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October is “National breast cancer awareness month” This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart because 26 years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent both chemotherapy and radiation. September 2017 she made 25 years cancer free, she was very happy about that, unfortunately she died from complications of Heart Disease, but not before celebrating her anniversary of being cancer free. I thought it was very important to discuss breast cancer, know the facts, the risks, and the signs.

According to “Cancer.org” In 2015, it was estimated that there would be 1,658,370 new cancer cases diagnosed and 589,430 cancer deaths in the US.

In 2018 it is estimated that there will be 1,735,350 new cancer cases diagnosed and 609,640 cancer deaths in the United States. Breast Cancer awareness is helping.

These are staggering numbers and of particular concern to me since I am a high risk woman given that my mother did have breast cancer. In fact, this puts me at a greater risk than most when it comes to getting breast cancer myself, as it is hereditary. Because of this, there have been multiple occasions when I’ve considered having the relevant genetic testing for cancer so I can see whether I am at an increased risk or not. If it’s caught early enough, I have a higher rate of survival, just like my mother had. She survived it, and that doesn’t mean that I can’t too, (if I do have it that is). When my mother was going through breast cancer and had to have Chemo and surgery she was so sick and she lost her hair…I was so scared about getting the disease because all I could think about was losing my hair and my breasts, how superficial I was. I defined my beauty to my hair and breast like many other women. Seeing how strong my mother was and how beautiful she looked bald, I realized I could not allow my breast and hair to define who I am as a person. Don’t get me wrong I like my hair and I complain about bad hair days just like 95% of the total female population but I don’t stress about it. No need to stress on things you can purchase…if you lose your hair, you can buy a wig…you lose your breast you can buy new ones from a breast augmentation denver clinic…problem solved. Focussing on the disease is all that matters, that is why it is important to know the risk, recognize the signs and to take action on prevention care.
Everyone is at risk for breast cancer.

  • Being a Woman
  • Overweight
  • Increased Age
  • a family history of breast cancer or a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer

There are some factors that can increase a person’s risk, but some people develop breast cancer when the risk factor is not present. I would like to also add that there are men that develop breast cancer and younger women as well. Recognizing the signs are very important to early detection and being cured. Performing breast self-exam will help you know your body and what is normal and not normal. If you notice a change, you should see your doctor immediately. Here are some possible warning signs:

  • Lumps, a hard knot or thickening in any part of the breast
  • Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening that does not go away
  • pulling in of the nipple or other parts of the breast
  • New Pain in one spot that does not go away

Early detection is key in diagnosing breast cancer. The earlier it is treated the more opportunities you will have for treatment. If you visit this website, you will see that some people have argued cbda oil can play an effective role in inhibiting breast cancer cell migration. Many cases of breast cancer are found by monthly breast self-exams…an annual mammogram is one of the single most effective methods of early detection. No one looks forward to having a very uncomfortable mammogram, especially women like myself who are well-endowed and you feel like your breast has just been smashed like a pancake. The sooner a problem is found, the more treatment options are available and the better chance you have of beating the disease and living a full healthy life. Once breast cancer has been detected, that is when all energy can be focused into enjoying life and defeating the disease. If somebody close to you is battling breast cancer, then it is imperative that you do whatever you can to help them enjoy every second as much as possible. Whether this be through gifting breast cancer flowers or any other methods, its crucial that they know how much we love them. I hope this reaches someone and you decide to take action, your life is important so you must take care of yourself. If health insurance is an area of concern, there are many services that offer FREE mammograms, all you have to do is ask. I am grateful that I have not been diagnosed I continue to do monthly BSF and I have yearly mammograms, no one knows why and how many women get breast cancer but if I am meant to get I will have a better chance of survival because I do partake in preventive care. I need to be around to nag my husband, drive my girls completely crazy and plan all of my friends birthday celebrations…until next time read Hamptons Mouthpiece….always keeping you in the know!!!! October is National Breast Cancer Month

According to New York State Breast Cancer Services: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in New York. It is also the second leading cause of cancer-related death in New York women. The best protection against breast cancer is early detection and diagnosis. Governor Andrew Cuomo has increased awareness and screening for breast cancer, including a public awareness campaign, community outreach programs, patient navigators, and mobile mammography vans.”

