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Category: videos

The Big-C to raise money for American Cancer Society

24 August, 2010 (12:44) | Health, breast cancer, empowerment, family, inspirational, life, media, videos, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

For every person who watches the trailer, Showtime will donate $1 (up to $25,000) to the American Cancer Society…

Join the American Cancer Society and Showtime’s The Big C in the movement to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. In the new series on the pay-cable network, actress Laura Linney stars as Cathy Jamison, a reserved, stifled, Minneapolis schoolteacher who receives the life-changing news that she has cancer. From that moment on, she decides to make some drastic, long-overdue adjustments to the way she is living her life. The Big C premieres at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Monday, August 16 on Showtime.

You can learn more about The Big C and help the American Cancer Society save lives from cancer by watching this exclusive trailer for the show. For every person who watches the trailer, Showtime will donate $1 (up to $25,000) to the American Cancer Society to help people stay well and get well, to find cures, and to fight back against a disease that has already taken too much. Together, we can make a world with less cancer and more birthdays a reality!

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Would You Take A Pill To Make You Smarter?

11 August, 2010 (21:44) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, life, videos | By: Catherine Morgan


Would you take a pill that promised to make you smarter?  That could help you do better on tests?  Give you the energy to be more productive?  Make you feel more alert?

It is possible, but not without risks.

What are smart drugs?

Smart drugs are really just prescription stimulants (Dexedrine, Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta) that have been used to successfully treat attention deficit disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for many years now. However, when a person without one of these medical conditions takes these drugs, it’s basically a prescription “upper” that gives the user a feeling of being able to conquer any task, along with the ability to stay up longer to complete it.

There is another class of drugs known as eugeroics (ie: Provigil) that work to block chemicals in the brain that cause fatigue and in-turn provide the user with a feeling of alertness.  These medications were originally used to treat narcolepsy, and excessive sleepiness due to medical conditions or shift-work.

You can see why college students are gravitating to these drugs, but do they give them an unfair advantage over students that aren’t using them?

It’s important to remember that these are addictive narcotics with many dangerous side effects. Even so, students and professionals are still using them to get an edge over their competition.

From Marie Clare – Pills to Make You Smart

According to a reader survey conducted by the scientific journal Nature, one in five respondents has used prescription cognitive enhancers for nonmedical purposes — that’s 50 percent more than those who reported taking these drugs for their intended use! When asked whether these practices should be allowed, 86 percent of the 1400 surveyed answered yes. Apparently, while the chattering classes tsk-tsked the doping habits of pro athletes, those within their own circles — writers, designers, scientists, scholars — have been juicing up themselves, or secretly wishing they could.

Here is a video on smart drugs from Duke University…

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Gwyneth Paltrow Has Osteopenia

17 July, 2010 (11:28) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, food, life, nutrition, videos, weight loss, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Last week, we heard that Gwyneth Paltrow was diagnosed with osteopenia (a precursor to osteoporosis).

Osteopenia is the term used for bone density that falls somewhere between less than normal and osteoporosis. People with osteopenia have a greater chance of developing osteporosis, a bone disease which leads to an increased risk of fractures.

Paltrow was told by her doctors that her vitamin D levels were extremely low. Because vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium into our bones, a vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of her early diagnosis of osteopenia. Many people are wondering if Paltrow’s strict dieting habits (she is an 11-year follower of the macrobiotic diet) could be partially responsible for her current condition. She has now been put on prescription strength vitamin D to hopefully aid in her calcium absorption and prevent the onset of osteoporosis.

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Laughter, Meditation, Yoga, and Affirmations (videos)

8 June, 2010 (22:38) | Health, YouTube, empowerment, happiness, inspirational, life, peace, thoughts, videos, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

This week the Choose You Blog is focusing on the topic of relieving stress and finding peace. My contribution to this cause comes from several different posts I’ve done over the past few years.

These are posts I’ve done on the many different ways we can reduce stress in our lives.

Did you know laughing is good for reducing stress?

Smile and Laugh Your Way to Better Health

Diet and exercise are important for good health, but did you know laughter is too? If you want to be as healthy as you can be, than laughter needs to be part of your healthy living regimen. Is it?

