Tuesday, September 29, 2009

“Robin Roberts to be guest announcer on Opry - AccessAtlanta” plus 4 more

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“Robin Roberts to be guest announcer on Opry - AccessAtlanta” plus 4 more

Robin Roberts to be guest announcer on Opry - AccessAtlanta

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 08:03 AM PDT

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Robin Roberts, co-host of ABC's "Good Morning America" and a breast cancer survivor, will be guest announcer this Friday during a special Grand Ole Opry show promoting research about the disease.

Roberts, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, will introduce acts during the long-running live country music show.

According to a news release from the Opry, Carrie Underwood will flip a switch turning the Opry's signature red barn backdrop pink in support of breast cancer research.

Roberts has written a book, "From the Heart: Eight Rules to Live By," which chronicles her experiences since being diagnosed.

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September 29, 2009 05:41 AM EDT

Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



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FACT CHECK: Flaws in Obama's health care anecdotes - KCBD

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 03:38 AM PDT

Associated Press - September 29, 2009 6:45 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - 1 of President Barack Obama's health care "horror stories" is about a Texan who, he says, lost her health insurance on the verge of breast cancer surgery.

Obama said the woman didn't disclose a case of acne to the insurer.

The Associated Press reports that's not what happened.

Robin Lynn Beaton of Waxahachie (wahks-uh-HA'-chee) indeed had her insurance suspended and then terminated.

Beaton did not lose her insurance because she failed to own up to a skin problem in her past.

She lost it because, when enrolling, she didn't report a previous heart condition and did not list her weight accurately.

In Beaton's case, the insurance company opened an investigation after her visit to a dermatologist and just before her scheduled breast cancer surgery. The earlier problems on her enrollment form were discovered. Her coverage was canceled.

Texas Congressman Joe Barton fought the insurer until it restored her coverage, enabling her to get the surgery 10 weeks after it was postponed.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



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Strategies For Reducing Painful Breast Cancer Drug Side Effects - Science Daily

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 01:58 AM PDT

ScienceDaily (Sep. 29, 2009) — Aromatase inhibitors, the same drugs that have buoyed long-term survival rates among breast cancer patients, also carry side effects including joint pain so severe that many patients discontinue these lifesaving medicines. New University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research, however, has uncovered patterns that may help clinicians identify and help women at risk of these symptoms sooner in order to increase their chances of sticking with their treatment regimen.

In a study published recently in the journal Cancer, researchers at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center found that estrogen withdrawal may play a role in the onset of joint pain, also known as arthralgia, during treatment: Women who stopped getting their menstrual periods less than five years before starting breast cancer treatment were three times more likely to experience these pains than those who reached menopause more than a decade earlier. In a separate study published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, the Penn researchers found that among women experiencing these symptoms during treatment with aromatase inhibitors (AI), those who received electro-acupuncture – a technique that combines traditional acupuncture with electric stimulation – reported a reduction in joint pain severity and stiffness. Those women also said they suffered less fatigue and anxiety.

"We are fortunate today to have many effective treatments for breast cancer. Unfortunately, many of these treatments have troublesome and debilitating side effects that can last for months or years after treatment, and really harm the quality of life and productivity of women who receive them," says lead author Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, an assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health. "These findings are just a first step in our comprehensive research program aimed at understanding the nature of treatment-related symptoms, who is likely to get them, the mechanisms by which they occur, and how best to treat them."

Toxicity issues and side effects among patients taking aromatase inhibitors – drugs used in post-menopausal women to prevent recurrence of breast cancer following initial treatment, by reducing the amount of estrogen the body makes – lead as many as 20 percent of patients to miss prescription refills or discontinue their therapy altogether. Patients in the new study were taking aromatase inhibitors including Arimidex, Femara or Aromasin. Of the 300 patients enrolled in the study, 139 reported AI-related pain, with 75 percent of those reporting symptoms that began within the first three months of the therapy. Women most commonly had pain in their wrists, hands, and knees, though more than half said they also had pain in their backs and ankles or feet. Women who had their last menstrual period within the five years prior to beginning AIs appeared to be three times more likely to have these symptoms than women whose periods had stopped 10 or more years earlier. The authors say this finding indicates that women who entered menopause more recently may have higher levels of residual circulating estrogen in their bodies, which combined with exposure to AIs may cause a steeper, quicker drop in estrogen levels, leading to worse symptoms.

Mao and senior author Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, an associate professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, are running a comprehensive Wellness after Breast Cancer study to examine how clinical and genetic factors relate to treatment-related symptoms such as joint pain, hot flashes, insomnia, and fatigue both during and after cancer treatment. Ultimately, they hope to identify patients at greatest risk of these symptoms and late effects of treatments, and personalize therapy in a way that will prevent the side effects of cancer therapy while maximizing the likelihood of cure.

"As modern science brings cures to many women affected by breast cancer, how to help these women to live well after cancer is vitally important," DeMichele says. "With a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers from oncology, primary care, reproductive endocrinology, and behavioral health, we will better understand the challenges faced by breast cancer survivors and develop new treatments that promote the health and wellbeing of our patients as they strive to overcome this illness."

The research was supported by grants from the American Cancer Society, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.



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More women with breast cancer opt to remove healthy one, study finds - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 10:02 PM PDT

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Los Angeles Times, 202 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012 | Copyright 2009



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health calendar - Asheville Citizen-Times

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 08:53 AM PDT

(2 of 12)

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME: Discussion, noon-1 p.m. Oct. 6, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Registration required, 866-790-9355.

LIVING HEALTHY WITH DIABETES/SUGAR: 9:30 a.m.-noon Tuesdays, Oct. 6-Nov. 10, at ABIPA, 39 S. Market St., Suite A, Asheville. Free and interactive workshop teaches better choices, positive stress reduction and more. Register at 251-7438.

10 MYTHS ABOUT BREAST CANCER: 12:30-1:30 p.m. Oct. 7, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Registration required, 866-790-9355.

SHOULDER PAIN: Discussion, 3-4:30 p.m. Oct. 8, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Registration required, 866-790-9355.

FOCUS ON HEALTHY EYES: Discussion, 11:30 a.m. Oct. 9, UNC Ashevilles Reuter Center. 251-6140.

AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 9, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Appointments requested by calling 692-4600.

H1N1 FLU AND PREGNANCY: Presentation with Dr. Krishna Das, 6 p.m. Oct. 13, Leila Patterson Center, 1111 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher. Free. Advance registration required, 687-3947.

20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: Join the Pardee Health Education Center staff and nurses as they celebrate serving the community. Live music, refreshments, giveaways, tours, radio remote, ribbon cutting, door prizes and more. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 13. Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville.

CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD: Workshop, 1-2:30 p.m. Oct. 16, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Registration required, 866-790-9355.

COPING WITH COMMON ALLERGIES: Discussion, 12:30-2 p.m. Oct. 20, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Registration required, 866-790-9355.

DIABETES AWARENESS DAY: Free blood sugar, blood pressure and foot health screenings, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 21. Health professionals available for questions, information and to distribute samples of helpful products. Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville.



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