Each year, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we publish a favorite fact per day in October about breasts! Here is our most recent list: The average woman in the U.S. wears a size 40 D bra; this equates to about 1.5 pound per breast. In most women, the left breast is usually slightly larger than the right. Very few women have...
I recently appeared as a guest on the weekly SiriusXM radio talk show THE MOMS to discuss with host Denise Albert her upcoming radiation treatment. Denise has breast cancer, and chose to have a lumpectomy with chemotherapy and radiation instead of a mastectomy. Long-term studies have shown that her type and stage of cancer can be successfully treated with either lumpectomy...
Many people don't know what to do when their spouse or significant other receives a cancer diagnosis. What should they say? How should they act? How can they be supportive, compassionate, helpful and strong? There is no one-size-fits all formula, so we thought we’d share a few tips from the Best Friends for Life community. First, stay true to your...
Recent discoveries indicate there may be many more BRCA gene mutations than previously thought, and this may affect how we test for inherited breast cancer in the future. A public-private partnership, called BRCA Share™, announced in June that it has found a number of new and previously unrecognized variants of the BRCA gene. According to the organization’s press release, there...
Researchers in Vienna, Austria and the University of Maryland who are working together on an international collaboration have found what appears to be a new route to preventing breast cancer. Their work shows that by blocking a genetic pathway to bone repair, a new drug may also prevent inherited breast cancer caused by the BRCA gene. For several years, clinicians...
We’ve all heard the old saying “you are what you eat.” In recent years however, it’s become increasingly evident that when is just as important as what, or how much, you consume. I recently attended a lecture on sports nutrition that focused on the timing of calorie intake during endurance races. Athletic performance, it seems, can be impacted by when...
You just had breast cancer surgery, and your doctor wants you to follow it up with chemo. But your son’s wedding is in six weeks. What should you do? In a previous blog, we wrote that prolonging the Time to Surgery (TTS) from diagnosis reduces the overall survival for women with breast cancer. How long after surgery you should...
When diagnosed with breast cancer, many women describe feeling pressure to “get the cancer out, FAST! ” Others, however, seem slightly annoyed (because of the excellent prognosis for early stage disease) with their diagnosis and would rather not change their plans. They’ll ask, “Can I still go on my cruise?” so that they can enjoy some time before treatment starts....
The flu season is upon us, and we all cringe at the potential disruption it can bring to our busy lives. While there is no way to completely guard against the flu, there are things you can do to minimize the risk: What is influenza (also called the ‘flu’)? The flu is caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat...
It used to be unusual to see a man or woman with a tattoo, but not anymore. In fact, $1.6 billion is spent in the U.S. each year on tattoos, and 45 million Americans have them. Of that amount, a whopping 40 percent are adults age 26-40. Back in July, we posted a blog on how tattoo ink can be...
In Spanish, the word flake is a term of endearment for a thin person. When I was a teenager, my friend’s Colombian father used to call me “flakita”. But the word Flakka is anything but that. It’s the street name for a new designer drug that is highly addictive and extremely dangerous. Flakka is a synthetic, amphetamine-like concoction containing alpha-PVP,...
There’s nothing pleasant about sweating through your blouse during an elegant dinner party or having to get up in the middle of the night to change pajamas, but that’s precisely the sort of discomfort faced by many menopausal women. These symptoms occur due to a reduction in two substances made by a woman’s ovaries (namely, estradiol and progesterone). Historically, symptoms...
As the new school year approaches and we’re bombarded with back-to-school sales and advertisements for everything from backpacks to paper clips, it’s time to focus on what you and your family members are going to be eating throughout their busy days at school and work. While convenience and portability are key components in the school lunch world, it’s crucial not...
Read our article on The Huffington Post about how tattoo ink can be mistaken for cancer cells.
As we soldier through winter days and frigid temperatures, those of us with breast implants know only too well that keeping toasty is no small task. And, if you participate in sports or exercise throughout the season, the challenge can be even greater. The solution is not as simple as just adding layer upon layer, as this can be very...
Over the past couple of years there have been some significant developments in the area of breast cancer screening. One of the new terms we hear quite frequently is “3D Mammography.” Many women are wondering what it is, and whether or not it’s better than its two-dimensional predecessor. The researchers who pioneered 3D mammography, also known as tomosynthesis, or tomo,...
When 31-year-old LA Dodgers pitcher Tommy John developed a sore arm in 1973, his pitching career appeared to be over. His UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) had become stretched, frayed, and torn due to the extreme repetitive stress of the pitching motion - pretty much a death knell for a big league pitcher’s career. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers team physician, had...
A clinical trial is a research study that evaluates a new treatment. In many cases, the new treatment has already shown the potential of being an improvement over the current standard treatment. In these cases, clinical trials are testing to see how much better the new treatment works compared to the old one. Clinical trials help doctors and pharmaceutical companies...
Patients often ask me what they can expect when a treatment plan is presented to them. It can be so overwhelming that they forget to ask the "little" questions that end up keep them awake at night. A good night's sleep is often key to helping us deal with a difficult situation with a fresh perspective, clear head, and feeling...
Here are some practical skin care tips for optimal healing and comfort while undergoing radiation treatment: Take a warm, tepid shower, rather than a HOT shower before going for treatment, and skip any lotions or preparations until after treatment. Avoid long baths or soaking, because your skin is too fragile and sensitive. If you need to bathe, however, skip the bubbles—suds...
They’re members of your family, and you wouldn’t dream of giving them up, nor could you imagine going through a difficult time without their company. But should you keep your pets at home with you while you are undergoing cancer treatment? The short answer is: Absolutely! Animals can be a great source of comfort and companionship during medical treatment and...