“People are like peonies, they need a good hard frost to bring out the character.” ~Francis “Doc” Winter “Doc” Winter was a Midwesterner. Born in Iowa in 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression, he grew up on a small farm. He knew about hard frosts. Struggle, pain and suffering are part of life. Joy, love and...
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Both lifestyle (the amount of sleep you get at night, amount of exercise, your levels of stress and the foods you consume) as well as genetics play a role in the development of Type 2 diabetes. People can be overweight and yet never develop Type 2 diabetes or they can be be thin and develop Type 2. A genetic predisposition is part of the equation. But...
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“I think all too often we underestimate the impact of a cancer diagnosis on the mental health and well-being of the individual, thus it goes unaddressed.” ~Stephanie Zimmerman, MSN Receiving a diagnosis of cancer can bring on feelings of worry, fear, dread, anger, uncertainty and loss. Research indicates that, for some people, these symptoms of...
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These new goals are based on a significant number of research studies but especially the SPRINT study. This was a large investigation with more than 9000 patients over the age of 50 whose blood pressure measured higher than 130 mm Hg. Participants also had at least one of these risk facts: 1) “Presence of clinical or subclinical cardiovascular...
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Because of its lowly role in the human body, we think about our bladders only when something is going wrong or when we have to go really, really badly. So, November has been set aside as Bladder Health Awareness month. Here is a short review of bladder anatomy and function as well as common problems that can happen. Your bladder is connected to your...
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My family has a recipe for a creamy soup that makes a delicious appetizer on Thanksgiving Day. This soup can also be served as a full course when you find yourself yearning for a warm, cozy soup on a chilly autumn day. What’s more, it’s diabetes- and celiac-friendly! Squash and Carrot Diabetes-Friendly Soup Here’s what you need: 3...
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In July 2017, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conducted the National Cancer Opinion Survey to find out what people in the US know about cancer. ASCO released the results in October. The findings have already influenced recommendations made by the organization. Beliefs About Cancer Risk Among other questions, the survey asked 4,016...
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In It’s All In Your Gut, A High Fiber Diet and the Immune System, we introduced the microbiome that lives in our body. It helps with our digestion and makes the short-chained fatty acids (SCFAs) that are important to our immune system. Now several recent studies are looking at bacteria in the bodies of people with cancer. Specifically, these...
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November 2, 2017 Beth Caldwell died. *** “Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer, I have had one goal: to live long enough to see The Girl start kindergarten. She was 2 and a half when I got diagnosed back in March of 2014, and starting kindergarten in 2017 would fall past median survival for me. Thinking about her having to start school without...
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“For me, having lost my husband, it’s frustrating to hear publicly people saying to John McCain, ‘If anybody can beat this you can — you’re so tough.’ Not that it’s intentionally hurtful, but it does leave those of us who’ve lost a loved one thinking, ‘Was my loved one not tough enough? Did he not fight hard enough?'” ~Dannagal...
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A-B-C – the beginning of the alphabet, a song by the Jackson 5 or the acronym that anyone who took CPR (coronary pulmonary resuscitation) before 2010 learned means Airway, Breathing, Chest Compression. I just learned that this CPR acronym is out-of-date. Before 2010 I learned Airways – Tilt the victim’s head and lift his chin to open the...
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“I’m barely 27 and if it were not for immunotherapy and cancer research, I would not have seen 25.” So starts Stefanie Joho speech at a 2017 Congressional Hearing called “Progress in Immunotherapy: Delivering Hope and Clinical Benefit to Cancer Patients.” When Stefanie was 22, she was diagnosed with a very aggressive Stage II...
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