Here are some of the Health Benefits of Laughter:

  • Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.
  • People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.
  • Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above). The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

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Women Living & Blogging Lupus Awareness Month

30 May, 2010 (18:56) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, family, life, thoughts, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

May is Lupus Awareness Month, and even though it’s the end of the month, I wanted to do my part to bring more attention to this devastating disease and some of the brave women living and blogging with it.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects many more women than men.  In fact, ninety percent of people who develop Lupus are women.  The scary part about Lupus is that it can damage any organ in the body (including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin) causing life-threatening complications.

Here are a few Facts For Lupus Awareness Month

  • The most common symptoms of lupus are: extreme fatigue or exhaustion, headaches, painful or swollen joints, fever, a butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose, sun- or light-sensitivity, and hair loss.
  • Approximately two-thirds of people with lupus will develop some type of skin complication. This often is in the form of a rash or sores, most of which will appear on sun-exposed areas, such as face, ears, neck, arms, and legs.
  • There is no single laboratory test that can determine whether a person does or does not have lupus. Diagnosing lupus involves analyzing the results of several lab tests that are used to monitor the immune system, along with a review of the person’s entire medical history.
  • Systemic lupus is the most common type of lupus. Systemic lupus can affect any organ system of the body, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin.
  • In lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances, such as viruses or bacteria, and the body’s healthy tissue. The result is the production of auto-antibodies that attack healthy tissue.
  • Since many symptoms of lupus mimic those of other illnesses, lupus often can take three to five years to diagnose. Symptoms of lupus can come and go over time, which makes a definite diagnosis more difficult.

There are many courageous women living and blogging with Lupus, and May is the perfect time to check out their blogs and show them some love and support.  If you know a woman blogging with Lupus please share their link in comments.

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Is It Possible To Eliminate The Stigma of Mental Illness?

28 May, 2010 (01:12) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, depression, family, life, thoughts, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Did you know that 57.7 million Americans suffer with mental illness?  That’s 1 in 4 of us.  Chances are, if you’re not one of those four, you most likely know someone who is.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve had my bouts with depression and anxiety over the years.  Thankfully, I always recognized when I needed to reach out for help, and when I did, I got it.

But because of the stigma associated with it, it’s not always easy for people to reach out for help. That’s why it is so important to shed light on this issue and help eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on May 18th bloggers were encouraged to come together through a Blog Party and help bring awareness to the issue of mental health.  The goal was to help educate the public, decrease stigma, and to discuss strategies for making lasting lifestyle changes to promote overall health and wellness.

Take a little time and visit some of the blogs that participated in the Mental Health Blog Party

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Fibromyalgia Awareness Month (with YouTube Video)

19 May, 2010 (11:16) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, blogging, chronic fatigue syndrome, family, life, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Imagine how hard it would be to suffer with daily pain that can effect your entire body, unrelenting fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, along with depression and anxiety?   Now try to imagine feeling this bad only to have friends, family, and even doctors tell you, “You don’t look sick!” or “It’s probably all in your head”.  Sadly, this is what it’s like to be a person who suffers with Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a misunderstood, complicated, painful, chronic medical condition that affects millions of Americans, and May is devoted to bringing more awareness to it.  It’s not known why, but women are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia much more often than men.  Many women are not only suffering and living with Fibromyalgia but they are also blogging about it.  You can learn more about this disease by reading some of the funny, frustrated, and sometimes heartbreaking posts written by these incredibly strong women.  I hope you’ll take some time to check them out and show them some love.

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Can We Become A Healthier Nation?

9 April, 2010 (15:25) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, children, family, healthcare, life, money, news, politics, videos, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

National Public Health Week:  Can We Become A Healthier Nation?

I think many people living in the United States would be surprised to know that we are not one of healthiest nations in the world.  Not even close.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) would like to change that, but they can’t do it alone.  So during the first week of April, the APHA would like to bring more awareness to public health, and offer ways that we can all help this country become a healthy nation.

While the United States spends more on health care than any other nation in the world, it lags behind many developed nations in important health measures. Compared with other developed nations, the United States has relatively low life expectancy, high infant mortality rates, a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and persistent health inequities.

This is simply unacceptable. Since the early 1900s, APHA has vigorously promoted the need for universal health care coverage. However, while universal access to health care is vital to improving the health of our nation, it is just one element of reforming our health system. In order to more fully and effectively achieve a healthier nation we need to ensure the underlying social and economic conditions that allow individuals and communities to be healthy.

