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Recent studies indicate that yoga can yield significant health benefits and improve quality of life for breast cancer survivors. A seven-week yoga program for cancer survivors led by researchers in the faculty of kinesiology at the University of Calgary examined the physical and psychological benefits of an alternative, less rigorous form of yoga. Women practiced in small groups of 10 that included a large number of breast cancer survivors, and each participant received enough individual attention to ensure she could safely perform the exercises. The style used was a modified version of hatha yoga called yoga therapy, influenced by the Iyengar tradition of yoga and the study of kinesiology. The yoga postures (or asanas) are modified for people who are stiff, immobile, injured, ill or under extreme stress. The study participants showed significant physical and psychosocial improvements such as diminished irritability, stress and depression.

"This form of modified therapeutic yoga has been specifically tweaked based on how much exercise is possible for cancer survivors," says Susi Hately Aldous, a Calgary-based certified yoga instructor and owner of Functional Synergy, a yoga therapy studio that specializes in designing custom yoga programs for people with injury or illness.

As a yoga instructor, she saw the benefits firsthand and then connected with researchers at the faculty of kinesiology. "This idea came from the way I teach my classes. Particularly if someone is sick or in chronic pain, I will walk around the room and make sure they are working at their own level," says Hately Aldous.

So while an individual's body may be tight initially, stretching and strengthening through yoga therapy can dramatically alter physical agility over time. "It's amazing what a 65-year-old body can do," says Hately Aldous. Yoga therapy enables students to move slowly and safely into the modified posture, concentrating initially on relaxing their body, breathing fully and developing awareness of the sensations in their body and the thoughts in their mind. A DVD is slated to be produced early next year that will mimic the program completed in the study.

Hately Aldous adds that while the benefits of yoga (which dates back to more than 5,000 years ago) have long been well known in the Eastern world, the West has yet to trust its therapeutic effectiveness. "It's true that many people don't trust a new therapeutic approach until it's been researched. A solid referral network and word of mouth have been key in spreading the good word about yoga and its benefits," says Hately Aldous.

Page 1 of 2

  CBCN    News    Breast Cancer Survivors Could Benefit from Yoga, Study Says: January 3, 2012

Breast Cancer Survivors Could Benefit from Yoga, Study Says: January 3, 2012

By Andrew Seaman, Health News, January 3, 2012

A new study conducted by UCLA researchers suggests that yoga could help breast-cancer survivors overcome post-treatment fatigue that can affect as many as one-third of them.

The research, which was published December 16 in the journal Cancer, discovered that after three months worth of twice-weekly yoga classes, “a group of breast cancer survivors in California reported significantly diminished fatigue and increased ‘vigor,” Andrew M. Seaman of Reuters Health said on Friday.

“A control group of women who took classes in post-cancer health issues, but didn’t do yoga, had no changes in their fatigue or depression levels,” he added.
Thirty-one breast-cancer survivors took part in the UCLA study, which lasted 12 weeks at the university’s medical center. According to Seaman, each participant was randomly assigned to take part in either a pair of 90-minute yoga sessions or a single two-hour health class each week.

“At the start of the study, each group of women had similar scores on a questionnaire that gauges fatigue levels,” the AP reporter said. “The group taking the educational classes experienced about the same amount of fatigue and energy throughout the initial study period.”

“However, the group taking the yoga class reported about a 26 percent drop in fatigue and a 55 percent increase in energy after the 12-week yoga regimen,” he added. “The women in the yoga group also continued to report significant improvements in fatigue levels three months after the classes stopped.”

In the abstract of their study, authors Julienne E. Bower, Deborah Garet, Beth Sternlieb, Patricia A. Ganz, Michael R. Irwin, Richard Olmstead, and Gail Greendale said that the severity of the yoga group’s fatigue levels “declined significantly from baseline to post-treatment and over a 3-month follow-up in the yoga group relative to controls.”

“In addition, the yoga group had significant increases in vigor relative to controls,” they added, noting that “both groups had positive changes in depressive symptoms and perceived stress and that “no significant changes in sleep or physical performance were observed.”

While Seaman points out that the findings do not prove that yoga was the reason that the fatigue levels in the study group improved, the researchers said that the expectations of the potential benefits of their respective treatments were similar and that as a result, the placebo effect is not believed to be a possible explanation for the benefits witnessed in the yoga group.

A December 30 UPI article discusses a similar study, published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research, which discovered that a form of meditation that also incorporates yoga can help breast-cancer survivors “improve their emotional and physical well-being.”

