Knowledge is power, so arm yourself with up-to-date answers to your most perplexing questions about breast cancer.
by Cara Birnbaum
Virgil Bastos
Q. How do I know if I'm at high risk for developing breast cancer?
A. Anyone with an immediate family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of menopause or with multiple relatives suffering from the disease is at high risk; you should start getting mammograms at age 30 or younger, depending on your case. If you're not at high risk, begin at 40. Calculate your own chances by using the Breast Cancer Prevention tool, a short questionnaire at cancer.gov/bcrisktool.
Related: Portraits of Breast Cancer
Q. Do birth-control pills increase my risk?
A. Any links between the Pill and breast cancer appear to be weak. While estrogen exposure can potentially increase your risk, today's birth-control pills contain far less of the hormone than earlier versions. However, women who take oral contraceptives in their mid- to late 40s to help mitigate
Blog Posts by Real Simple Magazine
How to handle sticky situations
By Real Simple Magazine | Work + Money – Mon, Oct 4, 2010 6:15 PM EDTBy Elizabeth Schatz Passarella
Tactical tips and talking points that can help you survive an awkward social scenario.
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Read More »from How to handle sticky situationsAre Generic Medicines as Good as Name Brands?
By Real Simple Magazine | Stay Well For Fall – Mon, Oct 4, 2010 5:07 PM EDTby Dimity McDowell
Read More »from Are Generic Medicines as Good as Name Brands?
Brand-name products inevitably cost more. Are they worth the extra money?
Perhaps the best example of a minimal performance difference despite a massive price discrepancy is the case of over-the-counter generic medications versus brand-name versions. To wit: You can get 150 200-milligram Advil tablets for about $11 or 500 tablets of Walgreens-brand ibuprofen for $13. The difference between the two? Not much.
Related: Medicine Cabinet Makeover
"A generic is the same in dosage, safety, strength, quality, and performance as a brand name," a U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesperson based in Silver Spring, Maryland. And that goes for prescription medications. The generic may look or taste a little different (federal law prohibits duplicating every last detail), but the medicine works in your body just as the brand name would. In fact, according to the FDA, about 50 percent of generic drugs are manufactured by the brand-name companies. What's the difference betweenTransform this classic fall gourd with quick and creative decorating ideas. Sound suspicious? You're in for a treat.
Photographs by Don Penny, Styling by Vanessa Boer
*Special thanks to Farmer Roger Allen at Coy Brook Farm (coybrookfarm.net) in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, for handpicking our pumpkins this year.
More Halloween tricks & treats from Real Simple:
Scary-Good Halloween TreatsHow to Host a Pumpkin-Carving Party
10 Recipe Ideas for Halloween Candy
Read More »from 8 Easy No-Carve PumpkinsScams Even You Could Fall For—And How to Avoid Them
By Real Simple Magazine | Work + Money – Fri, Oct 1, 2010 6:40 PM EDTLearn how to avoid the most common swindles-from high-tech password theft to low-tech door-to-door hustles.
by Susan Stellin-
Social-Networking Rackets
The rip-off: Websites like Facebook have become fertile ground for scam artists who hijack members' accounts to spread viruses and spam. Via news feeds and messages, they distribute videos or phony gift certificates that appear to be from friends but, when downloaded, install damaging software on your computer. Two cons going around Facebook this year: a page offering a $1,000 Ikea gift card in exchange for your personal information; and messages asking for money, supposedly from friends in trouble who are traveling overseas. These scams can spread through e-mail, too. A recent one, a bogus coupon for a free bag of Doritos, did not harbor a virus, but it did cause Frito-Lay a big headache.
The tip-off: Although lots of legitimate companies send customers special offers by e-mail and use Facebook to market promotions, these deals Read More »from Scams Even You Could Fall For—And How to Avoid Them-
Social-Networking Rackets
The 10 Secrets of One Unflappable Working Mother
By Real Simple Magazine | Work + Money – Mon, Sep 27, 2010 9:35 PM EDTChances are, work-life balance is your most elusive goal. But it's not impossible.
Read More »from The 10 Secrets of One Unflappable Working Mother
by Michelle Slatalla
Last Thursday, as I walked into the house after a business meeting followed by a 30-mile round-trip car pool, I smelled something delicious wafting from the Crock-Pot. On my way to the kitchen, I looked in the mirror, gave a thumbs-up to my dependable black pants, and thought, There now, being a working mother isn't so hard. That day, like most, involved a lot of working and a lot of mothering, often at the same time. Ever since giving birth to my first daughter, 20 years ago, I have intentionally blurred the lines between work and home. That's just what the experts tell you not to do. But I credit the overlap with helping me stay reasonably calm. Here are my tried-and-true ways to keep domestic (and professional) chaos at bay.
Related: What I Wish Parents Knew
1. Do work at home; do home at work. You need to accomplish a certain number of things during a 24-hour period. Where you11 Sticky Money Situations
By Real Simple Magazine | Financially Fit – Thu, Sep 23, 2010 11:49 PM EDTBy Teri Cettina
How to finesse sticky financial situations involving friends and family.
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Read More »from 11 Sticky Money SituationsWhat’s your body trying to tell you?
By Real Simple Magazine | Stay Well For Fall – Thu, Sep 23, 2010 4:51 PM EDTBy Stacey ColinoEvery pop, ping, ache, and pain has a meaning. Here's when to take action.
5 Everyday Dangers NOT to Worry About
By Real Simple Magazine | Healthy Living – Wed, Sep 22, 2010 11:57 PM EDTBy Anne-Marie O'Neill
Read More »from 5 Everyday Dangers NOT to Worry About
Real Simple asked a host of experts-from an arachnid specialist to a meteorologist-to put your worst nightmares to bed.
1. That Nasty, Hairy Spider on the Wall is Going to Jump On You Any Second Now
In the United States, there is only one family of spider, called Salticidae, that is capable of jumping, and these spiders are not commonly found in houses (they prefer forests). Generally, spiders do not seek people out and attack them. It's not in their nature. Spiders are only going to crawl across you if they're headed somewhere and you're in the way. As for the hairiness-what can I say? They are indeed hairy. But personally I find them to be quite darling.
Related: Bug-Repelling Basics
Jonathan Coddington is the curator of arachnids and myriapods at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, in Washington, D.C.
2. Some Crazy Person Will Push You Onto the Subway or Railroad Tracks
In old movies, "falling" onto the train tracks is aHow to Select, Store, and Cook Fall’s Best Produce
By Real Simple Magazine | Shine Food – Wed, Sep 22, 2010 11:45 PM EDTMake the most of delicious fall fruits and vegetables, from apples to sweet potatoes.
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Read More »from How to Select, Store, and Cook Fall’s Best Produce
