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If we know how to find breast cancer earlier, Why Aren’t We?

August 19, 2012 By

If we know how to prevent most breast cancer cases, why aren’t we?
If we know how to find it earlier and more accurately, why aren’t we?

The answer to those two questions is women just don’t know how and we want to help women with those answers.

First, there is a new kid on the block when it comes to identifying suspicious masses in the breast. One that is accurate, safe and can identify masses as small as 5mm… about the size of a pea. It also differentiates between normal “lumps and bumps” and lesions that are hard. BTW cancerous tumors of the breast are typically as hard as a walnut.


The test is called Suretouch. Ocbreastwellness.com offers this technology in Costa Mesa, CA.

Second, there are a number of great articles on cancer prevention, breast cancer prevention in particular. Mercola.com and Life Extension Foundation (LEF.org) and The American Academy of AntiAging Medicine (WorldHealth.net) as well as many others have written extensively on the subject. I’ve condensed a number of these into one article that can be accessed at www.ocbreastwellness.com.

As for early detection there is not one perfect test. A multi-modal approach makes the most sense. Combining a test that looks at physiological changes that accompany most cancers (breast thermography) as well as an anatomical test that identifies masses that may be cancerous (SureTouch) is the most logical approach.

For SureTouch appointments call (714) 363-5595
1831 Orange Ave #B, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Filed Under: Health & Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Five Ways to Stay Fit When You Work at Home

August 6, 2012 By

If you’re running a home business while raising a family, you probably feel like you have two full-time jobs. For many mompreneurs, the last thing on the list of priorities is an exercise routine. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that new mothers exercise less than childless women their age. Add to that a new business, and you have a recipe for an exhausted, unhealthy mom.

So we agree that work-at-home moms have unique challenges when it comes to maintaining a fitness routine. But chances are, one of the reasons you chose to start a business while raising a family is so you could create a more balanced life. So you could earn a living doing what you love while remaining present at home for your family. When you ignore your own health and fitness, you can’t possibly live a balanced life. And while you may be physically present for your family, you may not be the most pleasant mom. (Trust me – I’ve been the cranky mom many times!)

Regular exercise gives you more energy to keep up with your children and your busy schedule. It helps you stay focused and productive in the office. Exercise relieves stress and endorphins that help you feel better about yourself, your business and life in general. And it creates a healthier home because a happy mommy is a good mommy.

So how can you create time for fitness when you’re running a business and taking care of your children? Try these fitness tips for mompreneurs:

Five Fitness Tips for Busy Mom Entrepreneurs

1. First Things First. Have you ever read the book Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy? It’s about procrastination and the idea of tackling your highest priority task first thing in the day (your “frog”). For me, that’s exercise. I discovered long ago that the only excuse I have the morning is that I want to sleep longer. As the day progresses, the excuse list gets longer. Life gets in the way. So I know I have to knock it out first thing. You may have better results with an evening routine or lunchtime workout, but try to choose a time of day and make it part of your regular schedule. Then you don’t have to figure out where to squeeze in a workout. It’s already part of your day.

2. Follow Your Heart. Exercise doesn’t have to be grueling and painful. In fact, if you want to stick with it, you should choose something fun. If you’re not into running or hanging out at a gym, then take a look at other options. Try Zumba, yoga, swimming or belly dancing. Take a class in rock climbing or stand-up paddle boards. Go hiking, biking or in line skating. If you’re having fun, you’ll want to do it again.

3. Set a Goal. As an entrepreneur, you’re probably used to measuring results. For some people, the motivation comes from the monitoring this progress along a journey to improve something specific. To lose weight. To get stronger or faster. To live longer. To be happier and less stressed. Get in touch with your own personal motivation. What is it that you hope to accomplish through exercise? It doesn’t have to be a number on the scale or a certain size jeans. It could simply be that you want to have energy every morning. Or perhaps you want to be able to keep up with your dog on a hike or walk that you take. Or maybe you want to run a 5k for a charity. Whatever it is, write down your goal and keep it someplace visible for motivation.

4. Find a Partner. What’s the reason Weight Watchers is so successful? Accountability. There is someone waiting for you to show up each week and get on that scale. Having an exercise partner gives you that same accountability. Just knowing that someone is waiting for you and counting on you to show up can be a powerful motivator. I’ve run a marathon, completed several bike centuries and competed in many triathlons. I know for certain I never would have made it to the starting line in any of those events without a training partner. Here’s a tip about choosing your exercise partner: find someone who is slightly faster, stronger or more skilled in the activity than you. This will ensure that you are challenged but not completely outmatched, which would leave you both frustrated and discouraged.

