natural girls
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Althea and Victoria-interesting info about the spirlina. I will look into it. Thanks
And hang in there Victoria. We are here for you.
Pill, it sounds like you are being wisely proactive with your rads. I wish I had done so. I am still upset they zapped my thyroid and did my nodes, even though they were clear. Live and learn the hard way I guess.
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Ladies thank you all for the info on spirlina. I will be doing my research today!
Oh Victoria, I will be praying for you. Hopefully Pill's word's will help you.
vivre, I found a nurse prac that I just love. She is into bioidenticals but not for bc help. She did run some test for my estrogen level (can't wait to get the results!) She asked me what I have been doing and taking. I told her about iodoral and dim and she was actually VERY interested in all of it. It was such a refreshing change. All my other docs always poo- pooed everything. She also told me where I can have a diti done. I was practically jumping up and down!!!!! The place she recommended also does whole body scans. She said she told her husband that what she wants for Christmas!!!! It is now on my Christmas list, lol.
It is a wonderful indian summer day here. The leaves are beautiful and falling. I'm going hiking for the day!!!!!
Patty
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Good morning all ... I tried a new "milk" product this a.m. and thought I'd report to you all that it's pretty good. It's called Organic Whole Grain Drink -- from Trader Joe's -- and it's made with organic brown rice, amaranth, millet and quinoa. If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, you may be able to find it under another label (since someone must make it for them), although I haven't seen it anywhere else here yet. Anyway, I think it's one of the better milk substitutes I've tried. D.
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Dear Sylvie:
I am so sorry to hear about your recurrence! I know this is a terrible time, and you are very strong, indeed, to not be beating yourself up for going your own way through this cancer experience.
Ann Fonfa, of the Annieappleseed Project (most dedicated advocate I've ever seen), has had 5 recurrences. It's now been almost 20 years, and she is doing FANTASTIC.
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Too bad about Epstien. Some people end up with heads so big they end up becoming the very thing that they started out fighting. Conventional A*% H%les. Someone shoot me if I ever turn into that please.
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Yazmin, thank you for mentioning Ann Fonfa's success. There are plenty of people who do the heavy drugs that have recurrences and people don't start questioning "well if you hadn't done that particular drug and had done some other drug instead, maybe you wouldn't have had your recurrence." Nobody says to them "well, you shouldn't have gone the chemo route, you should have gone the natural route." Recurrences happen to some and not to others no matter what they do. Why does it always have to be somebody's fault? It was so nice of you to point out that someone can have 5 recurrences and still be winning!!!!!
PS PS73, I'm still believing as hard as I can that yours is just something benign. Sorry you have to be scared again.
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Luna:
Indeed. Ann Fonfa is not just alive: she is doing absolutely great (the 2 of us will be spending a few days in New York next week, to attend this conference):
http://www.integrativeonc.org/
Then I am planning to visit her in Florida in January, time permitting, in order to attend the conference she hosts each year on evidence-based complimentary/alternatives.
http://annieappleseedproject.stores.yahoo.net/3rdanevcoca.html
At the Society for Integrative Oncology conference next week, we will try and take a picture with Dr. Servan-Schreiber (Anti-Cancer), since he is attending that conference.
...And to echo your post, I have posted this information in a separate thread: Many serious researchers now believe in the Birds, Bears, and Turtles theory, i.e.: a tumor is either aggressive, or it is not. In Dr. Barry Kramer (NIH) own words:
"......With overdiagnosis, we often end up ‘curing' cancers that didn't need to be cured in the first place," said Dr. Barry Kramer, director of the NIH Office of Disease Prevention and an expert on cancer screening......
http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/102009/page6
........New findings in genetics and tumors "categorization" show, of course that cancers that were not even going to advance in the first place (turtles) are invariably cured by chemo, hormonal treatments, etc...., with great damage to the body; those that are more aggressive (bears) are cured for a few years (tumor shrinkage).
As for the birds.......
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Any one read anything on oxytocin?
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Thank you ladies for all the messages and PM too!! I was crying to my husband about all of you and how friggin happy I was to be able to talk about my choices with people who understood. It helps soo much to let it out as you all know. I failed to mentioned that I also have lymphedema in my right arm. I wear a sleeve, do lymphatic massages and reflexology as well. All of those together pretty much keep swelling under control.
