Topic: Think Pink Week

Become Our Facebook Fan, Enter To Win A Sexy Prize Pack From Pure Romance

We kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Think Pink Week, but breast cancer has been a topic of conversation here all month, including how feeling sexy again after treatment can empower women who are battling this disease. One company that is committed to supporting breast cancer patients is Pure Romance. Its Sensuality, Sexuality, Survival program, created by CEO Patty Brisben, aims to help cancer survivors recapture their sensual and sexual selves through education and empowerment. Also, Pure Romance’s Pink Ribbon line of products was designed specifically for women following cancer diagnosis and treatment. It includes safe and effective products for women before, during and after cancer treatment. With the color, odor and flavoring removed from some of its top selling lubricants and arousal creams, Pure Romance offers women a safe alternative when they are their most sensitive. To wrap up Breast Cancer Awareness month, Blisstree has a treat for women who want to feel sexy and safe at the same time, whether they are a survivor of cancer or not. One lucky fan of Blisstree on Facebook will win a sexy prize pack of goodies from Pure Romance’s Pink Ribbon line (pictured above). Read on to find out how to enter to win. More »

Think Pink: Why Men Need To Get Comfortable Talking About Breasts

Last night, I interviewed an amazing woman for a post in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (watch for her inspiring story about inheriting the BRCA1 gene on Blisstree next week). I don’t want to give away her story, but it’s powerful, and her biggest message was: Know your family history. Which I don’t. Fired up to heed her advice, I went home and promptly discovered that, surprisingly, it’s really uncomfortable to talk about breast cancer with my dad. Despite all the funding, pink ribbons and media coverage given to breast cancer awareness and prevention, cultural norms prevail: Cancer and breasts are hush-hush topics, especially for men. Which means big problems for breast cancer. So guys, while it’s infinitely easier to show your support by writing a check or buying pink stuff for your girls, I urge you: Please get comfortable talking about breasts. More »

Think Pink: At What Age Should You Start Getting Mammograms? It’s Complicated

At what age should you get your first mammogram? Er … umm … well … The reason I’m stumbling here is that the when-to-get-a-mammogram debate has been a hot one over the past several years, with one camp repeating the old advice that women should start at age 40, and another challenging that idea, claiming most women should wait until age 50. Which advice you follow should take into account your breast cancer risk factors; ultimately, it’s up to you and your doctor. More »

Think Pink: Should The Cost Of Breast Cancer Care Be A Consideration?

Yesterday, I wrote an article about my grandmother’s experience with breast cancer. And it seems the part that struck a chord with most readers wasn’t as much about the emotional toll of the disease–it was the cost. Far and away, cancer survivors and family members who responded echoed the same sentiments that my grandmother expressed: that cancer care is really, really expensive. And yet, few doctors or patients even think to consider the price tag at the time of treatment. Should more doctors consider the price of care? More »

Think Pink: In Which I Ask My Grandmother About Being A Breast Cancer Survivor

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there’s a lot of talk about breast cancer, but little talk from breast cancer survivors–survivors who are, often times, not “thinking pink”, but rather, seeing red. Because cancer is infuriating. So I asked my angry grandmother, who is a breast cancer survivor and a woman who underwent a double mastectomy. This is what she had to say. More »

Think Pink: Why Thermograms Might Be The Best Breast Cancer Screening Test

Mammograms and breast self exams get all kinds of media play this time of year, but thermograms, a type of heat imaging test, might be an even better way to test for early signs of breast cancer. According to some doctors—like Dr. Christiane Northrup, who hosted a radio show this afternoon all about breast health—the test may be even more effective than mammograms. Plus, the tests are quick, don’t involve the discomfort or radiation exposure that mammography does. More »

You’re Doing It Wrong: 5 Common Mistakes Women Make During A Breast Self Exam

If you’ve been to a doctor lately, it’s likely that you’ve had a breast exam done. The squeeze-and-feel has become standard practice for most every visit (for women, anyway). But just getting checked during your annual exam isn’t often enough with a disease that spreads rapidly and aggressively the way breast cancer does. Unfortunately, many women don’t know how to correctly give themselves a breast self exam (BSE). More »

Think Pink: Free Or Low-Cost Mammograms Make Screening Affordable

As breast cancer deaths rise among poor women, early detection and treatment for those without insurance or living in poverty becomes more important than ever. But how can women without the means to pay for a doctor visit, let alone the high cost of a mammogram (several hundred dollars without insurance), afford to get the screening they need? In some areas, charities and governmental agencies are coming to the rescue, by offering free and low-cost mammograms to low-income and uninsured women across the county. More »

Become Our Facebook Fan, Enter To Win a Stonyfield Farms Prize Pack

With Blisstree’s Think Pink Week, we’ve been discussing all things breast cancer in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And one company that is committed to supporting breast cancer research and education is Stonyfield Farms. Their Breast Cancer Awareness Month features inspirational and personal stories that help spread the word about how what you eat matters. And Blisstree has the perfect treat for you: one lucky fan of Blisstree on Facebook will win a Stonyfield Farms Breast Cancer Awareness Prize Pack, worth almost $100. More »

What We're Reading:

Think Pink: Male Breast Cancer Is Less Common, Still Dangerous

This American Life host Ira Glass is more than just a sweetheart among the public radio crowd–he’s also kind of a health role model. The offspring of not one, but two breast cancer survivors, Glass gets regular mammograms, he told a Seattle-area podcast in 2009. And while breast cancer among men is less common (and possibly less lethal), Think Pink Week is as good a time as any to remind the men in our lives that it’s time to get checked. More »

The Hormone Diet: 5 Natural Ways To Prevent Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman’s life is almost 1 in 8, however there are many things you can do to decrease your risk More »

Think Pink: Ingredient in Red Wine Slows Growth of Breast Cancer Cells

There’s been some research linking alcohol to increased risk of developing breast cancer, especially when a woman consumes two or more drinks per day. But a new report in the October 2011 issue of the FASEB journal says resveratrol, the magic ingredient thought to be responsible for so many of red wine’s health benefits, can stop breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the growth effects of estrogen. More »

Think Pink: And Purple, Too–October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

During the month of October, women will be reaching out to other women in support and assistance, as they help remind each other to get their mammograms, make donations to charitable foundations together, and send their best wishes to those who have survived (or sadly succumbed t0) breast cancer. But it’s important to remember that, across the country (and the world) this month, there are other women in need, too. October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. More »

Real Talk: If You Had Breast Cancer, Would You Get Chemo?

We had a discussion at Blisstree today about what we would do if we got breast cancer. I currently know two people who are dealing with this right now (as do many of you, I’m sure), and it’s interesting because one is choosing to treat the cancer with an all-natural course of vitamins, diet and other homeopathic remedies like herbs and acupuncture. The other woman is choosing a traditional treatment of chemo and radiation. So this begs the hypothetical question: What would you do if you had the choice? Here are responses from our team: More »

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