natural girls
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Okay gals, lecture time. I hope you all know that I would never tell anyone what to do. We all have to make decisions that we feel are best for us, but it really upsets me that some of you are still letting the fear of cancer control you. I admit, I was there once. When I finished treatments, I thought, OMG am I EVER going to be able to stop worrying about this? My doctors were scaring the crap out of me with their "There is no cure, we just don't know this or that, blah blah blah". You have to tune them OUT! YOU are not a statistic. YOU have power over your own body. DO NOT FORGET-Healthy bodies DO NOT GET CANCER! You have to find a doctor or doctors who understand how to get you HEALTHY, not treat breast cancer. You have to find a doctor who can guide you through hormone balance, thyroid balance, and nutrtion. You have to replace your deficiencies with HIGH QUALITY supplements and you have to get out and walk or do some kind of exercise EVERY DAY. If you do this, your body will be strong enough to fight off any disease. Remember, cancer is caused by free radicals that change the DNA of a cell. These free radicals bombard us daily, so we need to limit them as much as possible, which most of us have. Hormones do not cause cancer-they just agitate abnormal cell growth. That is why women who have their breasts and ovaries removed can still get cancer somewhere else. They may have taken out the sites of cancer, but they have not learned to nourish the rest of their cells. Cancer starts when a cell breaks down. A cell that is strong and healthy, will be able to fight off attack.
(I have a great video I wish you could see that explains this, I will see if I can find it on youtube and post it on my website)
I honestly understand where you are coming from. I once had this deep fear of recurrance too, until I took control instead of letting cancer control me. I remember asking other survivors, "Does the fear ever go away?" I can tell you it does, if you empower yourself. I HAVE NO FEAR OF RECURRANCE! This disease is not a given. It is not a crap shoot as some believe. For everything there is a reason. Figure out the reasons that your own body broke down and change it! Only you know the answer to this. I did a lot of soul searching through this. I needed to not only clean up my body, I needed to clear my head of all the toxins, which included some toxic people in my life. Some of them I now ignore, the ones I love in spite of how much they have hurt me, I have learned to accept. You need to let go of all hurts and angers of the past and move forward. As I have said many times before, "Don't look back, except to learn!" Cancer is totally beatable, at every stage, and your mindset is a major part of the cure.
This month marks 3 years since I was dx'd. I remember how dark and desparate I was back then, I can look back now and realize that it was a good thing to have happened to me. It forced me to face all my demons and get truly healthy for the first time in my life. My only regret is that I did not get cancer when I was younger. I feel like I wasted so much time. Those of you who got cancer at a young age, look at it as an opportunity. I know that some of my poor health choices affected my children negatively. Had I known then what I know now. . .
The point is, you younger gals, don't let all these doctors scare you so much. They do not have all the answers or solutions. Only YOU have that power. Trust in your own instincts. Female intuition is vastly underrated, even though it rarely let's us down.
Have faith. God bless you all.
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Hi, vivre - I agree with you 100%! Is your last post directed at me? I personally have no fear whatsoever of recurrence, nor do I have any fear that any cancer (DCIS or otherwise) will ever develop in my "good" boob. I only have concern about the DCIS that is still actively in my right boob right now.
What made me decide to get it taken out was, in addition to the above things I mentioned... I have had a 180-degree diet/lifestyle change for nearly a year now. I have been supplementing with iodine for nine months now. I have radically changed my diet... I stopped consuming any chemical additives, am no longer exposed to household cleaning chemicals, etc. I exercise nearly every day (including walking in the sunshine and rebounding).
And yet, through all of that, that DCIS that's still remaining has not reversed itself.
I don't want to leave this DCIS in me during a pregnancy.
I have only let a doctor scare me once in all this, and that's when I listened to an emotional idiot doctor who told me I was probably going to die, before I even had a biopsy. I've had doctors pressure me to do radiation, to do mastectomy before I was ready, to do Tamoxifen, and each time, I've given them a smile and a firm "no."
I'm not making this decision out of fear of what a doctor says. I'm arrogant enough that I think I know a lot more about nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle and their role in preventing cancer than they do! (as most of us here do!)
You said feminine intuition rarely lets us down... and I agree. My intuition is what is leading me to want the mastectomy.
BUT, all that said, I'm still open to changing my mind... I just haven't found any compelling reason to keep multi-focal grade 2 DCIS cells in me during a pregnancy when it's so easy to just get them out.