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, concluded that “breast cancer survivors who learned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction lowered their blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate, and their mood improved,” the news organization said.

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After she was diagnosed with
breast cancer, Wendy had a double
mastectomy, 26 chemotherapy
treatments, and 12 weekly sessions of
Taxol. Following all that, she thought she
was done with treatment and ready to
move on.
But then her doctors told her that
she would need radiation treatment
as well—33 sessions of it. Wendy was
stunned and cried through the ?rst
seven sessions. Still, she soldiered
through them all, slathering on lotion to
soothe her skin, until it was ?nally time
to put cancer aside and start her “new
life.”
The catch was, now that treatment
was really and truly over, Wendy still
couldn’t start that new life. Not yet,
not really. She had all kinds of physical
complications, from lymphedema to
difficulties with breast reconstruction
to unwanted weight gain from the
Tamoxifen that she’d be taking for the
next ?ve years after treatment.
Equally distressing, she felt a sense
of emotional uneasiness. “It wasn’t
quite depression,” she says. She was
sad. “My oncologist knew there was
something going on because I would
go into the office to be checked for
lymphedema and I would just sit there
and cry,” she recalls.
Wendy worried that perhaps she
had done something to cause this
reaction—eaten the wrong foods, 
perhaps, or failed to exercise sufficiently.
Or maybe she just wasn’t tough
enough.
The truth of the matter, though, is
that the only thing Wendy “did wrong”
was to get cancer.
And she is not alone. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the National Cancer
Institute, there are almost 12 million
cancer survivors in the United States.
As many as half of them experience at
least some symptoms of post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) during treatment
—anxiety, depression, fatigue and/
or cognitive dysfunction—according
to Andrew Miller, M.D., Professor of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
and Director of Psychiatric Oncology at
the Emory University Winship Cancer
Institute.
“In fact, if you really talked to
cancer patients,” says Miller, “you’d 
be hard pressed to ?nd anyone not 
affected in some way.” Surgery is rough,
radiation is rough—and chemotherapy
is particularly hard on the body. “It is like
carpet bombing,” Miller explains. “Even
the more targeted therapies are quite
toxic.”
Unfortunately, these symptoms
don’t go away just because treatment
is over.
Post-Treatment PTSD
PTSD symptoms often continue
after treatment ends. Some people get
the anxiety disorder after seeing or living
through a dangerous event, according
to the National Institutes of Mental
Health. Danger often causes a ?ght-or-
?ight re?ex—but people with PTSD feel
that same fear and stress even after the
danger is gone. Not everyone who has
been through a dangerous event gets
PTSD, but for those who do, it can really
affect their lives.
 “A long time ago, the National
Institutes of Health was reluctant to call
cancer a trauma,” says Holly Prigerson,
PhD, Director of the Center for Psycho-
oncology & Palliative Care Research
and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School. “But that has
changed.”
The ?gures for cancer survivors with
PTSD are quite low, notes Prigerson.
The criteria for PTSD, as outlined in
the American Psychiatric Association’s
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM), are fairly
stringent. In the general population,
even in the wake of wars, natural
disasters and terrorist attacks, full
diagnosis of PTSD is only about 7%,
according to Prigerson.
Cancer survivors, though, have
even lower rates of formal PTSD—
approximately 2.8%, Prigerson says.
While this is a very small
percentage, the statistic does not
mean that most cancer survivors are
doing ?ne. In fact, the reverse is true.
Somewhere between 20% and 30% of
those who have been through cancer
diagnosis and treatment experience
some level of emotional distress—what
Miller calls “PTSD Lite.”
More speci?cally, says Miller,
between 5% and 10% of cancer
survivors suffer from anxiety; the same
percentage experiences depression;
similar numbers have cognitive
dysfunction; and as many as 30% of
cancer survivors face ongoing fatigue
as a result of their cancer and cancer
treatment.
These rates are ?ve to 10 times
higher than in the general population.
“We believe that cancer treatment is
a wartime-like experience for the body,” 
says Miller. “The body is exposed to
traumas—surgery, chemotherapy, and 
radiation—that it would otherwise
experience very rarely.”
And the result? “In the most
extreme cases, it can lead to PSTD,”
Miller explains. “But in a lesser context,
it can lead to PTSD Lite.”
In other words, it is not that
Wendy and other cancer survivors