5. Honor Your Commitment. Once you’ve decided to make fitness a part of your daily routine then give yourself permission to spend the time you need to workout. This may require hiring a babysitter or letting go of another obligation. It may mean that something else simply doesn’t get done perfectly (like laundry or housecleaning). Take some time to explain to your family why you are exercising and how important it is to you. Help them understand that you need their support and encouragement if you are going to keep it up. Ask them to respect your need for dedicated workout time. You may even decide to include your family in your exercise program!

It’s your turn. What are your tips and tricks for staying fit while working from home? Please share them with us here!

Filed Under: Mom Entrepreneur Tagged With: , , , , , ,

All Love is Conditional

August 2, 2012 By

In my opinion, many sayings and much conventional thinking is just plain wrong. One such example is that all love is unconditional. Could you love the Colorado shooter unconditionally after what he did? I couldn’t, even if he were my son. There are implicit and explicit conditions in all our relationships.

When we marry we exchange vows. Every ceremony, whether secular or religious, involves some sort of vows. Those vows explicitly express conditions expected and hoped for in the forthcoming marriage: fidelity, love whether life is good or bad, etc.

Further, we bring expressed or implicit additional conditions to most marriages. They include who will do what around the house, who will stay at home with the kids or not, whether the couple will have kids or not, who does the yard work, who is mostly in charge of the social life, etc. As already mentioned, there is a strong expectation of fidelity. Will a spouse just unconditionally excuse a lapse or worse, an affair?

When we extend the notion of conditional or unconditional love to our kids, it gets more complicated. I do have conditions with my kids about goodness, though for the most part if they err from those conditions, my love doesn’t wane. BUT, if either of my sons were to hurt another human being for no apparent reason, I doubt I would unconditionally support and/or love them the same.

The love, at the very least, would be severely tarnished. If mental illness were involved, it would probably not diminish but I’d feel mighty responsible for any damage if I’d not done everything in my power to seek help prior to any incident.

Our family therapist has repeatedly expressed to my wife and me that marriage is a business deal. Women, in particular, may not like looking at it that way, but most women – my wife included – have very strong expectations of the deal involved, much of which has been expressed already in this column.

With a second marriage such as mine, the degree of the “business deal” is usually more detailed and even may include a legal document such as a pre-nuptial (which we do not have, btw). Second marriages often bring with them the proverbial “baggage,” including exes, kids, emotional damage, heartbreak, and certainly not the innocence most of us bring to a first marriage.

When I began dating after my divorce, I was a middle-aged man with primary care for two emotionally stunned young boys. My parents were ill and my plate was quite full.

I expected to date only divorced women with kids of their own and similar emotional issues of their own and their own kids, likely in a shared custody arrangement. And, that is mostly what I did. The irony of meeting and marrying my present wife is that she did not fit that expectation (no kids), but it’s worked out very well for our family. Nonetheless, she brought reasonable expectations/conditions to our marriage.

One of them is sort of funny, but I think quite valid. We both share a love of exercise, specifically skiing, and staying in shape. We presented each other an image of fitness and looks, to be frank, which continued into our marriage. I then suffered a bad head injury just six months after we married.

It resulted, for whatever reasons and the reasons are complex, in my gaining a bit of weight that I’d never carried before. My wife said, “You broke the deal.” She never stopped loving me but I actually took to heart her comment. How would I have felt – being a slug of a guy – if she had gained a similar proportion of weight so soon after our marriage? How would I have felt if she were carrying around a small bowling ball in her belly, like I was?

Not happy, for sure. Would I have been as gracious as she was and so honest? She expressed her dissatisfaction with a sense of humor, but she was right. I broke the deal.

Now, I’ve gone vegan in an effort to get back to my fighting weight and stand by the conditions implicitly understood between us. And, after several years of fighting that weight gain, I’m finally heading back in the right direction.

But, let’s go back to the Colorado shooter or any other mass-murderer or perpetrator of a heinous crime. Would you still unconditionally love him or her? Would you spend all your money on hiring the best defense lawyer to either minimize the punishment or get them off? Would you defend OJ Simpson?

I sure as hell wouldn’t. I’d publicly apologize to the victims. I’d set up a memorial fund and/or something – anonymously – to help out the families and survivors. I’d live in shame the rest of my life and want to “do good” as penance.

Final Note: My wife read and approved this column – as I have her do whenever she is referenced – and she said the only unconditional love is with our pets…

Filed Under: A Dad's Point of View Tagged With: , , , , ,