will be a force for good in the healthcare world in the coming years. Sharing, connecting, informing, educating and yes, even empowering, both doctors and patients, will lead us ...
Source: Dr John M - May 15, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs

How Drug Companies Keep Medicine Out of Reach - The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/05/how-drug-companies-keep-medicine-out-of-reach/275853/?ReutersFor almost a decade, the United States has been standing in the way of an idea that could lead to cures for some of the world's most devastating illnesses. The class of maladies is known as neglected diseases, and they almost exclusively affect those in the developing world. The same idea, if realized, might also be used in more affluent nations to goad the pharmaceutical industry into producing critical innovations that the free market has yet to produce - things like new antibiotics, which are likely to be used ...
Source: PharmaGossip - May 15, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs

Does Angelina Jolie paint a false picture of mastectomy?
A woman’s mother dies at age 56. A blood test is done. The woman finds out she has a genetic pre-disposition to cancer. She takes what action she thinks she needs to take. A familiar story repeated over and over again every day. I’ve met many women who have made this choice. While not “normal”, it is a familiar situation. These women’s difficult choices go unheralded. But not Angelina. She has a voice and she’s not afraid to use it. I am of two minds about Ms. Jolie’s announcement. Unlike double mastectomies for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which isn’t necessarily a cancer and can be treated with a lump...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 14, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Conditions Cancer Surgery Source Type: blogs

Sea Monkey mania!
WCK's grandma bought her some Sea Monkeys. I had Sea Monkeys when I was a kid, so I was pretty excited. If you're not familiar with Sea Monkeys, they are teeny, tiny brine shrimp that you raise in a little tank. The kit comes with a little packet of eggs. You pour the eggs into the water, and bam! Instant pets! Then you feed them and watch them grow from really, really, really tiny to just kinda tiny.The only downside to Sea Monkeys is that they don't actually look like this:How does the mom get her hair to stay so nice under the water?No, they actually look like this:Their hair is not so nice.Actually, this is probably a ...
Source: The Adventures of Cancer Girl - May 14, 2013 Category: Cancer Source Type: blogs

Superfood of the Week: Goji Berries
Goji berries, which are native to the Himalayas, have been touted for their medicinal and nutritional superpowers for centuries. They may look like your standard dried fruit, but did you know these tart, reddish gems are bursting with cancer-fighting antioxidants? With more vitamin C per gram than an orange -- and more iron than a serving of spinach -- goji berries are your next grocery-store-trip buy. And don't think of them just as poppable treats -- they work well in recipes, too. (Source: The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S.)
Source: The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S. - May 14, 2013 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: Nutrition diet food goji berries superfoods Source Type: blogs

Angelina Jolie: Why her story comes at a crucial time for BRCA testing
Dear Ms. Jolie, Thank you for your bravery and leadership in the battle against breast cancer. In a small way, through my patients, I understand the challenge and pain it took not only to undergo prophylactic mastectomies, because you carry the BRCA1 cancer gene, but also to reveal this deeply personal part of your life to the world. You had no obligation to open your soul; your selfless act leaves those of us that treat the dread disease, in awe. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 14, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Conditions Cancer Source Type: blogs

Dr. Len Says: When It Comes To Skin Cancer, Do As I Say, Not As I Do
So May is skin cancer awareness month. No time like the present to come out with the news: I have been diagnosed with skin cancer. There really isn't much special about that, since it is a distinction I share with over 2 million Americans who have a skin cancer removed every year. Fortunately, for most, it is a cancer that is not of particular concern since most can be removed. But even those "simple" surgeries--as I have learned from my own experience--can be a bit problematic. Occasionally it helps to find some humor in difficult situations, and this is one of those times. And since I am generally pretty open about what ...
Source: Dr. Len's Cancer Blog - May 14, 2013 Category: Cancer Authors: Dr. Len Tags: Cancer Care Early detection Environment Other cancers Prevention Screening Treatment Source Type: blogs

Experts Weigh in on How to Cope With Cancer Worry
Today Angelina Jolie announced she had a preventive double mastectomy. The actress and director underwent the procedure to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer since her mother was a cancer victim at age 56. A BCRA1 gene mutation test, which gauges future cancer risk, was performed and Jolie was told by her doctors that she was estimated to have had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer -- higher than the 65 percent average that women with the genetic mutation usually face. Angelina told her story, she says in her New York Times piece, "because there are many women who do not know they might be living under the shadow...
Source: The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S. - May 14, 2013 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: Health angelina jolie anxiety cancer worry Source Type: blogs

Science is Hard
Yes it is. Or it certainly can be. Back in Flexner's time and right through mid-Century, obviously, even though we didn't have any high quality randomized trials going on, doctors were doing stuff. Some of it was probably helpful much of the time. For example, they knew to amputate severely injured limbs, especially if there were signs of putrescence. If there's an accessible tumor, cutting it out can be helpful. It it isn't malignant, it's curative. Digitalis was used for heart disease since the 18th Century, and it is indeed helpful. There were other so-called empirical remedies back then as well, by which we mean remedi...
Source: Stayin' Alive - May 14, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs

Angelina Jolie and medical decisions
I have admired Angelina Jolie’s acting in the past. Now I commend her decision to discuss the difficult decision to have a preventive mastectomy. She unfortunately carries a gene that makes her chances for breast cancer incredibly high. The comic book Spiderman was where I first saw the famous saying – with great power comes great responsibility. Apparently Voltaire said it first, albeit in French. Megastars have great power and the potential for great influence. Some use that power wisely, while some abuse that power. Ms Jolie has taken the extraordinary step of sharing her decision with us all. Her action sh...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - May 14, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: rcentor Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs

Angelina got tested. Will everyone at risk be able to?
Angelina Jolie announced today in a New York Times op-ed that she recently underwent a double mastectomy after finding out that she has the gene mutation known as BRCA1, which increases a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer by 87% over her lifetime (and ovarian cancer by 50%). It is certainly a marvel of modern medicine that we not only know about this gene mutation but have the ability to test for it. Jolie’s announcement put a well-known face to the name “BRCA,” which has been in the news a lot this year as part of a larger discussion about genetics and the law. A company called Myriad Genetics holds...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - May 14, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Cancer Disparities Genetics Women's Health Angelina Jolie BRCA breast cancer Myriad National Women's Health Week Source Type: blogs

Is infrared light really bad for skin?
Al asks…Lately in Spain I’ve seen people raging about infrared targeted sunscreens, products that protect from IRA rays…is this necessary at all? Does it have some basis or is it mere marketing gimmick? Should I buy one? The Beauty Brains reply: Unfortunately, it looks like this is NOT hype. As recently as 2010, scientists began to understand that it is important to protect skin from infrared radiation because it does indeed contribute to photo-aging. What is infrared radiation? Infrared radiation (IR) is the “other end of the rainbow” from ultraviolet (UV). Most of the research on solar radiation...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - May 14, 2013 Category: Physicians With Health Advice Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs

Angelina Jolie Undergoes Double Mastectomy, Many Restaurant Meals Exceed Daily Caloric Needs and More!
Actress and director Angelina Jolie has had a preventative double mastectomy. She announced the news via an op-ed piece in The New York Times, saying she decided to undergo the surgery after discovering she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. [NY Times] Before you dine out, you may wanna check up on the real calorie count of your entrees. A new study reveals that the average restaurant meal contains almost two-thirds of an adult's daily total caloric needs. [Science Daily] (Source: The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S.)
Source: The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S. - May 14, 2013 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: Morning Scoop angelina jolie beauty tips breast cancer calories diet dining out doctor fashion food study Source Type: blogs

what it feels like to learn you have a brain tumour, if you are me
I was going through some writing from last fall and I found this. I wrote it, in response to a prompt - "Write about falling" - for an online writing class I was taking. Reading this brings me right back to how I felt when I heard the news that the cancer had metastasized to my brain. I share it now because I think it might resonate with anyone who's every been blind-sided with unwelcome news.“Your CT scans were fine.”You breathe a sigh of relief.“But the MRI revealed a spot on your brain.”And with those words you start falling. You feel the floor crumble beneath you and the sounds of talking fade as you slip away....
Source: Not just about cancer - May 14, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: metastatic breast cancer brain metastasis news my love fear conversations cancer blog writing Source Type: blogs

Health news
■ First up, great news if you like Dom Perignon: "[N]ew research suggests three glasses of bubbly a week can improve your memory ... a regular tipple of champagne can help prevent brain disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease." Apparently, a compound found in certain grapes used in producing champagne - phenolic acid - can act as a memory aid. Cheers! ■ In somewhat of a medical miracle, an Aussie who had been declared clinically dead for over half an hour was "brought back to life by a brand new resuscitation technique ... testing a mechanical CPR machine, which performs constant chest comp...
Source: InsureBlog - May 14, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

A Specific Crowdfunding Example
I mentioned Microryza in that last post. Here's Prof. Micheal Pirrung, at UC Riverside, with an appeal there to fund the resynthesis of a compound for NCI testing against renal cell carcinoma. It will provide an experienced post-doc's labor for a month to prepare an interesting natural-product-derived proteasome inhibitor that the NCI would like to take to their next stage of evaluation. Have a look - you might be looking at the future of academic research funding, or at least a real part of it. (Source: In the Pipeline)
Source: In the Pipeline - May 14, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Cancer Source Type: blogs

Cancer Burden: How close can you live to a highway?
My husband and I have moved twice in the last two years. Both times our housing searches included ruling out apartments and houses in close proximity to a highway. My man is an environmental attorney who enforces and defends the Clean Air Act. He knows a lot about environmental carcinogens and together we have figured out how to make logical choices about potential environmental harms. Numerous studies show a connection between highway pollution and cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, childhood leukemia, and lung cancer. Benzine, butadine, and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic carbons are some of the carcinogens...
Source: Everything Changes - May 14, 2013 Category: Cancer Authors: Kairol Rosenthal Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs