New Years Breastolutions!

Happy New Year to my Keep a Breast friends, I hope everyone is having a great new year. It’s time for another segment of “Ask Dr Mandy”. For those who are just visiting the site I am a naturopathic doctor in San Diego, California with a serious passion for natural preventive medicine. I have been working with Keep A Breast (KAB) for about 3 years now. Click here to see my previous posts. It has been fantastic here in Southern California and there’s been no shortage of sun here in Encinitas. It’s a great time of year because everyone is not only active, but actively working on staying healthy and creating healthy habits.

New Years time is always a very inspiring time for myself and the patients I treat.  The feeling of a brand new year gives us the feeling of a fresh start and the motivation to bring in new changes to our life.  Developing habits for healthy breasts is always something I try to motivate my patients to bring in to their lives.

With this New Years energy all around us, I think we should take some of it and use it to instill some simple habits and  that can have a big pay off – the maintenance of healthy breasts.

I want these changes and habits to be very easy but helpful.  So here’s my breastolutions that I wish for all my own patients and for each of you in our KAB community.

1. Drink a little veggie juice every day:  Try picking up some fresh juice and have some every day.  You can either buy some great juices or you can even get your own juicer and play with different combinations.  You can add in a little bit of apple juice to give it a better taste.  Not only is vegetable juice teaming with cancer preventing antioxidants, but we also know that vegetable juice alkalinizes our body – which is also believed to help us prevent cancer and other diseases.
2. Get a better bra:  The right bra can make a big difference for our breast health.  Think about how much of your life is spent wearing a bra.  Especially if a bra is too tight it can block of the very important lymphatic flow that exist underneath where our bras lie on our body.  I strongly encourage my patients to consider trying on wireless bra’s.  These are made of more flexible materials and they are lessing constricting to these lymphatic areas.  They can still provide great support also.
3. Increase your vitamin D:  This nutrient is the most talked about with breast cancer because there is a staggering amount of research showing it is protective against cancer and other chronic diseases.  Try eating salmon regularly, and healthy organic eggs.  It’s also important to get about 20 minutes of sunshine daily to help your body utilize this powerful nutrient.
4. Change your deodorant:  Do a little check in on your deodorant to make sure it passes the test.  I always have my patients check their deodorant for 2 main ingredients – Aluminum and Parabens.  If you see either of those – get rid of your deodorant and find one that doesn’t have these ingredients which are believed to be toxic to breast tissue.

I think  these 4 simple breastolutions are realistic yet powerful.  I encourage you all to sit down with a pen and paper and think about any other powerful healthy changes you would like to bring into your life.  This is the time to set the intention for a healthier version of you this year.

Love and Health to you all in the new year

Xo

Dr. Mandy

Keep A Breast is so thrilled to work with different retail locations to spread our message. The Snowboard Connection  have been huge  supporters of Keep A Breast and we are so grateful for the continuous  support they have given us.  We wanted to share the behind-the-scenes story of Snowboard Connection and the amazing employees standing behind and being passionate about Keep A Breast. Read below to see what they have to say:

Breast cancer has effected me directly, and deeply. I lost my mom to breast cancer at the young age of 50. She fought the disease for almost 6 years, and finally succumbed. Losing her changed my life forever. She fought really hard, but the therapies available then weren’t strong enough to beat the cancer. If she were to be diagnosed today, she probably would survive it. That’s good news, but there is still so much more to be done. I agree with KAB that awareness is the key!

I have followed the KAB story, and the “I love boobies” bracelets for a long time. I have always thought it was a great idea, and I finally pulled the trigger a few months back and brought them in the store. I like that KAB donates all proceeds to their programs, which is why I carry their products.  I would rather help the cause –Therefore, I decided I would do my part by also donating all of the profits we generate from sales back to KAB. I hope that my decision will inspire other stores to do the same thing.