We must shift from a nation solely focused on treating individual illness to one that also promotes population-based health services that encourage preventive and early intervention practices.

What do you think?  Can we become a healthier nation?  Would you be willing to help us get there?

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Greg Grunberg of “Heroes” Talks About Epilepsy

6 April, 2010 (17:39) | BlogHer, Health, children, healthcare, life, news, videos | By: Catherine Morgan


I was honored to have a chance to talk with Greg Grunberg (star of the NBC show Heroes) last week about his work to bring more awareness and understanding to epilepsy. Greg, who’s son Jake was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 7, went to the nation’s capital last week for Saturday’s National Walk for Epilepsy. He also met with members of Congress, including Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado (who has a daughter with epilepsy) about bringing more awareness to this disease.

Greg told me that just before his son’s 7th birthday he began having (what he thought were) staring spells. At first Greg and his wife just thought their son was daydreaming, but during his annual check-up the pediatrician discovered that Jake was actually having seizures.

Even though the diagnosis of epilepsy was scary for Greg and his wife, they were determined to find out everything they could and get their son the best possible treatment. And like many parents, they turned to the internet for answers. But what they found was that there was no one-size-fits-all treatment, because there isn’t any one-size-fits-all type of seizure. Greg told me that every seizure is different, and every patient responds differently to medication. Unfortunately, Jake has been found to be in the 25 percent of children that have seizures which are more difficult to treat. And at the age of 13, Jake has already been on many different medications, tried many different treatments, and even has had surgery.

One thing that Greg says he wished he knew earlier on in his son’s diagnosis, was that there is actually a specialized type of neurologist (known as an epileptologist) who specializes in the treatment of epilepsy. For this reason, Greg’s message to parents with a child suffering from uncontrolled seizures is “don’t settle”. He wants parents to seek out a specialist and not to settle for anything less than seizure-free (or at least as close to seizure-free as possible).

To help parents (as well as friends and family) of children with epilepsy, Greg has come together with some of his friends in the entertainment world and he’s created a wonderful interactive website to bring more awareness to this disease. It’s called Talk About It…at TalkAboutIt.org. He also has a great ning site where anyone can go to get information and Talk About It.

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Breaking Science News: Success at CERN (see videos)

30 March, 2010 (22:17) | YouTube, life, news, videos | By: Catherine Morgan

Higgs particles, dark matter, string theory, black holes, the big bang…What will scientists discover at CERN?   I find this incredibly exciting.  What do you think?

From Channel 4 News

Scientists at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) are celebrating after successfully colliding particles at record-breaking energy levels in what some are calling a new era of particle physics.

A team of scientists at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) have achieved high-power collisions of sub-atomic particles in a bid to create mini-versions of the big bang.

Will we find out how the universe came to be?

And if you prefer RAP to physics, check out this YouTube Rap Video about the science behind CERN…

Also See:

Understanding CERN and Discovering The Big Bang (with videos)

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10 Tips To Reduce Emotional Toll of Childhood Obesity

30 March, 2010 (14:40) | BlogHer, Health, children, depression, dieting, family, food, life, nutrition, teens, videos, weight loss, women | By: Catherine Morgan

Childhood obesity is taking a huge toll on the health our kids.  Diseases that in the past have only been seen in adults are (for the first time) being seen in children.  And these are serious medical conditions that can potentially reduce the life span of our children by up to 20 years.

It’s clear that something needs to be done to help children make healthier food choices and reduce their risk of life threatening illnesses.   Even the First Lady is getting involved, Michelle Obama recently announced her Let’s Move initiative to help solve the epidemic of childhood obesity.

We also need to address the emotional and psychological toll that obesity is taking on our children.  Living with obesity can dramatically effect a child’s self-esteem, and in many cases these children can also become severely depressed.

From Life Science – Childhood Obesity Takes Psychological Toll

“Overweight kids are more likely to have depression and low self-esteem, to be teased or bullied, and to bully other children,” said Catherine Davis, associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia. “These can be serious problems for these children.”

That’s why it is so important to make sure that while helping our kids get to a healthy weight, we do everything in our power to protect their fragile psyches.

But how can we do that?

Here are ten tips that might help…

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Inflammatory Breast Cancer: The Silent Killer

12 March, 2010 (21:02) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, life, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

silent killer

Not all breast cancers are created equal…And of all types of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer is the most deadly (as well as on the rise).  The reason it is so deadly is because it is virtually invisible.

