Beds Causing Cancer?? Now I Have Heard It All . . .

Who would have ever thought that a place we go to find comfort and rest could be putting us at risk for cancer. I recently read an article that says the boxspring in bed mattresses can pick up radiation waves from radio and television. Supposedly it surrounds our bodies while we sleep and since most people sleep on the right side (myself included) the left side will be affected.

Ok, so although my breast cancer was on my left side I am certainly not going to buy into thinking that it was caused by my bed. But I guess I will stick with my sleep number mattress filled with air...

Read the entire article Your Boxspring Could Be Acting As A Cancer Causing Radiation Antennae by Adam Frucci

Have you heard about this? What do you think? Is there anything left to not fear?

How Safe Are Your Personal Products??

Its no secret that I started really looking at what I was eating and what I was putting on my skin after my cancer experience. Part of it stems from an attempt to gain some kind of control after going through such an out of control experience. When I started on this journey I had no idea that the FDA does not regulate the cosmetics industry. That is scary to me. The industry can put anything they dam well please in your products. Things like parabens and sulfates are in many products and are chemicals that have been linked to cancer. Whatever you are putting on your skin (which is the largest organ we have) will seep into our bodies. I know it is a new way of thinking but I everyone should be aware and be more choosy about the products you are using. So read your labels and make more conscious choices . . . it will be better for your health and the environment!

Today I wanted to share a video called The Story of Cosmetics put together by the Story of Stuff Project. So take a few minutes and check it out! It will make you think twice about what you are putting on your skin!

Have you seen this video? What do you think? When you are shopping for personal care products do you read the label? Do you look for more natural products?

Bloody Flashback

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my friend. We had lunch and chatted it up for hours. It was a great time. On the ride home I came up on a traffic jam. One of those bumper to bumper deals. As I sat there wondering if it was an accident I heard a loud thumping noise. I looked up through my sunroof and saw the huge chopper in the sky. It wasn't just any chopper, it was the one that air lifts people to the hospital. It was like time just stood still. A chill ran through me and I felt a twinge in my stomach.

Pretty soon before I knew it we were doing the dangerous car dance of shifting lanes from two down to one. In single file at about 5 miles an hour I could see the back of the tow truck as we crawled down the road. I saw the tow truck driver sweeping car crash debris off of the roadway. And then I saw the worst of it. It was the crumpled car up on the flatbed. I tried to hold back the tears as I stared at the twisted front tire and crunched driver's side front end. The metal was so demolished that it looked liked pieces of frayed wire. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. All I could see in front of me was Paul's car or rather what was left of it.

I remembered going with my dad to see the car the day after his accident. He didn't want me to go but I had to in a futile attempt to make it seem more real. I could hear the crunching of rocks under my sneakers as I stepped slowly through the dead car cemetary thinking about how it was the last place he was alive. The last place they both took their last breath. The windows were rolled down and I could see his Giant's baseball hat sitting neatly on the passenger seat. As if it was in memoriam. The driver's side seat cradled his brother's hat. My eyes scanned around in an attempt to not really see what was there like the dark crimson blood stains smeared all over the head rest and dashboard on Paul's passenger seat. His light blue denim jacket curled up in a ball on the back seat was stained with the same blood. I carefully pulled out that jacket, grabbed the hat, and put them in a bag where they stayed for 2 years at the bottom of my coat closet. Sometimes in my lonliest moments I would wear it as I cried and wailed while I sat rocking back and forth on my living room floor.

The police said it was the worst accident they had ever seen in all their years on the job in Greenwood Lake, NY. His car the most demolished one in a long time. So much so that a local high school wanted to use it during drunk driving awareness week. Although Paul's accident did not involve alcohol or drugs I agreed to have it put on the lawn to increase awareness in young adults about the dangers of drinking and driving. I searched for any tiny bit of good that could come out of the madness that became my life on that Labor Day in 1994.

It was hard to control those bloody flashbacks for the rest of the ride home. It was almost impossible to hold back the tears. I couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be a day in my life when I wouldn't fall into a black hole from doing a drive by of a car crash . . .

