Unless you've been under a rock all week, you have probably heard about the government task force that has recommended new guidelines for breast cancer screening.  It goes something like this... If you're younger than 50 or older than 75, you no longer have to worry your pretty little head about breast cancer, or getting those pesky boob squishing mammograms.

One of the first things I did moving to California was to make a pilgrimage to Santa Monica Beach. I wanted to see the place where the fictional Dr. Marcus Welby would talk to his patients about not giving up, fighting for the next chance or saying yes to that one in a thousand treatment that could save their lives. Dr. Welby would not rest until he found the reason for the condition, no matter that his solution was far out of his general practitioner area of expertise. He was all knowing, all caring and had the good sense to select Dr. Steven Kiley as a bit of eye candy.

It's day 29. Does your computer know when your period starts? My iPod just warned me that I'm about to be incredibly cranky. Using my past blog posts as a guide, by searching for key words like "horrible cramps" and "PMS", I found some details of my last few periods to set up the background data. For years I've found myself blogging in the middle of the night while crying and complaining. Then some commenter, usually my sister, will go "Your life sucks? You mean just like how it did right about this time last month?" How embarrassing that it always hits me as a giant surprise.

In honor of Word Diabetes Day I've decided to do a blog roundup of women blogging diabetes.  Most are blogs by women who are living with diabetes, and others are women blogging about parenting a child with diabetes.  I've also included several informative links and resources at the end of this post. If you blog about living with diabetes or World Diabetes Day, please leave your link in comments. World Diabetes Day...

Do you know someone who suffers with Alzheimer's disease?  Or someone who is a caregiver to a loved one with this devastating disease?  If so, you understand the heartache associated with an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Who are we without our memories of past experiences?  For most of us, the though of losing our memories to Alzheimer's disease is horrifying.  But there is much more to Alzheimer's than memory loss.

Did you know that one in four Americans living with HIV are women?  It's true.  HIV/AIDS is affecting more and more women, specifically African American women.  It's actually become the leading cause of death in African American women between the ages of 25-34. Women and HIV/AIDS...

The convergence of H1N1 and the upcoming movie, 2012, has brought out the eternal debate--how will life on earth end as we know it? Will it be a virus or massive flu that spreads through the population, leaving behind only a small subsection of those with immunity (because aren't there always some people with immunity--usually highly attractive people with great make-up or biceps--when these things play out in the movies)?

I hear people bemoaning the high cost of "going green." And while organic food does cost more than its chemical-laden counterpart, I'm here to tell you that it's easier to spend more for healthy food when you save money in other ways. We can skip many of the green cleaners, deodorizers, and personal care products, most of which are fairly expensive. Why? Because baking soda is our friend. What's so great about baking soda?

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  I hope this post will provide information and facts about epilepsy, while also showcasing women blogging about life with seizures. Here are some epilepsy facts from CURE Epilepsy...

Anti-depressants have been in the news a lot recently.  There are new questions about anti-depressant use and the risk of suicide.  Questions about why anti-depressant use seems to be on the rise.  Questions about the risks of using anti-depressants during pregnancy.  And questions about the safety of using anti-depressants in adolescence.  Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers.

Ever since the HPV prevention drug Gardasil hit the market in 2006, I've been very suspicious. The marketing campaign says that it is the "only vaccine for cervical cancer," but what Gardasil actually protects against are some strains of HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that may cause cervical cancer. This is very misleading, not to mention that it is possible to prevent HPV infections through safe sex practices. What also got my dander was how quickly it got pushed on the public.

Last week I was reading a lot about the latest research linking Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to the XMRV Retrovirus.  Some of the articles even implied that people suffering with CFS (like myself) should be excited at the possibility that this news could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of CFS.  But, it's not exactly good news for CFS patients, especially for patients hoping for a cure.  Here's why...