So, what makes inflammatory breast cancer so much more deadly than other types of breast cancer?

For starters, it can not be detected with a mammogram.   It might as well be called the invisible breast cancer.   And without a method for early detection, this type of cancer is most always not diagnosed until the end stage (which brings the survival rate even lower).

Another obstacle with this type of cancer is…

Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer are nothing like symptoms of other breast cancers.  In fact, symptoms of this deadly form of cancer are often mistaken for mastitis (a painful but treatable condition).  This type of misdiagnosis only further delays a woman’s diagnosis and treatment.  By the time most women are diagnosed, their cancer has already spread.

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Stress Reduction In Six Minutes

5 March, 2010 (11:54) | Health, YouTube, empowerment, happiness, inspirational, life, positive thinking, videos | By: Catherine Morgan

Are you stressed out?

Even a small amount of stress can have negative effects on your overall health and well-being.  Can you spare six minutes of your time to reduce some of that stress?  If so, give this a try.

Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the next six minutes.

COLORFUL MEDITATION – For meditation and stress reduction is 6 minutes of continuous highly complex computer generated kaleidoscopic imagery with an original New Age ambient music soundtrack…

from www.cinemandala.com

Did you try it?  Did it help?  Let me know in comments.

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My Bday List: A resolution to better health in 2010.

7 January, 2010 (23:06) | Health, YouTube, blogging, empowerment, heart disease, inspirational, life, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

bday listMy New Year’s resolution is about doing everything I can do to have more birthdays.  At the moment the one thing that could keep me from doing that, is my blood pressure.  I’ve had blood pressure and heart rate problems since my twenties, but now in my forties, I know I’m at a much greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke.  So this year I plan on taking specific steps to hopefully lower my blood pressure.  Like Morra Arrons-Mele, I would like to make these changes holistically.  I’m still planning to take my medications, but even on medication my blood pressure is still not controlled.

Here are the steps I plan to take in 2010…

1.  Continue to eat healthy, but kick it up a notch.

2.  Reduce stress by using meditation and Reiki on a regular basis.

3.  Get the Wii Fit and begin doing light exercising and yoga.

I’ll keep track of my progress by documenting my blood pressure and the days I’ve used any of the above steps.

Well, that’s my “more birthdays list.”  I hope you’ll join me at the American Cancer Society’s Official Birthday Blog, by sharing a list of your own.

Here are some tips for making and promoting your Bday List and supporting the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign…

1. Create a list of things (could be one thing or many) you plan to do to stay healthy in 2010 and/or to help create more birthdays. This is your “my more birthdays list.”

2. Share your list on Facebook and/or Twitter (using the #mybdaylist hashtag). These could be anything from losing 5 pounds or eating more vegetables to training for a 10K or half-marathon.

3. Tweet and/or post messages on Facebook about the progress you’re making on your more birthdays list throughout the year. This will help you get support, tips, and encouragement from others who are trying to accomplish their more birthdays lists.

You can also easily share you list on Facebook and Twitter here.

Here is the Facebook group and here is the #mybdaylist on Twitter.

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Stem Cell Research Controversy – with video

5 December, 2009 (14:10) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, family, life, news, politics, videos | By: Catherine Morgan

Stem Cell Research:  Mixing religion, science and politics equals controversy.

This week president Obama announced the release of 13 new embryonic stem cell lines to be used for research.  Scientists are hopeful that this research could someday treat or even cure diseases like Diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and spinal cord injuries (just to name a few).  But this decision isn’t without controversy.

Although, I have a hard time understanding why there is such a big controversy.  If you consider the two-day old embryo to be life, then wouldn’t you want that life to have some sort of meaning?  When the alternative to research is the trash, isn’t there more dignity in research?

This is a one minute video that demonstrates what is currently happening to unused frozen embryos “LIFE” from fertility clinics. These are the same embryos, that could be used to advance scientific research and to save lives…

I wrote about my feelings on stem cell research back in 2007, and my feelings are still the same.  I believe the unused embryos that would otherwise be discarded from fertility clinics, should be treated with the same respect we give organ donation.

