OrganizedWisdom Health Blog

Cancer Wisdom from "The Hodgkin’s Army"

I came across a great site for those who are looking for real Hodgkins Disease stories from real people who have gone through treatment and are blogging about their experiences.

Brian (the guys wearing the "Cancer is My Bitch" shirt, at left) is the organizer of what he calls "The Hodgkin's Army", an army of 33 survivors, who have met Brian's requirements listed on his site:

• The author of the site is either fighting The Hodge or has already won the battle. While we honor and respect those who have passed because of this disease, this is a list meant to show the newbies that they can get through to the other side. Also, I realize there are loads of other cancers out there, but hey - I have Hodgkin’s so I’m partial to it. Eventually I might make new lists for other cancers. For now, it’s just us Hodgies.

• The author has written about their experience somewhere on their website in a place that new people can find relatively easily. It’s great if you’ve beaten Hodgkin’s Disease, but if you don’t write about it or don’t have an easy way to get to what you’ve written about your experiences, it’s not going to do our new guys a lot of good.

• Recent updates are important. Even though the last post says you’re doing great, the last post is in 2003. That could mean you’ve either moved on with your life or something bad has happened. A small, updated “I’m still kicking” post would be great to keep us at ease.Take a look at the list below - what they're doing is amazing.

Check out Brian's blog at : http://www.cancerismybitch.com/archives/category/cancer/

Also, check out the other bloggers from "The Hodgkin’s Army"

• Ally V.
• Amy
• Andy M.
• Anji
• Anne-Marie D.
• Bill B.
• Cliff L.
• Dani M.
• Dave K.
• David H.
• Duane B.
• Dusti
• Heather
• Jason B.
• Jo Ann R.
• Julie
• Julie H.
• Kate
• Ken
• Kevin
• Kim B.
• Laura M.
• Lisa
• Maureen M.
• Mike C.
• Mike L.
• Natalia W.
• Owen
• Ruby
• Sarah
• Sean
• Shannon C.
• Tianna S.

Healthier Home Wisdom from Laura Dern & Amy Brenneman

The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC), a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about environmental toxins that can affect children’s health, along with the support of celebrity moms Laura Dern and Amy Brenneman, will kick off the Blue Butterfly Campaign this May, with the shared goal of encouraging millions of people to join the fight for a healthier world for children.

Check out press release for "The Blue Butterfly Campaign Takes Flight"

In it, they talk about The Five Easy Steps to a Healthier Home:

1. Avoid use of pesticides and insecticides
2. Use non-toxic or natural household cleaners and products
3. Clean up indoor air
4. Eat more organic food
5. Use plastic products wisely

Health news alert: Do not use ReNu with MoistureLoc

Bausch & Lomb has asked stores to pull ReNu from shelves amid concern the contact lens solution may be linked to a fungal eye infection that can cause blindness.

The company also began placing advertisements in newspapers Friday suggesting consumers use another lens care solution for the time being. The ads feature a letter from Chairman and Chief Executive Ron Zarrella.

"We find ourselves in a position where the safety of one of our products, Renu with MoistureLoc manufactured at our United States plant, is in question," the letter said.

Visit the Bausch & Lomb Web site for complete updates: http://www.bausch.com

Osteoporosis Wisdom from Cheryl Ladd: Learn to Ask Your Doctors the Right Questions

Actress Cheryl Ladd discovered she had osteoporosis, although her health had deteriated without any noticable symptoms. In the new book, "The Savvy Woman Patient: How and Why Sex Differences Affect Your Health", Ladd and several other celebrities discuss their health.

“Imagine my surprise,” Ladd said, “when the results came in that I had already experienced early menopausal bone loss in my left hip.” Ladd thought her physically fit,
active lifestyle protected her from osteoporosis.

At the time, she was unaware that estrogen loss from menopause put her at an increased risk for the Osteoporosis. Her experience is a testament to the importance of learning more about your health and asking doctors the right questions.

She also penned an article for DrDonnica.com, entitled "Menopause and Treatment Options", by actress Cheryl Ladd.

