Today is National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD). NCSD is held each year within the United States and Canada on the first Sunday, during the month of June. On this special day, many communities organize and hold events to help raise awareness of the growing number of cancer survivors as well as to help raise funds for organizations and support groups that are dedicated to assisting cancer survivors.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 11 million people within the United States that are considered to be cancer survivors. The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a cancer survivor as anyone living with a history of cancer from diagnosis through the remainder of life. However, when someone receives a diagnosis of cancer, it impacts everyone including family, friends and even co-workers. The Centers for Disease Control defines cancer survivors as individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer and the people in their lives who are affected by the diagnosis, including family members, friends, and caregivers. Approximately 66% of people diagnosed with cancer are estimated to live at least 5 years after receiving an initial diagnosis of cancer.

I would like to point out that in 2001 the number of people who were considered cancer survivors was 9.8 million. This number has significantly grown and reflects the ongoing rise of cancer rates in the United States. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, there were 559,888 deaths attributed to cancer in 2006. One in every four people within the United States dies of cancer. The lifetime probability of American men developing cancer is one in two, and the lifetime probability of American women developing cancer is one in three. With statistics like these, there is no denying the great impact cancer has on our society. Almost everyone is in some way affected by cancer.

Artemis in the City, LLC is experiencing rapid growth this spring. Many projects started last year are finally being completed, making way for exciting new work.

Additionally, the demand for Artemis in the City's holistic nutrition services is significantly increasing. More people are discovering us and are ready to make lifestyle changes to naturally improve their health.

Many wonderful people have signed up and are participating in one of Artemis in the City's personalized wellness programs to help them address and overcome a wide range of health issues such as allergies, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, food allergies, candida, depression, food addictions, obesity, hypoglycemia, blood pressure, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, cyclic vomiting syndrome, thyroid, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, acne, insomnia, constipation and more.

It is a great honor to be chosen to help these amazing people. The main focus and priority of Artemis in the City is on providing clients with quality counseling and support services that help them take control of their own health.

One special client recently wrote this statement in a letter about her experience after being in an Artemis in the City wellness program for less than a month. "My friend said I had 'strength' in my voice. She felt like that was a result of my new way of eating. Maybe she is right. I feel like I have taken control back in lots of ways. My health is no longer something that just happens to me and beats me down. I help create an environment for my body to do the wonderful healing that it knows how to do." This is the kind of consciousness and change that I as Artemis in the City work very hard to help clients achieve for themselves. Taking responsibility and control of your own health is life changing and freeing.

But change of any kind is generally never an easy one. In order to make way for the new, the old must be released. Change forces us to step out of our developed routines and lifestyle patterns to learn new things, have new experiences, meet new people, gain wisdom, grow spiritually and release what is holding us back. Change is the catalyst that forces us to transform even when we do not want to change. Like a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly so must we experience different life stages and changes in order to become something more.

The new year is a time of reflection upon our lives and a new beginning. A time to survey what is going right, what is successful, what is fulfilling, what is not so good, what is missing as well as a time to face hard truths about what needs to be changed.

By now you might be feeling like you have a bit of pink eye as everything is pink - pink ribbons, blenders, laptops, jewelry, beauty supplies, packaged food products, toilet paper as well as pink clothes, shoes, umbrellas and purses! The list is endless for all of the co-branded cause marketing efforts that are launched during the month of October to raise funding for breast cancer research as well as the revenue of major corporations. But is all this buying of pink merchandise really helping to find a cure for cancer? Is the awareness that it is intended to bring actually helping women prevent breast cancer?

One of the most well known of the breast cancer organizations is the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). According to Charity Navigator, BCRF’s annual revenue for fiscal year 2006/2007 was $36,697,109 and in 2005 it was $25,978,985. Another well known breast cancer organization is Susan G. Komen which reported annual revenue of $274,875,945 for fiscal year 2007. It has been many years and millions of dollars have been invested in breast cancer research yet breast cancer is still the most common form of cancer in women aside from non-melanoma skin cancer. Breast cancer is also the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women following lung cancer (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). 

For most women, an annual visit to the gynecologist for a complete physical examination, lab testing and a mammography, when

It is 9:15 AM and like most days, an exhausted 36 year-old Carol Taylor is running late for work. She stops at a street corner near her office to buy her usual bagel and a large cup of coffee from a vendor. She is hopeful that her breakfast on the run will give her the energy she needs to close an important business deal. Carol then hurries to her office to begin another 12-hour day of work. For lunch she stops for a few minutes at a nearby pizza shop to gobble down a slice of pizza and a large cola. By 3:00 PM she can barely focus or stay awake. Carol then has another large cup of coffee to help her make it through the day. Once at home she orders tacos and a large cola for dinner. Carol knows that she needs to eat healthier as she is Pre-Diabetic and is 30 pounds over her normal weight. But Carol is afraid to give up her favorite foods – the foods that she has come to rely on for comfort.