did something wrong—or failed to do
something right. Rather, these PTSD
Lite symptoms are the result of the
body’s physiological response to cancer
diagnosis and treatment.
How Does This Happen?
On a biological level, surgery,
chemotherapy and radiation are all
associated with signi?cant tissue
damage and destruction. Between the
emotional response to the diagnosis
and the physiological effects of cancer
treatment on body tissue, the body’s
immune system—its emergency
response team—gears up for battle.
The whole body system becomes
in?amed, which is the body’s way of
protecting itself against intruders. The
primary objective of in?ammation is to
isolate, localize and eradicate foreign
substances and repair damaged tissue.
“In?ammation is essential to ?ght
bacterial and viral infections and heal
wounds,” says Miller. “But too much
in?ammation can cause harm.” The
immune system becomes hypersensitive
to prepare for another attack.
As a result, the body’s immune
system releases in?ammatory cytokines.
These molecules travel to the brain,
where they cause anxiety, fatigue,
cognitive dysfunction and an inability
to experience pleasure. Cytokines
modulate the body’s response to
disease and infection—and they trigger
a quick onset of fatigue and depression.
“The data are clear that cancer
treatment causes physiological changes
in both the short- and the long-term,”
says Miller.
Life After Treatment
Because of these physiological
changes, many cancer survivors ?nd
that some of life’s biggest challenges
begin after treatment ends.
report report
“Too many survivors are lost in
transition once they ?nish treatment,”
notes a report by the Institute of
Medicine. “They move from an orderly
system of care to a ‘non-system’ in
which there are few guidelines to assist
them through the next stage of their life
or help them overcome the medical and
psychosocial problems that may arise.”
Often cancer survivors are unaware of
the late effects that may be caused by
their treatment, and even for those who
are aware, their needs are often unmet.
When treatment ends, the report
suggests, survivors and their families
are often not prepared for the fact
that recovery takes time. Often, the
recovery process lasts longer than
treatment itself. Survivors often say that
they didn’t realize how much time they
needed to recover. This can lead to
disappointment, worry and frustration
for everyone, survivors as well as their
friends and family.
Post-treatment is an important
period, says William Goeren, Director
of Clinical Services at CancerCare,
Inc., and he believes it hasn’t gotten
the attention it warrants. “In general,”
he explains, “people do need support
post-treatment. For many people, it is
essential for their physical and emotional
well-being.”
Physical Concerns
Part of the challenge is dealing with the
ongoing physical symptoms. Even after
treatment is over, many cancer survivors
experience fatigue, pain, lymphedema,
and changes in weight and eating
habits, memory and concentration and
bladder or bowel functioning. Some are
infertile or suffer from menopause-like
symptoms.
Almost every cancer survivor
(99% of those surveyed) faces at least
one challenge after treatment ends,
according to the Livestrong Survey
for Post-Treatment Cancer Survivors,
produced by the Lance Armstrong
Foundation. Concerns include physical
issues (91%), decreased energy (59%),
difficulties with concentration (55%),
problems with sexual functioning (46%),
neuropathy (42%), and pain (34%),
according to the study. Half of survivors 
(50%) have trouble remembering things,
the researchers found.
Further, some cancer survivors
feel that their post-treatment body is
unfamiliar. “I feel scarred, burned and
mutilated,” says Amanda, a breast
cancer survivor, who had a mastectomy.
As a result, often survivors will avoid
the very social situations that could
help them feel better, because they are
uncomfortable with their new bodies.
Emotional Concerns
Beyond the physical symptoms, most
survivors also experience an emotional
concern (96%). The biggest concerns
are fear of recurrence (80%), grief
and identity issues (68%), and worries
about personal appearance (62%),
according to the Livestrong survey. The
researchers found that 79% of survivors
worry about cancer coming back and
53% have felt sad or depressed.
“People’s coping is heightened
in survivorship,” says William Goeren,
Director of Clinical Services at
CancerCare. Many cancer survivors live
with a heightened awareness. “If my
throat hurts, I don’t think bronchitis,”
says Julie, a survivor of both lymphoma
and breast cancer. “I think it’s throat
cancer.”
Many survivors continue to worry
about their health. As Charles S.
Carver, University of Miami Professor
of Psychology, points out, cancer
survivors are at increased risk for a
second cancer or recurrence. And once
treatment is over, they are no longer
actively ?ghting the disease. As a result,
some people feel defenseless. Sarah,
a breast cancer survivor, remembers
asking her oncologist for one more