BTW, as I hope is obvious, I still would never consider getting a mastectomy on the healthy side... why would I, when iodine cleared up all that fibrocystic disease so nicely?! I haven't found myself worried about a new primary cancer or a recurrence (after I get the DCIS out that I already have) or anything. I feel confident that diet and lifestyle will protect me for life. But to knowingly leave ER+ cancer cells in your body and plan a pregnancy... that crosses a line into recklessness to me.
Please let me know if my intuition is wrong on this!
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Julia-your intuition is never wrong. That was all I was trying to say. Trust your own instincts. Just do not let anyone tell you what to do, or what not to do. It just bothers me that so many doctors scare people, and fear takes over. As long as you are comfortable with you own decision, that is all that matters. And you are right, most of us here no more than doctors about prevention. All they study is the pathology of disease and standard protocols. They laugh when we tell them food makes a difference.
I am re-reading (for the 3rd time) Dr. Strand's book(What your Doctor Doesn't Know. . .). This was the first book I read that put me on the road to wellness. Since he is involved now with Usana, I am hoping that I will get the opportunity to meet him some day, as well as Dr. Northrup. Her book is what empowered me to think for myself (The Wisdom of Menopause). And she is involved in Usana too. If I ever meet either of them, I will probably cry. Their books convinced me I was not crazy and that I knew my body, and my committment better than any doctor.
Julia-I think Dr. Northrup wrote a couple of books for younger women too. Check them out!
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Daisy I mix it with veggie juice I make in the juicer and it gives it some zing. Be sure to add black pepper as pepper enables turmeric to be more effective.
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Crunchy, I wish for you to have every success that you desire. You've been living a very squeaky clean lifestyle and I commend you for it. I'm so sorry you have this multifocal business going on. I'm not sure what I missed. I thought you had dropped down to maintenance dose for iodine many pages ago. I've been subscribing to the iodine list for a long while now and I've heard thirdhand reports of people taking as much as 200 mg/day of iodine to take on active cancer.
I'm not suggesting you take 200, but 12.5 is definitely considered a maintenance dose. That leaves a lot of dosing inbetween. I'm creeping up on 2 years of supplementing with iodine. I have lousy absorption rates, so bear that in mind. When I finally got my bromide level tested, I was one full year into supplementing (7 months at 62 mg/day, followed by 5 months at 100 mg/day). Even at those levels, I carry a toxic load of bromide (32 when less than 10 is desired).
What amazes me at this point of learning about alternatives is the LONG list of things to try. I haven't yet tried enemas. Or gall bladders flushes. I finally found Knockout available at the library and I'm just amazed by the doctors (just halfway through) and their success stories. Then I think about the su2c fundraiser last week and how the little bit of 'information' in the program was spent patting themselves on the back for creating 'dreamteams' that 'think outside the box.' phfffft What a crock.
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Daisy, I put a lot of turmeric + black pepper in beans (I eat a LOT of organic beans, all kinds!).
For today's lunch salad, I took some chickpeas (I cook several days' worth at once since it takes a while to soak then cook them), put a little olive oil, then dumped a bunch of turmeric over them, a pinch of sea salt, and black pepper, and stirred to coat the chickpeas. I put the chickpeas on top of my salad. It was SO good and a great way to get a lot of turmeric in!
Althea, I had done a maintenance dose very briefly, but a post here got me back up to 50mg (it might have been one of your posts). I didn't know some people do 200mg! I still haven't done bromide testing so I need to do that.
Barbara, putting it in veggie juice is a great idea... in addition to black pepper, I would probably also add a dash of cayenne (just 'cuz I like it, plus cayenne is good for circulation).
LOL about the su2c "dreamteams"... I didn't watch that, nor do I watch any of the "establishment" cancer stuff, because I just figure it will be a bunch of sponsored idiocy!
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Woops, vivre, I missed your last post! You're so right. It's funny, I have been anti-mastectomy the entire time... almost militantly so. When I had my last check-up with Dr. Fine, I just nodded and tuned him out when he talked about mastectomy as the next and final step. To avoid any long drawn-out debate, I told him I was considering having the surgery done out of state.
As I drove away from his office, I thought, "YAHOOO! I got off without having to be forced into a mastectomy!"
But then, about two days later, after some quiet time with my own thoughts and finally listening to my OWN thoughts/intuition, I realized... wait. I want the mastectomy after all. But it was my decision... my knowing that it was the right thing... not something any doctor scared me into deciding.
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vivre ~ Your recent post (the lecture) has been on my mind since you wrote it. I absolutely loved it, and am going to print it off and post it where I will constantly be reminded about the choices over which I have control. THANK YOU!!!
