breast-cancer

By The FIRM Master Instructor Marguerite O’Brien

While I try to be mindful of the blessings in my life and give thanks on a daily basis, there are times when I am humbled by life’s circumstances and my gratefulness is magnified. I’ve had several experiences recently that I wanted to share with you, in hopes that they will inspire you to take a moment to be present to what is going on around you and give silent thanks for every blessing.

Well, October has ended, and I don’t know about you, but I am a little “pinked out” these days. Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate that October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and of course it’s wonderful that organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for breast cancer research over the years. I hope that cancer research eventually finds a cure for this awful disease, and I fully support getting out and racing for a cure and even buying a pink umbrella or Cuisinart if you’re in need of a new one.

But the cynical side of me — and the side that’s a mom of a young daughter — is a bit irked that the commercialization of breast cancer has overshadowed any talk of prevention, specifically the lifestyle choices we can make to help protect us from the disease.

This month I am reminded of the courage it takes to continue to open our hearts in faith, even when we have been pained by loss or heartbreak. There is nothing more heartbreaking than being faced with the inevitable: our mortality, and the remembrance that life is impermanent. This is a reality we deal with each day, and yet the desire to live must carry within it a gratitude of remembering or the faith of forgetting.

“Eating soy will kill you!” Scan the media reports and surf the Internet, and you’re bound to come across scary claims that would lead you to believe this is true. Some you may have heard:

• Soy will give you breast cancer.
• Soy formula is dangerous to babies.
• Genetically modified soy foods may modify you.
• Soy foods block your thyroid function.
• Soy prevents the absorption of minerals and interferes with digestion.
• Tofu causes Alzheimer’s Disease.

Imagine eating 12 pounds of food a day — and still staying thin and healthy! That may sound crazy, but it’s exactly what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate for millennia. Of course, I wouldn’t advise anyone today to eat 12 pounds of food, because the food in our society lacks one major ingredient that our ancestors ate in nearly all their food — fiber!

“I totally connected to the ocean, spending as many hours a day as I could in it, even to the point of not going out with the others at night,” Margaret De Wys told me, referring to the few weeks she spent in Puerto Rico in December. “I connected to the Great Mother there.”

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

Healthy Living Tips for Breast Cancer Survivors

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

10 Celebrities Who Battled Breast Cancer

A slideshow of ten well-known celebrities — actresses, models, singers and news anchors — all brave women who battled breast cancer and emerged as survivors. (Health.com)

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

Continuously, Consciously Choosing

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

Yoga May Help After Breast Cancer

A recent study suggests yoga may ease hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms in breast cancer survivors. (CBS News)