FRIDAY, October 14th, 2011 – “Chicks Who Rip Night” with Community Partner: Keep A Breast Foundation will present a evening for Oceanides: A Surf Movie by Keep A Breast Europe’s very own, Lorene Carpenter starting at 6pm at the Aloha Room at Sunshine Brooks Theater in Oceanside, CA in conjunction with California Surf Festival. Full schedule below:

6:00 pm – “Chicks Who Rip” reception with Keep A Breast Foundation at the Aloha Room featuring live music by Olivia Rhode, Margeaux Arramon-Tucco, and Suzy Skarulis, beer/wine (21+), art by Elise Nicole K, and boards shaped by April Newman, Dessa Kirk, and Whitney Lang.
6:30 pm – First Love by Claire Gorman (West Coast Premiere) with: Eddie by Claire Gorman (a short film)
8:30 pm – Oceanides by Lor`ene Carpentier (USA Premiere – Q&A to follow with Director) with: Leave A Message by Jason Kentworthy and Aaron Leiber (a short film)

All screenings are at the Sunshine Brooks Theatre Receptions* at the Sunshine Brooks Theatre and the adjacent Aloha Room. If you purchase a movie ticket, you are welcome to join us at the reception!

Tickets $8members/$10 non-member

For more info and to RSVP for the showing on October 14th, head here.

SATURDAY, October 15, 2011 – The Keep A Breast Foundation, San Diego Surf Ladies and The Loft are proud to present Oceanides: A Surf Movie by Keep A Breast Europe’s very own, Lorene Carpenter on Saturday, October 15th, 2011 at The Loft at UCSD. The film is about women and the oceans starring outstanding female surf talent from the likes of Kassia Meador, Jen Smith, Julie Cox and Leah Dawson.

The evening will kick-off with an art exhibition opening by Lorene and Cardiff based surfer and artist Julie Goldstein, followed by the film screening at 8pm.

Buy Tickets:

Regular: $10
UCSD Student: $5
UCSD Student Members: FREE
San Diego Surf Ladies Members: $5

For more info and to RSVP for the showing on October 15th, head here.

“I always wanted to do surf movie about girls longboarding. There is something very spiritual about it. Surfing would not make sense if girls were not surfing, longboarding is so feminine; I tried to catch this grace, this delicate balance betwin a free spirit and a fluid element. When I saw the first girls longboarding a few years ago they reminded me of the goddess. The day the title appeared to me was one of the most happy day of the adventure. Everything was falling into place, just perfectly, and cherry on the cake, “Oceanides” is very close to “Oceanside”, which is the place I live in California. The longboarders I filmed are legendary, they inspired thousands of girls, everywhere around the globe. This video is a way to get closer to them, see their everyday life, slow down some tricks to admire them, decide to go on a surf trip with friends, be creative, healthy, make you dream come true, that’s the Keep A Breast Foundation message for everyone. “
- Lorene Carpentier, Director

October is here, which we all know is officially Breast Cancer Awareness month. However, in the spirit of eradicating the disease, Keep A Breast, alongside other rad organizations like the Breast Cancer Fund, has dubbed this October BREAST CANCER PREVENTION month. Because we are focused on turning awareness into action and giving you the tools you need to reduce your risk of breast cancer we will be sharing 31 tips and facts full of valuable information through our Facebook and Twitter. In turn, we want you to share these facts with your friends and family because we feel that you all have the power to educate your communities in a positive way this month.

Just like our mission says, we want you to be better equipped to make choices and develop habits that will benefit your long-term health and well-being. Start off today by downloading our official Keep A Breast app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch to not only learn how to do a self breast exam but to set-up automatic monthly reminders on your phone. And if you like the app so much, tell all your friends and family to download it too!

And one last thing…

PREVENTION IS THE CURE!

Follow Keep A Breast Canada’s tips all month long:

http://www.facebook.com/kabcan

http://www.twitter.com/keepabreastcan

Follow Keep A Breast Europe’s tips all month long:

https://www.facebook.com/KeepABreastEurope

Follow Keep A Breast Italy’s tips all month long:

https://www.facebook.com/KeepABreastItaly

Hi, my name is Brendan. I live in San Diego and run the warehouse for Keep A Breast. This is where all the I Love Boobies! bracelets live before they land on your wrist. My aunt is a Breast Cancer survivor so KAB has a place near and dear to my heart. I recently signed up for the YSC Tour de Pink because I love riding and am really looking forward to supporting Keep A Breast and Young Survival Coalition. I ride every day to work and usually a longer 40-60 mile ride on the weekends so I’m pretty ready for the ride. Are you gonna join me?