  • Require 210 hospitals and hospital extension clinics to offer extended hours of screening for at least four hours per week to help women who have difficulty scheduling mammograms during the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday.
  • Eliminate annual deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance payments (“cost-sharing”) for all screening mammograms, including those provided to women more frequently than current federal screening guidelines such as annual mammograms for women in their forties
  • Eliminate cost-sharing for diagnostic imaging for breast cancer, including diagnostic mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MRIs for women at high risk for breast cancer.
  • Adds public employees of cities with a population of one million or more, to the population of public employees in New York State who are currently allowed four hours of leave for screening for breast cancer each year.
  • The NYS Cancer Services Program offers free breast cancer screening and diagnostic services for uninsured, eligible New Yorkers.

Click on link to read more about New York’s new legislative agreement: READ MORE

For more detailed data click on link to see the Breast Cancer facts and Figures 2017, read more at www.cancer.org

Cancer.org

Schedule your routine mammogram at one of The Ellen Hermanson Breast Center’s three locations on the East End:

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital
631-726-8285

240 Meeting House Lane
Southampton, NY
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Radiology at the Atrium
631-723-1232

Hampton Medical Atrium
182 West Montauk Highway, Building B
Hampton Bays, NY
Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Laboratory & Imaging East
631-329-8543

East Hampton Healthcare Center
200 Pantigo Place
East Hampton, NY
Monday – Friday 7:30 AM – 3:15 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Hamptons Teen: CALL ME OLD-FASHIONED, but I’m Just a DAD
I have become increasingly aware and worried about the relaxed attitude of illicit drug use among teens in the Hamptons and beyond. But what are our teenagers to think? They see a more relaxed and accepting attitude regarding the use of marijuana due to the reduction of legal penalties and the sale of marijuana for recreational use in multiple states. This is in the news and has become a part of their realities.Happy Group Of People
What our teenagers do not realize is the increased documentation about the effects of marijuana on the teenage brain. We know that the development of the brain is very fluid until or between the ages of 21-25 years old. The way in which the brain is wired is open to impact by this and other drugs. I am not a prude nor am I unaware of the opportunities, interest, curiosity and pressure to smoke weed. A lot of us did it when we were young. But this isn’t our father’s (and mother’s) weed no more. Things like the juicy fruit strain are a lot different to what was being smoked back in the day. The THC (active ingredient that produces the high) content is many times more concentrated in today’s marijuana than in the weed our generation smoked. Many ‘brands’ of weed are genetically improved to the form of designer status. I’ve also recently heard that there are different ways that you can smoke weed these days, like through a helix pipe for example. Apparently it’s a cool thing to do. Consenting adults should have the option of doing whatever they want to do but it is imperative to fully inform our teenagers of the risks inherent in smoking pot. If you want to know more on marijuana from a dispensary with the opportunity to see their deals as well, you can Get info here from Rocky Mountain Blaze, who list all their pricing for you to get an idea of. I’m not saying weed is a completely bad thing. As I said, a lot of us used to smoke weed as teens and obviously there are many reported health benefits of smoking weed if it’s done responsibly. It is also doing good things for the economy; there are many new cannabis jobs saturating the employment market and it is raising millions of dollars in tax.
I have the same concerns about smoking cigarettes and underage drinking that I have towards smoking weed and I feel to some extent, these are a more insidious and risky behavior that is impacting our teenagers. I cannot tell you what is the percentage of teenagers smoking and drinking but I feel it is over 50% of the population. Maybe I’m old-fashioned but if you were to ask both of my daughters (18 and 25), I still harp on the need to show restraint and to use some forward thinking concerning their future plans and how use and abuse can derail their goals. Believe me, they get tired of ‘the talk’ but I continue just the same. Am I being successful… I don’t know but I hope so. They lead their own lives, much of the time out of my view but I do what I do anyways because I must! I have no illusions, I can’t protect them all the time, nor should I or will I try. I will tell them the real deal, give them the tools to make good decisions and pray for the best.
EVERYONE has my permission to warn me if they think my child’s behavior is a risk to them and I do not care if they don’t like it. If your kids have come to my house, they may have heard some rendition of ‘the talk’ as a natural inclination of mine to be protective and proactive towards the friends of my children. My kids have probably warned them to expect it sometimes. AGAIN, I don’t care. I will not preach or teach but this is a part of the way we conduct business in our home. I will not stop!
Now don’t get me wrong, I remember being a teenager and doing LOTS OF STUFF. I will not be a hypocrite and tell them to ‘do as I say and not as I do’. But the risks of life long impacts secondary to social media and ‘selfies’ of illicit behavior that can follow them FOREVER…there are no do-overs anymore. Society can be very unforgiving. We did not have to face these risks. Remember, the definition of a teenager is filled with doing DUMB THINGS. But it is this risk taking and feelings of invincibility that makes them so powerful and dynamic. It will be hard to convince them of the dangers because they LIKE danger!
One more trend that I am seeing; the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs (PED’s). The use of Human Growth Hormone and steroids among teenage athletes has increased exponentially. Kids want to look better and perform better and they are getting access to and using these drugs more and more. The lifelong effects of these PED’s and the health impacts are so pronounced and damaging that it is imperative that parents and adults of teenage athletes inform them of the risks. Encourage your school teams to educate their athletes of the dangers and make it part of their athletic curriculum.
From me to you….JUST BEING A DAD