chemotherapy treatment after she
?nished her course. “Just in case.”
Even for people who are able to
put cancer into the past once they ?nish
treatment, there are regular reminders,
months for the ?rst few years. “Many,
many clients have told me that they
become hyper-vigilant when it is time to
see their oncologist for a checkup,” says
Goeren. “One of my clients becomes
needy, irritable, anxious and can’t sleep
when it’s time for his checkup,” Goeren
adds. “Sometimes he doesn’t even go
to the appointment because he is so
upset.”
Susan, a survivor of ovarian and
breast cancer, says that the week she
is due for her PETscan, she knows
she won’t get a lot of work done. “I
spend too much time wondering if I’m
OK.” And Maryanne, who had breast
cancer, says she still gets nervous about
oncology check-ups a full 20 years after
she ?nished treatment.
But this isn’t the only challenge that
cancer survivors face. Some survivors
?nd that their support systems change
after treatment.  They may have lost
friends to cancer or to the diagnosis
itself; Julie, for instance, lost a friendship
of 20 years after a friend was disturbed
by seeing her bald head.
Still others may find that family
and friends who had been supportive
throughout treatment became burnt
out. “They say, ‘You’re done with
treatment, why aren’t you OK now?’”
notes Wendy.  “It’s not that easy,” she
says. “It’s just not.”
In addition, some cancer survivors
set overly high expectations for their
lives after cancer. They want to climb
mountains or cure heart disease or write
a best-selling book with their new life.
But they may lack the physical stamina
to run the New York City Marathon or
build homes with Habitat for Humanity.
Another challenge of cancer
survivorship is the rebuilding of their
lives. “For some people, life after cancer
can open up their eyes and give them
perspective,” says Goeren. “But for
others, it can be difficult and frightening.
They have to ask the question: Who am
I now?” That can be a difficult question
to answer when you lack the strength or
energy you had before cancer.
“Cancer survivorship is about
reinvesting oneself in life, it’s about
being back in the world,” says Goeren.
“And that can be hard.”
Practical Concerns
About 75% of survivors have had
practical concerns as well, according to
the Lance Armstrong Foundation survey.
Employment can become a
challenge. Livestrong found that more
than half of all respondents (53%)
experienced difficulties at work. A study
at Pennsylvania State University found
that cancer survivors are less likely to
be employed and they work fewer hours
than similarly aged adults without a
history of cancer, even two to six years
after diagnosis. [See more in our article
on page 8.]
Loss of a job means more than
economic hardship, points out Elizabeth
Kacel, researcher on a National
Cancer Institute-funded study. “It also
means loss of routine, loss of a sense
of autonomy, and loss of a sense of
control.” In addition, she explains,
some people may feel the loss of the
breadwinner role.
According to the National Cancer
Institute, the effects of post-traumatic
stress disorder are long-lasting and
serious. They can affect the patient’s
ability to have a normal lifestyle and may
interfere with personal relationships,
education and employment.
Treatment Options
Most people turn to a combination
of psychotherapy, medication and
complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM) to help with PTSD.
Counseling often involves cognitive
behavioral therapy, though other options
include eye movement desensitization
and reprocessing (EMDR) and tapping.
Some people also turn to support
groups. According to the National
Center for PTSD, psychotherapy often
lasts three to six months.
Medications usually consist of
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs), which are also used for
depression. The National Center for
PTSD ?nds that these treatments,
especially in more complicated cases,
can last for a year or two.
Wendy knew she needed help. She
received tapping, a practice similar to
acupuncture but without needles, which
she found very soothing. She took
antidepressants, initially to help with her
sadness, then continuing with them to
mediate the menopause-like symptoms.
And she met—and continues to meet
—regularly with her support group,
comprised of cancer survivors working
to put their lives back in order. “It’s good
to be with a group of women who really
understand how I feel,” she says.
Now, Wendy is a success story.
She works full time, sees her friends
regularly, travels once or twice a
month—for both business and
pleasure—and has lost more than a
dozen pounds on Weight Watchers®.
Best of all, she is loving her new life,
and that is a post-traumatic victory.
Beth Leibson lives and writes in New York
City. She is author of I’m Too Young to Have
Breast Cancer (Lifeline Press, 2004).
Treatment options
often include a
combination of
psychotherapy,
medication and
complementary
and alternative
medicine.
 

