The Hidden Symptoms of Breast Cancer and How to Reduce It

By Cathy Halls


There are many abnormalities that a woman might experience having to do with her breasts, but often, many don’t think that it’s anything to worry about. Here’s what you need to know about weird, painful or scary developments.

1. Breast Shape
The first symptom to look out for is a change in the shape or size of your breast. If this happens, a woman could have a tumor that is growing deep inside of her breast tissue. Therefore, always be looking for changes. Face a mirror and move your arms around so that you can see different angles of your breasts. Also, pay attention to whether or not it suddenly feels tighter than it previously did.

2. Pain in the Armpit
When a woman has a lot of pain underneath her arm, a doctor should have a look at it. This is because this is the first place that breast cancer develops. Usually, a woman can check for these symptoms with their fingertips very carefully. If a woman finds a lump that seems to be hard, and it will not move, this could be a sign of breast cancer. Also, the tissue under a woman's arms could be very dense compared to the tissue under the other armpit.

3. Changes in Nipples
If a woman starts to notice changes in her nipple, she should be alarmed. Since a tumor can change the appearance of the nipple, this is a big sign. Your nipple can also become inverted or flatter than it normally would be, compared to the other nipple. Plus, the nipple may be a lot more sensitive than normal. The nipple could also have blood coming out of it - if this doesn’t alarm you, I don’t know what will.

4. Sore Breasts
The fourth major symptom is when a woman's breasts become very sore or red. In fact, the skin on a breast might be very hot and irritated when touched. This is often a sign that the woman has inflammatory breast cancer. It’s the only type of breast cancer that is going to cause a woman's breast to become red and sore at the touch. The skin of the breast could also get dimples, along with some purplish areas that look like bruises.

5. Upper Back Pain
Most of the time, back pain is going to happen way before any of the other symptoms of breast cancer appear. The pain usually occurs between the shoulder blades. A lot of times, a woman is going to mistake this upper back pain for a pulled ligament or just sore muscles. This is going to be especially true if you do a lot of exercise. Don’t be fooled, get it checked out!


Reducing Breast Cancer

Nothing can totally prevent breast cancer, but studies have suggested that there are a few things that a woman can do to reduce the chances of getting it. The first thing is to limit the amount of alcohol that she drinks on a daily basis. Also, control your weight. Make sure you get plenty of physical activity on a daily basis, and also, believe it or not, breast feed when you have a baby. Lastly, avoid any kind of hormone therapy.

Cathy Halls writes about health, finance & saving money at www.dentalinsurance.net.

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How To Stop Smoking Today

I started smoking cigarettes when I was involved with a crowd who did. After I stopped hanging out with them, the habit remained, costing me well over $200 a month.

I recently quit for good after two years of smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes a day and I wanted to share my process.


Thought
First, it began as a desire in my heart. I wanted to stop although I didn't know how I would do it. You'll know you are about to quit smoking when the thought crosses your mind on more than one occasion. You'll begin to think about the benefits of letting go of that disgusting habit and it will make sense to you.

The Tradeoff
With any addiction, you'll have a moment of clarity that forces you to see what you had been missing out on because of your addiction. For me, it was the fact that I had no health insurance.

"I can't believe I still can't afford to get my tooth pulled," I thought to myself early one morning after I got off of working the overnight shift as a waitress. I was on my automatic stroll to the gas station to buy my daily pack of cigarettes when it hit me.

WAIT A MINUTE!

I can't afford health insurance.

I spend more than $200 a month on cigarettes.

I need my tooth pulled and can't afford it.

I spend more than $200 a month on cigarettes.

I need a car.

I spend more than $200 a month on cigarettes.

I want to be able to reinvest in my start up business more.

I spend more than $200 a month on cigarettes.



I stopped mid-stride and suddenly I felt the stink from the millions of cigarettes of my past rushing up out of my throat. I was disgusted with myself for being so stupid. I sat down on the bus stop, staring out at the gas station across the street and right then and there I decided- I'm not buying anymore. I decided that I wanted good health and more money more than I wanted that habit.


Reinforcement
But the desire didn't go away. Smoking cigarettes is an activity for most people. It is something to look forward to at the end of the day, after a good meal, after a good romp in the hay or even- just because the sun is shining and you want to sit outside.

When I got home I didn't change clothes and immediately head outside to smoke. Instead I smiled to myself and got ready for a nice nap. When I woke up I felt great. I went about my day as though I was superwoman.

