MS Maze

High-powered magnets — the kind you might have sitting on your desk right now — may pose a serious risk to the children in your life.

With an increasing number of incident reports to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency has issued a warning that high-powered magnets are a safety risk for children.

The type of magnets in question are the high-powered ball-bearing magnets that are marketed to adults as stress relievers or desk toys.

Read it: High-Powered Magnets Deadly to Children

It is estimated that more than 65 million people in the United States provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aging family member or friend during any given year. It takes a physical, emotional, and financial toll, and is an all but invisible labor of love.

Who are the caregivers? Sixty-six percent of family caregivers are women and more than 37 percent are also responsible for children and grandchildren under age 18. Caregiving goes on largely behind closed doors, before and after outside employment.

Read: Caring for the Caregivers

I sing and dance when I feel good. Not well, mind you. My younger son was but a toddler, trapped in a moving vehicle with his off-key mother, when he said, “Mom, can you please sing inside your head?” That about sums up my talent.

My singing is important, though. It’s a sign that I feel good. It’s not just a good mood thing — it means I feel healthy and have extra energy to burn — and that’s not always the case.

While preparing dinner last night I was in fine form, groovin’ to classic rock and belting out some fairly horrific sounding notes. Then I considered my husband, working in our home office, and wondered if I was annoying him. How could he concentrate with my off-key chorus? But it felt too good to stop.

My precarious health situation this past year means that he appreciates just about anything I do, simply because I’m here to do it. That’s got to wear off eventually, right?

At dinner I asked the question. “How long will it last? How long will I be able to get away with making a racket before you quit appreciating my mere presence and ask me to cut it out?”

Thoughtful pause.

“I’d say pretty much for the rest of your life, babe. Sing all you want. I like to hear it.”

‘Nuff said.

Gut flora could be the key to preventing obesity. A recent study revealed that poor gut flora may trigger obesity and healthy gut flora may reduce the risk of obesity. Of course, a balanced diet and exercise are important parts of the equation, too.

I had a few questions for the lead researcher of this study, and she obliged with some very interesting information.

Read it: The Key to Obesity May Be in Your Gut

Giuliana Rancic, the 36-year-old host of “E! News” and “Fashion Police” announced on the “Today Show” that she has early stage breast cancer.

The cancer was discovered on a mammogram she had at the insistence of her infertility specialist, according to an article in Boston Globe. Unless there is a particularly high risk of breast cancer, mammograms are generally not recommended for women under the age of 40.

Read it: Giuliana Rancic has Breast Cancer: The Evidence and Emotions of Mammograms

Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
(#24 in a series)

What would you do if you found a lump in your breast? I called a doctor, but not everyone agrees that was the right decision.

Some readers said I shouldn’t have reached out to the medical community, shouldn’t have had surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. I say it’s a personal decision, one we must each make based on our individual case. I told my story but do not give medical advice, unless you consider my plea to check your own breasts or to at least talk to a doctor to be medical advice.

Read it: What would you do if you found a lump in your breast?

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Profiles
Carmelita P: Grieving Son Recounts Mom’s Battle with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Nancy Steiler: Searching for “Normal” After Cancer
Eileen Z. Fuentes: Living with a Grateful Vibration
Meagan Farrell: Cancer Survivor Says “Let Go of the Little Stuff”
Melissa Stukenborg: When Worst Fear Becomes Reality, Find Your Inner Strength

Related
Breast Cancer Awareness: Taking it Personally
Man with Breast Cancer says, “Don’t be embarrassed…it’s too important”
Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Series
My Video: What is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
My Book: No More Secs! Living, Laughing & Loving Despite Multiple Sclerosis
Follow on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo

It’s pink ribbon time again. That time of year when we’re bombarded with all things pink to bring attention to breast cancer, it’s causes, treatment, and funding for research.

There’s a lot of talk about “boobies” and “ta-tas,” but there’s a whole lot more to it than saving breasts — it’s about saving lives.

When it comes to breast cancer awareness, many people still don’t realize that men can get breast cancer, too. The numbers are small, but cancer is cancer and, if you’re a man, you need to know that a lump in your breast area should not be ignored.

And did you know that not all breast cancers are alike? Or what it means when your diagnosis is “triple-negative breast cancer?”

Last October I did my part in blogging for breast cancer awareness. As I wrote those posts, I was unaware that a fast-growing tumor was about to make its presence known in my own breast. I am very fortunate to be here this October to help with another Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this time with some personal experience to back it up.

I’ll be posting a wrap-up of my year-long journey on Care2.com on October 14 — one year from the day that I discovered that ominous lump. My birthday also happens to fall in October and I am beyond grateful that I was able to add another candle to the cake.

Related Reading:
Man With Breast Cancer Says, “Don’t Be Embarrassed…It’s Too Important”
Video: What the Heck is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Series

On vacation earlier this year, he noticed a hardness in his left breast while showering. His wife, Virginia, thought the nipple appeared inverted and a darker color than unusual. Donald readily admits that without his wife’s observation and insistence that they cut their vacation short, he likely would have procrastinated and delayed seeing a doctor.

How does it feel to be a man with breast cancer? Read it: Man with Breast Cancer says, “Don’t be embarrassed…it’s too important”

More kids are showing up in hospital emergency rooms because of accidental poisoning from medication, according to a study from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Over half a million children are exposed to pharmaceuticals each year.

Read it: Pediatric Medication Poisoning on the Rise

A well-made shoe that fits right is not only more comfortable for your children, but can help them avoid injury. Do you know what features you should look for in your child’s footwear?

Read it and watch the video: How to Buy Children’s Shoes

Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
(#22 in a series)

“I seize the day much more than I did before, says triple-negative breast cancer survivor Meagan Farrell. “Each day feels like a blessing, so I make the most of it. I’m also much better about letting go of the little stuff. I let things roll off much more easily now as I realize how precious and short life is, and that in the end, most of it really doesn’t matter anyway.”

Read it: Cancer Survivor Says “Let Go of the Little Stuff”

Access all posts in the Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Series

Women and girls in Ethiopia are disproportionately affected by the prolonged drought in Ethiopia because the burden for most household tasks falls on them.

Read it: Drought in Ethiopia Hits Girls and Women Hardest

Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
(#21 in a series)

Triple-negative breast cancer survivor Eileen Fuentes not only lives with a grateful vibration, but generously spreads it around. Now that’s how you turn a negative into a positive!

Read it: Living with a Grateful Vibration

Access all posts in the Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Series

There are four things you can do to increase your odds of living a longer, healthier life. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seven out of 10 deaths in the United States each year are caused by chronic illnesses. Fifty percent of all deaths are from heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Some lifestyle choices can add to our risk of chronic illness and early death.

Read it: 4 Ways to Live Longer

New research out of the UK has doubled the number of genes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Twenty-nine new genetic variants linked to MS have been identified by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

Researchers studied the DNA of 9,772 people with MS and 17,376 unrelated healthy controls. Many of the genes are relevant to the workings of the immune system, giving scientists new clues into how MS develops.

Read it: New Genetic Clues into Cause of Multiple Sclerosis