-Brendan

Do you know a forward-thinking individual or organization that needs funding for an innovative breast cancer research project?

We are very excited to announce that The Keep A Breast Foundation (KAB) will be awarding up to $100,000.00 in research grants again this year to admirable organizations and individuals investigating breast cancer prevention, early detection, and causes. KAB is particularly interested in environmental and lifestyle links to breast cancer, and seeks to support cutting-edge researchers whose efforts will make the world a cleaner, healthier and ultimately cancer-free place. Research projects may include new approaches to complementary and alternative care, innovations in green chemistry and studies of common toxins and breast cancer rates.

If you know anyone who would like to apply for one of these grants please pass along the link to our site:   http://www.keep-a-breast.org/grants. Applications are due by October 31st.

Best of Luck!

Miss Nixon

That’s right, you read that correctly! The Keep A Breast Foundation and House of Blues Entertainment are teaming up to present Keep A Breast’s first ever Breast Cancer Prevention music tour during October’s National Breast Cancer Prevention Month featuring Uh Huh Her, the critically acclaimed electro-indie duo-comprised of Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey. In addition to Uh Huh Her, Fences and Jarrod Gorbel will be joining as supporting artists on select dates.

The Keep A Breast Tour  will serve as a national grassroots education tour that will travel throughout the US and Canada educating fans about breast cancer prevention. Overall we want the tour to educate, inspire and encourage people to take their health into their own hands. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Keep A Breast.

We are so excited and cannot believe that we have our own tour now and not just any tour, our very own Breast Cancer Prevention Music Tour! Pretty amazing, right? We have so much planned for the tour and lots of health information we want everyone to know about so make sure to bookmark http://kabtour.org and stay tuned for more info and announcements.

For the official PRESS RELEASE head here.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS NOW!

Keep A Breast Tour Featuring Uh Huh Her Dates:

10/08/11          Philadelphia, PA                  Theatre Of The Living Arts

10/10/11          New York, NY                        Irving Plaza

10/11/11          Boston, MA                             Paradise Rock Club

10/12/11          Washington, DC                   9:30 Club

10/14/11          Montreal, QC                         Corona

10/15/11          Toronto, Canada                  Phoenix Concert Theatre

10/16/11          Cleveland, OH                       Cambridge Room @ House of Blues

10/18/11          Detroit, MI                             Shelter

10/19/11          Chicago, IL                            House of Blues

10/21/11          Atlanta, GA                            Vinyl

10/23/11          New Orleans, LA                 The Parish @ House of Blues

10/24/11          Houston, TX                          Fitzgerald’s

10/25/11          Austin, TX                             Antone’s Nightclub

10/26/11          Dallas, TX                              House of Blues Dallas

10/28/11          Denver, CO                             Larimer Lounge

10/30/11          Salt Lake City, UT                 Urban Lounge

11/01/11          West Hollywood, CA             House of Blues

11/02/11          San Francisco, CA                  Slim’s

11/04/11          Seattle, WA                             The Crocodile

11/05/11          Vancouver, BC                        Venue

11/06/11          Portland, OR                          Wonder Ballroom

We are wrapping up one of the coolest Keep A Breast Outreach events to come from two amazing and courageous gentlemen, Wyatt Welter and Jerold Gaches. These two made a huge impact on the lives that they have met through their 2,400 mile mission to Southern California to help raise awareness of breast cancer. They are incredible young men and such an inspiration! Below, Wyatt tells us about their journey and why they chose Keep A Breast to work with for this expedition!

We are so thankful to have worked with them on this and look forward to working with them next year!
If you would like to donate to their mission, you may do so here.
You can also check out their website here.