It wasn't until the next day that I felt the void. When you're a smoker, smoking is such a part of your life that you allot times in the day for it. When you stop smoking, you can sleep longer, take longer showers, eat before work and so much more that you would usually rush through so you could make sure you have time to get that cigarette in.

The void feels depressing. You don't know what to do with your hands. You tend to eat more. If you eat fruits or chew celery you'll make it through.

How I reinforced the idea that I would not smoke again came to me in such a marvelous way. When the thought of buying a pack of cigarettes came into my mind I made myself think of 3 people I know who were smokers.

Then I thought about their lives, their goals and compared them to my own. I asked myself, "Do you want to be like them when you grow up?"

Yes, I had to be haughty about it. I had to imagine for a minute that I was BETTER than those folks who smoked and that smoking was for commoners who had nothing better to do with their money.

"I have dreams and goals," I reminded myself. "I can't spend money on that. I'm better than that. There are plenty of other things to suck on."



So to recap, if you want to stop smoking using cognitive force you must:

1. Think and decide that you want to quit. Make no extra effort. Simply acknowledge that this is a goal you want to achieve.

2. Take stock of your tradeoffs. What are you missing out on because of your habit? What is your habit holding you back from doing? What is your habit costing you? Decide that you want something else MORE than you want your habit.

3. Be Haughty. Listen, people who smoke are disgusting and ugly. Who really wants to stand around looking and smelling like that? Why do so many people smoke- because it's the COMMON thing to do. In fact, I learned that for the homeless, smoking is their favorite activity.

Who do you share your 'shorts' with? Is that person someone who represents your ideal lifestyle? Are you trying to go somewhere in life or will you sit there and blow all of your dreams out in a cloud of smoke every single day? You're killing yourself, you do know that. Your breath stinks too.
And eww, what is that cologne you wear to cover it up? It doesn't work. Everyone still knows.

And look- God says in the Bible that the only folks need to get drunk (or smoke) are those who need to drown their sorrows. The Bible says that the leaders need to keep a sober mind and should leave those addictions to the commoners that they are charged to care for.

Stop smoking.

That shit is not cute.

Woman with mouth cancer.

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Advance Directives for Medical Care

By Brenda M. Hook

“I need to know your decision..”

My thoughts went to my brother and I playing hide and seek at my parents house. We always had so much fun,and we were not just close in age (13 months to the day), we did everything together growing up. He protected me. He…

“Ms. Hook..I NEED TO KNOW YOUR DECISION. We don’t have a lot of time.”

This was not a decision that a sister should have to make for her brother but it was up to me to decide. Should I try to save him or let him die?

This is the decision I was faced with when 2 weeks ago, I was asked if I wanted to take my brother off of life support or have him transported to another hospital for tests and a subsequent operation to remove a blood clot from his aorta.

“Who the hell am I to decide such a thing?” I wondered out loud.

“You’re his sister,” the doctor replied.

"Do you know if my brother had an advance directive," I asked my aunt.

“No,” my aunt replied quietly. “He didn’t.”

If only he did.

If he had an advance directive in place, a simple form that explains what type of care you want in the case of a medical emergency when death is imminent and you are unable to express your wishes, it would have relieved me of this monstrous decision. It legally takes the guess work, guilt and stress away from your loved ones by allowing you to express your decisions to health care professionals and family ahead of time if you are faced with an illness that you are unlikely to recover from.

Advance directives usually tell your doctor that you don’t want treatment in certain circumstances, or that you want a certain treatment regardless of how ill you are.

An advance directive is a specific guidelines that express how you feel about care intended to sustain life. You can choose to accept or refuse medical care.

Some of the issues that your directive needs to address are:

• The use of dialysis or respirator
• If you want to be resuscitated if breathing or heartbeat stops (DNR order)
• Nourishment and fluids
• Organ or tissue donation

Anyone that is at least 18 years of age can draw up an Advance Directive, but you should be aware of the laws that apply to your state. Once you are satisfied with your Directive, it should be notarized and a copy given to your doctor and to your family. You may change or cancel your directive at any time, as long as you are mentally capable of making that decision. Changes can be made in writing or at the hospital.

Please don’t put someone that you love in the position that I was in. Make your wishes known. You don’t have to be old, or sick to have a Directive. My brother was 44 years old at the time of his death, and I believe in my heart that I did the right thing for him. But sometimes, I still wonder.

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Get Relief From Fibroids

By Tracey Daniels
www.fibroidrelief.org

If you have never suffered from uterine fibroids, chances are that you know someone who has. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by the age of 50, 70 percent of Caucasian and 80 percent of African-American women will have fibroids.