Related to your post, I was listening to a CD last night that I am really excited about and wanted to share. It's Self-Healing with ENERGY MEDICINE by Andrew Weil, MD & Ann Marie Chiasson, MD. Wow! Talk about simplifying a subject that was a bit woo-woo to me (except for healing touch massage, which I've experienced). I was blown away by the information, and can't wait to learn more. (By the way, I had listened to another CD from this series in the past and wasn't nearly as impressed as I am with this one.) And vivre, some of what Dr. Weil talks about is the energy we get from other people and even from places. And Dr. Chiasson is amazing!
I also wanted to report that I am on my 4th day of oil pulling. If it had not been for a sore gum and suggestion that I need a root canal, I never would have tried such an odd practice. But I have to tell you all, after 4 days, I actually look forward to it and, although it's early, there already is noticeable improvement in that problem spot, on which I'm also using a tincture of echinacea. So, we'll see what happens...
Have a great weekend, everyone ~ Deanna
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Deanna, I'm so thrilled to hear you're having positive results so quickly with the oil pulling. Back on the topic of teeth, I had mentioned using toothsoap a while back and I think I neglected to mention that I use the liquid form. When I first heard of it, the liquid form wasn't available, and the blech factor kept me from trying it.
I haven't heard of Marie Chiasson before, but the concept of energy healing is fascinating to me. Dr Christina Horner talked about the effects of a gathering of meditators in Washington DC in her book Waking the Warrior Goddess (LOVED that book; highly recommend it). While meditators were practicing there, rates of crime and traffic accidents decreased by 20%.
In one of Wayne Dyer's books, he described a study of meditating monks. Their blood pressure and heartrates were measured before and after meditating. It's not surprising that the rates were lower after meditating. The study also measured bp and heartrates of people in the vicinity who were not meditating. The non-meditators also experienced a drop in their heart rates and bp! I think that's just the coolest thing.
crunchy, I'm glad you're seeking out your intuition and trusting it. The reconstruction method you described sounds awesome. I'm five years out from surgery now and had a unilateral diep. I didn't just leave town for my surgeon, I left the entire state, and Texas is a might big state. Seeking out the best possible surgeon and surgical technique that lets your inner voice be at peace is so worth it.
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daisy6....I take some hummus and mix in some organic tumeric, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil and either eat it like that or put it on ezekial bread. During the eating of it, I take a Life Extension curcumin with Bioperine (which helps absorption) and sometimes a few more curcumin capsules. At that time I also take my Chrysin which also needs piperine or black pepper and olive oil for absorption. I don't know if this makes any real sense...but I try to mix supplements with the actual food when I can like above with the curcumin/tumeric....I try to take my vit C when I take my citrus pectic and quercetin with bromelain and if I am going to have citrus juice or fruit, I take it then thinking that the natural foods help the absorption of the supplements.
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Deanna,
Check out Healing Touch based in Colorado. It takes many levels of training to be a certified practitioner.
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I recalled an article I recently read saying that Americans get most of their radiation exposure from medical scans. Even the Radiologists are now concerned about too much cumulative exposure which they know can cause secondary cancers. I have had many scans and will shortly have radiation when I finish chemo. I think it is wise for all of us to keep track of our radiation exposure and ask if there are alternatives (MRI or ultrasound don't have radiation). We all face a lifetime of monitoring. Of course I want to beat this primary BC, but I SURE don't want to get a secondary cancer from overexposure to diagnostic radiation tests. I also wonder if many of the "routine" scans are necessary or just because of medical liability. Here's the article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/radiation-health-american_n_611035.html0
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Good article.
It should be posted in doctors' offices. Most doctors have to suggest these scans because of the perception of litigation. But patients can refuse them.
When I fell on gravel once, I got mostly scraped up but the doctor said, "we should probably xray your knee."
When I said, "no thanks," he smiled and it was clear that he didn't think the xray was necessary. He wanted to be able to write in my chart, "patient refuses xray."
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Designer Mom: That is a really interesting article. Thanks for posting it.
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Although MRIs do not produce radiation, most scans require the injection of gadolinium dye. This dye can damage the kidneys so severely that dialysis is required. The doctor tested my kidney function by means of a urinalysis before I had an MRI. Even MRIs are not risk free.
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I saw my onc today... ugh! She wanted to know how I was doing on the Arimidex and I said I've stopped taking it and started with DIM. She said she had never heard of DIM and that she wouldn't be responsible for me if I didn't take A. She suggested Tamoxifen but because it causes blood clots she wasn't sure if that was good for me. She gave me a script for Aromasin.
