Holly Sidell

Senior Health Writer + Creative

Health Features

Health Features

Prolon Life •

mTOR: What It Is and How it Affects Longevity

On your health and longevity journey, you may have heard mention of nutrient-sensing pathways. When activated by certain nutrients, these pathways send signals to various parts of the body, instructing them what to do, such as energy utilization, metabolism regulation, and cell growth or repair. Overstimulating such pathways may accelerate these processes, potentially leading to unwanted outcomes such as speeding up aging.
Private Health Management •

Breakthroughs in liver cancer screening and treatment

Primary liver cancer is one of the deadliest cancers globally, with a five-year survival rate of 20%.1 It is also one of the most quickly increasing types of cancer in the U.S,2 more than tripling since 1980.1 The disease used to be most commonly diagnosed in older people and those with chronic hepatitis infections. Today it is being seen more often in younger and uninfected people, due in part to lifestyle challenges that cause obesity, diabetes, and increased exposure to environmental toxins a
Private Health Management •

New Study: 10,000 steps is not the magical number

10,000 steps. The gold standard. The magical number we aim to reach daily and perhaps beat ourselves up over when we don’t. It turns out, this number is not based on scientific research.1 The origin most likely comes from a 1965 Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer called “Manpo-kei,” which translates to “10,000 steps meter.”1 In truth, taking as few as 4,000 daily steps provides health benefits that lead to lower risk of death.2

Published in the August 2023 European Journal of Preventat

Inspirational Client Stories

Photo by Andre Furtado on Pexels
Private Health Management •

Changing the narrative of a cancer journey

Battling cancer once is extremely scary and difficult, and Carrie’s first battle was no exception. Unfortunately, it was further complicated with a doctor who, in her words, was “unkind and uncommunicative”. Luckily, she beat cancer then, but 20 years later, she found out she needed to battle it again. This was unimaginable.


In late 2021, just days after finding a lump, Carrie was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. She immediately recalled her prior experience and felt extreme dist
Private Health Management •

Reclaiming quality of life

After 40 years of teaching, Larry was happily living aboard a sailboat, enjoying his retirement. He went on daily walks amidst seagulls and the ocean drift, until one morning, he woke up with pain in his lower back. The pain quickly moved into his leg and progressed to the point where it was difficult for him to move around or stand up. To avoid excruciating pain, he even had to rig up lines to pull himself out of bed.


The presenting situation and solution

Over the next couple of months, Lar
Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels
Private Health Management •

Living and thriving as a cancer survivor

Anne’s* boundless energy and zest for life envelops everyone around her. As a former personal fitness trainer, she maintained an active life with a particular passion for Pilates and gleefully running around with her grandchildren.

In early 2021, Anne developed a cough that lingered and intensified for months. Eventually, her doctor ordered a chest x-ray and treated her for pneumonia. Anne’s cough persisted, landing her in the ER where a CT scan revealed cancerous masses in her lungs and nearby

Chemotherapy

Stage •

Cold Capping: Is it Right for You?

If you haven’t already read the Cold Capping 101 article, check it out first, then come back to this one.

I decided to make the major commitment to do Cold Capping, and for me, it was worth it. I kept 70% of my hair, and had no visible bald spots. But, I’m going to be real: it is a lengthy, tedious, uncomfortable, expensive, and laborious process, not just on the day of chemo, but every day of your life during chemo and for a few months after. And, it doesn’t always work. If you’re not sure if
Stage •

Cold Capping 101

After I processed the fact that I would need chemotherapy (well, processed as much as I could, because how do you really process that?), one of my first thoughts was, “Oh my God. I’m going to lose my hair.” Losing one’s hair is often the hardest part of treatment for women. There is so much around hair — our femininity, our identity, how we view our attractiveness, and the fear that when we go out in the world, everyone will see our bald heads and know we are cancer patients.

Eventually I accep
Stage •

Ports 101: Everything You Need to Know

When preparing for chemotherapy, you may hear your doctor or nurse mention a port; you will usually be given a choice to have chemotherapy infusions administered that way, or through an IV directly from the vein in your arms. I opted for the port, and while I’m glad about that, there were some aspects I wish I had been better prepared for. So, here you go: the complete low-down about ports that I wish I had known.

What is a port, exactly?

A port, or port-a-cath, is a disc placed under your ski