If you haven't been fortunate enough to visit or live in Chicago for any length of time, you may not be aware of this. Contrary to what you may have assumed, Roger Ebert may be off your TV going on four years and not in the best health -- multiple cancer surgeries removed much of his jaw bone and robbed him and us of his voice -- but is very much alive, cancer-free and still writing movie reviews and columns at a machine gun-like pace for the Chicago Sun-Times.

You may not also be aware about a long and pretty wonderful interview with Roger by Canadian writer Chris Jones recently for Esquire (hit the free link below) that goes into far more detail about his surgeries before and after he lost his jaw and voice in 2006 along with the futile attempts so far to restore both, and all the subsequent physical limitations that have resulted from fighting cancer to the ground.

At age 67, Roger isn't getting any younger, and his film criticism is noticeably less biting than it was before he and we lost his voice. As you pour through his columns, however, we haven't lost the man behind the voice who is still teaching us about a great many things, not the least of which is living a fulfilling life after cancer, a good thing.

As I write this blog entry about this non-stop movie critic/storyteller, I'm reminded of my father, William T. Beamer, who, by his own recollection, had sailed around the world at least seven times during his thirtysomething years as a merchant marine before throat cancer took his voice and all of his stories from us in the summer of 1977.

Some 19 months after his larynx and lymph nodes were removed, Bill died, all the while deeply frustrated and darkly depressed that he could never master the electrolarynx nor esophageal speech that would allow him to be heard, even faintly, briefly. Fact is, reading Roger's words makes me happy, very hopeful and a bit sad, in retrospect, that a relatively inexpensive laptop computer (by today's standards) might've helped my Dad live a little longer, if not a more comfortable and happier existence.

Take a couple of minutes to reminisce about the days of TV film criticism at its finest with this clip from the Siskel & Ebert program as Roger and Gene Siskel, his late, great colleague at the Chicago Tribune, skewer Frozen Assets, the worst movie of 1992, and, quite possibly, one of the worst comedies ever made.

Image source: Esquire, Ethan Hill

Esquire February 16, 2010

Chicago Sun-Tines February 18, 2010

One of the hardest feelings anyone fighting cancer faces is the monumental loneliness that comes from feeling you're fighting this battle all alone. Despite the good drug therapy that may be keeping you alive to fight another day. Despite doing all the "right things," like getting some exercise and eating the right foods. Despite all the hugs and kindness shown by people who love you unconditionally.

That's where ImermanAngels.org comes in, a non-profit organization founded by Jonny Imerman seven years ago under the premise that there's no greater means for supporting people fighting cancer than to help them make a connection with "angels" of the same age and gender who have beaten that very same kind of cancer. A survivor of testicular cancer for more than six years, the 34-year-old Chicagoan started the group because he yearned for a mentor -- a cancer survivor his own age to talk him through all the problems he'd face with living life -- he never found.

Although Imerman Angels is based in the Windy City, its network of mentors extends all over the world, not only to folks fighting cancer but to the caregivers who support them through it. Because voices speak louder than words on a Web page, watch the following video testimonial that does a far better job of describing how Imerman Angels helps to build special one-on-one relationship between cancer fighters and survivors that last a lifetime than I ever could.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, are you the kind of person who uses "we" or "our" a lot when referring to your life partner/boyfriend or girlfriend/spouse? Or, when talking about your significant other, are your descriptions sprinkled with lots of "I's," "you's" and "me's"?

While studying the behaviors of 154 couples in their Baby Boomer years and beyond, University of California, Berkeley researchers discovered the difference between "we" and "me" may go a long way, not only toward defining the quality of the relationship you have with your special someone, but resolving conflicts more amicably.

Previous studies have shown how using "we" or "us" to define closer relationships with loved ones rather than separateness words like "I" or "me" are indicative of stronger satisfaction among young married couples.

Generally, the same results apply here, even more strongly, for older folks in longtime relationships. Folks who used separatist pronouns like "me" and "you" were generally less satisfied with their relationships and their use of these specific descriptors was linked to unhappy marriages.

Conversely, the sprinkling of "our" and "us" in conversations was a indicator of greater caring among couples and reduced physiological stress. This was especially true among older couples faced a great many roadblocks in their long lives together, yet possessed the emotional resilience and, perhaps, a greater sense of shared identity, according to the study.

As my wife and I head toward our 20th wedding anniversary this July, without question, these findings speak loudly and clearly to a great many folks we know. Including "us."

PubMed.gov

University of California, Berkeley News January 27, 2010

Ever wonder why programs like WeightWatchers, that encourage people to weigh in every week and attend regular meetings, are so popular and successful for so many? It may have a great deal to do with the "contagious" nature of self-control and following the good examples of others. Researchers came to those elegantly simple conclusions after completing a series of five studies with the help of nearly 400 volunteers at Duke University.