Does anyone have any data on the effectiveness of the DIM? I asked her how low my Estrogen needed to be but she said she didn't know and there were no data on that. The blood work or the saliva tests wouldn't show the serum data.
I'm so frustrated with all this.... I can't seem to get answers from her or her office (she's the second onc that I've had). They only want to push pills and hope for the best! It's almost one size fits all approach.
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Well, if she doesn't know how low your estradiol and estrone should be and she doesn't test for it...then she won't know if any of the 3 drugs suggested are working anyway.
You might want to find a doc who will test your hormones to see what they are now. Then if you go on as many estrogen lowering natural things as you can then check again in a few months and see how you are doing.
Google is your friend....check out aromatase inhibitors like Chrysin, Melatonin, etc. Try to avoid estrogens in your diet and in your lotions and shampoos.
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Samsue, I take Chrysin as well. Seriously, check out Dr Joe Veltmann. He will help regulate it for you. But in the Tampa Bay area, forget it. Already tried. Ain't happening.
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Thanks, I was so upset I ate sweet potato chips and 1/2 glass of wine! The chips were so the wine was good for me if I ate something! The sweet potato chips because they're on some list.... somewhere that they're good for me! UGH. (all from David Schreiber's book - you've got to eat something with red wine!
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Deanna, I am glad you did not take my little rant the wrong way. I was a bit worried that people would think I was judging them. It was not aimed at anyone in particular. I just wrote it because I still see so many people here still afraid of this disease. I just wanted to convey that look at how much you have all changed. You body is not a cancer incubator as it once was. You are making all these healthy choices now that is making your body a cancer fighting machine so stop fretting. But do not forget to get your head into it. As you said, meditation and the whole energy thing is an integral part. We are nothing but power sources of energy. Make sure we surge creative and positive energy. There should be no room for doubt. Cut the cord on fear.
Samsue-One of the hardest things for me to accept was that my doctors were not as smart as they told me they were, and it all stemmed from my continued anxiety about taking arimidex. I tried for months to get them to listen to my concerns. I kept goiing in to see them and asked so many questions. They would tell me to stop reading, and just try it. My friend was suffering tremendously on this drug and I was scared to death of it. I looked at the risk of these drugs and could not see any benefit. I too was stage one, with my chance of recurrance being 10%. So taking this drug would reduce my chances by 50%, which in essense is only 5%. it seemed like there were a lot of risks, and expense for a measly 5%. There is proof that daily exercise can also reduce your chances by 50%.. There is proof that getting Vit D levels up will reduce recurrance by 80%. There is proof that losing weight will reduce recurrance by 50%. etc. etc. So I did all the alternatives and figure if I added them all up, my chances of recurrance are nil! In fact it came to minus 250%!
Then I told my onc this. She laughed and said okay, I won't push you anymore because you are doing the right thing! They cannot tell you the truth even if they want to. So the bottom line is, as I said earlier, do what feels right for you, and do not let anyone, including your doctor try to coerce you into something that just does not feel right for YOU.
DIM/I3C/Myomin works. I had blood and urine tests by doctors who believe in testing hormones, that prove I am not estrogen dominant anymore. The best way to do this is still with diet and exercise.
And finally ESTROGEN does NOT cause cancer. Estrogen will latch onto cancer cells and instigate them to reproduce. But cancer is CAUSED by CARCINOGENS. So don't forget to get them out of your house, stop using them on your skin, make sure your eat whole foods, and take high quality antioxidants. Taking a estrogen blocking pill were never be as successful for prevention as getting rid of the causes.
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vivre - I did not take your rant the wrong way but all I could think of is the ladies with a higher stage than 1. You made a lot of great points. I have done tons of research and have taken the advice of all you lovely ladies. I have also read where women have done all the good, healthy, and holistic things and the crap still comes back. With me being stage 2a and a node positive and not 2 years out, I do still worry. I would love to get to your place and in time I might.
Peace, Love and Blessings, Patty
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Vit E...Life Extension Gamma E Tocopherol/Tocotrienols ?????
Do I take these even if they have soybeans in them?
I read somewhere (will have to look for it) that too much Vit E "may" cause lung cancer...I saw it when I was reading up on lung nodules.
Thanks:)
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Dear Vivre,
Appreciate your post and agree with you whole heartedly about diet. In fact, according to the Cancer Project, National Cancer Institute research shows that as much as 50% of cancer risk may be related to diet. (http://www.cancerproject.org/)
However, I steer clear of any and all dairy products and eat only limited amounts of meat (without growth hormones) because my tumor (and most breast cancers) are "hormone receptive." I'm no molecular biologist (and I don't want to be one) but another mammal's milk is made to take that calf to a cow in less than a year by some pretty fast cell division.