I was in emergency last night because I hadnt slep since Tuesday and the pain in my arm was horrific!! I meditate alot and just could not get rid of the pain on my own so my husband took me to emergency. I actually slept for 6 hours straight which felt like a whole day. I do not function well without sleep!!
I noticed that Im kind of just babbling lol....just wanted to say THANK YOU!! for being here, for posting, for information and support. I truly appreciate it!
Sylvie
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Merilee, oxytocin is the hormone that stimulates labor, causing uterine contractions. It's also released during breastfeeding, nipple stimulation, and orgasm. I've read that it's also responsible for feelings of love and affection. We give the synthetic form of it (called pitocin) during labor when contractions are weak or very far apart and also after birth to help the uterus contract back down to normal size. I know that once we stop the infusions of it, it only takes minutes for its effect to wear off.
This stuff about rads is really concerning me now, I already had it done a year ago and it was my left breast. I haven't had any shortness of breath or any side effects at all, so I'm hoping that means that I was spared any direct damage. I asked if any lymph nodes would be radiated and remember being told no. So I'm mystified as to why they would be radiating all those lymph nodes on you, Victoria, being that yours are all clear.
Reading all this stuff about radiating lymph nodes and lung and heart damage, I'm wondering if I should make an appt. with my Rad Onc now a year later just to discuss all this stuff?
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I heard about some research where they found oxytocin in new moms is also related to an increase in the immune system. They hypothesized that it may be natures way of insuring that the mom will be well and there to care for the baby. And interestingly enough they said that even remembering holding your baby can produce oxytocin and improve you immune system. They did a small project with meditation and one of the things they used was this. They also used another guided meditation that helped clients picture the exact mechanism of the immune system and that worked as well... Very interesting. I have been trying to find the site in the packet of things I brought home from the work shop but have not come to it yet.
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Deanna:
You responded to Sylvie: pure DCIS does not travel
However, my understanding is that there are 2 very different types of DCIS?
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rgiuff,
I am so sorry, I did not mean scare you about rads. There are so meany conflicting studies out there - please bear in mind that my reasoning is very biased. Some women want to hit their bc with an atomic bomb right away, and would be very uncomfortable rejecting any standard protocols. That's not my personality, and I have been kicking and screaming about conventional tx, and doing as little as I can, the whole way.
I know when how easy it is to bend your logic when you want something badly (or in this case, don't want it). Maybe I'm deluding myself and my choices are all wrong - That's one reason I wanted to explain my reasoning - so others can spot any obvious gaps in my logic.
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PHILL
Thanks for the reply on COQ10 I think ill get some, Ive seen it in tablet form I think for me helping to protecting my heart will be beneficial as my family has a history of heart problems
Joanne
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Okay, this question may seem odd. Is air popped pocorn good for me to eat or not? I have avoided carbs for many years only to find that the Adkins bars were mostly soy. Going low carb meant lots of meat, cheese...well you know. So, I don't know which carbs I should be eating now that I am trying to be as healthy as I can. Are baked potatoes a right or wrong choice? Or should I just be sticking with colorful veggies?
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Luna, I would be sticking to organic colorful veggies and fruit. Do you have a juicer? Meat, cheese should be organic. I think most of us here don't eat much meat or have much dairy because of the hormones in them. I eat baked potatoes occasionally but again organic. I'm not sure about the popcorn.
Patty
P.S. I pm'd you
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Luna, you don't want to avoid all carbs... leafy greens are carbs too ya know. How many carbs you need depends on your current weight, and current and anticipated activity level. You need to eat more carbs, and ones that are more quickly accessible before strenuous exercise than before knitting to avoid running out of energy mid activity.
Generally diabetics are told to eat between 45 and 60 grams of carbs at breakfast, and 60 to 75 grams of carbs at lunch and dinner, and an additional 15 grams before bedtime (to help keep the level on an even keel through the night) which may not be needed if your body handles the carbs you do eat appropriately.
They have recently come up with a thing called the glycemic index which rates foods according to how quickly they are converted to glucose (as all foods are as they are digested). It may be somewhat helpful in making food choices, but you need to remember that it was designed to measure how quickly carbs are absorbed which is important for diabetics trying to keep their sugar levels on an even keel without high or low spikes.
