1) Check - The first week of October is Fire Prevention Week. Now is a great time to run through a short list of crucial prevention tasks. First, make sure you have a fire evacuation plan for your residence. Do you need a rope-ladder for second-floor bedrooms? Second, do you have an active smoke detector in all bedrooms and the hallways (make sure the batteries work too!)? Third, do you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen?

(HealthDay News) -- A simple urine test could one day be an effective way to screen for breast cancer, a new study suggests.

The notion of a so-called "dipstick" test envisions a high-tech sifting through just a few drops of urine in the search for elevated levels of two particular biomarkers, MMP-9 and ADAM-12, which can sometimes indicate the earliest stages of tumor growth, the researchers noted.

Every other week I have a date with a leather lazy boy chair. I get there early, just after dropping my kids off at school. Coffee in hand, I make my way into this small cancer center near my home. I've been going here for years and yet, in some ways, I never get used to it.

Have you postponed scheduling your first mammogram because you're anxious about what to expect?

Here's what a mammogram is like. Everyone's is different, but I have had them for 10 years in a variety of locations, so my experiences are probably pretty common.

When you go to your regular doctor, they'll give you a prescription or a lab order for a mammogram that you can take to any of various mammography sites around where you live. Usually, they are located near or in hospitals. You call and make an appointment at the mammography center.

TUESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are heavier and longer at birth are at increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life, British researchers report.

In fact, as birth weight and length increases, so does the risk for breast cancer, according to the results of a study published in the Sept. 30 online edition of PLoS Medicine.

Last weekend I spent the entire time with breast cancer survivors at the Race for the Cure in Portland, OR. We have one of the largest races in the country with over 45,000 participants. The sea of pink was beautiful and the faces of those personally touched by breast cancer were beautiful.

The Race for the Cure is more than a way to raise awareness and money for breast cancer. It is a way to pay tribute to those fighting this deadly disease and for those in the fight to honor those who support them through their journey. But even more, it is about hope.

Last week-end I spent the entire time with breast cancer survivors at the Race for the Cure in Portland, OR. We have one of the largest races in the country with over 45,000 participants. The sea of pink is beautiful and the faces of those personally touched by breast cancer were beautiful.

The Race for the Cure is more than a way to raise awareness and money for breast cancer. It is a way to pay tribute to those fighting this deadly disease and for those in the fight to honor those who support them through their journey. But even more, it is about hope.

THURSDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer survivors who suffer from hot flashes can reduce these attacks significantly with hypnosis, a new study finds.

Hot flashes are a problem for many women who survive breast cancer. Not only do they cause discomfort, but they interrupt sleep, cause anxiety and affect a woman's quality of life.

(HealthDay News) -- Young women diagnosed with a common form of early-stage breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are no more likely to have recurrences than older women with the disease, a new study finds.

(HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women carrying breast cancer-linked BRCA gene mutations who took hormone replacement therapy actually reduced their risk for breast cancer, researchers report.

The study's authors called the finding "reassuring."