Fibroids, benign growths in the uterus, typically range in size from one millimeter to 20 centimeters. They can grow individually or in clusters and often become detectable by a woman because of the symptoms they cause – heavy bleeding, pressure, and pain.

The good news is although most women will at some point have fibroids, only about 25 percent of those women will have fibroids that are symptomatic and require treatment.

For those women whose fibroids are symptomatic, there are a variety of treatment options available. Choices include lifestyle and diet changes, hormonal treatments such as taking birth control pills, incision-free focused ultrasounds, uterine fibroid embolization and surgeries such as a myomectomy or hysterectomy.

At Fibroid Relief, a patient-centric women’s health organization, we understand that a hysterectomy might be the best choice in certain circumstances. However, we generally advocate for the least invasive treatment possible. Right now, about 200,000 hysterectomies are performed in the U.S. every year due to uterine fibroids. We feel that number could be lowered if more women knew about other treatment options. To learn about non-invasive treatment options, see the treatment chart on Fibroid Relief’s website and consult with your doctor about which choice is best. (If you are not satisfied that your doctor is giving you sufficient options, you may want to seek a second opinion – something many insurance programs allow.)

We also feel that it is essential for women to increase dialogue about uterine fibroids. In our interactions with patients, we are consistently surprised by the number of women who are diagnosed with fibroids, only to find out soon after that a close friend or someone in their family has had fibroids but never discussed it.

There is no shame in having fibroids. One of the best ways to be educated and supported is to talk with other women. Most importantly, women need to know that they are not alone and that there are choices and support available to them.

Additional Resources

Fibroid Relief Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/fibroidrelief

Fibroid Relief Treatment Chart http://fibroidrelief.org/fibroids/what-are-my-treatment-options/

Fibroid Relief Blog http://fibroidrelief.org/category/blog/

NIH Fact Sheet on Uterine Fibroids http://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=50&key=U

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Free and Discounted Drug Prescriptions

Once I was sick and had to go to the emergency room. I was given a prescription for antibiotics and when I went to fill it the prescription was more than $100. I couldn't afford it so I had to continue to deal with the sickness and eventually had to return to the emergency room. When I was there I argued with the doctor who then gave me another prescription. When I went to get it filled it was only $33!

I was livid. The doctors know that there are generic versions available but most won't tell you for some reason.

My Mom visited the doctor yesterday and he was such an awesome individual that he told her about all of the free and discounted drug prescription programs available. I summarized his list for you. Before you fill your prescription please call the pharmacist and always ask about the latest information on free and discounted drug prescription programs as the list changes from month to month.

A big, hearty THANK YOU to Bernard S. Chapnik, MD for this valuable information.


Publix Free Antibiotics

Amoxicillin

Ampicillin

Cephalexin (capsules and suspension only)

Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP)

Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR)

Penicillin VK

Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules only)

Schnucks Free Antibiotics

Amoxicillin (Generic for AMOXIL)

Ampicilin

Ciprofloxacin (Generic for CIPRO)

Doxycycline

Penicillin

Trimeth/Sulfa (Generic for SEPTRA or BACTRIM)

Meijer Free Antibiotics

Amoxicillin

Cephalexin

SMZ-TMP

Ciprofloxacin

Ampicillin

Penicillin VK

Erythromycin

Many chain pharmacists also offer $4 & $5 Prescription programs.

Discounted Prescription Programs

Walmart $4 Prescriptions

Target $4 Prescriptions

Kmart $5 Prescriptions

Kroger $4 - $10 Prescriptions

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Free (and LOW COST) Dental Care

Compiled By B.J. Schmidt

Assistance programs vary from state to state. Call your state Dental Society for programs in your area.

Alabama Dental Association; Phone-1-334-265-1684

Alaska Dental Society; 1-907-563-3003;1-800-478-4675

Arizona State Dental Association; 1-602-957-4777

Arkansas State Dental Association; 1-501-771-7650

California Dental Association; 1-916-443-0505; 1-800-736-8702

*California Society of Pediatric Dentist; 1-310-548-0134

*Fresno Madera Dental Association; 1-209-438-7284

*Humbolt-Del Norte Dental Society; 1-707-443-7476

*Orange County Dental Society; 1-714-634-8944

*Tri-County Dental Society; 1-909-370-2112 (serving Riverside,San Bernardino and the Eastern Portion of Los Angeles counties)