Check Amoena Life

Great article on cancer diagnosis and Post Traumatic Stress and Back to Work Issues

http://www.amoena.com/us/TippsAndService/AmoenaLife/

www.youtube.com

www.youtube.com

www.youtube.com

Thanks Diane for sharing this article.

Interesting article.

Even breast cancer survivors who did not have chemo experienced "chemo brain". It does validate what women have been saying

Recently, a woman who had had surgery (not cancer related) told me that she experienced this too. She would stand in front of microwave or photocopier and not have a clue how to operate it.

Keeping Cool Under The Bra Thanks to NASA Technology

Temperature-equalizing technology by Amoena Mia

Comfort+ technology transfers heat away from, and back to, the body as needed, absorbing excess heat during a rise in temperature and gently releasing it when body temperature decreases. This material has been incorporated into the centre front panel of each bra, the underband, cup sling and the side panels to help prevent heat-build up where a women tends to perspire most....

DeLux Hats new shipment just arrived

Great selection of hats for all ages

An amazing project

watch it on cbc.ca The Passionate Eye

Baring It All

Sunday, October 23, 2011 8:00 PM ET on CBC News Network

This heart-wrenching and inspiring documentary puts a beautiful face on the heroism of breast cancer survivors in their 20s and 30s. It follows New York-based fashion photographer David Jay and four brave women - all in different stages of battling the disease - who become subjects of his groundbreaking photographic series, 'The Scar Project.’

When his friend loses her breast to cancer at age 32, fashion photographer, David Jay deals with it the only way he knows how, by taking her picture. The implications are wider reaching than he ever imagined. Baring it All follows Jay from his life as a photographer into a world of young women scarred by breast cancer.

Cancer Survivor Marcy

Young mum Marcy discovered a lump while pregnant. Vanessa underwent chemo, radiation and surgery as a newlywed and was forced to deal with deeply altered dreams for the future. Michaela had ovarian cancer and opted for a double mastectomy that profoundly affected her marriage and Sylvia struggled with the cultural implications of losing both her breast and her hair.

Determined to restore their faith in life and their own beauty, Jay creates a photographic series of the young survivors. The portraits are beautiful yet challenging. The result is cathartic and empowering. Baring it All is a story of acceptance, a journey of rediscovery, and a celebration of life.

For the first time in its fifteen-year history, the LAO will be holding its Annual General Meeting via a WEBINAR.  This is because our regular fall conference was moved up this year to coincide with the International Lymphedema Conference held June 16-18 at the Downtown Marriott Hotel.   GUEST SPE…

Pink Mittens are now for sale at My Left Breast

Join Hands with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

$10 per pair

With the purchase of each pair of mittens, $1.00 will be contributed to support funding relevant to breast cancer research, as well as education and awareness programs across the country

Join Hands now and help create a future without breast cancer

Chex News made another visit to My Left Breast. Click below to view the news story about access to Herceptin.

http://www.chextv.com/News/LN/11-03-17/Herceptin_Cancer_Drug_costs.aspx

Herceptin is prescribed for women with a Her2 Positive Breast Cancer diagnosis. I had 18 rounds of Herceptin, it certainly saved me.

Unfortunately, Ontario currently only funds Herceptin if your tumour is a certain size not based on the fact that you are testing Her2 positive.

A young women in Toronto was denied Herceptin after her Oncologist has recommended it for her treatment. Alberta and B.C. both fund Herceptin based on a the positive Her2 testing NOT the size of the tumour.

My heart goes out to this brave young women, the finacial stress to fund the drug on your own could be up to 50 thousand dollars. COmbine the finacial stress with your diagnosis and treatment stress.... this is something as a Canadian we do not want people to endure.

Bridget

My Left Breast

Owner/Operator

Check out the new Amoena bathing suits..... the 2011 collection is the best I have seen

http://www.amoena.com/ca-en/Products/Swimwear/2011/

I have also found Jamu.... a designer from Australia who designs great mastectomy suits

