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 time for research to find a good doctor before operation and treatment to feel comfortable with your chosen option. A good doctor should support your need for second opinion.

 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

 A reader writes:

Reuters reports that researchers have found a chemical salinomycin which is 100 times more powerful than common chemo drugs like Taxol. This could make breast cancer easier to cure. There is hope even if it takes time to get such treatments and to see if it is safe for humans.

Health minister of Quebec, Yves Bolduc, is sorry for wait and announced that about 2730 Quebecois found to have breast cancer will be retested to reassure women.

After faulty cancer testing scandals in NF and QC the Canadian Association of Pathologists has unveiled new national guidelines in joint partnership with the College of American Pathologists. This will ensure a uniform cancer check list for reporting, communicating and interpreting test result.