Prostate Cancer Blogs that help

When I am giving my workshop on “Getting to Know your Bladder” one of the questions asked by the men in the audience is about the prostate. I have had several friends who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and I know that this diagnosis is one that causes them much pain and fear.

While everyone finds their own way to cope with a diagnosis, there are a number of prostate cancer blogs may help you to feel as though you are not alone. The Medical News Today Team have selected the best prostate cancer blogs.

Although around 26,730 yearly deaths occur from prostate cancer among U.S. men, most men who are diagnosed with the condition do not die from the disease; more than 2.9 million U.S. men who have received a prostate cancer diagnosis at some point are still alive today.

Healthcare providers will help you to determine the most effective course of care for your condition. However, prostate cancer blogs can help you to connect with people who understand what you are going through.

Harvard Health Blog: Prostate Health

Harvard Health Blog is run by Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of the Harvard Medical School of Harvard University. Harvard Health Publications draw on the expertise of more than 11,000 physicians, researchers, and faculty members to deliver up-to-date information that is trustworthy and accessible.

Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) was founded in 1993 to harness more financial and human resources in the mission to develop new breakthroughs and find a cure for prostate cancer.

Journey to ZERO

ZERO is a national non-profit organization with a mission to end prostate cancer and have a future with zero prostate cancer deaths. They aim to advance prostate cancer research, help to improve the lives of men and their families, and inspire action against prostate cancer.

ZERO provide educational resources and are funding research for early prostate cancer detection methods. They hope to motivate a passionate, like-minded, and multigenerational team of advocates to put an end to prostate cancer.

Sperling Prostate Center

The Sperling Prostate Center is based in New York City, NY, and offers advanced noninvasive imaging to detect prostate tumors, and prostate treatments with a goal of minimal side effects, a low rate of recurrence, a near non-existent risk of impotence or incontinence, and preserving the quality of life.

Prostate Cancer 911

Prostate Cancer 911 is a website by Dr. David Samadi and his team. Dr. Samadi is the chairman of urology and chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, NY. He is a world-renowned prostate cancer specialist. He aspires to bring global awareness to prostate cancer.

Renew | Repurpose

Renew | Repurpose replaces the blog Cancer Adventures that Marlys Johnson initially set up with her husband Gary after he received a prostate cancer diagnosis. Marlys says that Gary was the "same witty, courageous wry-humored kind man until [his death in] November 2014."

Marlys explains that an unspeakable loss could happen through a serious illness or disability, loss of meaningful work, an empty nest, a divorce, unwanted location, financial setbacks, or the death of a loved one.

Dan's Journey through Prostate Cancer

Dan's Journey through Prostate Cancer is the blog of Daniel E. Zeller. Dan started an unplanned and unexpected journey into the world of prostate cancer in 2010.

Dan says that having first-hand knowledge from other people with prostate cancer was invaluable to him, and the intent of his blog is to help educate, increase awareness, and provide insight for those who are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Vital Jake

Janet Worthington is the writer of the blog Vital Jake. Janet started writing about prostate cancer in the early 1990s after her husband's father had died from prostate cancer at age 53. Janet's father was also diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Janet says that having the radical prostatectomy saved his life.

Janet's heart lies in writing articles about men's health. Her mission is to be that of a patient advocate, to write for the typical person who visits the doctor. She writes in an easy-to-understand way and shares information with individuals who need it the most.

Living with Prostate Cancer

Living with Prostate Cancer is a blog created by Todd Seals. Todd was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2006, at age 42, and he shares his story to inspire others. Before cancer, he says that he took life for granted and that cancer gave him a second chance.

Todd's blog is about living with cancer and focuses more on the living than the cancer itself. He says that while cancer will always be a part of his story, it will never be the focal point.

Prostate Cancer Institute of Los Angeles

The Prostate Cancer Institute of Los Angeles specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of prostate cancer of all stages.

They offer an expert team of urologists, oncologists, radiologists, and radiation oncologists to provide prostate cancer patients with the best treatment options and outcomes

Tia Chi may prevent falls for seniors

Falls are the leading cause of injuries among older Canadians and the sixth leading cause of death. It is important to understand that falling is not a remote possibility for seniors.  It is likely to happen.  

In BC among seniors, falls are responsible for, 40% of residential care admissions, 84% of injury-related hospitalizations, 90% of hip fractures.  50% of these never regain pre-fall functioning and 20% die within a year of the fracture.

In the USA falling is a serious risk for older adults. According to the National Council on Aging, falls are the "leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans."

In the elderly population of the United States, 17.6 percent reported between one and five falls in the previous 3 months - 6 percent of which were serious.

One study concluded that the issue appears to be getting worse; self-reported falls among adults aged 65 or older increased from 28.2 percent in 1998 to 36.3 percent in 2010.

The Good news is that falls are the most preventable risk to seniors’ health, well-being, and independence. Earlier studies have shown that light physical activity can reduce the rate - but not necessarily the risk - of falls.