In fact, just watching or thinking about someone you know who exercises good self-control is enough to influence your own self-control for the better. Moreover, this behavioral benefit cuts across all kinds of basic decisions people make, meaning the self-discipline you exercise at your local Baskin-Robbins may be just as apparent in the choices you'll make about your personal finances and career.

Unfortunately, however, the reverse is also true. Watching poor self-control in action -- your brother-in-law devouring a 1-pound bag of potato chips in one sitting, for example -- can be equally contagious and potentially harmful to your health. So much so, that merely viewing the name of someone you know possessing good or bad self-control flashing on a screen for a tiny fraction of a second may influence your behavior positively or poorly.

Researchers are quick to point out that the benefits of this self-control may be enough to make you skip that extra cookie you don't need before dinner or go to the gym even when you're not in the mood, and that's potentially a very good thing. On the other hand, the effect on the negative side of the ledger -- you accept your co-worker's request to take home an extra piece of cake -- isn't strong enough to absolve you from making poor decisions either.

Which means, the Twinkie defense is still completely wrong and you're not getting away with it, no matter what...

Receive Daily Health Updates from CNCA Subscribe to Our Blog

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin December 15, 2009

healthfinder.gov January 18, 2010

EurekAlert January 13, 2010

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer experienced by American men, other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. And, even though some 16 percent of all men (close to one out of every six) will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes and it is the second leading cancer-related deaths, only one of every 35 will die from it.

Sounds like reasonably good odds and not particularly deadly ones either, especially if you take care of your health and get the right amount of exercise. So why does the stress of receiving such a diagnosis put male patients at greater risk of cardiovascular problems and suicide?

A study of nearly 169,000 Swedish men culled from the Swedish Cancer Registry from 1961-2004 discovered patients prior to 1987 were 11 times more likely to experience a fatal cardiovascular event during the initial week after being told about their prostate cancer diagnosis. Over a year's time, prostate cancer patients were twice as likely to have a heart attack. Thankfully, those numbers dropped significantly after 1987 to just triple the risk of a cardiovascular event during the first week after a diagnosis, compared to healthy men, and a constant, but slightly elevated risk during the first year after a diagnosis.

And, although the risk of suicide was very tiny (136 patients took their lives during the study), the greatest danger for men came during the first week after a diagnosis.

Just another reason the proper care and handling of emotions is an important part of any cancer survivor's tool kit.

Receive Daily Health Updates from CNCA Subscribe to Our Blog

PLOS Medicine December 15, 2009 Free Full Text Study

Natural News.com December 29, 2009

Yahoo News December 15, 2009

Unfortunately, my concerns about the flagging health of older Americans as well as the folks who care for them was well-founded, according to a sobering report issued recently by the National Alliance for Caregiving. Almost a third of all adults -- roughly 65 million Americans -- currently serve as part-time caregivers, most of whom have jobs and their own families.

No surprise, the typical caregiver, based on interviews with 1,500 people, is a woman in her Baby Boomer years (late 40s) caring for a parent (often a mother) at least 30 years older than she is. The health issues that often necessitate the need for a caregiver:

* Alzheimer's

* Old age

* Cancer

* Stroke

* Heart disease

* Mental illness

According to the Family Care Alliance (FCA), people who tend to sick family members often don't see themselves as caregivers, and never even consider resources that could support them. In fact, the majority of programs focus on skills to improve the quality of patient care, not to support the caregiver, says FCA Program Director Donna Schempp.

All the more reason to check out my recent caregiving feature that includes some a number of valuable resources and suggestions for taking care of family members who care for us.

National Alliance for Caregiving: Caregiving in the U.S. 2009 Free PDF Reports

CBS News December 16, 2009

Just as negative emotions can affect your chances of surviving cancer, all the positives you allow yourself to feel every day can be just as powerful for your continued good health. That, and a few good jokes...

Nothing illustrates this point better than the ongoing story of Linda Hill, a single mother of seven, who has fought cancer virtually her entire adult life. Linda may be missing a few body parts -- both breasts, her thyroid and colon are gone, along with 70 polyps, thanks to cancer -- but she's never lost her wicked smart sense of humor, fueling an unparalleled tenacity for life and hysterical line of cancer-themed T-shirts and related products.

Rather than choosing to hunker down for the fight of her life -- Linda's grudge match with cancer has lasted nearly three decades -- this Bountiful, Utah, native laughs in the face of cancer with pithy sayings like Of course, they're fake... The real ones tried to kill me, Stupid Ideas 101: 1. Run with scissors 2. Play with matches 3. Skip the Colonoscopy and I lost my colon, But I'm still full of CRAP! on t-shirts and an assortment of ancillary products she sells in local stores and on her Web site.

If you still doubt what strong emotions can do for your health, a recent University of Kansas study demonstrated how positive feelings are linked to better health, even in situations where basic needs weren't adequately met.

NPR December 15, 2009

Salt Lake Tribune November 4, 2009

With all the juggling people have to do just to fit in all the holiday parties -- not to mention birthday celebrations -- you'd assume scheduling a cancer screening would be at the bottom of most everyone's list. And, you'd be dead wrong too, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal late last year.

Nearly 13,000 out of some 21,000 Norwegian Baby Boomers (about 65 percent) attended randomly assigned appointments for colorectal cancer screenings, with researchers paying close attention to the timing of these appointments in relation to the week and month of a patient's birthday.

By far, December proved to be the month more people attended their cancer screenings than any other time, with a 72 percent compliance rate versus 64 percent for the remaining 11 months. What's more, patients followed through more than two-thirds of the time on their screening appointments when receiving invitations during the week of their birthdays or when they were assigned to screenings up to two weeks after their birthday.

Just another reminder to take care of your health and sidestep needless stress during the holiday season.

British Medical Journal, Vol. 337, No. 7684, December 20, 2008 Free Full Text Study

ScienceDaily December 17, 2008

When friends try to convince you emotions are completely separate from your physical health, consider sending a link to this study about moods and how they affect your sensitivity to pain.

Canadian scientists measured the neural activity of 13 patients (via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)) who were given small but painful electrical shocks while viewing groups of images geared to elicit either a neutral (a book), negative (an angry bear) or positive (water-skiing) response.

No surprise, when exposed to unpleasant images, patients felt pain far more strongly than they did when looking at more pleasant pictures.

These findings backed up similar research conducted two years ago that found music perceived by patients to be pleasant reduced pain levels significantly.

Nature Precedings February 26, 2009 Free Full Text Study

healthfinder.gov November 13, 2009

Insciences.org November 10, 2009

An interesting study about the expectations of cancer patients underscores a desire for their oncologists to use, not only their considerable medical skills, but emotional intelligence -- sprinkled with some old fashioned TLC -- when treating and, hopefully, healing them.

Above all, based on the responses of three surveys taken by 508 patients undergoing radiation treatments for lung, breast or prostate cancer over a two-year period, respondents were nearly unanimous (95 percent) about desiring their oncologists to be honest about their chances of survival and being cured. A bit on the unusual side, however, lung cancer patients wanted slightly less honesty about their conditions (91 percent), and prostate cancer patients desired more than the median (97 percent).

Simplicity was just as important. Dividing the survey participants by education, 95 percent of high school graduates greatly preferred explanations about their radiation treatments in easily understood, everyday language, compared to 91 percent of college grads and 84 percent of post-graduate patients.

Generally, patients weren't concerned much about formalities either. Seventy-nine percent of them didn't care if their doctors wore their trademarked white coats and just as many preferred to be called by their first names.

That's a huge discrepancy from a 2001 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that discovered slightly more than a third of some 260 Chicago-area doctors would give their terminally ill cancer patients an honest assessment of their survival, and 40 percent would knowingly give them an inaccurate, overly optimistic estimate.

ScienceDaily November 5, 2009

WebMD November 4, 2009

ABC News June 18, 2001

With 2009 coming to a close very soon and the air temperatures changing for the colder, so does the cyclical reappearance of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) for many folks living in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers may not understand exactly what causes SAD, but they certainly know how to identify its symptoms, among them declines in concentration and energy levels, depression and lethargy. Just as frustrating for most physicians and patients: Determining the best way to treat it.

A University of Vermont psychologist may have discovered the most effective treatment for SAD by assigning 69 patients to one of four groups based on two of the more popular strategies -- light therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) -- a combination of the two or a control wait-list and monitoring their progress, then following up with them a year later.

Despite all the news and the popularity of light therapy products produced to treat SAD, CBT was the clear winner.

For starters, only 7 percent of patients treated with CBT alone had a recurrence of SAD the following winter, compared to some 37 percent of those given light therapy alone. While the failure rate among patients in the group that were treated with both therapies was low (5.5 percent), when accounting for the severity of the depression, CBT was linked to less severe bouts of depression among patients than those treated with a light-cognitive combo or light therapy alone.

One interesting sidenote: Among those in the light therapy group, only four patients used it on their own during the following winter, probably because the treatment requires sitting in front of a light box every day for 30 minutes, which may explain why long-term use of light therapy is rare, according to the report.

Behavior Therapy, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 225-238, September 2009

ScienceDaily October 17, 2009

Elements Behavioral Health October 19, 2009