Health

Every immediate member of my family has now been diagnosed with cancer, except me. Let me clarify, none of my nieces or nephews have been diagnosed either. It feels like Russian roulette and I won the cancer odds. So far. I intend to keep it this way. My parents fought cancer and suffered for years before succombing to it in 2003. Through it, I learned to be a good caregiver. Maybe even a great one. I am very compassionate and empathetic because of this experience. One of my sister’s died of brain cancer in 2010. My other sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and I’m happy to report she is 5 years cancer free. I just got the call from my brother a couple days ago. I knew my brother had a shadow on his lung, but was hoping for a different...

Another ‘after dental surgery’ YouTube video is going viral. This young Kansas teen is sobbing hysterically about murdering her teeth. “They just wanted to help me chew, and I didn’t accept them.” I was also at the dentist today. I broke a filling months ago and had a sharp edge. I decided it was time to replace them. I obviously didn’t have anesthesia, so there was not amusing after affects. The experience was very pleasant. I didn’t feel the injection. My dentist gave a very slow injection, so there was no discomfort. The chair itself had a massager, and I was relaxed before the injection. Because the light would be in my face, they gave me sunglasses to wear during the procedure. I like sunglasses. Sunglasses, massage...

I’m off my game. I was travelling for over a week. The lectures were very interesting and inspiring, but my workout suffered. I did get on the treadmill or go for a walk on some days. But, on two days, all I did was sit on an airplane or in the airport. This was tough on the body. Along with wrecking my workweek workouts, my dietary habits went out the window. I ate well, but I increased snack and sweets. So, I’m home and back on a regular schedule, but was having a hard time leaving my desk for a lunchtime run. I know the ‘to-do’ pile will still be there – and it is never-ending. There is always something to do. I finally got back into scheduling my lunchtime exercise, but I didn’t have the desire to run and lift. I did however, have lovely walks (2 -3 miles...

I have a sparkly costume for the Assistance League of San Bernardino’s upcoming Route 66: Life’s Highway, and am thankful to also have a sponsor for it. My costume sponsor is Tri-County Dental Society and they are a very special organization. Tri-County serves dentists in San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties. Tri-County provides support to the community through their dentists who treat patients. They answer dental practice questions, help with ethical considerations and patient complaints. Tri-County is also a huge advocate of dental professionals volunteering in each county, and always encourage more volunteerism. Because the Headdress Ball primarily raises funds for a dental clinic, I’m super-duper happy about this sponsorship. When a...

Each February the American Dental Association sponsors national children’s dental health care month, and the Dr. Earl R. Crane Children’s Dental Health Center provides FREE dental treatment to uninsured children (5-18) who need of a check up or procedure. A reason to SMILE They are offering FREE dental treatment THROUGH MARCH too! Any guardian or parent of a child without dental health insurance should call (909) 885-2045 for an appointment at 580 W. 5th St, in San Bernardino, CA 92410. Normally, they only charge $20. Sadly, many children ages 6-11 in San Bernardino common chronic disease. The Dr. Earl R. Crane Children’s Dental Health Centerprovide screenings to every 1st grader in the San Bernardino city schools. This past 2012-2013 year,...

I learned tonight that Dr. C. Everett Koop died. He was 96. While I didn’t know him personally, I am still quite sad. A true advocate of improving public health. To me, he seemed to have been the U.S. Surgeon General forever. But, it was actually less than a decade. I think it was his name and the fact he was Surgeon General during the Reagan administration. I liked the initial before the name that reminded me of a mountain. He was very tall, so this seemed quite fitting. I read that his close friends called him “Chick”, I liked that too – it stuck with me. He apparently wrote over 200 articles and books, but I can’t say I read 10% of them. I may have read 5%. I only know that now, because of the news. He was probably the most...