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Miley Cyrus’ Get UR Good On Project: Nicole’s Video

28 November, 2009 (14:07) | BlogHer, Kindness, Miley Cyrus, YouTube, blogging, children, family, food, inspirational, life, teens, thoughts, videos, women | By: Catherine Morgan

My daughter Nicole, who is a big Miley Cyrus fan, heard about a project Miley was supporting called Get UR Good On.  As soon as she heard about it, she wanted to get involved.  The idea was to do something good in your community, video it, and then upload it onto the Get UR Good On website to encourage others to do the same.

Nicole loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, so she decided she wanted to cook a holiday dinner for women and children in need, so that’s what we did.

We contacted the Daytona women’s shelter and they were very excited about Nicole’s idea for a holiday dinner and toy give-away for the children.  Then the work began.

Publix donated $50.00 and helped us get good deals on the food.  Even so, that didn’t nearly cover the cost of the food, but a  few friends and family pitched in to help with the rest.  Then Nicole decided to use her own money (that she received for getting straight A’s in school) to buy the children toys.  She bought — dolls, puppets, stuffed bears, coloring books, crayons, toy trucks and cars, pom-poms, magic tricks, books, play-dough, and more.

You can see her video (set to the music of Miley Cyrus) below.  Or you can go to the Get UR Good On site and also give it a rating and comment.

Nicole’s Get UR Good On Holiday Dinner…

Nicole also blogs about things she loves at NicoleBlogs.com

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Holiday Food Safety: Prevent Foodborne Illness

25 November, 2009 (20:41) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, family, food, life, news, videos | By: Catherine Morgan

The CDC estimates that there are 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses each year, and of that number more than 300,000 will be hospitalized and 5,000 will die.  Those are high numbers, especially considering these types of illnesses are very preventable.

On Thursday we will all be sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, and some of us will even contract one of these food-borne illnesses.  But there are things we can do to reduce our risk of of food-borne illness.

To start, here is a great video on Holiday Food Safety from the FDA website…

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Breast Cancer Screening Controversy

22 November, 2009 (12:18) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, breast cancer, family, healthcare, life, news, politics, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Are women just too emotional for mammograms before 50?

Unless you’ve been under a rock all week, you have probably heard about the government task force that has recommended new guidelines for breast cancer prevention.  It goes something like this…

If you’re younger than 50 or older than 75, you no longer have to worry your pretty little head about breast cancer, or getting those pesky boob squishing mammograms.

Hallelujah!  I wonder how long it will be before we go back to giving women Valium for chest pain?  Who needs preventative care when it’s not 100% effective anyway?  Hell, just go ahead and give us anti-anxiety meds for all of our ills…I’ll betcha we save a bundle on healthcare costs. Women already outlive men by a bunch of years, maybe this will even things out a bit…Isn’t equality what we’ve been cryin about all these years?

OK, I know, I went a little too far with my analogy.  But seriously, this is what’s going on…

From Kaiser Health News – Guidelines on Cancer Screening Spark Debate

On Monday, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that routine mammograms start at age 50 instead of 40, that women receive the test every two years as opposed to annually, and that physicians no longer train women to perform breast self-examination.

Imaging centers saw cancellations for mammograms more than double since the news of these “recommendations” were announced.  I wonder how many of those women may actually have breast cancer right now and will miss the opportunity for early detection and treatment?

I have to admit, I’ve been having a lot of cynical thoughts running through my head since I heard this disturbing news.  Like…

I can’t help but think that if the pharmaceutical companies were profiting from mammograms these recommendations would be suggesting that they begin ten years earlier rather than later.

And then there’s this one…

If a healthcare reform bill is going to benefit the insurance industry (and it must – considering all their lobbying dollars), then insurance companies need guidelines that will allow them to reduce the amount of money they shell out for quality health care.

I know these are just thoughts, but when government panels are established to become corporate bean counters of women’s health policy, it makes me a little angry.

The thing is, when it comes to healthcare for women – I want to see more choices for women, not less.

Check out this video, it really does a nice job of addressing the problems associated with these new guidelines…

Is healthcare for women under attack?

Was I the only one who was completely shocked to find out that this so called panel of experts had three representatives from insurance companies, but no experts in oncology or breast cancer?

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Raising HIV/AIDS Awareness

7 November, 2009 (15:05) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, family, healthcare, life, news, politics, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Did you know that one in four Americans living with HIV are women?   It’s true.   HIV/AIDS is affecting more and more women, specifically African American women.  It’s actually become the leading cause of death in African American women between the ages of 25-34.

