Support The Pink Petals Foundation by getting support!

For the week of October 26 The Pump Station & Nurtury™ is donating all proceeds from our New Mothers Breastfeeding Support Groups to The Pink Lotus Breast Center’s non-profit division The Pink Lotus Petals Foundation

Learn more about The Pink Lotus Center

Learn more about the Pump Stations Breastfeeding Support Groups

Breast Cancer: Are You at Risk? Reduce It!

Written by Kristi Funk, M.D.

POP QUIZ!
1. Are you a woman?
2. Do you keep getting older?

If you said yes to both, then yes, my friend, you are at risk for breast cancer. Understanding which risk factors you cannot control empowers you to take a stronger stance on what you can control. You should know these facts!

“Know Thyself”: The Top 8 Uncontrollable Risk Factors for Breast Cancer:

• Being female: 1 in 8 (12.5%) women gets breast cancer in her lifetime.


• Aging: The older you get, the higher your risk. 1 in 234 women will be diagnosed by 35 years old; by 65, the rate increases to 1 in 28.


• Race: Whites have the highest breast cancer rates, but Blacks and American Indians are more likely to die from it.


• Menstruation/Menopause: The earlier you started monthly periods, and the later in life you stopped, the higher your risk.


• Pregnancy: First baby after 30 years old increases risk.


• Personal History of Breast Cancer: Usually 10% recurrence risk in the cancer breast, and 1% per year for the opposite breast (20% chance in 20 years).


• Family History of Breast Cancer: Especially premenopausal 1st degree relatives.


• BRCA: an inherited genetic mutation that increases lifetime risk up to 85%.

You can prevent breast cancer -- to the best of your ability -- when you recognize risk factors you can control, and then adjust your life choices accordingly.

“Control Thyself”: The Top 8 Tips for Stopping Breast Cancer Before it Starts

• Alcohol: Keeping it to <>
  
• Folate: Dear Drinkers, please take the supplement, folic acid 600mcg/day, to fight against the alcohol-induced increase in breast cancer risk.


• Obesity: Overweight and obese women (body mass index over 25*) have a 50-250% increase over normal weight women. Lose weight and lose risk!


• Exercise: 3–4 hours/week at moderate to vigorous levels reduces risk. Get up!


• Diet: High fiber, low fat. Veggies and vitamins, lean meat. Did you really think I’d say filet mignon and potatoes au gratin?


• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): For every 10,000 women taking HRT (yes, even bio-identical), 8 preventable breast cancers occur. Understand your personal risks versus benefits before popping that pill.


• Medications: For those at seriously high risk (lifetime risk > 20%), anti-estrogen pills, Tamoxifen and Evista, have undesirable side effects, but absolutely reduce risk by > 50%. Two aspirin or ibuprofen a week for over 5 years reduces breast cancer 21%.


• Mammograms: I know they hurt. I know there’s radiation. But mammograms save lives. If every woman over 50 got her mammogram every year, the breast cancer death rate would drop 35%. Start at 35 years old, and always ask for digital mammograms

Limit the uncontrollable by arming yourself with knowledge, and taking steps toward early detection and prevention.

Wishing you the “breast of health” always,
Kristi Funk, M.D.

The Pink Lotus Breast Center

About the Pink Lotus Breast Center

The Pink Lotus Breast Center, fuses state-of-the art screening, diagnosis and treatment with preventive strategies and holistic, compassionate care. The country’s first female-owned, female-run and fully integrative breast center opened in March 2009. The center delivers unparalleled breast care through the following services:

• Surgical Breast Specialists: Board-certified surgical breast oncologists perform expert breast exams, targeted ultrasound, same-day minimally invasive diagnostic biopsies, and cosmetically-conscious open breast biopsies, lumpectomies and mastectomies. Outpatient procedures take place in the adjoining, fully-accredited surgical center, with an unmatched team of female anesthesiologists and nurses.
  
  
• Pink Lotus Imaging Center: The most sophisticated digital technology provides detailed mammograms with computer-assisted diagnosis. Patients receive same-day answers from a board-certified radiologist, leaving them confident about their screening. The Pink Lotus Breast Center is the only center in Los Angeles to offer Somo-V whole breast screening ultrasound – a painless, radiation-free examination of all breast tissue, which can find cancers that mammograms miss..
  
  
• The Tao of Wellness at Pink Lotus: The Tao introduces 38 generations of Chinese herbology and medical wisdom to the Pink Lotus Breast Center, providing acupuncture, herbal therapy and nutrition as tools for breast cancer risk reduction, side-effect management from chemotherapy and menopause, stress relief and whole-body wellness.
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• Pink Lotus Genetics: Detailed family histories are taken with an analysis of all common disease and cancer genetics. Specific gene (such as BRCA) and general breast cancer risk testing (such as OncoVue®) are offered to all patients. The Pink Lotus Breast Center is the first center in Beverly Hills to use the HALO Breast Pap Test, an FDA-approved means of analyzing cells in breast fluid for precancerous change. Patients become empowered by their personalized genetic risk assessment, and leave the Pink Lotus Breast Center armed with a specific reduction strategy..
  
  
• Psychology: A trusted relationship with an experienced psychologist helps patients tackle emotional barriers to health and recovery. Common issues include coping strategies, relationships with a significant other or child, sexuality, depression, anxiety, stress and eating disorders..
  
  
• Nutrition: A registered dietician works with you to reduce breast cancer risk and recurrence by analyzing your daily diet and creating cancer-fighting menu plans, reducing body weight when necessary. .
  
  
• Physical Therapy: Cancer patients see a physical therapist prior to and after surgery for range of motion exercises, and postoperative management. The Pink Lotus Breast Center is the only center in Los Angeles to offer L-DexTM, a non-invasive breakthrough technology that allows early detection and possible reversal of arm lymphedema (limb swelling from lymph node removal). .
  
  
• Group Therapy: Breast cancer patients, and occasionally significant others, meet as a group to benefit from the power of expertly-guided group therapy..
  
  
• Community Lectures: The Pink Lotus Breast Center encourages all patients to join in monthly evening seminars, with exciting and relevant topics presented by our own expert staff, as well as guest lecturers..
  
  
• The Funk Buddies: A group of Pink Lotus breast cancer survivors who individually pair with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients for the purposes of friendship and emotional support. These women frequently find themselves deeply connected to each other, bound together in the sacred sisterhood of survivors. .
  
  
• The Pink Lotus Petals Foundation: The center’s nonprofit organization provides free mammography and breast cancer care to underserved, low-income women in Los Angeles County. The art adorning the walls throughout the center can be purchased as a tax-deductible donation to the Pink Lotus Petals Foundation..
  

The Pink Lotus Breast Center - “Where Healthy Happens”: From the moment you enter the Pink Lotus Breast Center, you feel welcomed and comfortable. The waiting room provides immediate respite from the pressures of the day, as you relax into the comfy chairs, imagining a life inside the breathtaking world the wall art displays. Enjoy a complimentary tea and snack while you fill out information on a personal Tablet PC, which effortlessly transports all of your information to your doctor, as you write. Thanks to the proprietary electronic records at Pink Lotus Breast Center, by the time you leave, all of the physicians you specify will have received a faxed update on your visit to Pink Lotus, any prescriptions will have been sent to your personal pharmacy, any handouts or referral names will be printed for you to take home, future appointments with any services will have been scheduled, email or text or phone reminders (your choice) of upcoming appointments are in the system ready to go, and your insurance company (yes, Pink Lotus accepts insurance payments) will have already received your billing. What a relief! As you enter your car -- brought by the free valet --you think, “Finally! A breast care center that actually cares.”

About Dr. Kristi Funk

Dr. Kristi Funk, board-certified surgical breast specialist and founder of the Pink Lotus Breast Center in Beverly Hills, is an expert in minimally-invasive diagnostic and treatment methods for all types of breast diseases.

Former Director of Patient Education at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Breast Center, Dr. Funk opened her own facility, the Pink Lotus Breast Center, as the country’s first female-owned, female-run and fully integrative breast center in March 2009. Pink Lotus Breast Center fuses state-of-the art screening, diagnosis and treatment with preventive strategies and holistic, compassionate care.

Dr. Funk graduated with distinction from Stanford University in 1991, and received her medical degree from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. After surgical residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, she completed a surgical breast fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2002, where she then excelled as a surgeon and Director at the Cedars-Sinai Breast Center until 2009.

Dr. Funk’s published works have appeared in Advanced Therapy of Breast Disease, Surgical Clerkship Manual, Archives of Surgery, the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery and the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. As a frequent presenter, she has addressed crowds at national and international Breast Cancer conferences, multiple Los Angeles-area hospitals, the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Southwestern Surgical Congress, Pacific Northwest Vascular Society, British Esophageal Group, Seattle Surgical Society, Virginia Mason Medical Center and the American Society for Microbiology, as well as numerous community audiences.

Dr. Funk’s media appearances include expert commentary on the CBS evening news, NBC’s Extra, co-hosting as a medical professional and interviewing celebrities as a medical correspondent , and appearing as a repeat guest surgeon on CBS’ The Doctors. She is Yoplait’s spokesperson for their “Save Lids to Save Lives” 2009 campaign, with appearances on The Today Show and The View.

Watch our New Mommie Matters Video – Feeding Issues

"Will a pacifier satisfy hunger?”
“When can I introduce solids to my baby?”
“Why does my baby nurse longer when she’s sick?”

Visit our Website for More Videos!
www.MommieMatters.com

www.PumpStation.com

Plan A Baby – Oct 18th in Los Angeles

Moms & Moms-to-be

You are invited to an intimate event at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel!

Plan A Baby is an exclusive, one-day event celebrating new and expectant moms.

Plan A Baby honors modern mothers - hip, sophisticated, style savvy women with an eye for quality and good design.

Listen to our very own Wendy Haldeman MN, RN, IBCLC speak about “Breastfeeding - Getting off on the Right Start: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls”.

Also, check out The Pump Station & Nurtury’s™ booth featuring Cloud*b.

All Pump Station customers will receive $10 off of their ticket price if you purchase your tickets online. Just enter the word “PumpStation” (all one word) at checkout to receive the discount.

So Moms & Moms-to-Be join us at the

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
>> Directions

Tickets available Online: $35 On-Site: $45

*Peruse a selection of handpicked, high quality, style-savvy services and wares
*Converse with experts on health, well-being, sleep and nutrition
*Mingle, connect and celebrate motherhood-this day is all about you
*Bid at an on-site auction benefitting Healthy Child, Healthy World

PlanABabyEvent.com
310-860-1300

Governor Vetoes Breastfeeding Support Bill!

The following letter comes from the California WIC Association

October 2, 2009

Governor Vetoes both AB 513 and SB 257!

Breastfeeding advocates are dismayed by Governor Schwarzenegger's decision to veto two modest but critical bills that would have increased breastfeeding support for low-income and working mothers. The Governor missed an opportunity to save millions in health care dollars by supporting low-cost, low-tech investments in breastfeeding. The evidence is in -- breastfeeding prevents illness, chronic disease and even infant death. We are extremely disappointed by this short-sighted decision.

AB 513 (de Leon-Healthcare Coverage/Breastfeeding) sought improved support for breastfeeding by requiring health care service plans and health insurers to include coverage for lactation support and pumps. The Governor's veto message stated that he supports breastfeeding, but that mandates in health plans increase the cost of health care. We would argue that the small investment would save millions in subsequent health care cost by reducing acute and chronic disease for mothers and babies.

SB 257 (Pavley-Employee Notification/Breastfeeding Accommodation) would have simply required every state agency and department to notify female employees nearing maternity leave of the existing lactation accommodation law. SB 257 sailed through the Legislature and was unopposed by state analysts, with many state agencies indicating there was a need for this simple notification. But the Governor's veto stated that there was not enough evidence to indicate that employees were not adequately informed of their right to return to work breastfeeding.

ACTION: Please use this sample letter to the editor to send to your local newspaper regarding these unfortunate vetoes.

Please visit the CWA website to find a template letter, read the Governor's veto messages and for more information on the bills.

Questions?
Karen Farley: 916-448-2280

Casting Call For Expectant Parents in Los Angeles, CA

Important Reminders!!! Stroller Strides West LA!

Dear xx,

Happy Tuesday!

Below are a few reminders.....

1. 8:30 Classes on Tuesday and Thursday at the Santa Monica Bluffs have resumed as of October 4th! Please join us for these great early bird classes!

2. Fit4Baby Prenatal Fitness Classes are starting on October 27th @ 4pm at Bebe PT in West Los Angeles. From there Classes will be Tues/Thur @ 4pm and Saturdays @11am.

Please join us for our Grand Opening Free Class and Celebration on Saturday, October 31st from 11am - 2pm. We will start with a Class and will follow with refreshments, raffle prizes, and much more! Please feel free to share and bring all your pregnant mommies. This class is for ALL stages of pregnancy!

However a Physicians Release is required to participate in these classes. Therefore, please click HERE to download a Release Form.

3. Rainy Day Policy - As we move into FALL and then to Winter, we do have a few days here and there that we are scheduled for rain. Therefore, here are the policies for you to review. In addition, we are still currently in search of an indoor location for those few days we need to go indoors.

Thank you to all for your business and as always please feel free to contact me at tracy@strollerstrides.net or 800-795-7608 at anytime.

Have a great week!

Tracy Brown

Stroller Strides West Los Angeles

A Picture in the Park - Oct. 25th in Santa Monica

Sunday, October 25th, 2009: 10 am - 2 pm

Join Professional Photographer Laura Kleinhenz for a 15 minute photo session in Douglas Park on Sunday October 25th, 2009 from 10am to 2pm.

15 minutes of family portraiture includes:

• complimentary on-site editing consultation
• 1 print-ready image (up to 5x7) emailed for your use
• online gallery of your images to purchase more online
• purchase personalized docuvitae holiday cards
  

Also

• Hang out and enjoy a free massage with Dr. Elliot Berlin of Berlin Wellness Group. Learn about the benefits of pre & post natal massage and chiropractic care.
• Receive parenting tips from Dr. Alyssa Berlin and Julie Wright, MFT.
• Your photograph can shine this season with custom A Papier Letterpress Holiday Cards.
• Design your hand-pressed cards with Founder Alyson Bravo and receive 20% OFF.

To schedule your photography session, call the Pump Station today:

310.998.1981 M-F 10 - 6 Saturday 10 - 5 Sunday 11 - 5

» click here for details

"Mom's the Word" Sept. 15th – Nov. 8th at the El Portal Theatre

come join our playgroup...

"Mom's the Word"
at the El Portal in NoHo--
Like "the Vagina Monologues", or "Menopause the Musical," but for Moms (and anyone who's ever loved a mom.) It's funny, sharp and real--the Los Angeles premier of a show that's sold-out in 10 major cities (worldwide) and been seen by over a million people...

Mom's the Word
directed by Jerry London
at the El Portal Theatre
5269 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Box Office: 818 508 4200
all tix $25 (group rates available)
Opens Sept 18th runs Thur-Sun until Nov. 8th
http://www.momsthewordla.com/