The Blog
After completing six cycles of chemotherapy and three cycles of monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, I was faced with the next phase of treatment, which was surgery. The post-treatment MRI showed resolution of the masses that had been seen initially.Â
Early...
The TyrerâCuzick risk assessment model, also known as the IBIS model, is a calculator that estimates a womanâs risk of developing breast cancer over 10 years and across her lifetime. It is based on a wide range of personal and family factors.
Understanding your individual risk is a crucial step tow...
Welcome to the Client Education Series. As a health literacy consultant, I intend to make this a regular part of the blog. Here, you will find evidence-based information designed to empower you to make informed decisions with your healthcare provider. Â
Recently, the President of the United States ...
Thereâs a good chance that when you walk into a medical office these days, the person seeing you might not be a doctor at all. Increasingly, youâll be treated by advanced practice providers (APPs), who are typically either nurse practitioners (NPs) or physician assistants (PAs). This shift, though ...
If youâre a woman in your 40s or 50s, chances are youâve found yourself squeezed in the middle. You're raising children and probably also caring for aging parents or other elderly relatives. Youâre part of whatâs known as the sandwich generation â a group navigating an intense phase of life filled w...
Functional and Integrative medicine have gained significant popularity in recent years. The promise of treating the "root cause" of disease, personalizing care, and seeing the whole person rather than just a diagnosis is powerful â and I agree that these are valuable principles. However, there's ano...
In an earlier post, I wrote about the one question to ask your doctor that can change your healthcare experience. But what if you don't feel heard, or you're symptoms are constantly being dismissed? What if engaging with the healthcare system makes you feel like you're continually going to battle? W...
June is Brain Awareness Month. What better time to pay attention to our brain health, especially as we age? Perhaps you're the caregiver for an older relative, and you're beginning to notice some memory lapses in them. Or maybe you're a woman over fifty, like me, and you've noticed that your memory...
As a marathon runner, I have learned to apply the lessons from running to life. By the time I get to mile 18 and 23 in a race, I usually catch myself filled with self-doubt, like, whose idea was it to run this race again? Why am I doing this? Every fiber of my body is saying quit NOW!Â
And then I h...
Menâs Health Week is in June, and it's essential to encourage the men in our lives to take their health seriously. Despite awareness campaigns, far too many men continue to skip checkups, delay screenings, and disengage from the healthcare system altogether.
The consequences? Increased risk of ch
...
Have you ever had lab work or imaging done and then waited to hear back from your doctor?
And when no one called, you thoughtââWell, no news is good news, right?â
Unfortunately, that assumption can be risky. In today's fast-paced medical system, not hearing back doesnât always mean everything is f...
I'm sure many of you can relate to this scenario. You have several symptoms that are becoming bothersome, so you schedule an appointment to visit your healthcare provider.
You list off your concerns: weight gain, constant fatigue, irregular bowel movements, and at times constipation, low energy, di...