David Mendosa is a writer who since his own diabetes diagnosis has written extensively about various methods of blood glucose control, much of which involves food choices. He is a crusader, and can be a bit obsessed, but here is a link to his reasonably comprehensive list of foods and their relative placement on the glycemic index:
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
You may notice that on this chart french fries look like a better choice than boiled potatoes. That is because the oil in the french fries slows down the absorption of the glucose from the potatoes, not because the french fries contain fewer carbs overall.
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Luna - Here is an article from the NY Daily News that actually says popcorn fights cancer. I don't think I would have the movie-theater kind with all of that fake butter crap, but air popped with a little sea salt is probably not bad on occassion.
Baked potatoes are OK occassionally but they contain a lot of starch and are not great to have all the time. I think that if you stick to as much organic, fresh, colorful veggies and fruits as the primary source of your diet, you will be OK.
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Thanks everyone. This is great stuff to know. I didn't know if I was "supposed" to eat more unprocessed starches or if I am still supposed to avoid them except for oats to try to bring down my cholesterol. I have already eliminated dairy and most meat and processed foods and eat as much organic as I can. I fill up on supplement pills...hahahaha...no real need for food with all those:) I drink organic chammomile tea and Brassica tea sometimes with some orange juice or lemon juice in it. I eat organic walnuts every day. I try to eat an apple a day but they aren't always organic...need to work on that. For snacks I eat a spoonful or two of organic almond butter. Sometimes I eat meat...try to make it organic or at least hormone free. I drink organic tomato juice and use the thickness of it to wash down the supplements. I have organic coffee beans...should I eliminate my thick cup of coffee on some mornings? I can cut out coffee if I should. I use almond milk for my organic cereal. When I eat out, which my husband wants to do practically every night, I just do the best I can. What about eggs. I have organic no hormone ones, but I don't know if I am supposed to eat them or not. I read that even those have hormones. Thanks again everyone. I'm trying to make a concise list of what I can and cannot have. I'm not going to be perfect about this, but I try to stick to the rules as much as I can.
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Oh, I forgot one question. These green smoothies so many of you mention.....I want to get smoothie powder. A friend came in for a visit and let me try her brand...I think it was Super Greens..not sure...from some company in Tampa....but it has soy.. and also has a lot of the supplements included that I already take. I have spent a lot of time researching and trying to settle on the brands of each of my supplements and how I feel as I have added them in. I am almost there so I don't want to change them or just trust a brand of greens to include all the other stuff too. Any suggestions of an organic brand with no soy. I'm sure I'm not eating enough greens.
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Hey, girls... sorry I haven't been posting much today... busy day (3 portrait sessions this morning/afternoon plus a mountain hike, then have been busy with husband/puppies)... but I have a question that I haven't been able to find on the Internet.
Does anyone know of any statistics on what % of women who have breast cancer treated with chemo/radiation end up having a recurrence within the next 10/15 years?
I'm starting to get freaked about what my biopsy results will be next week and being in a situation where my doctor is trying to strong-arm me into doing chemo and telling me I will DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE if I don't have chemo. *sigh*
Oh, if anyone has any other good anti-chemo stats, I'd love to hear them too!
Luna5 - re: green smoothies, I don't use a powder for mine. I use organic baby spinach or other greens (kale, though that can be a little strong, or baby lettuces).
First I put a cup of spring water into the blender. (You could use almond milk or coconut water or whatever else you like.) Then I fill the blender with the greens (baby spinach or whatever). I blend until it's smooth and not chunky.
Then, I add a piece of fruit to make it taste good (usually an organic apple, and sometimes frozen blueberries -- yum yum!). Sometimes I add either a chunk of fresh ginger and/or a mostly-peeled lemon. I usually add some pure spirulina powder too (I get mine from www.bulkfoods.com).
I blend it all until it's smooth and drink up... it tastes SO delicious, way better than any mix I've ever used... plus I like that it's fresh! Hope that helps!
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Chemo is actually very effective against certain cancers, notably childhood leukemia, testicular cancer and Hodgkin's Disease, not so much against breast cancer.
This chart is 5 years old at this point, and is on a site that might be seen as biased in favor of natural treatments, but I haven't had anyone present any evidence that the numbers are anything but absolutely accurate.
http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/learning/chemotherapy-effectiveness.html
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Wow, Pat, that is VERY eye-opening... and it was taken from Clinical Oncology, which I assume is a peer-reviewed, cancer-industry-approved publication! Wow!
