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Supporting a Partner with Cancer

In Blog, Dealing With Cancer, News
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...
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New BRCA Mutations Discovery

In Blog, Breast Cancer, News
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...
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Bone Genes and Breast Cancer

In Blog, News
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...
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The Fast-ing Track to Good Health

In Blog, News
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...
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How Soon To Start Chemo

In Blog, News
  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...
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Does Time to Surgery Matter?

In Blog, Breast Cancer, Dealing With Cancer, News
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....
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The Flu: What You Need to Know

In Blog, Healthy Living, News
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...
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Spotlight On: Flakka, the New Designer Drug

In Blog, Healthy Living, News
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,...
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Hormone Therapy: “Bioidenticals” Can Be Risky

In Blog, Healthy Living, News
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...
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Dr. E’s DOs and DON’Ts: Bag Lunches

In Blog, DOs and DON'Ts, Healthy Living, News
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...
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3D Mammography Allows Earlier Detection of Smaller Breast Tumors

In Blog, Breast Cancer, News
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,...
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Breast Cancer and Baseball

In Blog, Breast Cancer, Dealing With Cancer, News
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...
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Clinical Trials: What You Should Know

In Blog, Breast Cancer, News
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...
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Preparing for Chemotherapy

In Blog, Breast Cancer, Dealing With Cancer, News
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...
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Skin Care Tips for Radiation Patients

In Blog, Breast Cancer, Dealing With Cancer, News
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...
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Can I Keep My Pets During Cancer Treatment?

In Blog, Breast Cancer, Dealing With Cancer, News
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...
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