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November Is Epilepsy Awareness Month

3 November, 2009 (12:34) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, children, family, healthcare, life, mommy bloggers, news, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  I hope this post will provide information and facts about epilepsy, while also showcasing women blogging about life with seizures.

Here are some epilepsy facts from CURE Epilepsy

  • Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease combined. Almost 500 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States. Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.
  • In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
  • Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.
  • In over thirty percent of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment. Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death. Many more have only partial control of their seizures.
  • The severe epilepsy syndromes of childhood can cause developmental delay and brain damage, leading to a lifetime of dependency and continually accruing costs—both medical and societal.
  • It is estimated that up to 50,000 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.
  • The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population and the risk of sudden death is twenty-four times greater.
  • Recurring seizures are also a burden for those living with brain tumors and other disorders such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, tuberous sclerosis, and a variety of genetic syndromes.

I found this video on a blog called My 3 Peanuts – It is a very informative video that explains exactly what happens during a seizure.

Understanding Epilepsy…

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Breast Cancer Survivors: Stories In Words and In Video

10 October, 2009 (10:49) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, breast cancer, healthcare, inspirational, life, mommy bloggers, news, positive thinking, thoughts, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

This is a post in honor of breast cancer survivors. They are women sharing their stories of hope, struggle, determination, and survival. Some are in words and some are in video.

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Will You Be Getting The Swine Flu Vaccine?

29 September, 2009 (01:50) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, children, healthcare, life, news, thoughts, vaccines, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

The swine flu vaccine will be available very soon, but there is still skepticism surrounding its safety. Generally, I have a strong opinion about these types of things, but my feelings about this vaccine are still uncertain.

One thing I am sure about though…This vaccine should not be made mandatory for anyone (including health care workers). I do believe health care workers should be among the first to have access this vaccine, since they will be the ones treating the sick. However, making it mandatory and threatening peoples jobs (especially in this economy) is totally unacceptable. But that is exactly what is happening in some states.

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3 Tips For Reducing the Stress of Daily Life

23 September, 2009 (00:21) | Health, empowerment, family, happiness, inspirational, life, money, peace, positive thinking, success, thoughts, videos, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

herbal eye pillow

Is stress wearing you down? Are you worried about the bad economy? Your job? The mortgage? Your health? Your family? If so, you are not alone.

Life is always changing, and that can feel very stressful. But often, seemingly bad things will happen in our lives, that will actually turn out to be the catalysts to something positive. It’s very true that when one door closes another will open. Although it never feels so great when that one door closes. Recently I’ve had several doors close on me. But as hard as it’s been, I can already see that these things needed to happen to bring me closer to where I am meant to be.

There are three things we can do to help relieve the stress in our lives…

Continue reading the full post here.

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Is Your Family Affected By Food Allergies?

3 June, 2009 (21:46) | Health, Women 4 Hope, YouTube, children, family, food, life, nutrition, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Is Your Family Affected By Food Allergies?

Do you have children that suffer with food allergies? It seems like food allergies are becoming more and more prevalent. Why is that? My personal opinion, is that it has something to do with how germ and bacteria free we’ve become as a society.

Last week was food allergy awareness week, so I thought I would use this post to look at food allergies and how some parents are coping.

What are food allergies? From The Mayo Clinic

Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some people, a food allergy can cause severe symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Food allergy affects an estimated 6 to 8 percent of children under age 3, and about 4 percent of adults. While there’s no cure, some children outgrow their food allergy as they get older.

Here is an informative video on food allergies

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Chronic Illness: Claims Of Cures Are Often Scams

30 May, 2009 (09:40) | Health, YouTube, chronic fatigue syndrome, healthcare, heart disease, life, thoughts, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Chronic Illness: Claims Of Cures Are Often Scams.

Do you suffer from a chronic illness with no known cure? Like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? If so, you probably wish every day that you could find a cure and finally be healthy and well.

Why is it that just about every illness without a medically proven cure, has loads of people “claiming” to know the cure? Not only is it disingenuous to promote cures to desperate people suffering with chronic illness, but it also minimizes the seriousness of these conditions.

