Happy anniversary! Celebrating a decade of thriving with cancer.
February 11, 2013
Ten years ago, this week, I was given exactly ten years to live. Stage IV cancer, no cure, no treatment, no options. Thankfully my expiration date was inaccurate. Like many people diagnosed with cancer, my life drastically changed that day. A decade later I can honestly say that cancer changed my life for the brighter and better. In this blog I’ve reflected on ten tips that helped me and can help you too (whether you’ve… Read More >
Forget Willpower: Seven Steps to a Healthy-Eating Mindset Even If You Love Chocolate
August 29, 2012
By Guest Blogger
I was always pretty good about eating healthy, or at least I thought I was until I heard the three most dreaded words: “You have cancer.” Even though I am considered an expert in emotional eating and the psychology of weight loss, and have helped thousands of people with emotional eating, I now had to revamp my own entire diet. Ironically, two surgeries and 33 radiation treatments later, people who didn’t know that I had… Read More >
Tai Chi and Qigong Can Bolster Cancer Survivorship
July 13, 2012
By Dr. Keith Block
Though many forms of exercise seem fairly mechanical in their execution, some are more grounded in the realm of awareness and mindfulness. The latter include Tai Chi and Qigong (pronounced Chee-Gung), both of which are more generally referred to as meditation in motion. This is because, although each type of exercise does involve some form of movement or body positioning, its practice also entails a focus on relaxed breathing and the cultivation of a clear,… Read More >
Take Care of Your Skin
June 26, 2012
By Guest Blogger
This is a true story with three very important lessons. If you can take anything helpful from what I am about to share with you, then I have done my job. This is a story about a young man, but let me be very clear whether you are male or female this story relates to you. I know this guy. He is 23 years old. He is handsome, sweet and extremely smart. He works for… Read More >
Cancer World
June 13, 2012
By Guest Blogger
An unexpected benefit of holding your baby while she dies is the wisdom that comes from tragedy and deep, deep suffering. Some years ago, I discussed this with my friend and spiritual mentor, Marge. At the time, I was pregnant with my third son, and Marge was living with terminal cancer. We had been friends for some years, since about the time my newborn daughter Grace died. Marge and I would spend time together while… Read More >
From Meat to Millet: How an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Changed My Life
June 5, 2012
By Guest Blogger
When you’re diagnosed with a disease like cancer, you quickly become an expert on things you never thought you’d want or need to know, like how many doctor appointments you could cram into one day. You’ll experience a new form of tired you’ve never thought possible; you’ll understand defeat and isolation; and you’ll also develop possibly the strongest connection between you and your body that you will ever have. It’s a connection I never truly… Read More >
Three Ways to Celebrate Being Cancer-Free
May 31, 2012
By Guest Blogger
The day my sister, Jo, learned she had breast cancer was the scariest day of her life – and mine. Jo is more than just my sister; she is my best friend and confidant and has been by my side through thick and thin. The thought of losing her was impossible to comprehend. After months of intensive treatment and a mastectomy, she learned her cancer was in remission. When her doctor revealed the results of… Read More >
The State-of-Grace: Where Unlimited Possibilities Await
May 24, 2012
By Guest Blogger
I love being in that state–of-grace place where synchronicity occurs, coincidences happen, just the right people, books, and events present themselves, and things work out better than I can imagine. It’s the magical realm of unlimited possibilities — I also call it the Miracle-Prone Zone. I’ve experienced this place throughout my life and it has thrilled me and filled me with a knowing that there is so much more to life than meets the eye.… Read More >
Top 10 Tips (I Wish I Had Known) for Evaluating Integrative and Holistic Health Care Providers
March 21, 2012
By Guest Blogger
When I began my journey with a brain tumor at the age of 24, I knew nothing about cancer or how to choose quality integrative and holistic health care providers. After two awake brain surgeries in 1998 and 2011, four major integrative cancer care protocols and countless other therapies and providers, my experiences have taught me ways to navigate and make better choices. Some episodes and chapters have not been easy, yet I see challenges… Read More >
4 Tips to Manage Your Hair Loss During Chemotherapy
January 18, 2012
By Guest Blogger
There is no question that the skin-related side effects from cancer treatment can be some of the most traumatic – both physically and emotionally. One of the most common of these is hair loss, which is so intimately associated with cancer treatment that it has become an expected side effect. Perhaps because it is so common, the emotional impact is often overlooked by physicians. The emotional impact can be enormous though – patients rank hair… Read More >
