Monday's health links

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We spent a lovely few hours yesterday playing outdoor laser tag in celebration of my nephew's 8th birthday. Happy Birthday, Finn! We also got to spend some quality time with his grandpa, Bob. It was a wonderful day.

On with the links:

1. Please do not use this as an excuse to increase your alcohol consumption, but a new study says that the grape seeds and skins used in making red wine may help it play a role as a tool for preventing breast cancer. White wine, which lacks the skins, does not provide this benefit. A big deal is being made out of this since recent wisdom held that even moderate alcohol consumption was a breast cancer risk factor. The smart money continues to be on cutting back on alcohol, but if you want to indulge occasionally, red wine is an option you can feel better about. Me, I'll continue to feel good about adding grape seed extract to my supplement pile. Toronto Star.
2. DES and the role it may play in breast cancer. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen prescribed to millions of women to help prevent miscarriages and other pregnancy complications. Turns out, the daughters of women who took it seem to have higher rates of breast cancer.
3. An Ontario lawsuit against seven tobacco companies could reduce smoking rates and improve the health of the province's residents. And perhaps it will be the start of real change elsewhere in Canada and the world. CTV.
4. Study on ADHD and diet suggests healthy eating may help kids reduce their symptoms. You have got to be kidding me - why don't we just come up with a pill? CBS.
5. Interesting pieces on the current state of health care in Canada and the US. Just one more reason to shift some of our attention to prevention; treating illness is expensive for all of us.
6. And finally, to continue with the healthy-eating month of tips from last week, days 5 and 6 are eat more veggies and use a smaller plate. I am sorry if I am boring anyone with these tips - but clearly there are still some people out there who haven't got the message. Including, um, me. :-) I love the look of a huge white plate with mounds of beautiful yummies plopped here and there about it. Turns out, that's wreaking a bit of havoc with my portion control meter. Lately, I've been using smaller plates and even bowls to help cut back on quantities. Only problem, turns out you can get a surprising amount of pie into a very small bowl.  Globe and Mail.

New recipes up on my other blog

A few easy, yummy recipes to help you make the shift back to eating like a rational human being. Put down that shortbread (though it was yummy, Judy) and haul out the juicer.

Health links to ring in a new year

Welcome to 2012!  I raise my tea to toast you and yours. May your new year be full of sleep, exercise and leafy green vegetables. ;-)

Now for the links...

1. Still waiting for the cure. In this month's Fortune magazine, Clifton Leaf has written on "Why We're Losing the War on Cancer." He says that actual death rates have not changed much in decades for cancers like lung, pancreatic and liver. "If we keep looking at the number of people getting this disease and dying of it, we will see that those numbers keep going up." What? Dr. Ben Neel, director of the Ontario Cancer Institute at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital, points to the complicated nature of cancer as a disease. But there is hope for cancer-free future. He predicts that there will be continued progressing developing treatments for subsets of the disease, like has been done for HER2-positive breast cancer, rather than a single magic bullet. Both men agree that, while we wait, there are things we can do to fight our own wars on this disease - prevention, he says, can cut cancer rates in half. CBC.
2. The American Cancer Society does have good news, however. They point to steep declines in fatal cases of both lung and breast cancers as a reason to feel positive about our progress. They do acknowledge, however, that other nasty cancers have been on the rise,  including those of the throat mouth, pancreas, liver, thyroid and kidney, and melanoma. AFP.
3. The Canadian Cancer Society published its list of the top ten cancer breakthroughs of 2011.  Among them, the clinical trial of Aromasin that suggests it cuts the risk of breast cancer by 65% in high-risk women, the trial that suggests radiation in early-stage breast cancer can significantly improve the chances of survival and decrease the risk of recurrence, and the development of nanoparticles that may be used to target and destroy tumours by converting light produced by lasers into energy to kill cancer cells. CBC.
4. OK - so now you know you need to eat better and get more exercise as part of your war on cancer. How about some help? Here's a month of tips on eating better and losing weight. Day 1: Keep a food diary for the first week. Day 2: Drink a large glass of water before every meal. Day 3: Increase your fibre intake at breakfast. Today: Eat more slowly.  OK - not the most groundbreaking info, but how well are you doing on your own? :-)  The Globe and Mail.
5. Get a new iPad or other tablet for Christmas? CBC has summarized the top ten most commonly recommended apps amongst a group of health experts. CBC.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and loving greetings of the season

To my many blogger friends and readers, I hope the coming year is filled with joy, laughter and adventure, and that you enjoy the prosperity of finding the riches in life.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

I promise to be more prolific in the coming weeks. I have enjoyed spending some quiet moments with my boys but am missing participating in the debate. Looking forward to reading more of what my wonderful sisters and brothers are learning, saying and doing.

