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Love may be as good as morphineThat rush of good feelings you have in the first few months of being in love don't just put you in a better mood; love may actually be a painkiller, researchers suggest in a new study in the journal PLoS ONE. "Finding pleasure in activities, and with the one you’re with, can have multiple benefits, including reducing your pain," said senior author Dr. Sean Mackey, chief of the Division of Pain Management at Stanford University School of Medicine. Breast cancer: High risk of recurrence
Stanford Cancer Center, where I have been treated since I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer with a 9-centimeter tumor and spread to two lymph nodes in August 2007, is strictly high end. It has a mix of shiny golden blonde and medium brown wood floors, elegantly broken up by exquisite imported marble tiles and rich, patterned brown and caramel carpets. The lobby has high ceilings with large windows that let in a ton of natural light. The furniture is chic and understated in butters, tans, smoky oranges and bronzes. Expensive art hangs against large swaths of creamy white wall. A shiny black grand piano graces the corner as you walk in. There’s usually classical music playing, sometimes even a harp. Today, a female cellist plays a hopeful passage. A few times a week masseuses come to give free massages to patients and family members. There are valets out front waiting to whisk your car away if you can’t be bothered to park it yourself. I have heard horror stories about some of the other top cancer centers around the country, and I am truly grateful for all this cheer and opulence. By the time I arrive at the Cancer Center for my six-month follow-up appointment, I have worked myself into such a state that I am literally shaking and can’t make myself stop. It’s as if I were standing in the middle of a snow bank in a bikini. I was told at the very beginning of this surreal ordeal that I will be at high-risk of recurrence for the rest of my life. I am young. I am hopeful that the rest of my life will amount to a handful more decades, though each time I dare look them up, the five-year survival rates claim otherwise. 'Alive' survivor to miners: 'Tell your story, but live your life'![]() Presumed dead, Ramon Sabella and 15 others survived a 1972 plane crash in the treacherous, sub-zero Andes Mountains for more than two months. The world was stunned to learn that he and members of his rugby team had been able to live in the mountains despite shortage of food, brutal cold and avalanche threats. Their unlikely tale of perseverance in the face of extreme adversity brought immediate attention and intense curiosity. After their rescue, so extreme was the attention from reporters and photographers who followed Sabella that he found cameras in his hospital bathroom. FULL POST |
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. ![]() ![]() |
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