There are many women out there, myself included, who enjoy a glass of wine, a beer or a mixed drink with dinner from time to time. The research shows that a woman’s breast cancer risk increases by 15% if she has three drinks per week and that risk increases by 10% for every drink she has after that.

A study was just released in the medical journal, Neurology about the brain benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, fish and poultry, with moderate amounts of red meat, red wine and dairy. Researchers followed over 17,000 participants over the age of 45 for four years and found that those who closely followed the Mediterranean diet were 19% less likely to suffer from cognitive impairments.

If you are a woman, you’ve likely thought about pregnancy at one time or another. You’ve also probably thought about your career path, having a happy partnership with someone you love, staying well, and having your share of happiness. The question is, can you achieve all of this? And maybe more important — can it be healthy to have it all?

Last month I noticed a headline reading, Study: Hormone therapy raises breast cancer risk, mortality. Studies about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy seem to come up every few months and it often seems like there are many contradictions. In this particular study, it appears as though the combination of estrogen and the synthetic form of progesterone, known as progestin, not only increases breast cancer risk, but also chances dying from breast cancer. As I’ve written about in the past, the decision to go on HRT is intensely personal and the risks and benefits should be weighed carefully with your healthcare practitioner.

First, let me say, yes. It is definitely possible to be social while you’re on a special diet, doing a cleanse or living with a food sensitivity. It just takes some creativity and planning. But the extra effort pays off and things get easier as you go. We’ve been working on a new offering here at Women to Women. It’s our Personal Program for Digestive Reset, which is for women who struggle with digestive issues to learn more about what they might be sensitive to and to reset their digestion. In the process of developing this program, I got to thinking about how difficult it is to be on different types of diets or to have a food sensitivity or food allergy.

More than ever we are overwhelmed by the increasingly strict “rules” about how to stay healthy. Don’t eat ANY sugar or fat, exercise for one hour every day (best in the morning), stay away from all processed foods, eat berries for antioxidants (but make sure they’re organic), eat protein for energy (but not too much meat unless it’s grass-fed), sleep at least eight hours, get rid of toxic beauty products and non-stick dishware, the list goes on and on. How could anyone possibly do it all?

So why are we hearing more about women — young women like the 24-year-old Miss America — deciding to have both breasts removed without a diagnosis?  Is this a crazy media seeking maneuver?  Actually there is data to say no, that this is a growing documented phenomena — more women are electing to have both breasts removed (bilateral mastectomies).  Some of these women have breast cancer in one breast and decide to have bilateral surgery, some have a known genetic mutation (BRCA 1 or 2) which increases their risk, some have a family history without a known gene causing the disease or some just make the decision for personal reasons, usually to relieve anxiety.

How many times have you heard a girlfriend say, “Those cookies are evil” or “I need to get away from that cheese…”  As women, we have an especially complicated relationship with what we eat because we’ve been conditioned to believe certain foods will make us fat or unhealthy.

It may sound strange, but late December and early January seem to be months when breast pain  increase s in women.  I see it in my practice and we get more calls here at Women to Women. Breast pain is concerning for many of my patients because they worry that it means they may have breast cancer, but in reality breast pain is rarely a symptom of cancer. And in most cases, breast pain is not something to lose sleep over — but I know that is easier said than done.

Is there anything new to say about making or breaking New Year’s resolutions? Though it’s been fifty plus years that I’ve contemplated making such things, I’m not even sure I have anything profound to say about them. But let me try because this is about the time when most of us give up or at least consider breaking our resolutions.