Your Food Choices Create Your Life

We all know someone like Carol, who is working long hours, living on processed fast food, trying to manage a hectic stressful life and who is facing serious health issues such as diabetes. Though most people have an idea of what is considered healthy food versus junk food, most people are not aware that their food choices also create their life. If lifeless, denatured and demineralized food is

The lymphatic system is a very important component of the immune system that hasn't been given the attention that it deserves. In fact I have clinical physiology books that barely even mention it - so I want to bring it to your attention today. Running parallel to the body's blood system (arteries and veins) from the feet to the neck, the lymphatic system includes the lymphatic vessels and organs (lymph nodes, the thymus gland, spleen and tonsils). The blood system and the lymphatic system have a symbiotic relationship yet we generally do not hear as much about the lymphatic system as we do the blood system.

In the body there is a fluid known as interstitial fluid that is contained within the interstitium or space between the cells. This interstitial fluid enters into the lymphatic vessels and becomes a fluid known as lymph. The lymph flows upward throughout the body’s lymphatic system. But, instead of having a pump like the heart to push it throughout the lymphatic system, as blood is pumped throughout the blood system, the lymph is moved through the lymphatic system by muscle contractions. These muscle contractions move the lymph to the lymph nodes where it is filtered by cells called macrophages that function to eliminate bacteria, cellular debris and other foreign particles. Additionally the lymph nodes house B lymphocytes which are white blood cells that can detect the presence of viruses, bacteria, yeast and other microbiologic organisms and then initiate antibody production. The condition of your lymphatic system is a key indicator of your overall health and the ability for your body to heal itself. It is very

Welcome and thank you for visiting my new blog. My web developer and I have been very busy over the past few months building the blog for my website. Together we have proofed it many times and we hope that the design is clear and easy for you to navigate.

This is very exciting as now I have a way to communicate important and interesting news and information to you. Primarily the content will relate to health, nutrition, natural whole foods and environmental issues as the mission of Artemis in the City is to help you take control of your own health and well-being; make better health choices; prevent or reverse disease and create a balanced life filled with good health, happiness and love. However, I may also bring in other information to share with you that I believe you will find helpful, newsworthy or interesting. Please subscribe to the RSS feed so that you will be updated when new articles are posted Artemis in the City Blog and join with me when opportunities are presented for you to take action. If we act together, we can be heard and create meaningful change.

Do you suffer with constant muscle and joint pain, migraine headaches, chronic fatigue, depression or IBS? Many of these symptoms are often caused by harmful toxins in your body and a lack of nutrient dense food.

At one time I also suffered from all of these symptoms and more. And as many anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant and pain medications that I tried, nothing worked to help me get well. I gained weight, felt awful and did not want to continue to live.

No healing ever occurred for me until I made the commitment to remove toxic foods and chemicals from my body and environment.

If you receive a diagnosis for an illness or disease it does not mean that you have to just live with it for the rest of your life. At one time I was diagnosed with connective tissue disease and fibromyalgia. But with lifestyle and dietary changes I no longer have any sign of an autoimmune system disease. I have lived a healthy pain free life for more than a decade. There are thousands of other people who have very similar health recovery experiences as mine and you can too!

Today there are so many diets and diet aides as well as an abundance of confusing health information on the market. It makes it very hard for you to know where to turn to receive the best and most effective help that will truly help you lose weight and keep it off.

For years I battled with my weight - gaining and losing and then gaining it all back. It wasn't until I was faced with a serious illness that I began my journey towards natural health. On my journey not only did I cure my autoimmune system disease but I also lost weight and felt great. What I discovered is that by living a healthy natural whole foods lifestyle I no longer had to worry about weight.

If you are tired of diets that don't work and pills that can cause harmful side effects, and would like to learn how you can develop a healthy lifestyle please give me a call. Together we can work to bring your body back into balance and help you achieve your ideal weight.

I wrote this on August 14, 2006 while I was preparing to do my thesis at Columbia University as well as begin a holistic health counseling training program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. “The Alchemist” is a wonderful book that I hope everyone will read. - Danielle

While on my break I continue to study and work on projects. I recently read "The Alchemist" by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The book was first published in 1988.

I love this book and discovered it at a time when Coelho's wisdom and powerful messages were most needed. I was immediately drawn in by the prologue which reminded me of how much I miss someone that I love.

"The Alchemist" is a tale about a boy named Santiago who wants to see the world and experience more. He leaves his homeland behind and sets out on a quest to find his treasure. Along the way he learns profound lessons about following one's heart.

"To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation," said the old man. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”