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Hamptons Wellness: The Benefits of Ginger: Ginger is widely used throughout the world for treating loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting after surgery, nausea resulting from cancer treatment, flatulence,stomach upset, colic, morning sickness and motion sickness.

Some people find ginger helps them with the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, cough, menstrual cramps, arthritis and muscle pain.

In some parts of the world, ginger juice is applied to the skin to treat burns

GINGER: Nausea, upset stomach…When I was pregnant with both of my daughters I have really bad morning sickness and I was nauseous all the time, literally until they were born. This is why they are 6 1/2 years apart and why I only have 2.

Some say drink Ginerale & Saltine Crackers but the sugar from the gingerale made me feel sicker…Ginger Tea is the Best..Treat yourself to a cup of piping hot ginger tea, a healthy drink that’s great for digestion. Why go out and buy old tea bags when you can easily make your own homemade ginger tea at home using fresh ginger? Here’s how to make the tastiest ginger tea you’ve ever had!

Home-made Ginger Tea
Recipe Type: Tea
Cuisine: Liquid
Author: Vanessa Leggard
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Home-made ginger Tea…piping hot ginger tea, a healthy drink that’s great for digestion
Ingredients
  • 4-6 thin slices raw ginger
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups water
  • juice from 1/2 lime, or to taste
  • 1-2 tbsp honey or agave nectar, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Peel the ginger and slice thinly to maximize the surface area. This will help you make a very flavorful ginger tea.
  2. Boil the ginger in water for at least 10 minutes. For a stronger and tangier tea, allow to boil for 20 minutes or more, and use more slices of ginger.
  3. Remove from heat and add lime juice and honey (or agave nectar) to taste.

9 Terrific Benefits of Ginger

  • Eat fresh ginger just before lunch to stoke a dull appetite and fire up the digestive juices.
  • Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.
  • Ginger clears the ‘microcirculatory channels’ of the body, including the pesky sinuses that tend to flare up from time to time.
  • Feeling airsick or nauseous? Chew on ginger, preferably tossed in a little honey.
  • Ginger helps reduce flatulence!
  • Ginger helps with Tummy moaning and groaning under cramps?
  • Ginger, with its anti-inflammatory properties-can bring relief. Float some ginger essential oil into your bath to help aching muscles and joints. You can combine it with CBD soap from websites like https://missionfarmscbd.com/cbd-soap/ to help with the inflammatory pain.
  • Chewing ginger post-operation can help overcome nausea.
  • Stir up some ginger tea to get rid of throat and nose congestion. And when there’s a nip in the air, the warming benefits of this tasty tea are even greater

Hamptons Wellness: The Benefits of Ginger:

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Young women CAN and DO get breast cancer. It is estimated that more than 250,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger are living in the U.S. today. While breast cancer in young women accounts for a small percentage of all breast cancer cases, the impact of the disease is significant.