Cancer Full Moon: Open Your Heart
January 9, 2012
By The AstroTwins
January 9, 2012—The first full moon of 2012 is here, and it’s in sensitive, heart-centered Cancer. Since this zodiac sign is naturally ruled by the moon, it’s a super-powered date that will bring out our highest, most intuitive selves—along with a whole range of emotions. Consider this a holiday hangover of all the fuzzy family vibes, and catch up with your clan if you didn’t get enough bonding time in last month. Open your heart… Read More >
Talking To Kids About Cancer
January 5, 2012
By Guest Blogger
Six weeks ago, totally out of the blue, I was diagnosed with incurable metastatic bone disease. My spine and pelvis were apparently riddled with tumors that were the cause of my recent backache. At 38 and as the active mother of two very young children, I had put it down to a pulled muscle from making up the top bunk bed. I’m an elementary school teacher, too, so I have loads of opportunities to pull… Read More >
10 Things I Learned from People Who Survive Cancer
December 28, 2011
By Lissa Rankin MD
When I interviewed women who had survived breast cancer for my art project The Woman Inside, I noticed that they all had one remarkable thing in common. They had all faced down death and decided to live every day like it might be their last. And then they all beat cancer. The more interviews I did, the more I noticed that these women were living differently than most of the people I knew who had… Read More >
My Annual Cancer Scan Results & Baby Update
December 19, 2011
Last week I finally hauled my assets to the hospital for my annual cancer CT scan. I was a bit late this year—like by six months! But I needed to push the limit. To stretch and spread my wings further. If all went well, perhaps my oncologist would give me more time between check-ups. A girl can dream. Plus, it’s been nine years! If I’m going to continue to live well with cancer (fingers crossed,… Read More >
What to Say to a Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patient
November 9, 2011
By Guest Blogger
Today I got the news that someone I love has cancer. I’m not going to call for a few days because I remember the initial hit of the diagnosis. It is a panic that doesn’t show any signs of subsiding. I remember trying to wash windows several hours after I heard the news and getting mad at the people who told me to stop. I was looking for a brief escape from the words, “You… Read More >
November is National Prevention Month (Because I Said So!)
November 1, 2011
Health Ambassadors, Last week I decided to totally hijack the entire prevention movement and throw all chronic disease, shit pickles, emotional BS and dis-ease into one month of self-care awareness. We’re calling November “National Prevention Month” – for everything! In 1971 – the year I was born – President Nixon and Congress declared war on cancer. So what’s happened in the 40 years since? Not much. Today, the United States has the seventh highest cancer… Read More >
What’s in that Pink Ribbon Product?
October 19, 2011
By Stacy Malkan
It’s that time of year again, when we can’t walk five steps without finding some new opportunity to spend money for breast cancer. We can “Kiss for the Cause” with Revlon lipstick, dust our cheeks with Estee Lauder’s Pink Ribbon Shimmer Compact, or hydrate our feet with Foot Works for the “Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.” Before I rush out for a pink-ribbon makeover, I have some questions for these companies: How much money are they… Read More >
Benefits of Yoga and Mindfulness for People with Cancer
September 30, 2011
By Dr. Keith Block
Many people facing a diagnosis of cancer are looking for ways to release stress and tension. Yoga and mindfulness training that is, practices intended to cultivate present-moment awareness and relaxation are two of the best-studied options in this regard. But can such practices really help people with cancer?To answer this question, in this blog, I examine some of the most recent research findings concerning the potential benefits of yoga and mindfulness after a cancer diagnosis.… Read More >
Cancer Care in China vs. North America
March 23, 2011
By Guest Blogger
by Erin Moran In the spring of 2010, I traveled to China to complete my residency for Bastyr University’s doctoral program in Chinese medicine. Our team studied and worked in Chengdu and Shanghai, specifically in the oncology departments of two local hospitals. I noticed three startling differences between cancer care in China and the United States and Canada. The first is how diagnoses may be kept from the patient in China, the second is that… Read More >
12 Steps to Create an Integrative Cancer Care Plan
February 15, 2011
By Guest Blogger
Identifying quality providers is essential to optimally supporting health and healing through cancer. The full spectrum of comprehensive whole-person cancer care will not come from one professional, but instead through a team. Integrative cancer care is a dynamic medical practice. Providers have different concepts about what that means. You will find a lot of variability in the services integrative providers offer to cancer patients. Feel empowered to thoroughly research providers to make informed decisions. Know… Read More >