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Julie:
I don't think this is about being anti-chemotherapy? I feel it is about making the best possible choice for your tumor type. Which is hard enough, I know............
As I have been saying it on this board, it is now firmly established that my tumor type (ER+, PR+, HER-) does not benefit one way or the other from any kind of chemo (though one oncologist "mistakenly" put me through chemo in April 2006 because that was the still-accepted protocol; I dropped off her treatment when another oncologist informed me of the newest findings).
In the case of that particular tumor, conventional treatment has since abandoned adjuvant chemotherapy, and now emphasizes hormonal treatments (SERMs, AIs).
Now, I personally decided to COMPLETELY turn down Tamoxifen, and to concentrate on lifestyle changes and natural hormonal treatments.
I consider Diindolylmethane (DIM) a natural hormonal treatment, and I consider Turmeric and black pepper (since Turmeric is activated by black pepper) an anti-cancer. So I consume that every day in different dishes, and I never fail to have my green tea with lemon juice, because it has been established that green tea is activated by lemon juice.
But turning down Tamoxifen, that's my choice. Nevertheless, I am 4 years out and doing better than I did when I was a 20-something totally oblivious of diet, supplementation, and the importance of lifestyle choices. (By the way, I haven't had a flu in 6 months in spite of all those epidemics, and without any flu shots).
In the presence of a Triple Negative or HER+ tumor, however, it might be worth doing your own research and asking a whole lot of questions about the ABSOLUTE benefit statistics (versus the RELATIVE benefit statistics) for the different treatments available and generally recommended for those tumors.
Then you can try and decide whether you are going to avoid chemo altogether, or use it in conjunction with other treatments, or chose yet another route.
Yah, I know it's hard........
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....And as far as I know, chemotherapy is very effective for childhood leukemia and for Hodgkin's Disease. I have read many research papers where it is believed that prostate cancer is pretty much like breast cancer: either aggressive, or not (in which case chemotherapy doesn't have much to do, anyway).
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I don't think this is about being anti-chemotherapy?
Oh goodness, I know. I guess I used that term as shorthand to explain what kind of stats I'm interested in finding in case my doctor is a "you must do chemo in all circumstances" type (and I know there are still some of those out there!). I should have said "statistics that demonstrate situations in which chemotherapy is or is not statistically effective."
Chemo is a personal choice that should be mainly influenced by type of cancer and tumor. I most certainly don't judge ANYONE who does chemo; in fact I'm happy for this if/when it extends their life.
Unless my tumor ends up being a type that means I will absolutely die very quickly unless I do chemo, and chemo is likely to extend my life by 10 or 20 years, my personal choice is not to do it... strictly because I MUST have a baby. I can't live my life not ever becoming a mother. That's all. (Well, that and I think nutrition/lifestyle are more important than what drugs are injected into you... but that's where the personal decision thing comes in.) Anyway, sorry to misspeak.
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PatMom ~ Re. that chart... When you read the whole study, it looks like those stats are based on patients who did chemo alone, which would somewhat account for those dismal percentages. But in most cases, women with bc have surgery and are then given chemo -- not as their primary tx, but to take care of any stray cells -- in which case the 5 year survival stats should be significantly better. What would be a more telling study re. the net benefit of chemo would be a comparison of outcomes for patients who have only surgery to those who have surgery+chemo.
On the other hand, I was shocked to be told by one of my oncs when I advised her that I was not staying on the Femara I briefly tried, that an A/I was far more important than the chemo I'd just done!! No one ever mentioned that up front! D.
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Here is the exact product they are using in their trials, I was going to be a part of the trial, then I changed my mind, but I found out which product they were using. the company that produces the grapes sent me a big free bottle when I inquired.
Grape Seed Extract
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-ActiVin-Grape-Seed-Extract/pd_section-pr#ProductReviews
tree
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Using 1/2 organic butter and 1/2 grape seed oil to make a spread will turn those baked potatoes into a more nutritious choice
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Luna - the green powder i use for my smoothies is called Green Vibrance. There is some non-GMO soy in it though. My doctors say soy is OK in moderation as I am ER-. I use it in addition to fresh organic greens. I also add berries, banana, coconut water and mango or pineapple. It is ultra yummy!
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