Call for a private appointment  705-876-3333

or email me about shipping.... bridget@myleftbreast.ca

Check out Chex @ 5:30

Oct 1st, Friday spot was completed at My Left Breast

Great information regarding wigs and prothesis

Thanks to Theresa and camera man Kevin for providing such an informative session

http://www.chextv.com/newswatchat530/index.html

Home
Top 5 Tips
for Prevention
Prevention starts at home. Here’s how:
Tip 1: Avoid canned foods
The lining in canned foods contains toxic bisphenol A, or BPA, which leaches into
food and then into us. Choose fresh and frozen over canned foods.
Tip 2: Know your plastics
Avoid plastics that contain hormone-disrupting phthalates, especially polyvinyl
chloride, or PVC (usually recycling code 3). Avoid clear, shatterproof plastic that
contains BPA (usually code 7). Safer plastics are coded 1, 2, 4 and 5. The safest
options are stainless steel, glass and ceramic.
Tip 3: Keep plastic out of the microwave
Even “microwave safe” plastic can leach chemicals into your food when heated, so
choose glass or ceramic containers and cover your food with a ceramic plate or an
unbleached paper towel instead of plastic wrap.
Tip 4: Use non-toxic cleaning products
Many cleaning products contain harmful chemicals. Seek out non-toxic alternatives
or make your own. Try baking soda for scouring and vinegar for cleaning glass.
Tip 5: Eat hormone-free meat and dairy
Choose hormone-free beef and dairy to avoid consuming the residue of livestock
growth hormones.
Visit www.breastcancerfund.org to:
Find more tips for prevention
Learn the science
Act for change
Also join us at:
 breastcancerfund  breastcancerfnd
Prevention starts with your morning routine.
Here’s how:
Tip 1: Simplify
Some beauty products contain carcinogens and hormone-disrupting chemicals.
Decrease your exposure by using fewer products with simpler ingredients.
Tip 2: Avoid “fragrance”
“Fragrance” can contain dozens, even hundreds, of chemicals—including hormone-
disrupting phthalates. Avoid synthetic fragrance and opt for products that are
fragrance-free or contain natural fragrances like essential oils.
Tip 3: Ingredients to avoid
Avoid products with DMDM hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea; parabens or
any word ending in “-paraben”; “PEG” and words ending in “-eth”; triclosan and
triclocarban; triethanolamine (TEA); hydroquinone and oxybenzone.
Tip 4: Products to avoid
 Anti-aging creams with lactic, glycolic, AHA or BHA acids
 Hair dyes, especially dark permanent dyes
 Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde, DBP or toluene
 Skin lighteners with hydroquinone
Health &
Beauty
Top 4 Tips
for Prevention
Visit www.breastcancerfund.org to:
Find more tips for prevention
Learn the science
Act for change
Also join us at:
 breastcancerfund  breastcancerfnd
Prevention starts in your everyday environments.
Here’s how:
Tip 1: Protect yourself from the sun—and sunscreen
Sunscreens often contain small amounts of hormone-disrupting chemicals that are
bad for us and aquatic life. Stay out of the sun during peak hours, cover up and look
for a safer sunblock at www.safecosmetics.org/skindeep.
Tip 2: Make sure your water bottle is BPA-free
Avoid toxic bisphenol A, or BPA, which is in polycarbonate plastic reusable water
bottles, and kick the bottled-water habit. Instead, get a non-toxic, reusable stainless
steel bottle.
Tip 3: Avoid pesticides
It’s no surprise that weed and pest killers aren’t good for humans, either. Look for
non-toxic alternatives such as vinegar, salt, soapy water and rubbing alcohol.
Tip 4: Take caution with EMFs
Wireless Internet and phone networks expose us to very low levels of non-ionizing,
or electromagnetic field (EMF), radiation. Health risks are not yet well understood,
but it’s good to take precautions. Keep your computer in “sleep” mode and disable
your wireless network when not in use. Don’t keep your cell phone in your pocket,
use a headset and, when possible, text instead of calling.
Out &
About
Visit www.breastcancerfund.org to:
Find more tips for prevention
Learn the science
Act for change
Top 4 Tips
for Prevention
Also join us at:
 breastcancerfund  breastcancerfnd
 

Check out the Cheque Presentation

The Peterborough Community Dragon Boat festival once again raised an amazing amount of money.

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/
 

Mia is coming to Peterborough

The first line of bras to keep you well supported and cool.

This line of bras will arrive at My Left Breast by the end of September....

Childhood and Adolescence
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/media/publications/falling-age-of-puberty/

Today, girls are entering puberty earlier than a generation ago—in part due to childhood exposures to endocrine disruptors. Early puberty puts girls at a higher risk for later-life breast cancer. Research also shows that childhood exposures to medical radiation and chemicals like DDT are linked to higher rates of breast cancer.

Girls get their first periods today, on average, a few months earlier than did girls 40 years ago, and they get their breasts one to two years earlier.[1] This trend may be due to exposures to endocrine disrupting compounds—like BPA and phthalates[2],[3]—before puberty when the reproductive system, including breast tissue, is exquisitely sensitive to low levels of estrogens.[4] The younger girls are when they enter puberty, the greater their risk of breast cancer later in life.