Erica & KAB

“I have always been an overly caring person since I can remember, I’ve had a multitude of events that I have experienced throughout my life and these events have created a humble being within me. I know what its like to have it hard, to feel the pain of loss, and to understand how helpless it can seem. I have taken it upon myself to find a way that I could help people on a large scale, with the ideas both my friend and I came up with, we manifested into what we now call World Alive. World Alive is merely an idea that our world is truly alive, and that we as the human race are the only beings that have certain control of the world through the actions we decide to take. Much like Gaia, the primordial Earth goddess of ancient greek religion, it was then that the thought our world was truly alive meant that the people of the Earth were subject to Gaia for her life giving principals. In this thought or idea, we as the human race become the shephards of our planet.

Cancer is to Jerold and I as a black hole is to space and time. Its a negative void that is devestating so many families around the world. Its something that was familiar to both Jerold and I, we both share experiencing loss and pain caused from a form of cancer. After I had left the military I met a young philipino girl who I eventually got engaged to. Though we are no longer together, the hardships she had to face from the time I met her at age 19 were tramatic, she was genetically at risk for breast cancer and I watched as just the possibility of her having it tore her life apart. It affected me having been so close to her and caring for her so deeply, that it remained a continuous thought in my head for years and I had to do something to help. So with this steaming from my ears, Jerold took his motivation to help and I took mine and collectively we decided we needed to join forces with Keep A Breast to do something epic. We knew that KAB targeted the younger crowd and it really matched up with our beliefs in World Alive. So we picked
up the one sport we had fun with the most which was Longboarding and decided to sell our vehicles, leave our
homes, purchase some outdoor gear, and up and longboard from our hometown, Whitewater, WI, to where the
foundation Keep A Breast was located, Carlsbad, CA. Of course it took a little more planning then that. We actualy had planned this for nearly a year, all the while being told by our peers that we wouldnt make it.

Cancer is to Jerold and I as a black hole is to space and time.

I knew in my heart that both of us would, regardless what anyone else said. I told Jerold I was glad I was going with him rather than anyone else because I believed in the both of us. We have some fire in us, and that fire was bursting at its seems, we had to get it out. This just seemed the best way to do it. We wanted to show people that its mind over matter, and that staying positive even in the most grim of times, nothing can stand in your way.

The first week of the journey I thought for a moment Jerold was going to quit he looked so bad. But he soldiered on until I thought I was gonna quit, I litterally thought a few times that there would be no way I could keep going. I completely blew out my left achilies tenden the second week and the pain was so much that I could hardly walk. I forced myself to learn how to use the other foot to push off and balance with my hurt ankle, and because of this Jerold did something amazing as well, he decided that if I had to learn to push off the other foot, that he would make himself learn too so that we could both push through it together, making it a team effort. Thats the way it went all 2,400 miles through the humidity, the rain , the mountains, the creepy neighborhoods, the massive storms, and the wipe outs, etc, etc.

We threw all difficulty aside with laughing over the trouble we faced, we knew it was going to be rough from the start, and we told ourselves that we had to hold onto the thought we first started with, that there are people out there who dont have the chance to do something like this, so we must do it for them. Many times I would think about my ex fiance, and that alone kept me going on most days. There wasnt all that much bickering between the two of us at all, we were a team, we knew what we had to do, and we did it, together! We both served in the military so we both knew what it was like to have our bodies hurt, really hurt, but the difficulties we faced on this trek, far surpassed anything we had ever experienced before, even more so than the tour I made in Afghanistan.

Bottom line is, we felt and still feel that we have an obligation to our planet, and to the people living on it. We are already working on the plans for our next trek which we plan on longboarding from the eastern coast of Canada to the very tip of Florida to conquer the world record. Between then and now we hope to obtain our 501c3 not for profit to attach to our idea, and eventually incorporate an environmental educational program, targeting elementary school students, to help them grow to become more Earth conscious,and hopefully inspired by our actions to do something great themselves one day. If we can accomplish more than that, then I say that it is merely frosting on the cake, and we love frosting! We hope to cover the world with it, and Make It Glow! ” – Wyatt Welter

Donate to their mission here.
Check out their website here.