A 2012 Cochrane review concluded, "Group and home-based exercise programs, usually containing some balance and strength training exercises, effectively reduced falls”

So, it was interesting to see a study out of Spain that looked at the impact of Tia Chi training on falls and seniors.

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese practice. Its exact origins are buried in the mists of time, but it may date back as far as the 12th century

Tai chi improves balance, proprioception (a sense of one's position in space), and flexibility, all while being low impact, it is the perfect candidate for use by older adults.

Researchers from the University of Jaén in Spain set out to analyze previous research investigating tai chi as a way of reducing falls in older adults. The outline the study “was to investigate the most recent randomized controlled trials that analyze the effectiveness of tai chi on improving the falls rate, the rate of injurious falls, and the time to first fall..."

Participants were aged between 56 and 98. When compared with other activities, such as low-intensity exercise and physical therapy, tai chi fared well.

At short-term follow-up (under 12 months), tai chi reduced the rate of falls by 43 percent compared with other interventions, and by 13 percent in the longer-term (over 12 months).

When they investigated falls that caused an injury, the data were not quite as robust, but they calculated that tai chi reduced risk by 50 percent in the short-term and 28 percent over the long-term. However, tai chi did not seem to make a difference to when an individual was likely to have their first fall that caused an injury.

Although the current study did not attempt to explain why tai chi is beneficial, it is likely to be due to a range of factors, which could include improvement in reaction time, a better and more stable gait, improved balance, and better balance recovery.

Because tai chi is low impact, simple, and cost-effective, it is an ideal intervention for use in care settings, in the community, and at home.

However, the researchers are cautious. One of them explains, "Due to the small number of published studies, further research is needed to investigate the effect of tai chi on injurious falls and time to first fall."

Life moves us along a path

When we are young, we learn to accept responsibility for our actions.

As we mature, we learn to accept responsibility for our thoughts.

As we age, we learn to accept responsibility for our happiness.

Remarkable how life moves us along our path to acceptance.

Taxes and Lifestyle, there is a connection

My thanks to Wally and John for this information and insight

If you hate paying taxes, please do the following.

1. Do not use Medicare
2. Do not use Social Security
3. Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars.
4. Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster.
5. Do not call 911 when you get hurt.
6. Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home.
7. Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home.
8. Do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.
9. Do not use public restrooms.
10. Do not send your kids to public schools.
11. Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
12. Do not live in areas with clean air.
13. Do not drink clean water.
14. Do not visit National Parks.
15. Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments.
16. Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines.
17. Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds.
18. Do not walk or run on sidewalks.
19. Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts.
20. Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry.
21. Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job.
22. Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children.
23. Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
24. Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
25. Do not apply for any Pell Grants.
26. Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars.
27. Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
28. Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA.
29. Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service.
30. Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
31. Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems.
32. Do not apply for federal housing.
33. Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
34. Do not swim in clean rivers.
35. Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts.
36. Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
37. Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion.
38. Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
39. Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
40. Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat.
41. Do not apply for government grants to start your own business.
42. Do not apply to win a government contract.
43. Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies.
44. Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency.
45. Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured.
46. Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care.
47. Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college.
48. Do not apply for unemployment benefits.
49. Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
50. Do not live in homes that are built to code.
51. Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars.
52. Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, State troopers, etc…
53. Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars.
54. Do not use public libraries.
55. Do not use the US Postal Service.
56. Do not visit the National Archives.
57. Do not visit Presidential Libraries.
58. Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government.
59. Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
60. Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado.
61. Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm.
62. Do not take walks in National Forests.
63. Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company.
64. Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions.
65. Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars.
66. Do not use Medicaid.
67. Do not use WIC.
68. Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
69. Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
70. Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break.
71. Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea.
72. Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in.
73. Do not visit historic landmarks.
74. Do not visit fisheries.
75. Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List.
76. Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work.
77. Do not hunt or camp on federal land.
78. Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations.
79. Do not use public transportation.
80. Do not drink water from public water fountains.
81. Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
82. Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
83. Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets.
84. Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards.
85. Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation.
86. Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States.
87. Do not apply for a patent when you invent something.
88. Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments.
89.Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.
90. Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS.
91. Do not ask for energy assistance from the government.
92. Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher.
93. Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state.
94. Do not use money printed by the US Treasury.
95. Do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents.
96. Do not attend a state university.
97. Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state.
98. Do not use any water from municipal water systems.
99. Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house.
100. Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits.
101. Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines which are paid for with taxes.
102. Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.

The fact is, we pay for the lifestyle we expect. 

Without taxes, our lifestyles would be totally different and much harder. The less we pay, the less we get in return.  By attacking taxes we really only reward corporations and the wealthy. Low taxes weaken our infrastructure and way of life. 

So next time you object to paying taxes or fight to abolish taxes for corporations and the wealthy, keep this quote in mind…

“I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” ~Oliver Wendell Holme