Evidence suggests that breast development is sensitive to other chemical exposures as well. A recent study illustrated that childhood and early adolescent exposures to the now banned pesticide DDT led to a five-fold increase in breast cancer before age 50.[5] This is a particularly powerful study for two reasons. First, scientists often have to rely on people's best guesses about what they were exposed to earlier in life. In this case, however, scientists had access to blood samples taken during adolescence which allowed for actual measurements of DDT exposure. Second, since DDT was banned in 1972, new exposures to the chemical were limited after that time. This is rare, since often exposures persist throughout the lifetime, making it difficult to determine the ages when the exposures affected later health.

Research on childhood and adolescent exposures to radiation illustrate a similar effect. Women in Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were under 20 when the United States dropped the atomic bombs had higher rates of breast cancer than older women.[6],[7] Similarly, young women exposed to massive amounts of radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident are experiencing higher rates of breast cancer.[8] It is too early to assess the effects on women who were girls or teens at the time of the accident.

Girls who received repeated X-rays for scoliosis and adolescent and very young women who received radiation treatment for Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma experienced higher rates of breast cancer than women who were older at the time of their X-rays or radiation treatment.[9],[10],[11],[12] Their rates were also elevated relative to their peers who did not receive medical radiation.

The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls
Steingraber S (2007). The Falling Age of Puberty in US Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know. San Francisco, CA: Breast Cancer Fund.
Aksglaede L, Juul A, Leffers H, Skakkebaek NE, Andersson AM (2006).  The sensitivity of the child to sex steroids:  possible impact of exogenous estrogens.  Human Reproduction Update 12:341-349.
Steingraber S (2007). The Falling Age of Puberty in US Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know. San Francisco, CA: Breast Cancer Fund.
Aksglaede L, Juul A, Leffers H, Skakkebaek NE, Andersson AM (2006).  The sensitivity of the child to sex steroids:  possible impact of exogenous estrogens.  Human Reproduction Update 12:341-349.
Cohn BA, Wolff MA, Cirillo PM, Sholtz RI (2007). DDT and breast cancer in young women: New data on the significance of age at exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives (Accessed pre-publication on 7/30/07) http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/10260/abstract.html.
Land CE (1995). Studies of cancer and radiation dose among A-bomb survivors: The example of breast cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association 274:402-407.
Land CD (1997). Radiation and breast cancer risk. Progress in Clinical Biological Research 396:115124.
Pukkala E, Kesminiene A, Poliakov S, Ryzhov A, Drozdovitch V, Kovgan L, Kyyronen P, Malakhova IV, Gulak L, Cardis E.  (2006). Breast cancer in Belarus and Ukraine after the Chernobyl accident.  International Journal of Cancer 651-658.
Schellong G (1998).  Pediatric Hodgkin’s disease: Treatment in the late 1990s.  Annals of Oncology 9 (Suppl 5): S115-S119.
Clemons MM, Loijens L, and Goss  P (2000).  Breast cancer risk following irradiation for Hodgkin’s disease.  Cancer Treatment Reviews 26: 291-300.
Tward JD, Wendland MMM, Shrieve DC, Szabo A, Gafffney DK (2006).  The risk of secondary malignancies over 30 years after the treatment of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Cancer 107: 108-115.
Howe GR, McLaughlin J (1996).  Breast cancer mortality between 1950 and 1987 after exposure to fractionated moderate-dose-rate ionizing radiation in the Canadian fluoroscopy cohort study and a comparison with breast cancer mortality in the atomic bomb survivors study.  Radiation Research 145: 694-707.
 

Finallty a deat free insect repellent that uses a vitamin B1 patch to keep the bugs away.

DeBug™ Insect Repellent


Introducing an all natural insect repellent patch… DeBug™ lasts for up to 48 hours!
This innovative Vitamin B1 based insect repellent patch keeps mosquitoes and other insects at bay for up to 48 hours!  Our patch is durable, waterproof and wont wash away for 48 hours.
 
DeBug™ contains 4 patches per package and is perfect for an evening or a weekend outdoors!
Made from vitamin B1, this Deet Free patch absorbs safely into the body and adjusts automatically to adapt to a persons' body size.
 
Safe for children and adults alike, DeBug™ creates an effective vapour barrier between you and biting insects.
 
DeBug™ is easily applied in seconds and provides 48 hours of protection.
 
