When I was young, I did not think of dying. It was so distant. Now, after cancer and illness, I realize how short the remaining time might be. I get letters from women with same thoughts.

 Mammograms always in news

We women are confused once again after studies suggest routine mammograms may not save lives. Reported by Reuters in the Montreal Gazette, it is not hard to find breast cancer survivors who feel mammograms are a good idea when a tumor was found during a routine screening. An increasingly heated debate is raging about merits and risks about mammograms. The fear is that over-diagnosis may lead to unnecessary radical treatments.

Potential cancer cures might help us in my lifetime or after.

The Montreal Gazette published an article (Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service) titled "Don't be afraid to seek second opinion, top MD advices". When we are faced with life-threatening diagnosis like cancer, it is wise to seek a second opinion. Breast cancer is frightening but there is usually time for research to find a good doctor before operation and treatment to feel comfortable with your chosen option.

Planning a funeral? You and I won't die yet for decades, of course, too much to do, life to live even with limitations, but one day it will be my turn. I was choosing cemetery photos for my ebook and found so many good ones that I could write a book... and maybe I will. If you have good funeral stories, send them my way.

A new study could bypass a need for stem cells (Washington,  by Reuters,  reported in Gazette Montreal)  Ordinary mouse skin cells have been transformed into neurons.  This could eventually bypass the need for stem cells and greatly speeding up the field of regenerative medicine.  Just imagine one day to take a sample of your skin and turn it into a tailor-ma

My Friend is going though chemo and has shaved her head. She said her head hurts really bad. To shower, wear a wig or a hat. Does anyone know what she can to to make her feel better?

I feel pills lead to the end of my days. OK, that sounds drastic but I miss the "me" on pill-free days some years ago. I was different. Now I feel tired and without energy, scared that the ever-increasing usage leads to a wrong way of life with no return.

I need pills but they all have side effects. Do I really need them or did I start using them because doctors pushed them and I am obedient by nature and eager to believe them? Getting unhooked is difficult and I now understand drug addicts.

SAO PAULO (AFP) - It may be one of nature's repulsive little blood-sucking parasites, but the humble tick could yield a future cure for cancers of the skin, liver and pancreas, Brazilian researchers have discovered. Producing a medicine from the find, though, will require years of clinical tests and a significant financial investment. "This is a radical innovation," said Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi, the molecular biologist at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo who is leading the research. "To discover