If this doesn't floor you, we don't know what will...

The National Breast Cancer Foundation states the following facts about breast cancer.  We couldn't believe our eyes.  Is there a better time to get involved in raising awareness and funding for breast cancer research?  We think, "No way!"

FACTS ABOUT BREAST CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES

• One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
• Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.
• Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

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10 Things Breast Cancer Taught Me

We love Sharon Morrison's humerous take on the ten things breast cancer taught her and thought you would enjoy reading it, too.

by Sharon Morrison (via Club Amoena)

1. Let people in.  Being open about my cancer was the cue my friends and family needed to get involved. No, they weren’t coming to my home to do the housework (which is a shame really), but they kept in touch every month by phone, card, letter, email and the occasional visit; they even ran races for me and had prayers said at Mass. By deliberately externalizing my feelings, they knew they could show theirs, and we were all the better for it.

2. . . . Especially your kids.  My children were eight, ten and 14 when I first had cancer, and I decided that keeping them in the loop from the beginning was the best way of avoiding a bigger problem later on. The best thing I did was to appoint my sister as the official sounding board so they always had someone else to turn and, crucially, they could ask her everything they felt they couldn’t ask me. They were with me too when I had chemotherapy, so they could see it wasn’t remotely scary.

3. Get your beauty sleep.  After a few weeks of looking and feeling like a zombie, I nipped the chronic insomnia that seems to accompany chemotherapy in the bud and took sleeping pills. I was prescribed Zopiclone, which is a hypnotic drug (which means it induces sleep without affecting your mood or sensitivity to pain), and it’s non-addictive. I’d wake up feeling and looking refreshed and more than able to tackle the day ahead. When the treatment was over I weaned myself off the pills.

4. Shock your taste buds.  I didn’t lose my sense of taste exactly, it’s just that chemo makes food taste odd, metallic, unpleasant. My way round this was to choose comforting food that reminded me of childhood, like fish fingers and mashed potato; or that went “Kapow!” on my tongue, like lime juice and soda water, and gingernut biscuits dunked in tea.

5. . . . but don’t gain weight.  You’d think you’d at least lose weight but, first time round, I gained a stone [around 14 pounds] which took 12 months to shift. This year when I was having treatment, I decided to see if gentle exercise would stop the weight gain before it started. I began walking, then jogging very, very slowly around the block, eventually building up to three miles a day. I didn’t gain weight; I lost it, but all the time feeling healthier and more energetic. So I haven’t stopped.

6. Go hippie.  I didn’t know very much about reflexology but had heard it had been helpful to others in handling the side effects of treatment. To be honest, anything involving having your toes fiddled with for an hour has got to be good, so I gave it a try. In fact I had reflexology the day before every chemo session and regard it as a major contributory factor in helping me cope as well as I did, both physically and mentally.

7. Embrace the grey.  When my hair started to grow again, steel grey in places, white in others, I decided NOT to reach for the hair dye. As much as I wanted to go back to the security of medium-golden-brown-with-caramel-highlights, I thought I should take advantage of my situation and turn a potentially aging hairstyle into a short, funky look. Yes, there were a few double-takes initially, but I’m happy with my new style and there are no roots to retouch – bliss.

8. Even the eyebrows?  Sadly my eyebrows didn’t grow back and this made me look tired and washed out all the time. After months of penciling them in, I decided to get my eyebrows tattooed on. It’s a semi-permanent procedure and will need to be refreshed once a year, but it’s made a big difference to me and I mentally thank my tattooist every morning when I look in the mirror.

9. Don’t let employers get you down.  When you’ve got breast cancer, the last thing you should need to do is ‘watch your back’ at work but, as I found out first hand, not all employers behave with integrity. Some will exploit every opportunity to undermine you at the most difficult time in your life and, although it will seem hard, you have to fight back. I found the very act of making a stand and confronting my employer, despite being petrified, made me feel stronger and more confident.