DeBug's convenient patch application eliminates the need the need for messy sprays and chemicals!
 
            
If you've ever worked or played outside, chances are you've been bothered by biting insects. The revolutionary DeBug™ insect repellent patch allows you to enjoy outdoor activities without the constant nuisance of mosquitoes and other annoying bugs!
 
Apply 2 hours before heading outside; this all natural Vitamin B1 adhesive patch is 100% safe and best of all… Deet Free.
 
Whether at home or the cottage, our convenient packaging allows you to store DeBug ™ in your first aid kit, gym bag, glove compartment, purse or suitcase...enjoying the great outdoors has never been safer or easier

I am carrying MelanSol again. It is a 100% natural sunscreen using mineral pigments and potent antiodants to prevent sunburn.   I used it in Cuba last year and the 20 SPF worked just fine. You do have to really rub it in, but after that you are "all good". I like it because there are no identified hormone disruptors or other chemicals hiding in the cream.

I have been shipping accross Canada call me at the shop if you are interested  705-876-3333

Want more information about MelanSol go to.... www.PureSunscreen.com 

Here is what the Environmental Working Group has to say about the sunscreen issues.

The best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. No chemicals to absorb through the skin, no questions about whether they work. But when you can’t get away from exposing your skin to the sun, use EWG’s top-rated sunscreens to provide broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB-sunburn) protection with fewer hazardous chemicals that penetrate the skin. Sunscreen and sunblock makers are awaiting FDA approval for a wider selection of UVA-blocking chemicals. In the meantime, all top-rated products contain either zinc or titanium minerals to help cut UVA exposures for sunscreen users.

Choose from among our top-rated sunscreens for broad spectrum protection with fewer hazardous ingredients. And follow our sun safety tips to protect your skin for a lifetime.

Top Sunscreens

Our top-rated sunscreens all contain the minerals zinc or titanium. They are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. None of the products contain oxybenzone or vitamin A and none are sprayed or powdered.

see all beach & sport sunscreens >>

Products sorted alphabetically.

	Product and Score
	Alba Botanica Sun: Mineral Sunscreen Kids, SPF 30 Sun: Mineral Sunscreen Fragrance Free, SPF 30
	All Terrain Aquasport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30 TerraSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30 KidSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30
	Badger Sunscreen Face Stick, SPF 30, Unscented Sunscreen for Face and Body, Unscented, SPF 30 Sunscreen for Face and Body, SPF 30 Lightly Scented Sunscreen for Face and Body, SPF 15 Lightly Scented
	Beyond Coastal Lip and Face Screen, SPF 30
	Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen Sensitive, SPF 30+ Australian Sunscreen Baby, SPF 30+
	BurnOut Kids Physical Sunscreen, SPF 30+ Clean and Clear, Zinc Oxide Sunblock, SPF 32
	California Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance, SPF 30+ Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+ Moisturizing Sunscreen No Fragrance, SPF 18 Sunscreen Lotion Everyday/Year-Round, SPF 30+ Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30+, Citronella Sunblock Stick Everyday/Year-Round, SPF 30+
	Caribbean Solutions Natural/Biodegradable SolGuard, SPF 25 Sol Kid Kare Natural Sunscreen, SPF 25
	Cliniderm Gentle Protective Lotion SPF 45
	COOLA SPF 45 Mineral Baby Moisturizer Unscented

see all beach & sport sunscreens >>

Non-Mineral Options

None of these non-mineral sunscreens earn our top rating. But here are some choices for people who prefer to avoid nano-scale minerals (zinc and titanium) or who object to the feel or smell of mineral sunscreens. The trade-off? All non-mineral products contain at least one sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor, and many offer only moderate or weak UVA protection.

I just helped a customer figure out how to beat the heat this summer. She will be wearing a wig this summer as she travels through her treatment. We set her up with a lovely set of human hair bangs and a funky Delux style linen cap.  The bangs are the same colour as her wig and can be clipped or sewn onto ther hat. Great idea and a lovely look, she can still go out and feel confident and stay a wee bit cooler.

What a great success! Peterborough hosted the International Dragon Boat Festival.

We were there, rain and shine. It was amazing meeting paddlers from all over the world and across Canada.

An enormous "thank you" to the steering committe and the many volunteers for hosting such a well organized and tons of fun event.

It was amazing!

Thank you to all the paddlers and friends who came and visited us in the Market Place. Even in the rain we were completing bra fittings in our tented change room. 

Bridget

My Left Breast