For instance, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and many people believe the cure for this condition is as simple as getting more sleep (and oddly enough, more exercise). Guess what? CFS has nothing to do with how much sleep someone gets, and exercise often exacerbates Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There is no cure for what I have, but the Internet is full of sites that claim to have “sell” the cure. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are many alternative modalities of healing that can benefit the symptoms of this disease, but they should not be mistaken for (or touted as) cures.

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Diet Detective Ambushes Overweight Women

11 May, 2009 (09:34) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, dieting, exercise, family, food, heart disease, life, nutrition, thoughts, videos, weight loss, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Stalker Diet Detective Ambushes Overweight Women For Reality TV Show

Yes, you heard right. There is a new show on We-TV that has many women (including myself) up in arms – It’s called I Want To Save Your Life. But what could be so bad about a show that wants to save lives? Well, it gives the impression it is a kind of “intervention” type show…but it’s really an attack on women who are overweight.

This show is wrong on so many levels that I barely know where to start. Below is a promo clip of this pathetic excuse for reality tv.

I did happen to see this show last week, and it was quite shocking. I think the worst part about it is how family members (in the case I saw it was the husband), basically “rat out” the women and allow this guy to stalk them and then confront them about their weight and diet on reality tv. I don’t know who is worse, the stalker nutritionist or the husband who rats out his wife?

This show would be a lot less revolting to me if the women were writing in asking for help on their own. But instead, they are being betrayed by the people that are suppose to love and support them unconditionally. It’s really very sad, not to mention HUMILIATING.

And to call it I Want To Save Your Life, really adds insult to injury. A better title might have been…

Honey, I think you’re FAT…So I’m going to humiliate you into going on a diet.

In the episode I saw, the (so called) lifesaving nutritionist/diet detective made the overweight woman go to the bakery and purchase a slice of her favorite chocolate cake. Then he made her hold it in a box while walking for over two hours in the hot sun. Is he freekin kidding? Not only did she have to walk off the calories in the cake, but she wasn’t even allowed to eat it (before or after the walk). It was more than a little cruel, not to mention totally unnecessary and degrading.

What are the producers of this show thinking?

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Learn How To Reduce Stress With Positive Affirmations

21 February, 2009 (10:56) | BlogHer, Health, Women 4 Hope, YouTube, depression, empowerment, family, happiness, heart disease, inspirational, life, peace, positive thinking, thoughts, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Is stress wearing you down? Are you worried about the bad economy? Your job? The mortgage? Your health? Your family? If so, you are not alone.

Life is always changing, and that can feel very stressful. But often, seemingly bad things will happen in our lives, that will actually turn out to be the catalysts to something positive. It’s very true that when one door closes another will open. Although it never feels so great when that one door closes. Recently I’ve had several doors close on me. But as hard as it’s been, I can already see that these things needed to happen to bring me closer to where I am meant to be.

There are three things we can do to help relieve the stress in our lives

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October Is Lupus Awareness Month

8 October, 2008 (13:12) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, family, healthcare, life, videos, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

Lupus is a hard to diagnose autoimmune disease, that affects mostly women of child bearing years.  This post will address the facts about Lupus – What is it?  How is it diagnosed?  What are the symptoms?   Then you can read about several women who are living with Lupus, and blogging about it.What is Lupus?

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More Than Just Another Breast Cancer Awareness Post

2 October, 2008 (00:00) | BlogHer, Health, YouTube, blogging, breast cancer, empowerment, family, healthcare, life, mommy bloggers, nutrition, success, videos, women, women bloggers, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I wanted to do a little more than the average breast cancer awareness post.  Here is my humble attempt.  I’ve put this post together with; videos of survivors, an interview with Christina Applegate, early signs & symptoms, blogs of note, news, and links to informative support sites.  If I’ve missed something (and I’m sure I have), please share the information with our readers in comments.

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Understanding CERN & Discovering The Big Bang

13 September, 2008 (17:54) | YouTube, news, videos | By: Catherine Morgan

Finding Out The Truth Of The Universe By Recreating The Big Bang — Bringing Creation and Evolution Together – by Catherine Morgan.

[Originally posted here in April 2007]

I have always been interested in science, particularly in Quantum Physics. So, this story is extremely exciting to me. In just a few months, we may soon understand exactly how the universe began. I have put together several articles and videos that I think you will find very interesting, and I will continue to update this post as new information becomes available. This is the largest and most expensive experiment ever to be done, and the information here does not require you to be a scientist to understand. I hope you find it as interesting and exciting as I do.

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