Big cyber hugs.
Cyn 

Monday's health links

I've been quiet for a while - sorry about that! Some weeks I just get so tired of thinking about cancer. But, here we go, back at it!

1. This morning, an interesting conversation about breast cancer on the Today Show was ended quickly so they could make time for the really important news...the addition of two new cast members to Beverly Hills Housewives. People suck. Anyway, before this ridiculousness, Dr. Susan Love beats the prevention drum some more. Something we all need to hear in this month of "awareness." NBC.
2. Speaking of Dr. Love, if you have a moment, the website for the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation is worth a look. It's a great place to read current breast cancer news stories and hear about the latest research findings. For example, this recent article consolidates current knowledge about the value of bone building drugs as part of adjuvant therapy. After two rounds of Zometa, I asked my oncologist if he had been following research that said it didn't make much of a difference. He concurred and I stopped. Well, this article reinforces that there is a very small survival gain, especially when given to premenopausal women. Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.
3. Got time for another? Almost every breast cancer patient I know has questions about soy. This article does a great job of summarizing current knowledge. The takeaway? We should feel safe about eating whole soy foods, like cooked soybeans, edamame, tofu, miso and soy milk. A 2009 study found that after 4 years, the higher a woman's soy protein or isoflavone intake, the lower her risk was of having a recurrence or dying. This applied across the board, for both ER+ and ER-, and pre and postmenopausal women, as well as for women on tamoxifen. Isn't soy a phytoestrogen? Doesn't it make life harder for my tamoxifen? "The soy story also shows us why we can't over simplify the science. Soy is not a phytoestrogen but rather a "phytoSERM," more like tamoxifen than estrogen. It also reinforces that we cannot automatically extrapolate from studies on cells and rats to women. We need to do studies on women so that we know what happens in women's bodies." This is a great website.
4.  The economic fallout of cancer, here for women in the UK. WebMD.
5. The breast cancer story as told by both a nurse and a pathologist struck by the disease. CNN.
6. Drs. Oz and Roizen summarizing the main things we know about breast cancer prevention. Put down that merlot and pick up your sneakers. The Star.
7. Carving up some Jack-o'-lanterns this month? Save and roast those pumpkin seeds because they are really good for you! Just remember to limit yourself - they pack fat. Empowher.
8. BPA consumed in pregnancy is linked to behavioural problems in daughters. MSNBC.
9. Today is the first ever Food Day. Dr. David Katz wants us to make every day Food Day. Huffington Post.

Have a great day!

Monday's...um Tuesday's health links

Sorry - I've got kids home sick this week...clearly somebody didn't read last week's post about washing their hands.

1. Breast cancer death rates declining more slowly for lower income women. Bloomberg.
2. It wasn't until I learned that the guy whose life inspired 50/50 lived that I decided I'd be able to see this film. Wimp! Calgary Herald.
3. It's a bird...it's a plane...no...it's SUPER BROCCOLI! British scientists have developed a version of the much-maligned veg that contains three-times the normal levels of glucoraphanin, a compound thought to protect the body against heart disease and some types of cancer. Look for it first at Marks and Spencers in the UK (no joke) before it is rolled out to other grocery stores. No word on when it may hop the pond. Fodors.
4. A Quebec cancer coalition calls for changes in the way many chemotherapy drugs are funded, saying the province's treatment of the disease is second-rate. CTV.
5. Another reminder on ways to reduce your risk of getting breast cancer. Vancouver Province.
6. A good, succinct article about sex after cancer. Livewell Nebraska.
7. The challenges of facing breast cancer as a young woman. USA Today.
8. While the US federal government recommends eating more fruits and vegetables through their MyPlate nutritional guidelines, it continues to focus most food production subsidies on meat. From this article, "By one estimate, if Americans followed the new USDA diet guidelines, an additional 13 million acres of fruit and vegetable crops would have to be planted each year to provide the food."  Are we on the cusp of big change for food production and consumption norms? Washington Post.
9. Finally, it's day 4 of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I am already sick to death of the "cute" side of this ridiculous disease.  For example, apparently hot men want me to touch my boobs this month. Seriously - there's an app for that. In my world - breast cancer has been a terrifying, body scarring, life changing, bloated f'ing BASTARD. There isn't a bloody thing about it that is sweet. But every October, the bachelorette-party-game themes persist - boobies, titties, lingerie and cupcakes. Women aren't idiots. Stop treating us like we learn better when the message is wrapped in cotton candy.

Up now on my recipe blog - fighting cancer with plums

We are right at the end of their season. Get some quick and then check out my recipes.