Best Health Magazine: September 2010
Here's what you'll find in the September 2010 issue of Best Health
Click here to browse a preview of the September 2010 issue!
New & Now
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month • Your essential daily stretch • Eco-friendly beauty products • Kid-reviewed portable lunch snacks • Is a macrobiotic diet harmful to bones? • Best fast-food swap • Why mowing the lawn soothes you • Natural muscle-pain relief • This issue’s book choices • Quick and healthy breakfast and lunch ideas from a dietitian • The latest food additive • The pros and cons of homemade pet food • An antioxidant smoothie—on a stick! • A new tool to make your own healthy salad dressing • The story behind one of Canada’s oldest cosmetic companies • Walk away your risk of stroke • Latest studies on family health • These six friends love cycling on the open road
Look Great
32 The Instant Beauty Fix
Easy ways to improve your posture.
37 Kick That Bad Beauty Habit (The Sequel)
Back by popular demand: healthy fixes for some common mistakes.
40 Beauty Bar
Our nail colour, hair and skincare picks.
42 Lighten Your Load
A roundup of body-friendly handbags.
46 Paradise, Home and Away
Two dreamy spas.
48 Staff-Tested Shampoo and Conditioner
Duos We each tried products targeted to our needs. Find out how they performed.
50 Help Me, Rhonda!
Our beauty editor answers your questions. In this issue: Can you get a refund for beauty products?
53 Beauty Under the Sea
Cosmetic companies are adding ocean ingredients to their products. How effective are they?
56 It Worked for Me
This woman took the plunge and went for a professional bra-fitting. What a confidence-booster!
Get Healthy
60 Take the Vichy Best Health Challenge
Join our reader as she gets a complete life makeover. First up: a home workout plan.
67 Five Health Assumptions to Avoid
Chances are, you’re making at least one of them. Here’s what you need to know.
70 What Works, What Doesn’t
Answers to common health questions.
73 Why Cancer Fundraisers Really Do Help
A leading Canadian researcher shares how money raised by people right across this country has been leading to huge advances in treatment.
75 “My Odds Weren’t Good”
When this woman was told she was at exceptionally high risk for cancer, she felt she had only one choice.
78 His Health
Is he a weekend warrior? Don’t worry; it’s not necessarily unhealthy. Here’s why.
Eat Well
82 Peppers Galore
Buy a bushel—sweet or hot—and enjoy their delicious health benefits. Plus, try our easy recipe ideas.
85 Swap & Drop
These simple changes will help you lose pounds the sensible way.
88 Simple, Elegant Meals
Why wait for a night out to enjoy mussels, lamb or smoked salmon? Try these easy recipes for dressed-up dishes by fresh-food chef Paul Finkelstein.
92 The Truth About Processed Meats
Are they safe?
94 Light and Fruity Desserts
We rounded up some old-school treats and gave them a Best Health twist.
100 “Our Night at Rideau Hall”
A few lucky high-school students got the chance to cook for a gala dinner attended by dignitaries—including the outgoing Governor General, Michaëlle Jean.
102 Quick Fixes
Healthy suppers you can make in less than 30 minutes.
Embrace Life
106 Norma Bastidas, Super Woman
This Calgary mom runs “ultra-marathons” around the world. Find out why (and how!).
115 My Kids, the Food Police
For writer Patricia Pearson, her kids’ food savvy isn’t always a good thing.
118 Ask A Sex Therapist
Psychologist Cheryl Fraser shares the keys to a long-lasting marriage.
120 Couples Workout
These three couples say working out together keeps them motivated, healthy—and close.
123 The Growing Pains of Change
“Tending my garden makes coping with my dad’s dementia a little easier.”
126 Best Health Minute
Our editor’s roundup of this issue’s top tips.
128 My Healthy Life
Why this Canadian makeup artist is so eco-conscious.
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Thank you for the highlighting September as the month for Ovarian Cancer Awareness; but did you know that Thyroid Cancer Awareness also shares the same month? I would like to share with you my experience with this type of cancer that we rarely ever read about.
Living without a Thyroid
In early 2007, I was diagnosed with Thyroid (Papillary) cancer. On May 2, 2007 I had a total thyroidectomy. I want everyone to know about the fact that there is another cancer out there that most aren't aware of as it's not publicized enough about.
I remember the day that I went to see my specialist on another unrelated matter. I can't help think about what if I didn't make that appointment. How much longer would I have lived with that lump on my thyroid without suspecting anything was wrong? I didn't have any symptoms that triggered any alarm for me. It was so easy to detect, once the specialist pointed out this lump to me. Shortly after, I was scheduled for a fine needle aspiration (biopsy). "It's nothing to worry about" so many people said to me. Out of all the people that get their results back, only a very small percentage comes back with a diagnosis that the lump is malignant. Well, I was part of this very small percentage. Also, have been told by my specialist that if you're going to get a cancer, this is the one you want to have! It was all so surreal for me, hearing that news. I just couldn't believe it. Each day has become easier for me. I had a great surgeon that removed my thyroid completely and did a wonderful job with the incision. My Oncologist has been super supportive and I am pleased with my treatments so far. The team, in Nuclear Medicine, is also great. I am so very grateful and thankful for everyone that is a part of this whole process of keeping me safe. My message to everyone out there is that when you are checking for lumps in your breast, to please also move your hands up north and work the area around your neck, especially the front of your neck. I have read so much about Thyroid Cancer on the internet and in books. I just want people to know that this is also a cancer and that even though it's not publicized to the extent breast cancer is, that more awareness about it should be published. I just wanted to do my part to share my story.
Thank you so much for reading this.