Harvard Professor Walter Willett Publishes New Guide To Healthy Eating

Walter Willett, head of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, and cookbook author Mollie Katzen have published an important new guide to healthy eating: Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating.

These daily health wisdom tips should improve both body and mood after just a week:

Eat a good breakfast within three hours of getting up.

Eat nothing after dinner.

Try to drink at least six 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

Exercise or move around for at least 30 minutes every day. (Moderate activity, such as walking, is fine.)

Add at least two servings of A-list vegetables. (Examples: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and other dark leafy greens, salad greens, bell peppers, green beans, squash, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, edible-pod peas, asparagus, cucumbers.)

Add at least one serving of A-list fruit. (Examples: apples, berries, kiwi, grapefruit, melons, peaches, plums, papaya.)

Limit your "white starch" carbohydrate intake to one serving a day, if any. Try to make the rest or all of your carbs whole wheat and whole grain.

Allow yourself one small dessert every other day. Eat it slowly and enjoy.

Have some protein at each meal.

Optional alcohol allowance: One serving of wine, beer or non-sweetened mixed beverage.

Click here to read more about this book.

Kids with cancer bond online

There was a great article in yesterday's USA Today about teens with cancer using the Internet to bond with other's.

Kids with cancer bond online

There are five important sites listed in the article that are amazing and worth visiting to see how the Internet is helping provide emotional support for kids with cancer.

1. GroupLoop.org
2. TeenswithCancer.org
3. PlanetCancer.org
4. CaringBridge.com
5. CarePages.com
   

American Dietetic Association Health Wisdom: Watch what you drink!

You know the saying: you are what you eat.  But have you considered, you are what you drink!

Many people don't realize the effect of their liquid choices, says Lalita Kaul, a registered dietitian in Washington, D.C., and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Kaul says one client mentioned drinking cranberry juice, which the woman thought was a much healthier choice than soda. Turns out she was drinking 1,000 calories of juice every day.

"It all adds up," says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a Cleveland registered dietitian and ADA spokeswoman. She says she sees adults who drink as much as 2 liters of sugared soda a day and children who drink far more than the single daily serving of fruit juice recommended by pediatricians.

What you can do: make smart choices about what you drink.

A recent article in USA Today lists these things to avoid:

• Lots of sugar, from sodas, fruit drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks and sweetened tea.

• Too much fat, in whole and 2% milk, fast-food shakes and coffee-bar drinks.

• High calories from beer and wine.

• Heart pumping amounts of caffeine from coffees, teas, colas and popular energy drinks, some of which contain more than twice the caffeine allowed in sodas.

To learn more about dietary health wisdom visit the American Dietetic Association, the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals with more than 65,000 members.

Organ Donation Wisdom from Katherine Heigl: Put the sticker on your license

Actress Katherine Heigl is one of the stars one of my favorite show's on television, Grey's Anatomy.

When she was 7 years old, her 15-year-old brother, Jason, was thrown from the back
of a pickup truck. Doctors declared him brain-dead and her parents made the heart-wrenching decision to donate his organs. "Jason didn't need them anymore," says Heigl, "and it's what he would have wanted." His heart and kidneys saved the lives of three people, and his corneas gave sight to two more.

In this month's Prevention magazine Heigl describes the importance of making the decision for organ donation.

"It takes 5 minutes to fill out the form and put the sticker on your license. I think it's the most obvious choice in the world."

Technorati Tags: organ donation, katherine heigl

A World without Disease

GE Healthcare put on a great program in Times Square yesterday. The campaign is all about 'a world without disease or illness.

They're focusing their efforts on early detection rather than late diagnosis, making disease easier to treat. They're calling the approach Early Health — a completely new way of looking at healthcare that we can all share.

Check out http://www.ge.com/health/

Michael J. Fox Foundation: In only 5 years - $70 million in research programs funded

I read an amazing statistic today - in only 5 years, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research has directly and indirectly funded research to the tune of nearly $70 million

Check out the data - Research Funded 2000-2005