Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer for the next national teleconference, Bone Health After Breast Cancer, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Tuesday, September 11.

Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will give an overview of the topic of bone health for women after breast cancer diagnosis, including:

• Causes of bone loss
• How to measure bone health
• How breast cancer treatment impacts bone loss
• Strategies for monitoring bone health before and after treatment
• Using exercise, fitness and supplements to keep bones strong
• Bone-strengthening medications

Riedel Crystal USA has created a special limited edition wine glass with a soft pink stem and a clear bowl. A set of two of the Pink Vinum glasses sell for $50 on the Living Beyond Breast Cancer website.

If you purchase them here right on the LBBC website, 100% of the proceeds will support the educational programs and services for women effected by breast cancer.

As a national education and support organization, LBBC's goal is to improve your quality of life and help you take an active role in your ongoing recovery or management of the disease, regardless of educational background, social support or financial means. They hope the information and support offered on this site brings you comfort, empowers you to ask questions and enables you to make sound choices about health care that will help you manage a breast cancer diagnosis, through treatment and beyond

Living Beyond Breast Cancer will hold a free teleconference, Follow-up Testing: What You Need to Know, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Thursday, August 16.

Speaker Virginia F. Borges, MD, will discuss follow-up testing after initial treatment, including follow-up testing guidelines, insights into future tests, the uses or limitations of screening tests and the emotional impact of follow-up testing. She also will explain the need for routine follow-up for other treatment-related health matters, creating a plan to monitor overall health and the role of follow-up tests for women with advanced (metastatic) breast cancer.

Dr. Borges is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Science Center. Dr. Borges specializes in the treatment of breast cancer and her research interests include the study of new biologic therapies for breast cancer, development of cancer vaccines and improving the quality of life of people affected by breast cancer. In addition to her clinical practice and research efforts, Dr. Borges volunteers as a medical facilitator for Casting for Recovery.

This free program will feature a presentation by the speaker and a 45-minute question-and-answer session with participants. Participants can listen over the phone or use their computer.

To register, visit Living Beyond Breast Cancer's website at www.lbbc.org or call (610) 645-4567

This networking event called Let's Talk About Sex: Reclaiming Intimacy After Breast Cancer will focus on sexuality and intimacy after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott West in West Conschohocken, PA.

Featured speaker Kara Nakisbendi, MD will provide a candid and caring discussion about intimacy after a breast cancer diagnosis and how to reclaim sexuality to improve quality of life.

Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) for a free educational teleconference titled Medical and Quality-of-Life Updates from the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The teleconference will be held on Monday, June 11, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (EDT). You can participate by using any telephone or by computer using Real Network Player or Windows Media Player. Register online at www.lbbc.com or call 610-645-4567.

This teleconference brings to you groundbreaking research presented at the largest annual conference of cancer professionals in the United States. Some topics discussed will be:

• Advances in surgical, hormonal and chemotherapy treatments
• Using diet and nutrition to improve quality of life
• Clinical trials measuring the long-term impact of treatment on health and well-being
• New information on how to treat and manage metastatic breast cancer

Following the speaker presentation there will be an interactive question and answer session.

When you are diagnosed with cancer you may experience an array of different emotions --fear, anxiety, depression, anger, worry and many others. Some cancer patients or survivors may feel alone or unable to talk to friends or family members about how they are really feeling.

Research has suggested that writing can help with the healing process after cancer. Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is hosting a networking meeting for women affected by breast cancer called Healing with words: Writing the Breast Cancer Experience.

Alysa Cummings, MLS, CPT, of Pink Ribbon Poetry, will explain how women affected by breast cancer can use writing to heal. Attendees will hear a presentation by members of Pink Ribbon Poetry. Following the presentation, attendees can choose to share in a poetry therapy group and learn about online resources for writing their stories.

The networking meeting will be held on April 26, 2007, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Cherry Hill Library in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. A light dinner and refreshments will be available after the networking event. To register for this free event, visit LBBC's website or call the office at 610-645-4567.

It does not matter what kind of cancer you have been diagnosed with, this therapy can work for anyone, you can take advantage of writing in a journal in your own home. It can help heal your mind on so many levels. Try it out. You will be pleasantly surprised at the release it can give you.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is hosting a free educational teleconference for women affected by breast cancer, women at high risk for developing breast cancer and caregivers.

Breast Cancer Genetics: The Role of Genetic Tests and Family Risk Assessment will give the facts about genetic counseling and testing. Learn how the results could impact your health choices and your life.

Topics to be discussed:

• When and why to consider genetic testing
• Goals of genetic counseling and how it can help you understand your risk and test results
• Effectiveness of medical and surgical prevention methods
• Strategies for monitoring the health of women at risk for developing a second breast cancer or other cancers
• Ways to lessen anxiety about testing and communicate effectively with family members
• Laws that protect you from insurance and job discrimination

All LBBC teleconferences begin with brief speaker presentations followed by question and answer sessions with participants.