Qigong . . . It Quiets My Mind

I wanted to share with you one of the things I have found that really helps me with stress relief and quiets my busy mind. I never gave any of this a thought until after I went through my cancer experience and began to look at how I was treating my body. I wanted to learn how to keep it well. And not only my body but my mind as well.

Although I do have my photography, writing, and daily walks this practice of Qigong really helps to center me and relax my neck muscles very quickly. It focuses on moving the Chi throughout your body, the energy each of us has around and within us. When our Chi doesn't move it can cause havoc on the body. I hold alot of tension in my neck muscles which causes headaches. I also have anxiety attacks from time to time mostly caused by my busy mind that never shuts off. It is very easy to do and involves breathing techniques combined with flowing body movements. When I am done my neck is instantly loose and I feel a calmness that I wish stayed with me longer.

This video is a good overview of the purpose and benefits of Qigong. Daisy Lee Garripoli is a wonderful instructor and I have used her instructional dvd's for a few years now. For more info on Qigong and Daisy Lee visit her website HERE.

What do you do to quiet your mind and handle daily stress? Have you ever tried Qigong?

Wild Flowers

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. It has been super hot here in NY but early Saturday morning I grabbed my camera while it was still cool and headed across the street to capture a few shots of these pretty purple wild flowers. This is the view I can see from the bottom of our driveway. I always wanted to live near the water and reservoir or not I love it.

I wanted to get some macro shots of the flowers. I have a Canon D10 with a macro setting. I have been wanting to get a separate macro lens for my Canon XTi but need to save up the dough for that one! I did however get some great macro shots with the smaller D10.

And then I wanted to get even closer. . .

I am very pleased with how the shots came out. These are such tiny flowers but so pretty and what a vibrant shade of purple!

It has been too long since I have grabbed my camera and headed out the door. As I have said on this blog before it is one of the creative outlets that takes me out of my cluttered busy mind and into a colorful moment.

Do you have a creative outlet? If so what is it? How does it make you feel?

All images are © Cathy Bueti and may not be used or reproduced without permission.

Favorite Summer Driving Song . . . Do You Have One?

Today in NY we are finally getting a reprieve from the super high heat and swampy humidity. I woke up this morning to cool, crisp, light air outside and promptly opened all of my windows. A nice change from the constant running of A/C. As I felt the breeze blowing in I enjoyed the scent of new air roaming through the house. It was only 6:30 and I knew it would grow warmer later on but I didn't want to miss this cool morning.

It got me to thinking about how much I love to drive with the windows down on a cool day. I like to open the sunroof, roll the windows down and blast the stereo. Back in the day before I had a car with air conditioning I used the dreaded 4-60 A/C. My first car was a '75 volvo with a pathetic radio. That car was a lemon but to me it mean freedom (until I broke down in PA alone on interstate 81 . . . but thats a whole other story!) Driving with the music blaring, windows down on the highway felt freeing to me. It still does.

Certain songs are really good driving songs especially in the nice weather. For me that song was always Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard. So today when I was out on this beautiful day I played it over and over on my car stereo. I still think I will never get tired of that one!

What is your favorite driving song? What was your first car? What do you enjoy doing on the best weather days?

Going Gray Just For Fun?

In last year's post Gray Area I talk about trying to accept my graying hair. I decided to stop coloring it last year and am in the process of welcoming the gray and just letting nature take its course. I am still not sure how I will adjust to it as it has been strange to see so many grays popping up and taking residence all over my head. However having said it will always be better than when I was bald from chemo. That will always go down as my worst bad hair day (or rather no hair day) ever.

So I was stunned recently when I heard about celebrities like Lady Gaga, Kate Moss, and Kelly Osbourne dying their hair gray just for the hell of it. Apparently it has become a fashion trend these days. There are apparently twentysomething girls going to the salon having gray put in their hair. It has been seen on the runway as well. With all the women dying their hair to cover the gray it is refreshing to see it coming out in the fashion world. I don't know how long this trend will last but I found it quite interesting nonetheless.

You can check out this article all about it in the New York Post.

What do you think about these celebrities going gray for fun? Do you think this trend will last? Do you dye your hair? Would you ever consider going gray?