I consume soy milk for my hot flashes - no more than maybe 8 ounces per day since both ovaries have been removed and 9 years later I'm just fine! Soy is an easy target because it doesn't have a large industry behind it. And, of course it's organic soy that is NON GMO.
I have been blessed to be seen by one of the best breast cancer oncologists for the past 9 years(in my opinion) and he is now referring woman to a no dairy diet (even Stage IV) with "miraculous" results. He always gave me the stats and then let it be my decision. I stopped taking tamo after 3 months. My mother's breast cancer came back and she took it for 5 years and she doesn't have the BRCA gene.
I'd suggest the movie Food Inc. and the book by Jane Plant: Your Life in Your Hands, Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Breast Cancer if you are inetrested in how food is making us sick. I reread her book every June (that's when I had my last radiation treatment) to remind myself "I'm on the right path for me."
Best health always to you all...
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I thought you all might like this article:
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Hey Girls, check this out!!
Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, two-time brain cancer survivor, distinguished scientist and best-selling author (Anticancer), has teamed up with the world renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center, to initiate a ground-breaking project aimed at enhancing and bolstering cancer care.
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Thanks for the post PurpleMe. It's exciting! And he's right. They need $$$ to conduct the research because most of the studies we hear about are sponsored by the food and beverage industries. (Think low fat vs no fat, etc.) There's not much financial incentive to tell us to eat more blueberries and beans.
I read the Anti Cancer Book a few years back and it's definitely a good read. He basically says what Jane Plant, The China Study, etc are all saying, "eat as close to a vegan diet with very limited amounts of organic meat." And, his credibility: he's an MD that's involved in research that had cancer (twice) and believes you can prevent a recurrence by changing your diet and lifestyle.
Meanwhile, at last night's back-to-school night for our youngest, directly behind the PE teacher (whom we adore) was a picture of a celebrity with a milk mustache. (UGH!).
Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food. - Hippocrates
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That is fantastic, PurpleMe!
SuperMom, just to clarify... there are two schools thought re: an anti-cancer lifestyle... the "vegan is best" school of thought, and the "grass-fed animal products help fight cancer, in conjunction with plenty of minimally-processed organic plant products" school of thought. Jane Plant and the China Study are in the former; Dr. Servan-Schreiber's Anti-Cancer is in the latter. (Dr. Servan-Schreiber is the reason I have a mason jar with grass-fed, non-artificially-pregnant milk in my yogurt maker right now!)
Anyway, I agree, he definitely has credibility and I love that he uses research to back up every single point in his book.
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That's exciting news, PurpleMe! I wish I'd seen it before I went to my oncology followup app't. this morning. What a disappointment. My local onc, whom I really like and respect as an onc, literally rolled his eyes at every question I asked him re. hormone balance, supplements and alkalizing our bodies. When I reminded him what I was doing in lieu of an A/I, he shook his head and told me I should "live a little," and not take diet so seriously. He also proudly told me that he's never taken a vitamin, and that he would be leery of them because they make things grow. Oy! I then tried to tell him about my integrative consultation at UCLA, but he just rolled his eyes again. In retrospect, it was kind of funny, but sad, because many patients will never question this sort of advice because of the 14 framed degrees & awards hanging on his wall.
I think I'm going to get him a copy of Anti-Cancer. Deanna
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Dear Crunchy Poodle Mama,
Jane Plant had breast cancer 5 times before she made what she believes to be the correlation...dairy. Can't agree that "grass-fed animal products help fight cancer." With all due respect, Dr. Servan-Schreiber's tumors were in his brain and cow's milk is breast milk that is meant to take a calf to a cow in less than a year. Whether it is grass feed, organic, not kept artificially pregnant, factory farmed, administered growth artificial growth hormones, etc. to me is irrelevant.
I haven't consumed dairy products for over 9 years (besides organic eggs).
Best health always,
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Yes, SuperMom, you've mentioned that a few dozen times
, and remember, one of the last times this was discussed we were going to agree to disagree. You have your cup of soy milk per day, and I'll keep having my few tablespoons of grass-fed yogurt a couple of times a week. I just won't drink it by the cupful for every meal every day as calves do. Oooh, Deanna, that whole "live a little" thing!! Doesn't he realize, eating healthfully and living an anti-cancer lifestyle IS living! It feels great, so much better than living a pro-cancer lifestyle!!
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