Studies show that Advance Breast Cancer is becoming more common in younger women…New research finds almost a tripling of advanced or metastatic breast cancer among women ages 25 to 39 between 1976 and 2009. -Women with no history of breast cancer will not get their 1st Mammogram until age 40…Should these young women be encouraged to get mammograms earlier than 40 even if there is no family history of breast cancer? If they don’t, and they do end up finding a trace of cancer in their breasts after a mammogram, could it have an impact on their outcome? It’s things like this that can make a difference to a person’s life, and what treatment they could receive if it was caught earlier. Contacting places in your area, like this windsor medical clinic, may be in your best interest when it comes to finding out about whether you can schedule to have one earlier if you’re worried. And if you are coming up to the regulated age for a mammogram, it is important that you book one as soon as possible, so you have a better chance of catching and treating the disease in the possibility of a worst-case scenario. Family history can determine some things within a family, however, there are times where women may not know their family history and if breast cancer runs in it. Because of this, they may want to do a family history search by such websites as genealogybank.com (click here), in conjunction with death certificates, and see if there is a link and how strong it may be.

The results are potentially worrisome because young women’s tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women’s, and they’re much less likely to get routine screening for the disease. In the United States, the incidence of breast cancer with distant involvement at diagnosis increased in W25-39-year-old women 1976- 2009. No other age group or extent-of-disease subgroup of the same age range had a similar increase. For 25- to 39-year-olds, there was an increased incidence in distant disease among all races and ethnicities evaluated, especially non-Hispanic white and African American, and this occurred in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The incidence of women with estrogen receptor-positive subtypes increased more than for women with estrogen receptor-negative subtypes.

January is National Thyroid month
UPDATE: JANUARY 7TH 2016: It has been 4 years since I was diagnosed with Graves Disease and I am feeling great. For many months I was not feeling great, but thanks to my brainiac 16 year old who told me I needed to stop using sea salt and use regular salt with iodine, it made a huge difference in how I felt. My eyes would hurt, my skin felt rough and I was extremely exhausted. I have limited my intake of Broccoli, cabbage, kale and Brussel sprouts.. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, can interfere with the production of thyroid hormone, particularly people who have an iodine deficiency. Digesting these vegetables can block the thyroid’s ability to absorb iodine, which is essential for normal thyroid function. People with hypothyroidism may want to limit their intake of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips, and bok choy. Cooking the vegetables can reduce the effect that cruciferous vegetables have on the thyroid gland.
I also increased my daily water intake, decreased my sugar and started exercising.
Click on the following links: 9 Foods to Avoid With Hypothyroidism

thyroidGreetings Hamptons MouthPiece Readers.…January is National Thyroid Disease awareness month…Something that I was completely unaware of until it was brought to my attention. I decided to share my story with many of you. Three years ago I started going to the doctor complaining of various symptoms, hair breakage, hot flashes, chest pains, odd sleeping patterns, weight gain. Each time I had test they all came back negative and over the years, everyone was tired of me complaining about not feeling well and I thought they thought I was seeking attention. Last year  I was finally diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and an uptake scan determined I had Graves disease. Initially I was scared because I was unsure what that meant then I felt an odd sense of relief because this had been going on for over 3 years with no diagnosis and therefore I thought I was loosing my mind and stopped complaining to my doctor that I was not feeling well.

It has been almost 1 year since I was diagnosed and most of the time I am doing better than before I was diagnosed but my levels are consistently off and it is important to be in-tuned with your body and when you are not feeling well. When my levels are off, my medication will not function correctly and I will start to administer some weird symptoms like cold flashes, heartburn, sleepless nights, unexplained blotting, and my teeth start to hurt.

My advice to you is pay attention to symptoms that you are experiencing, when you go for physical examinations and your thyroid levels are slightly off and you are having some of the symptoms I mentioned above, pay attention. I would suggest you seek  an endocrinologist, this is their area of specialty, don’t wait because there are solutions and you do not have to wait the 3 long years I did without being properly diagnosed. For more information on Thyroid Disease and Graves Disease click here: 

East End Endocrine Associates – Riverhead, NY, (New York) are fantastic and have taken great care of me.