I always like to hear about new strides being made as far as cancer goes - any type of cancer too, not just breast cancer. My father had prostate cancer a few years ago, and he had some surgery and some other things done and he’s cancer free today. For him, it was a relatively quick and painless process. I realize that it’s not that easy for everyone though, and that’s why I’m excited that new techniques are always being found. Right now, a new prostate cancer treatment is in its 3rd round of FDA approval - that’s good news! The procedure is called a HIFU, which stands for high intensity focused ultrasound. Like the ablation that women can have, this is an technique that uses the power of an ultrasound to destroy tissue. It’s very targeted so there’s a minimum of damage to healthy tissue, and it’s a one time procedure. Instead of radiation and surgery for days and weeks, with a long recovery period, men can be done in a matter of hours, and just under a spinal, instead of general anesthesia.

Because this technique hasn’t passed the final round of FDA testing at this time, it can not be done in the US, but you can travel to Canada (Niagara Falls, in fact) and see a doctor there. And just like I preach about early detection for women, ALL men should know about prostate cancer symptoms and signs and be aware of changes to their health.

This is a sponsored review.

It some cases, it makes sense to segregate men and woman. Women have different doctors (and different medical needs). Prisons don’t mix female and male inmates. Some schools even segregate their students, because boys and girls learn differently. I suppose that these are the kinds of things that prompted this alcohol treatment center for women. The program is based upon gender specific research and does not admit men. The center stresses a holistic approach to treatment and women will find themselves taking yoga, working in an art studio, learning about healing, and spending their days in a calming environment.

One reason I think this could work…I know a lot of abused women who have turned to drugs and alcohol to seek solace. If the abuser was a man, being in rehab with more men won’t help that particular woman. A woman-centric approach may be the only way to help someone in that kind of situation.

I don’t normally read the sports page, so I missed this bit of news when it appeared in the St. Petersburg Times last week. Dakoda Dowd is going to be a freshman at my old high school, and her mother, Kelly Jo Dowd, died last week of breast cancer. Dakoda is a golfer, and a good one at that, and Kelly Jo’s dream was to see her daughter compete professionally before she did. Kelly Jo made it long enough to see that happen, and passed away this week, despite a double mastectomy and chemo. There’s a big pink ribbon outside of the Cleawater Hooter’s to memorialize Kelly Jo, who was not only a mother and a wife, but a former Hooter’s waitress, calendar girl, and general manager.

Here’s a direct quote from Kelly Jo Dowd:

“I’m in this boat because I waited too long, ” Mrs. Dowd said in an April, 2006 interview. “Like any disease, breast cancer along with it, the sooner you get it, the sooner you can catch it and be done with it. So don’t wait.”

Don’t wait. Don’t lose out on years with your husband and kids and friends and loved ones. Early detection can give you years of living cancer free. I’m 30, and I’ve already started getting mammograms due to a family history of breast cancer.

I was reading US Magazine one day this week at lunch, and it had a spread on all of the famous drug rehab centers that the celebrities go to. Some of these places cost $50,000 or $100,000 a MONTH! And obviously, those high profile centers don’t work so great, considering how many celebrities seem to be going in and out of there on revolving doors. When choosing a drug rehab program, don’t pick one for who it caters too - pick one that will work. Stone Hawk is run by former addicts and takes drug addiction seriously. They enable users and abusers to start a new life, free from drugs. The educate families and friends. And they care deeply.

I got another $20 donation today, and this brings my grand total up to $1956 raised! Amazing! I got an email about the dates for Expo. I don’t think I’ll go this year. It was interesting last year when I was a complete newbie, but it’s kind of far from my house and I think I’ve got what I need already as far as clothes and such, so I don’t need to spend more cash at Expo. (Last year I bought New Balance shorts there, to wear for the walk, and you all know I ended up wearing 2 pairs of pants and a Mylar blanket…HA!)

Remember when Kevin Nealon did the subliminal bit on Saturday Night Live? It was hilarious - one of my all time favorite sketches of his. I didn’t realize it, but apparently subliminal messages do work, and can help you change behaviors like smoking or assist you with your weight loss. Isn’t that interesting? I don’t get how playing subliminal CDs can change you, and the person you are, but I think it’s a fascinating concept. Imagine just popping in a CD every night to boost your confidence - and one day, a few months down the road, you realize that it worked, and you no longer the meek pushover you used to be. Neat, huh? When you visit the site at http://www.subliminal-cds.com/ there is an FAQ that explains how the CD’s actually work - seeing things like this makes me wish I had taken more psych classes in college!

I got another donation this week, bringing me to a new grand total of $1,856.00 raised, and only another $344 left to raise before the walk in October. I’m in much better shape than I was last year, and it’s a huge relief to know the fundraising portion will soon be behind me. Remember, if you donate $20 to me, you get your name over there —> with a link to your site!

We’ve all got bad habits, don’t we? When I was little, I bit my nails. I finally stopped doing that in middle school, I think. Right now, my bad habit is drinking too much Coke…but that’s a tough habit to break. I seem to run on Coke most days! My kids had a bad habit - thumb sucking! Thankfully, we were able to put a stop to that…a few years too late, but still, we stopped it! If you’ve got a bad habit, you can check out the bad habit busting program. They’ve got bad habits I didn’t even think of listed there, from being a yes person and being a pushover to computer addictions. If you want to break a tough habit, like smoking habits (icky!), the Habit Busting Program by Lee Milteer promises that it CAN help you break those bad habits and change the way you go about your day! Of course, you’ve got to want to stop. You need to WANT to change. If you do, than this program could be for you!

One of my new favorite shows to watch is Jon & Kate Plus 8. The woman had twins, and then sextuplets. Right now they’ve got 2 six year olds, and 6 two year olds. Better her than me! She must have some friends at Google too, because when I type in “sextuplets”, I go right to their website. On the episode I watched today (DVR’ed, of course!) the family went to a NICU reunion party. If I could have made it through enough science in college, I would have loved to have been a labor and delivery or NICU nurse. 2 years after the babies were born, and the nurses still remembered each of their names!

I’ve always wondered how celebrities are in and out of rehab so quickly. I realize that their schedules are demanding, what with movies to shoot, music videos to be made, clubs to be danced in, and the like, but can you really be cured of your addiction in a month or less?

StopYourAddiction.com is the site behind a new drug rehab program that says yes, you can cure your addiction in a month. 28 days to be exact. I visited the site to learn more about that short term rehab program, but didn’t see much of anything on the site about it. Trade secret, perhaps? At any rate, the site does have a lot of information about drug rehab and addiction, and it’s laid out well, and easy to navigate. The rehab center is located in Michigan, but there’s not much info about the location on the site either. The info I found referring to the short term program said to call, so I guess if you really want to know more, that’s what you’ll need to do.