Colorado Dental Association; 1-3033-740-6900

Conneecticut Dental Association; 1-203-278-5550

Delaware State Dental Society; 1-302-654-4335

District of Columbia Dental Society; 1-202-547-7613

Florida Dental Association; 1-904-681-3629 ;1-800- 877-9922

Georgia Denatal Association; 1-404-636-7553

Hawaii Dental Association; 1-808-536-2135 ; 1-800-359-6725

Idaho State Dental Association; 1-208-343-7543

Illinois State Denatl Society; 1-217-525-1406; 1800-475-4737

Indiana Dental Association; 1-317-634-2610; 1-800-562-5646

Iowa Dental Association; 1-515-282-7250; 1-800-828-2181

Kansas Dental Association; 1-913-272-7360

Kentucky Dental Association; 1-502-459-5373; 1-800-292-1855

Louisiana Dental Association; 1-504-926-1986; 1-800-388-6642

Maine Dental Association; 1-207-622-7900;1-800-369-8217

Maryland State Dental Association; 1-410-964-2880;1-800-766-2880

Massachusetts Dental Society; 1-508-651-7511; 1-800-342-8747

*Southeastern District of the Massachusetts Dental Society; 1-508674-8818

Michigan Dental Association; 1-517-372-9070; 1-800-589-2632

Minnesota Dental Association; 1-612-646-7454; 1-800-950-3368

Mississippi Dental Association; 1-601-982-0442

Missouri Dental Association; 1-314-634-3436; 1-800-688-1907

Montana Dental Association; 1-406-443-2061

Nebraska Dental Association; 1-402-476-1704

Nevada Dental Association; 1-702-255-4211; 1-800-962-6710

New Hampshire Dental Society; 1-603-255-4211; 1-800-244-5961

New Jersey Dental Association; 1-908-821-9400

New Mexico Dental Association; 1-505-294-1368

New York State Academy of General Dentistry; 1-518-465-0044; 1-800-255-2100

* Suffolk county Dental Society; 1-631-232-1400

North Carolina Dental Society; 1-919-832-1222

North Dakota Dental Association; 1-701-223-8870

Ohio Dental Association; 1-614-486-2700

Oklahoma Dental Association; 1-405-848-8873; 1-800-876-8890

Oregon Dental Association; 1-503-620-3230

Pennsylvania Dental Association; You'll have to look up the number because the book has (7-234-5941 and I really don't think you'll reach anybody.

I was thinking about abbreviating Association, because who would believe that there were that many Assos in the states, or what's worse is Ass's , so I decided to tough it out, knowing that they wouldn't like either. So, back to typing I go.

Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry; 1-215443-0667

* Dental Society of Western Pennsylvania;1-412-321-5810 (serving Allegheny,Armstrong,Beaver,Butler,Fayette,Greene, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland counties)

Rhode Island Dental Association;1-401-732-6833

South Carolina Dental Association; 1-803750-2277; 1-800-327-2598

South Dakota Dental Association; 1-605-224-9133

Tennessee Dental Association; 1-615-383-8962

Texas Dental Association; 1-512-443-3675; 1-800-460-8700

*The Greater Houston Dental Society; 1-713-961-4337

Utah Dental Association; 1-801-261-5315; 1-800-662-6500

Vermont State Dental Society; 1-802-864-0115

Virginia Dental Association; 1-804-358-4927

Washington State dental Association; 1-206-448-1914; 1-800-448-3368

West Virginia Dental Association; 1-304-344-5246

Wisconsin Dental Association; 1-414-276-4520; 1-800-364-7646

Wyoming Dental Association; 1-307-634-5878; 1-800-244-0779

These are the State Dental Societies

Next

Donated Dental Services

If your state isn't listed call 1-800-365-7229 and see if it's availble in your state.

Alabama-1-334-834-1114

Alaska-1-907-561-6028 Arkansas-1-501-221-0280

Arkansas-1-501-221-0280

California-Orange and Los Angeles counties-1-888-471-6334;

Northern California-Same as above

Colorado-Denver area-1-303-534-5297;

Outside denver-1-303-534-3863

Florida- Greater Miami-1-305-598-7080

Hawaii-1-888-471-6334

Illinois-Chicago area-1-800-893-1685; reat of the state 1-309-689-6785

Indiana-1-317-631-6022

Kansas-1-785-273 1900

Louisiana- 1-504-948-6141

Maine-1-207-620-8276

Maryland-1-410-964-1944

Michigan-Metro Detriot-1-248-489-2204;

