Are you PASSIONATELY PINK?

Are you passionately pink to find a cure for breast cancer? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Far too many women are affected with this disease. I found out this week that a good friend of mine has been diagnosed and will have surgery, then chemo therapy and radiation. If we don't take care of our physical health, no one will. Please remember to do your monthly self-breast exams and have annual checks by a physician. Mammograms are recommended for women over 40 unless you find a suspicious lump or have a family history of breast cancer. Below is a bit more information about the incidence of breast cancer in our country. Breast cancer affects us all. Women who have breast cancer are our mothers, our sisters, our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors, our teachers. I believe we can find a cure for this disease...if we are PASSIONATELY PINK for a cure.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is a little less than 1 in 8 (12%).

The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2009:

• about 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women
• about 62,280 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• about 40,170 women will die from breast cancer

After increasing for more than 2 decades, female breast cancer incidence rates decreased by about 2% per year from 1999 to 2006. This decrease may be due at least in part to less use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after the results of the Women's Health Initiative were published in 2002. This study linked HRT use to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart diseases.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman's death is about 1 in 35 (about 3%). Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.

At this time there are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. (This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.)

Give Yourself a Break Today

I heard on the radio this morning:

Cleaning your house before your kids leave is like shoveling the driveway and sidewalks before it snows.

Ask yourself: Do I REALLY need to do this today? Chances are, probably not. So give yourself a break today and let things go. You'll be glad you did!

P.S. The snow reference is meant to cool you off during these dog days of summer!

Greet the Day

We've all read about relaxing sleep rituals, but why not develop a waking ritual? Practice waking up with a relaxed attitude. Allow yourself to wake up slowly and take a few moments to notice your surroundings. How you wake up influences the remainder of your day. Make it a more positive one today.

Eerily Accurate Fortunes from Fortune Cookies

• Your husband will ask the same question repeatedly, regardless of your answer. :)
• You will spend five minutes looking for your keys, only to realize that, yes, they were in your handbag after all. :)
• You will receive an e-mail that includes an emoticon. ;)
• You will have good intentions about going to the gym this week but instead get sucked into So You Think You Can Dance. :)
• You will lose cell-phone reception, only to find it again. :)
• You will fall asleep during any movie you start watching after 10 p.m. :)

Happy Women Live Longer

Optimistic women are 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease, according to a new Women’s Health Initiative study, so thinking positively is even more crucial as you get older.

How do you make that a habit?

Study author Hilary A. Tindle, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, recommends making time for simple pleasures like watching movies and planning vacations.

Another approach: Learn how to become more hopeful by meditating, exercising, building closer friendships, and—if you need it—getting therapy, says Anthony Scioli, PhD, a professor of psychology at Keene (New Hampshire) State College and co-author of the new book Hope in the Age of Anxiety ($29.95; Oxford University Press).

From Health magazine

What Energizes You?

Universal fixes help, but managing your energy levels can also be a very personal process.
Here's what some whole-living luminaries do to recharge:

"To paraphrase Thoreau, my tonic is the wilderness. When I am low on energy, I go to nature, and it restores me every time. Whether I'm sitting next to a lake or canoeing in it, just being in a place where plants thrive feeds my energy."--Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist, teacher, and founder of United Plant Savers

"Doing deep yogic breathing, Sun Salutations to fun and upbeat rock music, and inverted poses like handstands get me going. Plus, I conserve my energy and redeploy it into the priorities of what must be done, cutting out all extraneous activities, like internal dialogue (negative and overwhelming banter), anger, frustration, and fears."--Ana Forrest, yoga pioneer and creator of Forrest Yoga

"My dogs walk me twice a day, and they're the best energizer I know. There's nothing like getting out in nature with two joyous beasts who don't have to think twice about the meaning of unconditional love, both for me and the trail, however well beaten a track it is."--Kenny Ausubel, founder of the Bioneers Conference and co-executive director of the Collective Heritage Institute

"A frothy cup of green matcha tea and some breathing exercises help get me energized, as does an invigorating swim in my pool. Plus, looking forward to something with excitement always motivates me."--Andrew Weil, M.D., author of "Healthy Aging" and editor of Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing Newsletter

"I love my work and get pulled in by endless to-do's, often chugging along until I'm exhausted and 'too-done.' While exercise, yoga, and meditation help keep my energy high, so do regular breaks from the usual routine. I keep my knitting bag, beading box (I love to make malas and prayer bracelets as gifts), and a fast-paced mystery novel handy for 10- to 15-minute breaks three or four times a day. Letting go of responsibility to bask in creativity, or to drop into a fictional world very different from my own, keeps the juices flowing."--Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., psychologist and best-selling author of 12 books, including "Saying Yes to Change"

body+soul : First Published: September 2006

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