If you're reading this newsletter, I know you're interested in positive measures for your health. Very likely, you're physically active and you watch what you eat - or at least you're trying to make changes in those directions! I also want to strongly encourage you to have regular medical checkups. We're all busy. When you know your lifestyle is healthy and you're feeling great, it's so easy to postpone a routine physical exam. But please don't.

I've been conscientious about checkups - a dear family member died of cancer when she was in her 40s. But my "annual" checkups are often 14 to 15 months apart, because I usually don't remember to schedule them ahead of time. In the past, these exams have always been uneventful. This year, for the first time, it was not. My health care provider found a small lump in my left breast. She was immediately reassuring: She reminded me that most breast lumps are benign; she told me that this particular lump had the characteristics of the harmless type. Follow-up proved her right - a great relief. Thanks to this experience, I'm more determined than ever to keep up with my own medical checkups. I hope I can pass along the same resolve to you.