Outside Metro Detriot- 1-248-489-2206

Mississippi-1-601-368-9823

Nevada-1-702-651-5744

Montana- 1-406-449-9670

New Hampshire- 1-603-223-1531

New Jersey-Essex,Union,Hudson,bergen, Passaic,and Sussex counties-1-732-940-0055 ;

for the rest of the state 1-732-821-2977

New Mexico- 1-505-298-7206

North Dakota- 1-888-471-6334

Ohio-1-513-621-2517

Oregon 1-503-774-3898

Pennsylvania, Western Penn-1-412-243-4866;

Eastern Penn 1-1-717-238-8721

Rode Island - 1401-728-9448

South Dakota 1-605-357-8660

Texas 1-512-912-1358

Virginia 1-804-264-9010

Washington-Greater Seattle 1-206 441-8777

West Virginia 1-304-296-9005

Wisconsin-Milwaukee area- 1414-276-0370;

the rest of the state 1-262-670-0837

WYoming 1-307-766-2829

Other Denistry Resources

Inner City Health Center

3405 Downing St.

Denver, CO 80205 Phone: 1-303-296-1767

AIDS Resourses Center of Wisconsin

820 N. Plankinton Ave.

Milwaukee, WI 53203

Phone:1-800-359-9272 ext.1548

Kids in Need of Doctors- 1-909-686-3342 Riverside, CA

Northwest Regional Primary care Association

6512 23rd Ave., NW Suite 305

Seattle, WA 98117

Phone: 1-206-783-3004

Community Dental Center

406 N. Ashley St.

Ann Asbor, Mi 48103

Phone: 1-734-998-9640

I'll add more later

I found one more: worldental.org/dental-news/free-dental-​care-offered-for

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5 Websites For Natural Health Care

There are alternatives to traditional health care. Long before there was modern medicine, people used natural herbs and plants to help cure disease and sustain health.

Here are five recommended websites for natural healthcare news and tips. As always, please do be mindful that each body is different and every suggestion may not be right for you. Use wisdom.




Mama Moringa

Mercola

Natural News

DHerbs

Natural Solutions

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Remedies For Common Ailments

Over the years while struggling as a student, single mother and waitress I often found myself without health insurance. I had to be really creative to combat typical illnesses until I could save enough to see a doctor. I want to share my remedies with you. I hope they help.

Headaches

I find that my head starts aching when I have not drank enough water. Smoking incessantly and drinking soft drinks contribute to the headaches too. When I have a headache I have to take the time to drink a couple of glasses of water and simply lay down in the dark. I relax my mind and massage the aching part of my head until my body relaxes.

Cold & Flu

When my body is aching and I feel like I’m about to fall down even while I’m sitting down, I force myself to go to the store to buy a packet of Theraflu. I buy the powder version and after I drink it dissolved in a glass of warm water I feel like I have been kissed by an angel.

Diarrhea

I had a bad case of diarrhea once and I read somewhere online that if I drank a capful of apple cider vinegar it would suppress it so I could go out and run errands. I tried it and it WORKED. I was able to go out for 3 hours with no problem until I could afford to go to the doctor and see what was going on in my body.

Sore Throat

When my son has a sore throat he doesn’t want to eat anything; even soup irritates him. Because I want him to eat to keep up his strength, I discovered that chilled fruits like pineapple slices, peaches and frozen grapes don’t irritate his throat and he was able to stay nourished while he was sick.

Toothaches

When I have a toothache and I can not afford to go to the dentist I go out and buy a bottle of Dr. Tichenor's Antiseptic Mouthwash. It is purchased in a concentrated formula so you will have to dilute it to use it as a mouthwash. But, when my tooth is aching very badly, I pour a cap-ful into my mouth and hold it over the infected/aching tooth and it numbs the pain right away. It also works to prevent infection of minor cuts, scrapes, and insect bites.

For My Savvy Sisters: Do you have any fast relief remedies for illnesses to share?

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Planned Parenthood- A Safe Choice For Savvy Sisters

Many Savvy Sisters have found a safe haven in Planned Parenthood.

In seeking healthcare, one of this country's best resources is Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is an income based program that caters to women and men who need help with issues surrounding their health care, sex education and family planning needs.

With more than 90 years of experience, their practice has grown and their open door policy is treasured by women from all walks of life.

You can call and make an appointment at the center nearest you. When you go in, bring a copy of your last pay stub and you will be given a tier number which represents your income level. For many people, there is no payment required, they simply ask for a donation.

You don't have to struggle with irritations and symptoms without getting help. Take care of yourself. You need to. You are important too.

To make an appointment please visit http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

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