10. Nothing’s THAT important.  An experience like this changes you on the inside. I’m definitely more at ease with myself now. I can cry in front of strangers and not feel ashamed; I can handle difficult situations with calm; I can lean on those who used to lean on me. But, most of all, I’m just glad that I’m still on this planet and can continue to embarrass my kids and, occasionally, make them feel proud of the journey we’ve been on together.

Don’t Miss!  Sharon Morrison’s book, Even the Eyebrows?, is a jargon-free, practical guide for everyone who’s been diagnosed with cancer. It takes you all the way from the first heartbeat-pumping-in-ears realization that you might just possibly have a lump in your breast, to the first fantastic cup of tea when your taste buds finally return. It is available on Amazon.com, and more information, including the author’s blog, is at www.eventheeyebrows.com.

Eat Yourself Healthy: A Greek Victory

Turns out the Greeks have it going on...nutritionally, that is.

Studies have found that following a Greek diet is best for both your heart and brain.  Researchers in Spain followed two groups of people for six and a half years: those who stuck to a Mediterranean diet and those who stuck to a low-fat diet.  They studied the effects it had on both their brains and heart and found that those on the Mediterranean diet exhibited a decrease in inflammation that can lead to both vascular (circulatory) damage as well as various cognitive impairments including free radical damage.

The Mediterranean diet is high in a variety of anti-inflammatory foods including olive oil, whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, fish and red wine.

Lesson learned: low-fat diets don't do much more than, well, lower our fat intake.  We want good health and our red wine, too!

Superfoods to the Rescue!

Many of us have heard the term "superfoods" thrown around with wild abandon.  But, what are these mythical superfoods and what makes them so...super?

Superfoods not only help with weight control and overall health, but they are also easy to find and simple to incorporate into your daily diet.  Because, really, how super are foods that claim such magical things as weight loss and great health but require a detective, a GPS and a downpayment to actually get them into your kitchen?

Here are 10 superfoods that are sure to satisfy not just your body but also your pocketbook and gas tank.

1. Low Fat Plain Yogurt

2. Eggs

3. Nuts

4. Kiwis

5. Quinoa

6. Beans

7. Salmon

8. Broccoli

9. Sweet Potatoes

10. Berries

5 Surprising Steps to Better Sleep

A good night's sleep is well worth its weight in gold.  However, our busy lives seem to overflow into our nights so that a good night's sleep feels more like an anomaly, a little pleasant surprise, rather than the norm.  Sometimes we think back to our high school days when anything less than 9 hours of sleep was debilitating and now 9 straight hours of sleep seems physically impossible.

So, we thought we'd do a little research on debunking sleep myths and confirming the facts about what can help to facilitate a great night's sleep.  Here are the 5 most surprising ones we found:

1. The Nightcap: Many believe that a drink before bed helps them sleep better.  False!  While alcohol can, in fact, help you fall asleep, it actually leads to disruptive, restless sleep due to its digestive process within your body.

2. Exercise Leads to Better Sleep...But Watch the Clock: Yes, regular exercise does lead to better sleep.  The only caveat is that, because exercise causes the body to remain in a more alert state, it's best to finish your workout 3-4 hours before you plan on hitting the sack.

3. Reduce Your Screen Time: While watching TV or reading on the computer might seem relaxing, it's actually reducing your melatonin levels which can lead to a harder time falling asleep.

4. Napping May Lead to Insomnia: In theory, a nap can be just what your body ordered.  And, when done right, this is true.  For many people, a short 10-15 nap in the early afternoon re-energizes them for the remainder of the day without consequence.  However, for some, an afternoon nap can actually decrease your body's sleep drive at night which can lead to poor sleep.  So, consider holding out on that nap if you're finding that it's affecting your nighttime sleep.

5. Get Out of Bed: Surprisingly, it's suggested that after 30 minutes of awake time during the night, it's best to go ahead and get out of bed.  Studies show that getting up and doing a few things (none of which are stimulating, of course) can lead to a quicker sleep turn around.  Simply reading or listening to relaxing music are some suggestions.  By staying in bed and tossing and turning, you're more likely to have more trouble falling back asleep than if you had simply gotten up in the first place.