The teleconference will be held on Thursday, March 29, 2007. 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. EDT

There are about 150,000 women in the United States living with advanced breast cancer. Musa Mayer and Susan E Grober, consultants for the study called Silent Voices: Women with Advanced (Metastatic) Breast Cancer Share Their Needs and Preferences for Information, Support and Practical Resources, say that over the years many of the women living with metastatic disease have expressed that they feel isolated, marginalized and alone.

The study found that nearly one-third of the women living with advanced breast cancer do not know where to access programs or medical treatments and emerging research. This study's finding is among several that could impact healthcare professionals and advocates who serve women living with Stage 4 disease.

Women in the study said that many of the support and information networks for breast cancer focus mostly on early-stage disease. The information on metastatic disease is often hard to find. There is not one website dedicated to bringing together the existing resources on advanced breast cancer.

A survey was given to the women in the study. Here are some of the findings:

• 75 percent of the women look for information about advanced breast cancer either daily or weekly.
• 69 percent said they find it helpful to listen or read about the experiences of other women living with advanced disease.
• 44 percent prefer online support groups while 38 percent prefer in-person groups.
• 57 percent of women with the lowest level of knowledge about their advanced breast cancer report feelings of anxiety, whereas only 19 percent of those with the highest level of knowledge report anxiety.

If you live near the Philadelphia area you can attend Living Beyond Breast Cancer's next networking meeting called Nutrition for the New Year: Managing Weight and Nutrition Through Diagnosis and Beyond.

The event will be held on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, from 6:00 p.m to 8:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott West in West Conshohocken. Debra Demille, an oncology nutrition counselor at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital will discuss the benefits of adequate nutrition during and beyond treatment and will answer questions about nutrition and fitness.

Ms. Demille will help women understand how to use eating strategies and exercise to maintain weight and well-being during treatment, manage side effects and reclaim their bodies after treatment. She also will discuss nutritional needs of families affected by breast cancer, strategies for adopting healthier eating habits, healthful eating and workout tips to reduce the risk of developing a new or recurrent breast cancer.

Contacts for the event: Janine Guglielmino or Anna Shaffer. Email janine@ibbc.org or anna@ibbc.org.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is hosting part two of their annual October telephone conference series called Advanced Breast Cancer: Understanding Treatments and Enhancing Quality of Life. Virginia F. Borges, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Science Center, headlines the teleconference. She will be discussing Managing Symptoms and Side Effects: A Holistic Approach to Advanced Breast Cancer. Dr. Borges will provide creative approaches for managing discomfort, discuss medication for side effects like hot flashes, nausea, fever and chemo brain. She will also explore complementary treatments to supplement conventional treatments.

If you are living with metastatic breast cancer you might want to check out this teleconference that will be held on October 25, 2006 from 12pm to 1:30pm. During the program you will have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers. The teleconference is free but LBBC asks that you register in advance.

Hormonal Therapies: Making Decisions and Quality of Life After Breast Cancer is the next teleconference hosted by Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC). Get the latest treatment strategies and learn about quality of life issues surrounding hormonal therapy during a free teleconference from 12 p.m to 1:30 p.m on Tuesday, September 26th.

Speaker Ruth Oratz, MD, FACP, associate professor of clinical medicine at the New York University School of Medicine will help you understand how hormonal therapy works and who should consider treatment. You can learn about aromatase inhibitors in treating breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the use of tamoxifen for premenopausal women and how to maintain bone health.

After the presentation, Dr. Oratz will invite you to participate in a 45 minute question and answer session. Register for the teleconference here.

Goody Products Inc. is holding a national celebrity auction to benefit Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC). The auction will be from August 15th until the end of October. Goody Products Inc. is one of the largest manufactures of brushes, combs and hair accessories.

Over 50 limited edition brushes signed by celebrities will be available. Some celebrities that will be signing the brushes include Jennifer Lopez, Hilary Duff, Nick Lachey and Nicole Richie.

The auction is part of "Comfort Meets Cause", a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and funding for women affected by breast cancer.

LBBC's mission is To empower all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is hosting a free networking meeting to focus on anxieties and emotions that women experience during and after breast cancer.

Moving On: Managing Anxiety and the Fear of Recurrence will be held on Thursday, September 28th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott West in West Conshohocken, PA.

Some topics will include the common anxieties and emotions women experience after completing treatment, the impact of breast cancer diagnoses on relationships and outlook on life and strategies and tactics for dealing with anxiety and fear of recurrence.

The meeting will offer an opportunity to enjoy a light dinner and refreshments with women who share the same experiences.

Thanks to Patti Anastasi for the tip.