How I Became a Person Who Runs

Deciding is the first step in making a change

It took me 47 years and a medical degree to learn that regular exercise was an important step to a happy life.
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5 Breast Cancer Myths

The internet is a fantastic thing — Endless information at our disposal  within seconds. While the internet has made it easy for women to find information on topics such as breast cancer, it also is ripe with bogus information. Myths about breast cancer are often circulated online and through social media. Here are five common breast cancer myths:
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Doctor Treats His Own Soccer Injury Using Google and Here’s What Happened

Recognizing My Own Limitations

There are certain situations in my life where I feel really stupid

One is when CNBC’s Squawk Box senior economics reporter Steve Liesman discusses the bond market. While I recognize the words he uses as English grammar, I find almost every word to be incomprehensible gibberish. Read more

Why You Should Manage Your Child’s Screen Time

Unplug and Create Quality Family Time

The temptation to just click play

As a parent, I understand the challenges of trying to keep a young child entertained. I always try to find ways to keep my daughter from becoming bored. We play games, do arts & crafts, and go to the park. While it is convenient to set up a screen and hit “play”, this approach can produce negative such as sleep difficulties and trouble with face-to-face interactions.
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Checking for Virginity is an Outdated and Unnecessary Practice

A prominent rapper came out earlier this month discussing how he takes his teenage daughter to the OBGYN office yearly to make sure her hymen is still intact to ensure her virginity. Read more

How To Talk To A Teenager

Use Opportunities in their Context.

Typical conversations with a teenager

“How was your day?”

Riveting conversation for sure. We all want our children to be successful. Things would be so much easier if during the teen years we just did not have to talk to them.

Effective Communication

Our goal is to raise children who are ready to leave our house and survive in the world on their own. How do we do this? One key aspect is effective communication.

Discussions about sex

Parent-Child discussions about sex often break down because adults fail to accept one key concept. When our kids are young we tell them what our family believes. We explain what is right and what is wrong. As children age, they incorporate everything they learned from us and develop their own belief system. Their belief system is what guides their decisions. OUR opinions matter but THEIR opinion matters more. Here is the key concept:

The thoughts in THEIR heads guide their decisions.

Opportunities for meaningful Parent-Teen dialogue pop up every day. You want to be ready when one arises. Imagine you are listening to a song or watching a movie. Something you find inappropriate comes up. Don’t tell your teen how awful the lyrics are. Don’t judge. Engage instead. Ask you teen what the song means. Ask what they like about it. Ask them to tell you what the TV show is about. If they answer, ask another question.

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Blog Author: Dr. Jeff Livingston

A Doctor’s Love Letter to Her Mirena IUD

Dr. T puts the “I” in IUD (and TMI)

I love my IUD. For all the skeptics, I thought I would share my personal experience with an intrauterine device and how it saved me from myself. Read more

C-Sections: Truths, Myths, Facts, and Fiction

The Cesarean section (C-section) originally started around the 1600s as an alternative delivery method to vaginal delivery during childbirth emergencies. Over the centuries, there have been many advances to the point that delivery via C-section is a safe, effective, and sometimes the only way for a baby to be delivered.  Read more

8 Common Myths About IUDs, Debunked

IUDs (intrauterine devices) like the MirenaKyleenaSkyla, and Paragard are some of the most effective forms of birth control, preventing more than 99.5% of pregnancies. They last between 3-10 years and are fairly easy to insert. As discussed in a previous post, IUDs also put you in control of your fertility – helping you be pregnant when you want to be. Despite all of these great characteristics, there are several myths associated with them.  Read more

When Should I Worry About Breast Pain?

Why do breasts hurt sometimes.

Breast pain is common

Up to 70% of women will experience breast pain (or mastalgia) during their lifetime. Patients may notice breast pain and become concerned. People worry it may be an early sign of breast cancer. Breast pain without any other symptoms, such as a breast mass or lump, is rarely a sign of breast cancer.

Breast cancer should be ruled out with a physical exam and possibly imaging for any breast complaint. Don’t ignore it. If you are concerned about a breast issue then we want to address it with you. For the sake of this article, however, we will be focusing on breast pain not associated with cancer.

What else is causing the pain?

We can break it down into two broad categories: cyclical and non-cyclical.

Cyclical breast pain is the most common. It usually affects both breasts. It typically begins in the days leading up to your period and improves after you start your period. Cyclical pain is associated with the normal hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle.

Increased levels of estrogen and progesterone in the blood stimulate the proliferation of the normal glandular tissue in the breasts. The hormonal fluctuation results in pain. Because cyclical breast pain is caused by hormones in the blood, it can also be triggered if you are taking birth control pills or hormone replacement pills.

Non-cyclical breast pain does not follow the usual menstrual pattern. It is more variable, more likely to be in just one breast, and either be constant or intermittent in nature.

Causes of this type of pain vary. Causes include breast cysts, infection or abscess, and even your diet. Cutting back on caffeine has been shown to improve breast pain in some women. Large, pendulous breasts can cause pain due to stretching of the ligaments in the breast, known as Cooper’s ligaments.

If your pain is cyclical or non-cyclical, you should always discuss any concerns with your doctor. Your doctor is a good resource to address your concerns.

Thank you to BeingWell for publishing this article on Medium.

Main Blog Photo By: Unsplash

Blog Author: Dr. Richard Wagner